So far, not impressed with this cpap stuff

I've been lurking for a few days now, and appreciated advice (to others, lol) about rainout and how to solve it. So I fihured I'd introduce myself, do I can b***h about my machine properly. So I am Sandy, recently diagnosed, but irritated that it was diagnosed as apnea instead of the stupid asthma attack I was obviously having all night. But whatever, if it gelpsme not be tired, I'm willing to try it.
Only problem is so far it's definitely NOT helping in thst department. Had it for a few days now, and am even more tired than when I started, and achy allover from being tired. Sooooo tired. I have not noticed ANY improvement. Although the third night, it tried to drown me instead of gently humidifying, lol.
The mask seems to fit ok, no obvious leaks unless I am on my side wrong. And I am waiting for a chinstrap, so tying my mouth closed with an ACE bandage for now. But I was promised better sleep, not more exhaustion! Whiiiiiinnnnnnneeeee!

Hi there

I don't mean to discourage you further but from one Newbie to another I can relate.
I was diagnosed with a "mild" case (7.1 AHI mild oxygen desat) was not tired in the least and really felt fine.

Now, almost 3 weeks into using my CPAP I am exhausted, disgusted and irritable.
On a good night I lay 1/2 asleep cognizant enough to know I'm resting not sleeping.
That goes on for at least the first few hours then I think I get real sleep then finish with another hour or so
of 1/2 sleep. By 3 pm I'm terribly exhausted and I was never that way before, aaaghh.

And I can't quit. My employment depends on my staying compliant and they check to make sure.

The experienced folks on here will tell us newbies to hang in there, they were there and we'll get over it.
I'm still tryin

I'm using the Dreammapper app and it is showing an AHI of 1 at the highest so far, the other nights being between .5 and .8. With 97-100% mask fit, if that makes any difference to anyone.

SoCal Guy wrote:Hi there

I don't mean to discourage you further but from one Newbie to another I can relate.
I was diagnosed with a "mild" case (7.1 AHI mild oxygen desat) was not tired in the least and really felt fine.

Now, almost 3 weeks into using my CPAP I am exhausted, disgusted and irritable.
On a good night I lay 1/2 asleep cognizant enough to know I'm resting not sleeping.
That goes on for at least the first few hours then I think I get real sleep then finish with another hour or so
of 1/2 sleep. By 3 pm I'm terribly exhausted and I was never that way before, aaaghh.

And I can't quit. My employment depends on my staying compliant and they check to make sure.

The experienced folks on here will tell us newbies to hang in there, they were there and we'll get over it.
I'm still tryin

The dude who showed me how to work this said I would notice a difference in a few days. And that he felt great after the first night. I'm beginning to think he was fibbing.

I started 2 months ago, and I surely didn't feel great the first night.

It took me 3 weeks to tolerate the mask and start having a decent stretch of sleep. The first week was not pleasant.

If you have been sleepy poorly for several years, it's going to take weeks/months to resolve that deficit.

I'm a relative newbie to CPAP, too--about 2 months in. I think I've probably had an easier adjustment period than you, as I look forward to getting my mask on at night now.

A couple of things helped me in my first week or so--things shared from others on this forum, which I lurked and searched for a few weeks before chiming in:

1. Try using your mask and machine during the day while awake and reading or watching tv. Think of it as "practice time" getting used to the gear being on your head/face and the air-assisted breathing. Then when it is bedtime, your body may be more receptive and less reactive to the new regime. Even dancers and actors have costume rehearsals before opening night, to make sure their movements are free and comfortable in whatever they have to wear; and sometimes costumes have to be mended or redesigned to accommodate the physical demands of the role. It all takes time, just like learning any new routine does. Think of muscle aches when starting a new exercise program that go away with continued repetition over time.

2. Keep track of changes by recording your nightly experiences in a journal, and/or use the Sleepyhead software that's recommended here. Give yourself credit for every positive that you notice. My resp.tech. emphasized to me that changes using CPAP therapy can be subtle, and may become apparent only over time, rather than a stunning overnight fix. In my case, I have certainly seen a reduction in my AHI from >30 to <5, but what I'm happy about currently is that the number of bathroom trips during the night has dropped from 3-4 to 1-2. That means I might actually be getting REM sleep again, oh be joyful! It's been a few years since I've had more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep in a row. It has taken about 7 weeks for that change to show up.

3. Practise patience. Our bodies have been coping with sleep apnea for months or years; it is probably a shock to the hormonal system finally to be supplied consistently with the oxygen that the body needs to go about repairing cells while we sleep. It may well take our bodies time to stand down from high alert each and every night.

4. If there are several changes you want to make to your mask, machine, routine, comfort: Make only one at a time and monitor your result for 2-3 nights before you try another change. Give your mind/body a chance to settle into the new change without overwhelming yourself with another new thing.

5. Use lanolin (Lansinoh) to relieve pressure marks on your face, if your mask leaves them. (One of the best tips ever, for me.) Even though my mask fits well, some mornings my nose is a little red around the edges. Probably the fit is affected a bit by the sleep mask I wear over my eyes to block light.

Wishing you a smoother adjustment,
one night at a time,

Jean

Hey, I finally got around to reading this thread:
viewtopic/t61785/Especially-for-newly-d ... ml#p578692

Maybe there's something there for you, too.

Jean

Sandypro, egads this thing is a real challenge for me too! I get the feeling that some people just find it easy to fall asleep with the thing and see improvement almost immediately. When I complained exactly what you complain about to my medical device provider, the rep sneered at me and said "See that guy over there, HE said he got the best nights sleep the first night with this machine..." and rolled his eyes at me.

First, don't give up. Sleep apnea is a very bad thing, and we need to get treatment. Im going on 2 1/2 years and still working on it.

The type of machine is very important. If you were prescribed a CPAP machine, maybe a BIPAP or AUTO BIPAP would work better for you. They are supposed to ramp up slowly, and learn to track your breathing to help you get to sleep. Ask about that.

Welcome Sandypro,
Learning to sleep with cpap is definitely a learning process. The time to noticible improvement is different for everyone. Your body became used to the sleep deprived state as normal. I thought I was sleeping soundly and didn't notice any sleepiness during the day when I was required to get a sleep study for work. I went to the sleep study with a chip on my shoulder knowing I didn't have a problem.

I was wrong and the changes have been many but not overnight. Many users have stated cpap has improved their asthma so keep that journal. What was your AHI on your Sleep Study?

Soothest Sleep has given you a lot of good ideas to get started learning a new habit to help you stay healthy. Apnea and oxygen deprivation can cause damage to other organs so think of yourself saving your heart and mind.

If you have a DreamStation CPAP, it is not data capable and if you haven't had it long, I would take it back to the DME for the Auto or PRO. They both have data. Data is important if you have problems. The DreamStation Auto is the better choice because it has both the auto and cpap mode where the DreamStation PRO only has cpap mode. Your insurance pays the same for any cpap machine and the DME makes more profit giving you the basic no data machine.

If you have any specific questions ask and someone will help.

For three months I would start out with heavy breathing like I was suffocating. Even if I restarted in the middle of the night it would be the same. After a while I would just accept I was going to die and fall asleep. Honestly, I miss that feeling. Now it doesn't disturb me and I don't sleep as well. At five months mask just doesn't seem to fit as well and sleeping position doesn't seem critical at all. AHI seems to be averaging up. Something is just very different. I'm waiting for another machine so I can use Sleepyhead.