Still hate my CPAP

OCNorsk wrote:... I still hate/love mine, too. ...

It is a love/hate relationship isn't it? I love:

• the fact that it helps me sleep
• waking without a splitting headache
• having a clear head during the day
• not falling asleep on the phone or in meetings
• being able to have energy to walk again

I hate the fact that I:

• need to lug this beast around (an ASV unit is huge)
• need to explain every time at the airport that it's my CPAP unit
• cannot sleep without it (even a little)
• worry about will we loose power when a storm strikes
• have obstructive sleep apnea
• have central sleep apnea
• gained weight due to using food to fight sleep and stay awake
• now (as a result) have hypertension
• now (as a result) have diabetes
• have to wear that mask each and every night

Yeah. It's a struggle. It's a pain. But even with all the pain, the positives still outweigh the negatives. I love it. And I hate it.

Jaime, we've been on the same journey for the same amount of time. I had the same issues, but gave into the mask after two weeks with the help of sleep aids ( 1 to 2 over the counter Tylenol sleeping pills, 2 capsules 450mg of Valerian root before bed time and a cup of Kava tea was the best combination for me) and this site of caring fellow Cpap users. I'm happy to report that I don't take anything now and I barely know that the mask is on my face (setting is at , other than the lines it leaves on my face for the first few hours in the morning, averaging 7+ hrs of sleep daily. I feel much better today than 6 weeks ago. You have to find your own way to have peace with your mask. I can assure you that it has improved my quality of life 10 fold: No more day time sleepiness, working out on a regular basis, lost the title of Grump at work and home and no more snoring or waking up in a panic with anxieties/depression during the day. The rewards far out weigh the negative understandable feelings you presently have. I pray that you hang in there and find the strength to continue and be successful with your therapy. Please send me a message if you have any questions or need clarification.

Dan on CPAP wrote:I'm happy to report that I don't take anything now and I barely know that the mask is on my face (setting is at , other than the lines it leaves on my face for the first few hours in the morning, averaging 7+ hrs of sleep daily. I feel much better today than 6 weeks ago. You have to find your own way to have peace with your mask. I can assure you that it has improved my quality of life 10 fold: No more day time sleepiness, working out on a regular basis, lost the title of Grump at work and home and no more snoring or waking up in a panic with anxieties/depression during the day. The rewards far out weigh the negative understandable feelings you presently have.

It's so good to hear you're doing well, Dan!!! I know that you had a rough start. You've come a long way!

Jamie, it does sound like you want to try to make this work. I hope that you realize the importance of treating your sleep apnea. Untreated, it can cause many very serious health problems, including high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and mental decline. Not to mention how it negatively affects quality of life. If you aren't wearing your mask while you're sleeping, then it's not getting treated.

Some things to think about.... Is the mask uncomfortable? If so, have you tried other mask styles or sizes? Are you concentrating too intensely on your breathing? I know that I was hyperventilating a bit at first, and I started using "nature" (ocean and rain) CDs to distract myself. Sometimes I would just sit and read with the mask on. I would eventually put the book down and drift off to sleep. Try to set a calm, unpressured atmosphere. Did you have difficulty falling asleep before you started using CPAP? If this is a new problem, then maybe you just need to accept that this machine is here to HELP you. What is your machine pressure? Are you using the Ramp, EPR (exhalation pressure relief) and Inhale features on your Elite II machine? If you are using Ramp and it starts with a very low pressure, that can make it more difficult to breathe. We can help you adjust that. Same with the EPR and Inhale features. Sometimes those adjustments can make quite a difference in your comfort.

If you can articulate specifically what is bothering you about using CPAP, we can offer some suggestions to help you overcome the problems. Many of us have probably had to deal with exactly the same issues. I hope that you'll find the determination to work through this until you're feeling better. Please let us know how we can help.

~ DreamOn

BlackSpinner wrote:

jamie1666 wrote:Well its been 6 weeks and I still dread the thought of going to bed at night. It doesn't matter how tired I am as soon as I put that mask on my face I am wide awake and all I can do is lie there and hope to fall asleep. Most of the time I just take it off after an hour.
I have tried mild sleeping aids but they do not work. I guess it is all in my head but it is frustrating the heck out of me.
I told my wife I would keep trying but most of the time I feel like throwing the machine away.

Good so you reward your self for your tantrums by taking it off again - great I bet that is really helping.

Get therapy It is all in your head, you know that so do something about it so you wife won't be a widow soon.

Wow great advice. You should have been a doctor!

jamie1666 wrote:
Wow great advice. You should have been a doctor!

Yes - you are welcome. Choose - death or life. Get your head together or buy your wife a nice life insurance and black dress.

jamie1666 wrote:

BlackSpinner wrote:

jamie1666 wrote:Well its been 6 weeks and I still dread the thought of going to bed at night. It doesn't matter how tired I am as soon as I put that mask on my face I am wide awake and all I can do is lie there and hope to fall asleep. Most of the time I just take it off after an hour.
I have tried mild sleeping aids but they do not work. I guess it is all in my head but it is frustrating the heck out of me.
I told my wife I would keep trying but most of the time I feel like throwing the machine away.

Good so you reward your self for your tantrums by taking it off again - great I bet that is really helping.

Get therapy It is all in your head, you know that so do something about it so you wife won't be a widow soon.

Wow great advice. You should have been a doctor!

Jamie, out of the 17 posts I read answering your initial post, 16 of them were offering very kind support. Yet, out of all those 17 posts, you single out, to respond to, the one "tough love" post that rubbed you wrong.

I hope some of the suggestions in the other 16 posts will help you work out the problems. I can only imagine how frustrating it has to be, trying to make "cpap" work, since I fortunately took to it relatively easily.

Jamie1666,

I think that what BlackSpinner was trying to get across, in her own very direct way , is that it does take a determined commitment (a conscious choice) to make this therapy work most effectively. Sometimes we have to work on changing our perception of the entire situation. Perhaps you haven't fully accepted your diagnosis of sleep apnea and the necessity of treating it to prevent serious health problems? Or maybe it's not working because of excessive therapy air leaks, incorrect pressure, anxiety about the machine and/or mask, or some other problem? A lot of people report difficulty getting to sleep and adjusting, so you're not alone. Many of us have worked through that and are now enjoying the benefits of effective treatment.

I found this to be very helpful as I was beginning my CPAP journey (Seven Stages of CPAP and What Is Feeling Good?): http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com/2 ... at-is.html. Perhaps you will find something there that will help you through your current challenges?

This thread, started by "Dan On CPAP" in November, may help you: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47054. Dan (who posted on this current thread earlier, a few posts ago) is doing great now! Also, you may want to read some of the "Success Stories": viewtopic/t14494/Newbie-would-like-to-h ... lease.html. Many people have struggled, like you are, and worked through their problems.

If you can describe some specific problems you're having, perhaps some of us can offer suggestions that have worked for us. Your Elite II machine does have the capability to report therapy data, such as AHI, AI, HI and leaks. If you don't know how to check that on your machine's LCD screen, we can help you learn how. That may help in troubleshooting any problems (such as air leaking from either mask or mouth) that may be making your therapy less effective. If you fill out your machine profile (via the User Control Panel at the top left of your screen), then we can see your equipment each time you post. That way, we can give you more specific suggestions.

Please learn as much as you can about sleep apnea and stick around here for support. There are a lot of very knowledgeable and caring people here who are more than happy to answer any questions.

~ DreamOn

One of the main factors according to Dr Park in cpap success is mental attitude. Airline pilots and truck drivers whose career depends on successful use of cpap have a much higher success rate.

You won't find an Olympic athlete who faces the day with "maybe I will win" or "Who cares if I lose". Not a single successful sport figure or business figure thinks of failure as their motivating power.

If you face each night with the "I hate Cpap " it will be the defining thought in your head and will set you up for failure, especially if you keep rewarding your failures. And that failure will reward you with a slow lingering death.

So I got under your skin - good - that means I hit a button that YOU KNOW I AM RIGHT.

jamie1666 wrote:Well its been 6 weeks and I still dread the thought of going to bed at night. It doesn't matter how tired I am as soon as I put that mask on my face I am wide awake and all I can do is lie there and hope to fall asleep. Most of the time I just take it off after an hour.
I have tried mild sleeping aids but they do not work. I guess it is all in my head but it is frustrating the heck out of me.
I told my wife I would keep trying but most of the time I feel like throwing the machine away.


Res Med EliteII
Mirage Quatro Mask
Humidifier

Let me see how this works ...

You are bitter towards your CPAP. You are confused and frustrated. Your wife compels you to throw things. And uhh ... er em ... damn it! ... Mowgli, where the hell are you?

Look dude, the spinner is right. You have to get your head straight first. No need for shrinks or small colored pills though ... you just have to want something better than what you have now.

It's more than just about a good night's sleep.

It's about preventing comorbidities of OSA like enlarged heart from the chronic hypertension and jolts of adrenaline. It's about allowing your body to develop serotonin to mitigate depression. It's about waking up with a woody every morning like you used to when you were 19. It's about being the best you can be.

Just do it man! Do it now!

DreamStalker wrote:It's more than just about a good night's sleep.

It's about preventing comorbidities of OSA like enlarged heart from the chronic hypertension and jolts of adrenaline. It's about allowing your body to develop serotonin to mitigate depression. It's about waking up with a woody every morning like you used to when you were 19. It's about being the best you can be.

That is exactly what it's all about, DreamStalker -- our health and our quality of life!

.

You're right, secret agent girl. There are plenty of helpful suggestions on this thread and elsewhere on this forum. If jamie1666 wants to solve his problems with CPAP, the answers are here.

I wish him success and happiness in this new year. Now, I'm going to go try to help someone who WANTS to make their life better.