3 nights on cpap

[stephmc]

I believe I have had severe sleep apnea for at least 10 years. I've suffered with all the usual effects of it, headaches, irritablility, unstable mood swings, depression, anxiety, weight gain, unable to lose weight, getting up numerous times to go potty, and of course waking up fully at least 15 times or more. after a sleep study I have started on a cpap at 15, my dr said my o2 dropped to 75%, and I woke up 55 times. so I'm totally excited about feeling better, not nodding off 5 minutes into a tv show etc, but at moments the last 4 days I've had small panic attacks, thinking" did I do this to myself?" and "How can I get use to being hooked to a machine the rest of my life" at times I want to cry,. I know this is normal, from what I've read. But please any advice would be SO appreciated. I actually slept from about 11:30pm until 5:30am this morning without moving so much as a toe and not waking at all, which is incredible for me! sorry about a long post, just needed to vent it all out.

[Cowboy Casey]

Hang in there, it will get better.. it takes time and the "right way" for you... everyone is differant.. its taken me 4 years to start getting mine under control and its starting to work... coming here was one of the best things I could have done... I have spent months cruising through all of these posts... Go back and look at them and get ideas, see what has worked for other people and see if it works for you..

Cowboy

[BB6078]

Stephmc: Wow, I'm impressed. It has taken me 8 weeks to clock in three nights in a row. I had such trouble at first and everyone here said keep trying. I had panic attacks too, but because this whole thing started with insomnia, and I didn't want to worsen that. Once I started falling asleep naturally (albeit getting the crappy interrupted sleep, I figured it will just take me months and I'll just learn to nap w/ it first. I had a friend on facebook who had the same experience with taking several months to get acclimated and that was helpful to compare notes. Good luck!

[tortoisegirl]

Sorry you're struggling with the idea of being on CPAP long term. It is however a great accomplishment to have had a full night's sleep so soon. I also find the thought scary of having to use this every night, indefinitely. However, once I've started to see some benefit, plus even my husband is seeing benefit (from my disturbing him less), and got accustomed to it, I really don't have an issue with long term use, especially if things get even better than this.

So I agree to hang in there, it gets better, and that everyone is different. It may take days, weeks, months, or years for it to seem "normal".

I think doctors and DMEs can lead us a bit astray and not warn us how difficult it is for most of us to adapt, and that results often aren't seen immediately. Both my sleep doctor and DME setup tech specifically said a couple times that I should let them know right away if I was having problems, but nothing along the lines that it was normal to take significant time and effort to adapt.

On a side note, I'd recommend registering for an account here, which will give you added benefits such as being able to add your equipment to your profile (so people can give more specific responses to your questions), view a list of all your posts, private message, and get e-mail notification for responses. Or, log in for future posts, if you already have one (you can set it to automatically log you in, as unlike a lot of forums, this one lets you post without being logged in). Best wishes.

[kaiasgram]

Hi Steph -- You have a long way to go before you can earn the "lengthy post" title here.

The mixed feelings you describe are spot on normal. I've accepted this therapy (started PAP two years ago), but it's still kind of mind boggling when I really stop and consider having to do this for the rest of my life. But what I can say after the past couple of years is that it now occupies a MUCH smaller place in my consciousness than it did when I started. I think that will happen for you too. It becomes your new normal and gradually slips into the background of your life.

I also encourage you to register and post your equipment, and ask as many questions as you have. This forum was and still is the reason I've been able to make this bizarre therapy work for me.

Oh, and in between small panic attacks, do some slow, gentle breathing and trust yourself that you'll get to "OK" with this.

[KylaManhattan]

Some people adapt really quickly to CPAP. The rest of us, not so much.

I can so relate to your feelings in this first week of treatment. When we first think about needing to do something "forever" -- like CPAP or daily insulin injections or whatever -- it can be a little daunting. Forever is such a long time, right? The good news about CPAP is that you are actually increasing your likelihood of having a long time to do this for ...

The fact that you've slept virtually through the night so early in your adaptation is quite remarkable, and bodes well for your eventual adaptation.
You may never "love" wearing your CPAP gear, but that doesn't mean you'll hate it, either. I predict you will eventually not feel anything much about it one way or another -- it will just be one of the things that you do without thinking about it, as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. But you will love the way you feel as you start feeling better.

Hang in there!

[quekka1]

Been on Cpap for justy over a week. been putting off having a sleep study for years. 49 yo with a history of Heart disease...had 2 heart attacks back in 2007. I wish I had done a sleep study years ago. Diagnosed with severe OSA ( up to 90 apneas per hour). My machine is Brilliant... still getting use to it but now only waking up once a night. Getting up with soooo much more energy

[Taz]

Hi Steph,

Welcome!! I've just started CPAP, too.....today is day 18. I seemed to have adapted rather quickly. My sleep study showed 52 apnea events per hour with a decreased 02 at 65%. I experienced all the signs & symptoms that you mentioned. I still have no great increase in energy but I'm much more alert and my outlook & mood has greatly improved. Plus, I seem to have a decreased need for all the carbs & caffeine....that's just amazing to me!!! First night with CPAP was awful, didn't sleep, at all. I cried, blamed my self for not paying closer attention to my health and then just felt sorry for myself. The 2nd night, I was very determined & exhausted....slept for 7.5hrs. Since then, I've managed about 6hrs a night, not all great nights but much better than pre-CPAP days. I understand how you feel, I think many of us felt the same way. It will get better. Hang with cpaptalk.com....these people are amazing and there will always be someone here to answer your questions and offer support.

Taz