Why I LOVE my CPAP Machine

I was sitting here at work doing nada.(This is what happens when you're doing the late show). Anyway, I was thinking, wouldn't it be great if we had a thread about why we all LOVE our CPAP machines? Think about it. People come here for answers, research, inspiration, and support. I feel like once a day we see a thread with someone who is extremely frustrated with their treatment. What if we stuck this thread to the top of the board? That way whenever someone comes here frustrated, they can vent, but also, they can immediately click on this thread and see that there are really good CPAP success stories. Anyway, here's mine:

My name's Eric, and I'm a hosehead. I've been married for about two and a half years. Early in my marriage, my wife was always getting scared because she would get up out of bed and see me not breathing or gasping for air. It took her two years and a move to CT from NJ, but I finally went for a sleep study. The results scared the life out of me. My average events per hour was 82. I thought I had it figured out. I told the ENT I would just lose weight. He pretty much said, "That's nice, but it's not going to make the OSA much better."

I got my Respironics M Series Auto in late December 2006. I've been on it for over a month. Prior to having this machine, I could sleep 14 hours and then sleep another 6, yet still feel tired. I snapped at people during the day. When I was home from work, I sat on the couch and did nothing but watch TV and play video games. Here's how my life has changed in a month:

1. I cook 3 times a week for my wife and I.
2. I'm playing tennis again and looking into playing hockey for the first time in almost eight years.
3. I can sleep six to eight hours and feel like I have all the energy in the world.
4. I'm much more pleasant than I ever was when I wasn't on it. No more snapping at people.
5. My energy at work is such that my performance has gotten exponentially better. Hard to believe from someone who gets 4's and 5's out of possible 5's on his reviews.

I also love how this is a therapy that I'm in charge of. This isn't chemo. I don't need to go to a hospital for it and then have more tests to tell me how it's going. I take charge of reading my results. It's something you get very enthusiastic about. When I wake up, I import my results and see how things went. Surprisingly, after a month, I almost know my results based on how I feel in the morning. I can make adjustments to my APAP machine to make the therapy perfect for me, or at least as close to perfect as I can get.

The main reason I love my APAP machine is I can sleep next to my wife and not wake her up. We can be right next to each other and she is never unpleasant. This therapy has improved my life exponentially, but it's also made the lives of those around me better.

EJD

Excellent, I'll pop a testimonial in later, I've got a bit on right now. I just wanted to chime in with encouragement for a great idea.

Peter

Dish, this is a great thread! I'm with Peter, though. Let me sleep on it and I'll post more tomorrow!

I second the motion. I think it's an excellent idea. While I have lots of room to improve, I am eager to celebrate whatever victories I manage to achieve. I'm no Pollyanna (that title is already taken), this treatment is a tough slog, and it is small wonder that compliance is pitifully poor. But, as they say, every dark cloud has a silver lining. There's got to be a pony in here somewhere, right?

Number one inspiration for me: consider the alternative "back in the day". Rewind to me deincarnated (is that a word?), living large in the Roaring Twenties. I would have been well into my voyage, on a slow boat to my demise with the Marquis de Sade as cruise director, and Hannibal Lecter as the Skipper. Probably a long and painful descent, with not much to look forward to, except some particularly debilitating diseases. My daytime somnulence would have been chalked up to who knows what? Hey, Sleepy Head, have some Geritol. Maybe self diagnosed and confirmed by the community as just a Lazy Guy (with apologies to Sleep Guy). Overwhelming depression mounting with each malady compounding the other, I would be happy for the tap on the shoulder from the Grim Reaper.

He'd have to wake me to take me, but I'd probably go with gratitude.

I hate it when the cure is worse than the disease, but in this case the only thing worse than having to use that Black Blower would be having to do without it, sleeping my life away while the disease is killing me softly. So, thank you, Black Beauty, for that voodoo that you do. These really are the Good Old Days, especially when compared to the bad, old daze.

You got to act cent, you ate, the paws uhh tivv, "E" limb, in ate, the negg uhh tivv . . .

And just remember, without CPAP, there'd be no cpaptalk.com and all the new friends you've made here! '' Ain't life grand?

My credits to cpap are feeling better with energy during the day, this next one is strange, since starting cpap I rarely have to get up for bathroom breaks where as before at least twice during the night, figure that one out, must be I'm sleeping more sound and not thinking about getting up? I also find that all I need is seven hours or less and I feel more rested then prior using cpap, yes with all its annoyances I have found a comfort level gearing up at night, and not having to think about apneas, and knowing I'm doing the best treatment available at this time, last but not least it gave me the oppurtunity to meet and exchange posts with so many interesting people on this forum.
Hurricane

I've had my CPAP since August of 2006......and I LOVE IT.

With 100 respiratory disturbances an hour.....my sleep quality was terrible. I was wide awake every 20 minutes all night long. I was always exhausted and a real b---- to live and work with. My husband wore ear plugs for 8 years because I snored so loud. I had forgotten what it was like to really really sleep well.

Then I had a sleep study and got my CPAP. I now sleep so SOUND. I feel great, I'm no longer the b---- at work I use to be. I have energy. And my husband has thrown away his ear plugs. I actually look forward to going to bed and sleeping.

Yeah I'm a hosehead and proud of it. I'm taking care of my medical problem and the results are wonderful. This wonderful web site had been such a big part of my success.......thanks to all those who contribute and help us newbies.

Happy sleeping,
Sharon

Why I love my CPAP,
Let me count the ways.

I'm thankful for aerophagia,
How the farting lasts all day . . .

I'm thankful for the rainout,
I hope that never goes away.

I'm thankful for sore nostrils,
and the scabs which stay and stay.

I'm thankful for nasal irrigation,
Just up my nose and spray.

So many sickly symptoms
I dealt with every day.

I even had dark dreams at night,
But CPAP took them away.

So, you see, I'm thankful for the wind which blows,
It keeps my apnea at bay.

Regards,
Bill

I love my c-pap in so many ways. I sleep 6-8 hours a night, I don't get up like a bear, no more time spent in telemetry with atrial fib. My heartbeat is strong and steady. I have more energy although I really miss napping! I no longer wake up during the night in panic.I LOVE BEING ALIVE!!!!! the hum of my elite is comforting and the aie blowing in my eyes when the mask slips brings back memories of riding in a convertable with the top down.

air blowing in my eyes when the mask slips brings back memories of riding in a convertable with the top down.

I took the liberty of fixing the typo on " air", but your observation had me laughing out loud. Thanks for the great chuckle.
Best,
drB