cpap sucks

cpapsucks wrote:My attitude was good until I got the mask. I thought these things were suppose to be comfortable. I thought I was suppose to feel like a million bucks after using the machine.

cpapsucks,
If you have read any topics on this board then you must have read about mask fitting. Sometimes the mask needs to be adjusted fit wise. The DME does not always know how to properly fit a mask. You would think that they should but for fit questions please rely on the true experts. The people on this forum. Then again maybe the mask is just not the right one for you. We do not always find the perfect mask the first time around. Please remember...If at first you don't succeed, try try again.
When I was first told I had OSA, I was happy! Why you ask? Well when you know something is wrong but you don't know what that something is, it can be very depressing. The Dr. told me that I had OSA and this is what I needed to do. She told me the failure rate for cpap was quite high. I told her that I did not care. If this is what I had to do to feel better and stay alive then so be it. I have a new best friend and I sleep with it every night. In case you were wondering, I do not have the perfect mask. Yet. I have the Quattro and I hate it. I will be going to the DME to try new masks on Monday. Maybe I will find the perfect mask. If not, I will still be sleeping with my best friend and trying to make the best of it.
Oh, I just remembered. Get a hose hanger! Best thing in the world. I love mine.
Sorry this is so long.
Cobalt Panther

It's okay to rant. Wait until you have a morning like I did today. I slept for nine hours last night. The most restful and beautiful sleep I have had in years. I woke up feeling like a million bucks. And I still think that wearing a mask is a pain but I will continue with it until something better comes along, and it will. Your attitude is everything! I can not empahsize that enough. If you want it to work it will!!

Nick, TOTALLY understand! I remember one night specifically where I had been in bed four hours and was on my last of four masks trying to get one that would not leak. A finally sat up in bed and threw each one of them as hard as I could across the room, crashing them into the dresser and then sobbing. I hated it. But with my health, I had to make it work.

Fast forward three years. Is it working? Yes, it is. I've found a mask that works, is comfortable, and usually doesn't give me leak issues. Do I love it? No. Do I like it? No. But I don't hate it anymore either. It's a fact that if I want to eliminate this particular health issue in my life, I have to use it. I've accepted that. I'm not bitter, I'm not angry. It's just a fact of my life.

Nobody says you have to love it, but if you want to improve your health, you need to wear it. But it will and does take time. Maybe if you lost weight, you could stop using it---but that is not a given. (Although being at a healthy weight helps in other ways even if it doesn't get one off cpap.) I'm hoping that for myself, but at the same time, I'm not holding my breath!

This is a great place for support and help to get it working for you.

Pam

Hey Guys, Wow. Lots of responses! I dont think my attitude is that bad, Im not in denial or depression or grief like one of the posters said. I have no problem with the diagnosis, I have no problem with the machine. I had no problem with the mask....until I realized I was waking up MORE at night with the mask than without. Just wish it would fit better....so I could freely roll over in bed and not end up with a leaf blower trying to push my eyeball out through my ear.

Im at work right now but I'll try to post my equipment info when I get home later on, possibly tommorow. I think my pressure is set at 10. I dont know any of the other info from my sleep study. When I went to the follow up appt the doc just kept rambling and I cant remember all what he said...and they never gave me a sheet with the info. I would call and ask but I dont even know, yet, what to ask.

they never gave me a sheet with the info. I would call and ask but I dont even know, yet, what to ask.

Ask for a copy of your sleep study results and prescription. It should be a couple pages long. That will give you the information to relate what you are learning to your own situation.

The name of the thread is wrong, though. If you want to be accurate, it should be "cpap blows."

Well I have to be a side sleeper now. Change from memory foam to 2 soft pillows and gave up and just tighten the mask down so I don't have to worry about it leaking and just go to sleep. Figure anything is better than what I was getting. You will adapt and do whatever you have to do. My mask was fine until the low pressure range was jumped to 11 and I got large leak stats for the first time. So I just torque it down and go on.

Good luck

montana user; Oral devices are FDA approved for mild to moderate apnea, that is why dentists claim that they are useful for mild-moderate apnea. From comments I have read in various forums, oral devices can be about as difficult to adjust to as CPAP.

Unlike CPAP, which is effective for virtually all OSA patients, the oral devices are only effective for some subset of patients with mild to moderate apnea.

You have to be kidding, you would rather die than attempt to get better? You need to regroup your thought process before something serious happens.....Sure it's hard only as hard as you make it.

Good Luck if you try to adapt and use your cpap, Rest in Peace if you choose not to. Sorry to be harsh but that's reality.......I've only been on my machine for 2 months and feel a difference already and yes I chose the positive attitude. I have claustrophobia, but wear a full face mask....I like living!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only thing I don't like is it took me to long to get help when i knew I needed it.

TWW wrote:The name of the thread is wrong, though. If you want to be accurate, it should be "cpap blows."

I hate to be too much of a contrarian, but cpapsucks is telling a very different story from most newbies. (Sorry to talk about you in the third person, cpapsucks.) First, he doesn't mention any of the normal symptoms that bring most of us to the doctor. He never felt tired and he hardly even snores! I understand the possible association of an enlarged heart with OSA, but that's one of the later symptoms I would expect. That would be more characteristic of an older person who's been living with deep oxygen desaturations for a long time than a kid like this. Then when he has a sleep study, cpapsucks is diagnosed with MILD sleep apnea. That's an AHI of 5 to 15. How many times do we even see someone with mild apnea here? I think it's premature to tell this guy it's CPAP or death from here on out. I want to be sure I don't project my situation (old guy with severe OSA) on this guy. If I were an obese (sorry) 31-year-old man with mild sleep apnea, I would definitely think about losing 60 or 80 more pounds and seeing if I could do without the hose for another decade or two. Weight loss, side sleep, and maybe a dental device might suffice. If I were him, and I did those things and got the doc's approval, I would watch for symptoms and accept the fact that maybe when I'm 50 and losing muscle tone in my pharynx I'll have to go back on CPAP. I realize most of the time we need to help newcomers recognize the reality of their situation and help them find ways to make this wonderful treatment work. This guy may not fit the mold, though. He might legitimately only need this temporarily. And in the back of my mind, I hope his doctor isn't just checking the enlarged heart off his list: ok, sleep apnea, that explains that. That answer seems a bit pat for someone who doesn't sound like he has any of the usual clinical manifestations of OSA. (I will return my mail-order medical degree to its folder now.)

PST wrote:...(I will return my mail-order medical degree to its folder now.)

Well, I'm pretty new to all this and I've got to say that even after reading a ton of these posts, I still am ANGRY with this diagnosis and having to be restricted to equipment like this. I feel like a Macy's Balloon.
I have NEVER had any problems sleeping, being alert etc... I spent 20 years in the military, the last 5 of which were in special ops. I sleep well, I feel good all day and was and still am very active physically. I retired from the military 10 years ago. I never knew I had any problems, but my wife of 30 years has always been concerned because sometimes when I sleep, I quit breathing. No big deal I say.
So she makes an appointment for me for a sleep study. Fine. I go in and sleep. No problem. They say my quality of sleep was 98. I agree, quality of sleep was never a problem. But.. I stopped breathing for 20 seconds in the wee hours and my oxygen level goes to 83%.. that's a problem they say. Now I have to go to another sleep study with the CPAP thing. WORST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. And they say it won't work for me, so I'll have to come back for the third time. I go back again and they hook me up with this BIPAP thing which doesn't work, they say that when the thing "puffs" to get you to breathe, my brain shuts down (CSA). So a few hours after this they hook me up to an Auto ST. They finally got this thing to work AT 15 POUNDS of pressure. SECOND WORST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. Now you can use your imagination, being in the military as to where I've slept an in many times sleep deprivation.. but these have been the worst nights of sleep ever.
So now I have a ResMed VPAP ST Adapt that I have to get a mask to fit without leaks at 15 pounds. What a crock. I have been able to adapt a Drive FF so that it fits without leaks, but I have to torque it down to do so. I can no longer sleep on my stomach which was normal for me and now I have to use a pillow which isn't normal. I wake up numerous times during the night and feel like crap in the mornings. Last night was the best night because after only waking up about 6 times, I took the thing off this morning at about 6 and slept like a log til 9:00. I've never gotten up during the night and normally sleep all night long. This has been going on now for almost 4 weeks. The doc gave me sleep medicine which doesn't seem to do anything for me. AND the air pushes down my throat which distends my stomach so I have bloating and gas throughout the mornings. The only thing that keeps me with this is that it makes my wife more secure. Personally I don't thing the idea of dying in my sleep is a bad thing.
So, though I'm glad that everyone seems to be getting along with their air compressors, I am still at odds with mine. Okay.. rant is done. There are some of us out here that do not fit the cookie cutter mold. Thanks for hearing me out. I would be glad to edit my equipment profile, but my equipment is not listed.

First of all, my empathy to both "Ruffinit" and "cpapsucks". No, really. I also think that my xPAP use is a serious pain in the keester. And I've used xPAP since my early 30s. I would love to do without it. I've reached a point where I can not sleep without it. So, I tend to put up with it, but would much rather not need it. Sometimes, life just stinks!

You both appear to be aware of the link between untreated obstructive sleep apnea and health issues. There is a VERY strong correlation between OSA and hypertension, cardiac heart failure, strokes, diabetes, higher cholesterol .... blah, blah, blah, blah ... I happen to personally know it's a problem. You both appear to feel fairly well in spite of the OSA. That's good. You've caught it early.

This is no different than living with any other chronic condition. Do either of you use glasses (or contacts)? Glasses are not all that comfortable. And if you lived through school with them you had the fun and joy of having others make fun of you for using them. But it's either see or not. Most of us choose to see and ignore the insults. It's no different with xPAP therapy. It's something you need to do to stay healthy. Wearing glasses can be a real pain in the keester too. Trust me, I know. I've worn glasses since I was 5. As with glasses, you do get accustomed to using a xPAP unit. It's not comfortable. It's certainly not natural. And yes, we really, really understand.

But hey! The choice is painfully clear. In my case, I am certain my grandfather died early due to untreated obstructive sleep apnea. I just need to remember that if I don't get my sleep under control the same will happen to me.

Damn! Life stinks!

Okay, so it stinks. Now what do we do. And to that end (dealing with the situation), you've done the best thing you could do. You've come here to try to learn more.

By the way, Ruffinit, you can post your equipment the way I did. Add what you can and add a comment for the equipment that is not listed. Or add a signature with the equipment listed in it.

So, welcome aboard. Hopefully both of you will find answers here that will help make it easier for you to deal with xPAP therapy.

I am not obese I have a broken nose and thats what's given me sleep apnea over the years. I go in to discuss surgery and was given flo nase, obviously didnt fix my broken nose so now I have a cpap machine. I have to wear it for a long time for insurance purposes so I can eventually get my nose fixed. Havent slept good in weeks due to this bullshit machine that leaves me feeling sick, dried out, and in a nightmare everytime I wake up.