Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

So I have only had my nose to the hose since August 4 and I am still waiting for the burst of energy. I am committed to making this work for me even though it has been far from easy. I often read encouragement that says hang in there, it is worth it. I believe I will someday get there, and that it may take a good while because I have been sleep deprived for many years.

I believe it would help me, and maybe other newbies, to hear the success stories. Something along the lines of before and after would be great. I would particularly like to hear about the moment that made you realize that you were better.

I want to write my own success story one day soon.

This is such a great group. I have felt so welcome and accepted. Thanks.
I needed that. Nobody else understands what CPAP is like.

Joanie - Catnapper

Just joined this forum tonight.. what a way to make my first reply!!

Quite simply, the difference I felt after my first night on CPAP was staggering. The most amazing medical treatment I've ever experienced. The only negative out of the whole experience has been lamenting the 15-odd wasted years I put up with my severe sleep-apnea.

Incredible, astounding, mind-blowing are all terms I'd use to describe my experience with CPAP so far.. and I'd even say they are slightly understated in describing the difference its made to my life!

As for the "moment i realised I was better".... the first morning after CPAP when I got out of bed.

Good luck with it Catnapper.. I sincerely hope you get it sorted.. I wouldn't wish sleep-apnea on my worst enemy.

Been on cpap since May 2006, APAP since August 2006. Did not think it was working for me until my 5 year old son told me (unprovoked) that since I began wearing the "elephant nose" I am not "mean" to him in the mornings and in the evenings (I guess I was a bit grumpy). Anyway, that pretty much sealed it in my mind that no matter how much a pain in the butt the whole CPAP thing is, it is worth it.

Hey Catnapper,

Not to decry the previous poster's success, but don't let the fact that some people experience instant improvement make you feel that it's going to be a failure for you. Not sure if it will, but I know I've always feel a little bit discouraged when I see someone else suceeding without really trying.

So to add my "success story". I never had a real problem with daytime sleepiness but did snore and gasp for air at night. My wife was experiencing many a sleepless night because of my snoring and apnea.

So I do the sleep study and in the morning, the tech says "I'm not supposed to discuss the results with you directly but yeah, you've got apnea pretty good."

So I get the machine, get hooked up, and then spend the absolute worst night of my life on it. Very little sleep, and a whole lot of discomfort. I was quite the grouchy gruff the next day. But the next night was a little better. And after a week, I could pretty much sleep through the night with it. Then came the tweaks: fixing mouth leaks, getting the bungee cord support system for the hose, getting the heated hose, etc.

So now it's been over a year and I'm still not sure it's working. Okay, let me tell you the good stuff...

1. I don't snore. (Wife no longer wants to kill me in my sleep)
2. No more acid reflux. (Something about the pressure keeps the acid down)
3. Very few or no migraines. (Who knew?)
4. Maybe a little more energy. (Can't really tell, it may have been really subtle)
5. My BP and weight are down. (Okay, maybe that's the serious weight loss and exercise I've done in the last year. But, who knows? Maybe I only have the energy to stick with that because of the CPAP therapy.)

So there yah go, I guess I'm a success story. To be honest, I don't love this machine. But I don't hate it either. I think it's doing me some good and I've got the bedtime sequence down to a science so that getting all hooked up is quick and just part of the routine.

I guess what I'm saying is just because you don't get immediate noticable results, don't get discouraged. A lot of us took months to realize that things are better than they were. If you can sleep through the night with it then keep it up. If you cannot sleep through the night, figure out what is wrong and try to fix it. (People here can really help you with problems. ) Monitor your progress and you may find that it really is helping you.

One of the challenges is that you can easily see the problems: nightime disturbances from mask, red marks on your face, rainout, drymouth, aerophagia, etc. But often the plusses aren't always so easy to see, even though they are there. Like most things, you will have good days and bad days. One thing I do know, is that severe apnea can kill you, and that's not something to ignore.

Stay the course, look at the long term benefits.

My wife doesn't have to rush me to the hospital with A-Fib anymore.

I did not mean to give the impression that I was a "quick" success in the CPAP treatment. My son did not make his statement to me until about two or three weeks ago. It certainly has not been easy, however, my son stating that I was not "mean" made me realize that it must be working in some way (I attribute it to CPAP because that is really the only thing I have been doing that is different). Sorry if my previous post gave the wrong impression. As a lot of people here state, staying the course is important.

tmaiberger
(for some reason I could not sign in)

I have only been on CPAP since 8/1/06, and it has been an amazing journey. I was really upset at first but hung in there. Life was going from not being to put one foot in front of another to being able to walk 2 miles with my son. It had gotten to the point I could not play golf. I have played 18 holes about 3 times since and I am playing in a tournament this weekend. I fought through 3 masks and waking up while on cpap at least twice a night. This week I have slept all night and I am amazed. I feel better, fog is lifting. Now granted there are bad days, but the good out way the bad. It's so funny my thing now is sleep. I know I have to follow my treatment to live.
This site has helped me. Without the support of these people I think I would not come as far. Each day is a new beginning.

Catnapper:

I’ve been using CPAP for about 6 weeks now, so I’ll tell you how successful it has been for me thus far . . .

The first week was definitely a mix of misery and immediate improvement. The misery was due to not sleeping well at all. I think I averaged about 4.5 hours a night. But the improvement came on several fronts. First, within one day I no longer felt like I was going to pass out while standing on my feet (I think this is because the CPAP cured my irregular heartbeat). Second, it seemed like I could concentrate better, in spite of my insomnia. And third, a pain in my shoulder, from an injury incurred 8 months earlier, went away within a few days (I guess because I was no longer straining my shoulder muscles struggling to breath at night).

After a week, I gradually started getting more sleep. I think this was partly due to the fact that I gradually found a more effective pressure range for my APAP, while using my Encore Pro software to self-titrate.

After a month, I experienced a dramatic sleep rebound. I began consistently getting more than 7 hours of sleep per night (I normally average around 6.5 hours). But by this time I had found an optimal pressure range of 7 to 9 cm for my APAP.

After 6 weeks I am still getting above average amounts of sleep, most nights, and am feeling better and better each day. I believe I have caught up on the sleep debt incurred from my initial week on CPAP, but I think I still have more sleep debt to catch up on, from my pre-CPAP days.

I hope this helps to give you the encouragement you need, and maybe some useful information for improving your CPAP therapy. Hang in there, and keep persevering! Few things in life are more important than quality sleep.

Catnapper,

January will be two years for me on CPAP. Like many, I experienced great improvement immediately after beginning treatment. I had read that I was going to lose weight, have lots of energy, etc.

Then after a few months it seemed to level off. Your body takes time to heal itself after being deprived of sleep for so long. I started to get discouraged, but knew that I had to stick with it.

Well after a year and a half, my life has improved drastically because of my treatment.

I can do so many things now that used to just put me down for the count:

mow the lawn
wash the cars
go shopping with my wife for hours on end (maybe that's not such a good thing)
take my daughter to the zoo all day
and many more....

I even have the stamina now to work out. I have begun working out regularly the past month and I am beginning to notice a vast improvement in my health and weight. I had tried working out before CPAP and I would just be dead tired for the rest of the day. I didn't understand why because exercise is supposed to make you feel better.

Bottom line is stick with it. It's soo worth it.

Catnapper wrote:So I have only had my nose to the hose since August 4 and I am still waiting for the burst of energy. I am committed to making this work for me even though it has been far from easy. I often read encouragement that says hang in there, it is worth it. I believe I will someday get there, and that it may take a good while because I have been sleep deprived for many years.

I wouldn't say I ever felt 'Bursts of Energy'. But I would classify my treatment as successful. The main difference for me was NOT being tired all day, NOT being grumpy to everyone, NOT being irritated all the time, and NOT napping all the time. Headaches and migraines (especially morning ones) have all but disappeared, and I've got an interested in doing things again. Burst of energy? No. But clear-headed and feeling 'in-the-moment'? Definitely.

And, I now see how much a difference cpap has made for me. I've had a cold for the last week, and have struggled with the hose for the entire time. Some nights I skipped using it completely. I simply feel like crap. I am so tired and foggy that I could almost cry.

This therapy helps everyone in different ways, but it does help. If you have OSA, and are getting the correct xpap therapy (no leaks, correct pressure, able to tolerate mask, etc.) then you WILL be better off than not using it. If you had sleep disturbances before from OSA and now you don't have them on therapy, you are better off, and your body will thank you, even if you may not see a noticible difference. As my DR says, being on CPAP is better than dying!

Hang in there!

Close to 20 months for me.

I rarely crash in the early evenings.
Don't have morning headaches - or other ones for that matter.
Stay awake later productively.
My leg muscles don't hurt.
Enjoy naps when I take them - though I rarely need them now.
Never have that startled jerk when falling asleep
Never wake up in the middle of the night startled, with my heart banging.
Sleep is a pleasure, I dream more.
Rarely have to get up to go to the toilet in the middle or the night.

An nothing happened overnight. The beginning was pretty bad - had me searching for info on the net and got me to this forum, and it then took months of finding out the best mask-hose-pressure-hose cover - tape combination.

It took me 8 months (!) to decide to try taping - and that made a difference too.

O.

5 years no more TIA's or strokes, good enough reminder for me, still tired as heck, but can't have everything.

All of a sudden, I realized that my blood pressure was out of control. Systolic was over 200 in the middle of the night...190+ in the morning.....YIKES!!!

I had been struggling with sleep problems for a decade.....one doctor took my money...told me I didn't have a problem....and I went for 6-years without treatment.

I finally HAD TO DO SOMETHING....went to another doctor...had an awful sleep test....and an even worse titration.

I took control of my own treatment...purchased an M-Series APAP...tested three different masks....tweaked and tuned until things are running nicely.

Now that I've proved that OSA and Hypopneas were causing my high blood pressure, I will shortly change my machine to an Auto Bipap....for better control of Hypopneas. This forum has been incredibly helpful to me....Rested Gal....Nasty.....Oldgearhead.....and many others have made all the difference for me.

You'll learn from the "old hose heads" on this forum....it's wonderful to "sit at the knee" of people who've "been there". You'll gain the confidence necessary to make your own modifications.....and slowly but surely you'll learn more than you ever thought you could.

At night, I'm comfortable with my machine....I've made great progress...and I'm happy with the idea that I've probably saved my own life....or at least extended it by many years.

You can do the same....Just make up your mind that that's the way it's going to be.

9 months-with lots of improvements that have been mentioned-energy, lower BP, don't awaken with heart pounding, rested.....
Don't measure success by the time it takes to get there-no one has the same set of circumstances. Just decide you are going to do it and keep working at it to get the best therapy you can for yourself.

Welcome,
You are getting lots of good stories about the success of PAP users.
Many are from users who are always willing to help a newbie into our world.

Many grow tired of newbies and simply ignore their concernsor go away
I am glad to see that there will always be those willing to answer newbies regardless of the repetitive and predictable questions.
This is how we learn.

I am amazed that so few bother to go back to the many pages of postings to learn. Maybe a chat lounge format is more appealing.
But what do I know?
We could be like the other original forum and have no posters anymore.
Thanks to Johnny for this not happening.
Good night Sandman, sweet dreams.

Stay tuned and learn.