I thought i was okay with this diagnosis and i am just NOT!

[JoeP]

Dont let it scare the kids, minimize the negatives and maximize the positives when discussing it with them. My son was really bummed and said he was sorry that I had to wear a mask to sleep. i told him I was excited because now I would get a good night's sleep and be in a better mood.

Also have some fun with it when possible.

I love to mess with the dog, he was afraid the first night, wouldnt come near me. He finally braved up, came closer and got hit in the face with the vent air and got spooked again. He got used to it and is fine now.

Also have fun with the wife, did the whole Darth Vader imitation, then unhooked the mask from the hose and let the small extension hang down and did a Snuffelupagus impression.


I was just like you, hated the thought of using the mask, hated that I was fat, hated that i couldnt get a good nights sleep. I should have gone for a sleep study a year before I did but it took me getting very very miserable to be motivated. Now I wish i would have gone sooner and saved myself a year of misery. Am I happy that I have to wear a mask, well no, but I am happy that I do wear a mask and feel better for it.

[mzlaura1884]

Thanks again everyone on your kind words believe it or not i feel much better about this and needed to hear all of this. I spoke with my nutritionist this morning she has been my rock through my weight loss and she told me it needs to be treated and i will feel like a teenager again, the weight loss will move more, etc, etc. I honestly look forward to that i have been tired and grumpy for far too long now. I have probably had this over 10 years now undiagnosed. With my 1st pregnancy at 19 years old i was heavier than i am now and also had problems with insomnia, tiredness, etc. I've had my tonsils out about 15 years ago too. My best friend also has sleep apnea diagnosed a few years ago but has refused treatment. Her mom has very severe sleep apnea and has to sleep in a recliner or she stops breathing. She is being treated though. Even though i am scared out of my mind i am finding myself advocating to my friend to get hers treated as well. She has 3 little kids and is a single mom. I am sure a small percent of me is doing it for selfish reasons so i can say we are both going through the same thing, but mostly i am doing it because i don't want anything bad to happen to her either. I've talked a lot to her the last few days about all of this. My appointment with my sleep doctor is in 6 days and i am looking forward to hearing what he has to say and see these numbers for myself.

[Goofproof]

Weight can be a factor in your need for treatment, but really loosing weight is very good, but in the end you have a less than 1% chance of it curing your sleep apnea,

Geez, I don't want to encourage apnea denial, but you just made that 1% number up, didn't you?

I suspect 50% or more of us fatties would lose or greatly reduce our apnea if we got down to our proper weight. Doctors used to think it was 100%.

However, it's not a sure bet. Even worse is when someone says, "I won't do CPAP, I'll just lose weight." What usually happens is they don't really lose the weight and the patient suffers with untreated apnea. The biggest problem about weight loss for apnea reduction is most people never lose the weight.

Yes, I did make it up, it's probably less than 1 % that lose the needed weight, keep it off, and no longer need XPAP treatment. Except for the mis-informed on De-Nile, and they don't count as they are fools for not seeing that they get help.. However in time nature will sort them out. Jim

Getting to a healthy weight and staying there (Very Hard To Do), is a good thing. Many of us have lost that 30 lbs, and went on to gain 50 lbs back. Losing weight helps our health, but doesn't make up for tissue that isn't firm, or genetic problems.

[jnk]

I have no trouble with the spirit of the idea behind the 1% guess. My guess is that it may probably be more right than wrong, depending on how you divvy up the numbers we do have to play with, even if the statistic was made up in this instance. After all, the made-up statistic must be goof-proof, right?

My understanding is that weight loss only "cures" OSA when it was a sudden increase in weight that caused the OSA and then the OSA is "cured" when that weight is, in turn, lost quickly, before the body/brain is permanently wired for OSA.

Years of being overweight and suffering from untreated apnea appear to trigger sleep-breathing problems in a way that cannot then be reversed with simple weight loss. Once the body/brain gets wired for OSA for years and years, there is likely to be lifetime need for treatment. That is no reason to give up on a healthy lifestyle, but there are many reasons to live healthy for all the other benefits that come from that.

The point, though, for any of us, is NOT to think of the solution as simply "losing weight." The point is that it is important for ALL humans, regardless of weight, to eat healthy and to have a healthy level of activity. That, in turn, will improve health in a myriad ways, including, but not limited to, an increase in the liklihood that a person may then begin to approach a so-called "healthier" weight without damaging the body by using unhealthy means to lose the weight.

In my opinion.

[archangle]

Yes, I did make it up, it's probably less than 1 % that lose the needed weight, keep it off, and no longer need XPAP treatment.

You're probably a bit overly pessimistic, but the statistics on how many people lose weight and keep it off are really dismal. I'm going to guess less than 20% of the obese people who are REALLY motivated by conditions like diabetes, apnea, heart trouble, etc. lose the weight they need to and keep it off.

i.e. Lose the weight but don't wait to start CPAP. The weight loss will help other things even if it doesn't fix your apnea.

[texmels]

wow... i think your 61 pound weight loss is absolutely fantastic and shows how strong you really are. Great job!!

[chunkyfrog]

The national weight control registry works to determine what makes permanent weight loss successful.
They have surveyed many who lost weight (and kept it off) as a response to a significant event or diagnosis.
http://www.nwcr.ws/

[snuginarug]

I just popped in to give you some more encouragement. Getting diagnosed so young is fantastic! Why? Because you would have had OSA whether it was diagnosed or not, and it is better to start treatment NOW rather than LATER. This way, getting treatment started early on, you won't spend the best years of your life dragged down by OSA. And OSA probably had a lot to do with your depression, food cravings and weight gain.

I noticed a lot of negative self-talk in your initial post. OSA is NOT your fault. Being depressed is a REAL problem and causes all kinds of other problems, including turning to food for relief of pain. Yes, you made certain food choices, you're responsible for that. But you were being affected by two things totally not your fault: depression and OSA. And as others have said, the past is the past. You are taking responsibility for your health now... losing weight, getting treatment for OSA, getting your thyroid problem under control, doing what you need to do. Be proud of yourself! And yes, throw out the habit of calling yourself names! You deserve love and compassion and praise from yourself.

You go girl!

[mzlaura1884]

I just popped in to give you some more encouragement. Getting diagnosed so young is fantastic! Why? Because you would have had OSA whether it was diagnosed or not, and it is better to start treatment NOW rather than LATER. This way, getting treatment started early on, you won't spend the best years of your life dragged down by OSA. And OSA probably had a lot to do with your depression, food cravings and weight gain.

I noticed a lot of negative self-talk in your initial post. OSA is NOT your fault. Being depressed is a REAL problem and causes all kinds of other problems, including turning to food for relief of pain. Yes, you made certain food choices, you're responsible for that. But you were being affected by two things totally not your fault: depression and OSA. And as others have said, the past is the past. You are taking responsibility for your health now... losing weight, getting treatment for OSA, getting your thyroid problem under control, doing what you need to do. Be proud of yourself! And yes, throw out the habit of calling yourself names! You deserve love and compassion and praise from yourself.

You go girl!

Ty so much! My appointment to see my doctor and get my rx is only 5 days away. I went to the gym and it helped release some stress and self pity i think

[zoocrewphoto]

That isn't to minimize how much PAP can suck, especially for newbies. I have had a horrible six weeks, and I mean HORRIBLE. For some people it causes more immediate problems than it solves. But, it seems that if you get over the hump, you are golden. So I keep putting on the mask every night hoping tonight will be the night that things change.

I have been up and down with my treatment these first 3 1/2 months. I can clearly feel the improvement, but I keep getting sick, so that makes it harder to sleep and harder to keep the mask on. This past week has been horrible. Only 2-3 hours per night with the mask. I have been exhausted. Last night, I slept 6.8 hours straight. Not even a trip to the bathroom. I am praying for a repeat tonight. It will be shorter as I have t get up early to go to a picnic that is 3 hours away. But even 5 hours like last night would be awesome. Every now and then, I have an awesome night. I'd like to step that up and get 2or 3 awesome nights a week with the rest of the nights being good. I could do without the bad nights. I go back to my regular doctor on Monday as I have been coughing again for 2 weeks straight. The cough medicine with codeine is better than the over the counter stuff, but it's not kicking it, and it doesn't make me sleepy either. I've been using it at work, every 4 hours with a cough drop at all times (except when I eat). Otherwise, I have huge coughing fits. Back in June, I had a bad cough for 3 weeks. I do NOT want this to become some permanent problem.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I don't have anything huge to add to this thread, since I came in so late. However, I'd like to say I'm really proud of all the people who posted and especially for CPAPtalk and all its member for making this all possible. Kudos to: Goofproof's tough love; Abbynormals edgy input; Pugsy's rock solid veteran of the wars background; RobySue's encyclopedic brain, plus all the rest. Man, you couldn't get this knowledge from most doctors. I hope the OP realizes what a treasure this advice is.

[DavidCarolina]

Youre doing great! Stay the course.

Dont forget that the blender can be your best friend when you cant seem to force yourself to eat boring food AGAIN.

Mix it up, add some water and wheat germ.

My favorites: watermelon/banana/yogurt, and blackbean/turnip green (good)

[gertrude]

Ditto, ditto, ditto, with the encouragement. It's tough, especially at first. With all your weight loss, you have already shown that you can overcome adversity. This is just a different type of adversity. I was complaining to a friend who is a heart surgeon about my diagnosis. He looked at me and said, gently and without judgment, "at least there is a noninvasive treatment." That helped wake me up.

I started on weight loss to get off the CPAP. Now I know that may not (likely won't) mean I can do without it. But the apena diagnosis got me started and that was something to be grateful for in itself for all the health benefits of losing weight. You have been doing it even without the apnea motivation, and that is awsome!

I want to echo the advice from somewhere earlier on this thread -- keep a journal of how you feel and the differences you note. Mine were all negative to start with, but gradually that has changed. Less getting up in the night to the bathroom. Lower blood pressure. Less insomnia (but that devil is still capturing my nights too frequently). Less GERD symptons. I have to admit that the PAP is making a difference, despite how much I hated the diagnosis. The journal has helped with motivation. May not do that for everyone, but it is worth a try.

[SolSionnach]

wow... i think your 61 pound weight loss is absolutely fantastic and shows how strong you really are. Great job!!

No kidding! You rock, MzLaura!

I was complaining to a friend who is a heart surgeon about my diagnosis. He looked at me and said, gently and without judgment, "at least there is a noninvasive treatment." That helped wake me up.

Very wise, Gertrude.

I was diagnosed on 1/22/12, and didn't get my CPAP until 2/22/12. Bloody hell!! I was so pissed off at that, because I was shatteringly exhausted, calling in sick, afraid of losing my job but unable to work for much of the time. And taking naps didn't help - of course, they didn't help! - but I was grateful.

I was grateful that my shattering exhaustion was caused by sleep apnea... and not something worse. Something that needed invasive treatment. Like Cancer. Heart Disease. Or something with NO good treatment, like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I took to the mask like a duck to water... some of the time. I had awful nights, but I stuck with it, and finally, on March 1st, I saw a glimpse of my old self. I had energy... or maybe I should say that getting up and going to work didn't seem completely impossible.

Today I realize that for me, this is a long-term process. Yes, I'm much better today than I was in February - but I gained some weight and it's not coming off as i'd like it too. I still have depression from time to time, but when I put on the mask and turn out the light, I fall asleep easily 29 nights out of 30. I look forward to my one year anniversary - Feb 22, 2013 - just to see how much better I feel then!

As others have said, be gentle with yourself. There are scads of reasons for someone to get this diagnosis - in my case, my dentist looked in my mouth and said, 'well, of course! You have a very low palate..." and I'm of small stature. I also am 54, and am 25 pounds overweight (which is significant when you're only 5'1" tall).

Did this recent weight gain *cause* my apnea? I have no idea... but I don't think that losing it will result in me having an AHI < 5 without the machine.

And I'm single. That brings up all sorts of issues... or would, if I was dating someone. But that's another story.

Whatever you do, USE THIS FORUM. I have learned so much on here, before I ever registered or posted. Many, MANY HUGS to you, MzLaura. It gets better!!

[truckee147]

Like most I felt bad for myself when I was diagnosed in may. I bemoaned the fact that I would be locked to this mask. I had severe claustrophobia but took the advice on this site and now I grab my mask and know the fatigue I had for years will be no more. I am obese and have realized that all the guilt won't help me live a better life. It's time to dig in and take care of YOU. That means giving yourself the tine and energy to work day to day to improve your lot in life. Little steps. No negativity. you can do this. Follow this site it has great resources.