Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

I only started using a CPAP 4 weeks ago
and am truly amazed at the difference it has made
I no longer get up 3 times during the night for a loo break,(which I now realise was prob sleep apnoea)
nor do I feel like I need a 'nanny nap' during the day
I am still working out how to use the software,but hopefully that will be working soon
I wish I had found out that I needed this machine years ago

I have been using my machien for one week.

The first night, I pulled the mask off three times. But, stuck with it. Put it back on, tried to sleep. Rough night.

Biggest problem: the room is cold. Cold wet air blasting in my face was not nice. I tuck the tube under the covers and against my body to warm it up. That helps quite a bit. Going to buy heated tubing next week.

Even after that first crazy night I noticed a difference. My apnea is on the high side of mild and i was very skeptical but wanted to sleep better. The machine has been amazing.

The first morning after using the macine I already knew I was more refreshed. After a week, I am completely sold. Would prefer not to have a machine, but it works.

I stopped analyzing the machine and just started to sleep with it and what a difference. I am refreshed in the morning. Desperatly want the heated hose, but otherwise huge difference and am embracing the technology.

The mask is the hard part. But I resolve to ignore the mask get on with my sleep. After only a couple of minutes I forget I am wearing it. It is a mental thing. Relax, ignore it. But I did spend several nights adjusting the tension so it would not leak and although it does seem tight at first, I can completley ignore it after a minute or two. No more leaks.

Hope you have a good experience as well. Don't give up. Let the machine do its job and don't try to second-guess it. Concentrate on relaxing and sleep.

Also, after the first two days I did buy a sented oil difuser for the room. Nice fresh secnt did not hurt!

Good luck!

Greggo

I think it is going on 3 years since I started. Switched from mask to nasal pillows almost immediately (bridge of nose skin breakdown). I was really lucky but maybe not because I did my own research since I didn't go through a DME company to choose the right machine. I got a machine with exhale relief, and I found it very comfortable. Will never regret going on CPAP. I think it has had a major influence on the depression I was experiencing. I got so much more energy again that I was able to go back to work. Good luck.

I've now been on CPAP for about a month and I occasionally as I gently awaken, I believe I've removed it only to find it's just so comfortable that I don't notice it. Granted, I've dislodged plenty of times and the "wet dog nose" feeling I saw described elsewhere on this board (so aptly) is a little annoying. My husband has complained that sometimes the exhaust jet hits him in the face and it has run him out of bed on occasion. Someone mentioned that maybe the the Circadian sleepweaver might have a more diffuse exhaust so that may be on my list as my next device.

I am definitely sleeping better overall though it's been a little rocky as I try to wean down the sleep medications. So far I am regularly taking half of what I was before CPAP. I have read that all these medications worsen untreated sleep apnea and I can only imagine what my AHI was when I started therapy. The little I know to extract from my machine tells me my AHI is currently at 1.6 to 1.7 and I am sure some of that is the times I've dislodged it. I was so annoyed at my sleep doctor (I thought he was completely off target on this sleep apnea thing) that I don't even remember what my AHI was on my original sleep study and I threw away all the print-outs when I got home.

My mood and energy are greatly improved. I was almost unbearable to myself by the time I started the CPAP. I have also launched projects at work unbidden and I attribute this to clearer and more optimistic thinking. I have also started going to yoga classes twice a week that are intense enough to drip sweat on my mat and leave exhausted. This is probably also helping my sleep but I just couldn't make rational decisions a few weeks ago.

So far so good.

Still struggling with CPAP

8 nights on bipap asv. All nights have been under 3 AHI, 4 have even been under 1. I'm feeling better throughout the day, and even have seen some improvement to my memory. I've had 3 or 4 nights over 8 hours, none so far have been under 7. I'm feeling great, and my wife is feeling better as well since the machine has my snoring under control, she can sleep better as well.

Okay, here is my story. First diagnosed with apnea in 2004? was given full mask and machine. I couldnt stand the full mask awake, let alone asleep, claustrophobic. My doctor recommended that I wear the mask increasingly time limits in the day to get used to it. Well, never worked and never slept one minute with Cpap machine on. Fast forward to early 2011, I was told that I needed to use my CPAP machine. Needless to say, probably about 1 month prior I had finally put in the trash, but I wouldnt have used it anyway. I went for a new sleep study. They are actually not that bad. Apparently, I dont specifically have apnea but hypopnea, I dont entirely stop breathing but wake up gasping for air. In a test of 120 minutes, I had 222 arousals. Yes thats more that one per minute. No wonder why I was always so tired. This time around, I said I can not use a full face mask at all. During the sleep study, they used the nasal pillows and they have been wonderful. No claustrophobic feeling at all. I sleep so well while using CPAP, I get frustrated if I fall asleep without it. It is amazing, I no longer wake up feeling foggy, I no longer wake up with headaches and I am not so sleepy all the time. I do have more energy, but depression hinders this. My suggestions for newbies is to stick with it and if the mask doesnt seem to be working, try a different one. Dont wait 7 years like I did. If I had only spoke up sooner, a lot of things could have worked themselves out. It was not a quick fix for me, it took a few weeks to probably a little over a month to see any benefit. Apparently I was making up my lost REM sleep, as I had none at all prior to using the machine. Stay with it, it will get better. If not better after a month, go back to see Doctor. Advocate for yourself, there are many masks and machines out there, you just got to find the right one. Good Luck!
Mary Ann

While I am new to this, only 1 week, I can't believe I've done so long without it.

For me, the sleep study was a breeze. I had an end goal of being able to breathe again at night and that was only a minor bump in the road.

The hardest part was seeing how well I did the 2nd half of the night on cpap and having to wait to see the sleep Dr.

I called once a week looking for a patient who had cancelled their appointment and found one within three weeks.

I'm on a pressure of 13 now and find it too is easy to tolerate. I've been trained in scuba and fire fighting as a part of my career, and this was very easy to tolerate for me.

I feel so much better now that I'm on pap I really wish I had done this years before.

I also spend a lot of off duty time camping and hiking, and got a transcend unit for that.

Good luck to all who are having trouble adjusting. Just keep the end goal in mind, breathing at night.

Greg

Sorry, forgot to add.

I sleep in a VERY cold room. I keep the windows open in the winter and enjoy a fan also.

I found that a climate control hose, and a snuggle cover make the air at them mask warm and humid. I can still sleep in the cold and love it

Greg

I've been on CPAP for about 3 weeks and no question it's making a difference in my life.

At 59 I'm self employed and with preexisting conditions, have no health insurance. I couldn't afford a sleep study but had no doubt I suffered from sleep apnea. I have all the classic symptoms - seriously overweight, tired all the time, trouble focusing sometimes, daytime drowsiness - afternoon naps were a routine, sometimes I'd fall asleep not intending too, and I snored and then would wake up with a loud snort! I've had friends I shared hotel rooms with tell me they could tell I stopped breathing during the night, but I brushed it off.

A couple years ago a close friend was diagnosed - he'd overnight at my house and his snoring was worse than mine, it was usually a race to see who could get to sleep first - and we were in separate bedrooms!

Once he started CPAP he swore by it and exclaimed what a difference it made. Knowing I had no insurance he kept after me to find a way to get tested and get a machine. A few weeks ago one of my best friends announced his wife was forcing him to do the sleep test and sure enough he was diagnosed. Then over breakfast together a third friend announced he'd been on CPAP for years.

To shorten this a bit - I decided it was time for action. I found a website that sold machines and said they could help those who had no prescription. They advised me my best option was an 'auto' machine that would not need a "prescribed" pressure. Further searching landed me here where I quickly found a ResMed S9 auto for sale. Another forum member gave me two masks and I was off and running, uh sleeping!

I noticed on just the second night how much deeper I slept, how I didn't flip-flop from side to side like I usually did (waking up each time!) and how I was waking earlier in the morning and with more energy, and no more afternoon naps - voluntary or otherwise!

Except for when dealing with mask leakage my AHI has generally been below 1 and I even scored a perfect ZERO score just recently. I'm still experimenting to find just the right mask, and bought a back up machine for traveling... but no question I'm far better off now than I was just a month ago.

My next step is to gather a few weeks of solid data from the machine and print the report to share with my regular MD (and hopefully a sleep doc in his clinic) to land that all important prescription.

But if you're new to CPAP --- don't give up. I wish I had started it 10 or 15 years ago!!

Though I have quite a few successful testimonials in the back of my book "Sleep Well & Feel Great with CPAP, A definitive guide", I'll be happy to relate a few here.

I had a client call me the other day right at 9 am. I'm talking the second I rolled the phones over, she couldn't wait to call me and she was ecstatic, "I get it!" she said. "I've finally made it through the night and it works great!" This result by the way took almost three weeks and 4 mask changes.

In another case, and probably my most memorable was the time is set up a cpap machine at an assisted living facility. When I arrived, the patient was sleeping in his bed, white as a sheet, he did not look well at all. After only one night back on his machine, when I checked on him the following day, he was sitting at the table next to the bed and wanted to me to play cards with him. His color was completely back and he now looked very healthy. It was such an incredible transformation I new there was really something to these machines.

Another of my most memorable was when I had a patient get up and walk out during his initial set up. He just didn't want to have anything to do with the equipment. I left the door open, and after about a week the patient rescheduled and came back for his equipment. Not sure what to expect, he happened to be one of those individuals who's benefit appeared immediately. Needless to say he was very appreciative and continues to do well to this day. I learned from that experience to never give up. If a patient isn't comfortable, it's okay to put it aside and try again when ready.

For those using CPAPs for the first time there are definitely rewards to be had, please stick with it. Patience is a significant factor believe it or not, in being able to successfully use this equipment. 3-7 nights minimum.

New member here and found some comfort reading your posts. Recently diagnosed with OSA after wasting over 2 yrs of my life not listening to my wife telling me I had it. For the past year I've been struggling with some unexplainable neuro-symptoms. My doc finally convinced me to have the sleep study and believes these will improve with proper sleep. The results of my study were staggering and I'm waiting for the DME provider to call me next week for my CPAP machine.

I have been functioning at a high level through most of the past year, but my workouts have decreased due to the other symptoms and I am becoming more self-aware of how irritable I have become. Also my weekends have transformed from quality family time to catch-up on rest time with very little quality time spent with my wife and kids. After learning about the long term affects of OSA I am so glad I am accepting treatment before anything more serious developed.

I have been very depressed lately, but now I know treatment will brighten my future and hopefully resolve my other symptoms. I hope to report good progress soon!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

UPDATE 4/24/13: I've been 4 weeks on the hose and finally found a mask that works three days ago. Three best nights sleep in over a year! I've already been more productive at work, not as tired in the afternoon, morning headaches are gone, GERD symptoms have disappeared, and finally have the energy to begin working out again. It's night and day. Waiting to see if some peripheral nervous system symptoms resolve with proper sleep.

Good to hear you're going in the right direction cafeinatedcfo! The first two things generally reported after proper sleep are improved cognition, and lower blood pressure. You say you're feeling irritable, I've seen that so many times I can barely count them. After set up, next time I see them, they are usually easy going and cool as a cucumber.

I get my CPAP on Wed! I'm getting the ResMed S9 Auto which based on my research here is a great machine. In an unhappy situation I found comfort that I'm getting a good machine.

After my Sleep Test, my doctor told me that I scored worse than anyone he has seen in his 12 years doing Sleep Therapy.
My supplier set me up with a machine and I had the worse time trying to get used to it. I went back to them 4 times before I slept through the night with the machine.
(Stay tuned - it gets better)
Once I got the pressures adjusted (15" & 20") I started sleeping though the night without waking. I had not done this in over 5 years.
My wife can now sleep through the night without worrying that I will stop breathing and not start again. (my daddy died that way)
At my 6 month check the Dr told me that I was doing wonderfully and I would start seeing improvements in my life.
As he listed them I confirmed that most had already happened.
I woke in the morning and did not feel like I had just gone to bed.
I have started to lose some weight.
Then he told me I should start to lose the daytime sleepiness I had and I told him that had not happened yet.
He told me because I have had apnea so badly for so long that may never happen. BUT there was a prescription that may help.
He prescribed Provigil. I take so many medications because of my heart condition (4 heart attacks - quadruple bypass - 5 stents) and my COPD (chronic bronchitis), that I was leery of adding any more to the list.
I spoke with my pharmacist and she checked to see if there were going to be any interactions and told me "probably not".
The difference the machine and the medication have made is phenomenal.
I am 65 (real close to 66) and have not felt this good in many many years.

I am glad I put in the effort to do this and had the strength to keep at it when I thought it would never get any better.