Is Anybody Happy with CPAP? Did Anyone...?

raggedykat wrote:Oh, I also quit getting up to pee 8-10 times a night that first night on CPAP and thankfully that "little" side effect of apnea has never come back!


OMG - no one ever told me about this! I am getting my equipment in a couple of weeks and if it just stops this it will be worth it.

Yep, very first night, even with less than optimal AHI's, I didn't have to get up to pee my usual 4-6 times a night. That was the very first real indication that the therapy was beneficial. After 2 months, it still holds true. I rarely have had to get up to pee at all. Other symptoms haven't disappeared so easily but that one is gone.

Keep an open mind. The negatives are easily found but try to keep a positive outlook on things and count Pluses instead of negatives. This therapy is much easier to tolerate with a "glass is half full" attitude. Will there be bumps in the road? You bet there will be but they aren't mountains and there are many ways to get around even the large bumps.

I only had to get up once during the night to pee. Now down to 0 99% of the time.

I adapted to it really quickly. It just wasn't a big deal. I did get the Swift LT and it did take a few weeks to really get used to it but I never had a problem taking it off during the night and never needed a sleeping pill. I was using it over 6 hours a night from the first night and my AHI was pretty decent from the start and got better over time. I have an APAP and was titrated at 7 so it was set to start at 5 and that was too low. I felt like I was suffocating. So I changed it to 6 and it felt like a tornado. 5.5 was just right so that's where I was for a long time. I realized I didn't even notice anything after a while. it is like natural breathing.

BeanMeScot wrote:I only had to get up once during the night to pee. Now down to 0 99% of the time.

I adapted to it really quickly. It just wasn't a big deal. I did get the Swift LT and it did take a few weeks to really get used to it but I never had a problem taking it off during the night and never needed a sleeping pill. I was using it over 6 hours a night from the first night and my AHI was pretty decent from the start and got better over time. I have an APAP and was titrated at 7 so it was set to start at 5 and that was too low. I felt like I was suffocating. So I changed it to 6 and it felt like a tornado. 5.5 was just right so that's where I was for a long time. I realized I didn't even notice anything after a while. it is like natural breathing.

That is what I mean. How do I know about the "titrated number". Are they just going to hand me a machine and say good luck or what?

raggedykat wrote:

BeanMeScot wrote:I only had to get up once during the night to pee. Now down to 0 99% of the time.

I adapted to it really quickly. It just wasn't a big deal. I did get the Swift LT and it did take a few weeks to really get used to it but I never had a problem taking it off during the night and never needed a sleeping pill. I was using it over 6 hours a night from the first night and my AHI was pretty decent from the start and got better over time. I have an APAP and was titrated at 7 so it was set to start at 5 and that was too low. I felt like I was suffocating. So I changed it to 6 and it felt like a tornado. 5.5 was just right so that's where I was for a long time. I realized I didn't even notice anything after a while. it is like natural breathing.

That is what I mean. How do I know about the "titrated number". Are they just going to hand me a machine and say good luck or what?

It will be part of your sleep study. You should ask for a copy of your original sleep study and your titration. It will list what pressure they found you needed to keep your airway open.

millich wrote:As a newbie who'll be getting my equipment soon, I gotta ask:

Is anybody actually happy with their CPAP?

Did anybody actually have an easy time adapting to CPAP?

Reading these boards, I can't help but get discouraged. It seems like everybody is having problems and nobody is sleeping. It makes me afraid to begin this odyssey. I thought CPAP was supposed to help, not make life more difficult. I realize that the people who are most happy with CPAP are probably off enjoying their lives and not reading this board, BUT STILL....

I guess I'm asking for some encouragement.

CPAP is awesome! I had severe apnea. I am addicted to it and will never sleep another night without it. My life has changed for the better, my mood has improved significantly. I adapted to treatment within one day. You just have to relax with the mask on - dont even think about it. You'll wake up feeling a whole let better than you used to.

When they invent the time machine I will go back and tell myself at 25 to get hooked up to the machine NOW! Of course, since I am still waiting for the flying cars they said we would have by now..........

raggedykat- your titrated number (pressure setting) should be on your prescription.

Also, your machine should come set at the pressure from the DME. Even if you buy a machine from an online buyer, they will want your prescription and will set it at the pressure listed there.

When you first put on your machine the pressure at which it is set (your titrated pressure should show as- ??(number) cm H2O. Just turn it on now and you should see your number.

My machine was set and I simply put on the mask, turn on the machine and go to sleep. I go to sleep immediately and I have no idea what "data" is occurring.

I am not interested in the numbers but just appreciate that I have great sleeps and feel refreshed all day. I hope your experience goes as smoothly as mine has.

BlueHairBob wrote:I have had a bad time with it myself, but I know people who have had wonderful sleep from the first day. Truthfully, my wife's brother's wife says she had a good night from the beginning. My boss' boss' administrative assistant loved it from the first day. One of the volunteer firemen from a little town about 50 miles away that I know took to it the first night. In fact, I don't know anyone first hand who did NOT adapt right away - just me. Wait, I do know one guy who went through several sleep docs before getting any relief, but he has some severe tricky Central Apnea issues that were tough. But, everyone else I know (again, with the exception of myself) took a nap when the box arrived and never looked back.

Best wishes,

Bob

Sorry, I just have to quote Spaceballs here...
"I am your mother's cousin's brother's former roommate."
"Well, what does that make me?"
"Absolutely nothing, which is what you're about to become."

I'm VERY happy with CPAP! Before I was diagnosed, I had fatigue like an elephant sitting on me and preventing me from doing much more than moving from my bed to my chair, rinse and repeat! I didn't get energy right off the bat, but after four months of treatment I'm doing things that astound my husband and I.

My pressure is 14, and I never felt the need for EPR at all. I stopped the ramping after 2 or 3 nights. The mask they gave me for my titration is still one of my favorites (Comfort Gel). Right now, I'm using the Swift LT for her, even though the DME didn't think that nasal pillows would work for me with a pressure that high. I've never ripped a mask off in the middle of the night and never had huge sores......

Although I will say that I'm glad I discovered the use of Lasinoh on this forum. I use it every night. Once in a while my nose feels sore after I've been using the LT for a while. I simply go back to Comfort Gel for a night or three and then back to LT.

There ARE a few smooth journeys through this OSA. I'm one of them!

Oh, I also quit getting up to pee 8-10 times a night that first night on CPAP and thankfully that "little" side effect of apnea has never come back!
OMG - no one ever told me about this!

Yep I went for 20 years getting up at least once a 3am - More often the last year. Only did it once in the last 3 months!

Don't worry about understanding the reports - Once you have been hooked up for a few weeks it will all make much more sense because you will be able to think clearer. It might sneak up on you, one day you realize certain things suddenly are much easier, make more sense. You will think "How come I didn't think a bout doing that before, It is like Duh so obvious"

Most problems with CPAP therapy are caused by the object one inch behind the mask.

wrenn wrote:My machine was set and I simply put on the mask, turn on the machine and go to sleep. I go to sleep immediately and I have no idea what "data" is occurring.

I am not interested in the numbers but just appreciate that I have great sleeps and feel refreshed all day. I hope your experience goes as smoothly as mine has.

Wow! I feel better than I have in weeks. Thanks Millich for starting this topic. I am (can I really be saying this)actually eager to get started.

Yes! I rather like being alive, and I am sure I wouldn't be by now if I wasn't using cpap.

I, too, was one of the lucky ones who adapted fairly easily to cpap therapy. I WAS highly motivated, and the second mask I tried has worked well for me ever since. (The right mask is the key to compliance, IMHO.) As others have stated, do be aware that it may take several months to feel the full benefits, but some feel better literally the next day.

A new diagnosis can be really scary, but many, many here have gone through the feelings that you have now. This is a great place for support and suggestions. Stick around, and let us know how you are doing!

Remember that the great majority of CPAP patients are sent home to use the machine as it was set up by the DME. They do nothing further.

Everything that you are reading here is to help you improve your therapy above and beyond that level. It's optional, and you can take it at your own pace. You may find that everything is good just as you received it. But if not, you can get help here to make your therapy more successful. And everyone here will help you learn, one step at a time, at your pace. In plain English, too.

So relax, and get started. Someone will be here to improve your experience, if and when you need it.

Just to give you some words of encouragement. Not all of us had problems. A few adjustment issues sure, but I can't say I've had any serious problems adjusting to Cpap. I started back in march and other than my second night where I put the pillows in upside down, had the humidifier too high and got rainout it has actually been a breeze.

I have some bad nights of sleeping but I had 365 nights of bad sleeping a year prior to it.

I have the energy I had back in my 20's (I just turned 40). I am happy, patient with the kids again, and really so thrilled with being able to find me again after the cloud of exhaustion was lifted.

Once on the machine I slept 12 hours a day initially. Eventually my sleep debt was paid off and I get a pretty regular 7-8 hours a day now. I haven't had a nap in ages and was taking them two three times a day prior to cpap.

In a nutshell...I have my life back. I actually feel so good I've started looking into what I need to do to go back to university part time and upgrade my degree. This old bird is planning to enter the workforce in my old field after not being in it for over 17 years. I figure I can do my masters part time and when I'm finished the kids will all be in their teens. My hope is to graduate from my masters degree when my oldest son finishes his undergrad. I've even gone so far as to speak to some small family run firms nearby to see if they would be open to taking an older "junior" level employee into their wings.

This is the first time in at least 8 years I've had even a remote interest/desire, to evenutally get back into the workforce. I was far too tired and cranky to even consider it until cpap. So yes...am I happy with cpap...darn tootin....I feel like I can take on the world now.