Losing awareness

Jaylee · Post by **Jaylee** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 6:32 pm

bilnap wrote:
Jaylee wrote:
dave21 wrote:
bilnap wrote:
BTW, love what you did with the avatar!
His avatar gives me the creeps.

My avatar.......well they say you start to look like your dog, ours is a mini chocolate Dachshund. What can I say?

I can't look at it, it is too bizarre! Sorry!

bjayates · Post by **bjayates** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:36 pm

PLEASE HELP????????? Had sleep study a few weeks ago. Time recorded = 7? hours, time asleep 4? hours. Sleep efficiency = 59%. No delta sleep, little REM sleep. I feel TERRIBLE everyday. Soooo sleepy.... But, when I try to go to sleep at night it takes a couple of hours to 'fall asleep'. Then, I wake up SEVERAL times a night, then... Tired again the next day. Only had 3 apnea episodes, but 33 hypopneas. They recommended a CPAP, but I'm not 'sold' on the idea... I can't even make it through the night with a TMJ splint, lol. I realize that I am not 'resting' when I sleep & that is why I feel so bad. I just don't know what to do? Should I invest in a CPAP machine & just 'hope' it works? I am so frustrated with feeling so exhausted all of the time and wanting to do nothing but SLEEP. I don't snore, I am not overweight, I don't have a large neck..... If CPAP doesn't work, what then? Any help or information would be great!!!

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:24 pm

Tomorrow is my 3-month anniversary with the hose. It's been full of surprises, but as for this awareness, can it possibly be that I am slightly more alert and observant now that some of that fog has lifted? I can feel myself sinking into the zen-like rhythm of my breathing with the answering sounds from my machine. Of course, the sound drowns out my tinnitus very nicely. And, naturally, I awaken periodically to re-adjust this or that. It's good to be alive. Thank you, everyone for all the good info. Otherwise I'd be fighting a brick, or storing it in a closet. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 12:35 am

Should I invest in a CPAP machine & just 'hope' it works? I am so frustrated with feeling so exhausted all of the time and wanting to do nothing but SLEEP. I don't snore, I am not overweight, I don't have a large neck..... If CPAP doesn't work, what then? Any help or information would be great!!!

NO, you should not invest in a CPAP machine and "just hope it works". You have to WORK AT IT.

You have to do everything possible to get used to CPAP. You're not allowed to complain and not use it. That means that you need to understand your machine and how it helps you, you need to work with your provider to find the most comfortable and leak free mask that works for you, you have to identify the problems you're having (physical discomfort, pain, pressure areas, claustrophobia, noise, dry nose, bad attitude, etc???) that affect your tolerance and work on them one by one to eliminate them.

CPAP is almost 100% effective IF you use it. CPAP will work, but only if you put in the effort to make it work for you. It is hard work, but it is worth it. Imagine life when you are not feeling so exhausted anymore. The only way you will get there is if you work at it. Hope is not enough.

And, we are here if you need help, but start your own thread to be sure your requests for help will be seen.

OceanGoingGal · Post by **OceanGoingGal** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:05 am

torontoCPAPguy wrote:
How about MY avatar.
You cannot possibly imagine how breathtaking the view was on my first outing after leaving hospital last summer; I could barely lift my camera (a tough gig for a professional photographer eh?) and walked with the aid of a walker (even the cane is gone now but I still have to watch my horizon or I slip into a stall and sideslip into a tailspin). God I feel GOOD these days, even without CPAP I would say that. Nothing like watching them wheel out the corpses at 2 a.m. to liven things up a bit.

TAKE CHARGE! If I can do it anyone can. I can't believe that I'm still alive and keep pinching myself. That avatar is the first picture I took after hospital and three weeks on life support. They were about to call it a day on me, stuck a regular oxygen mask on me and I managed to suck in enough to keep going. A week later I was out.

This CPAP stuff is small potatoes once you've been through what I went through and only if you have been though that would you realize how much fun it is to take charge and be able to help yourself as opposed to being in a critical care bed wired like an F18 and in diapers. This stuff is important and you need to stick it out (no pun intended).

I promise again that it gets better. We are having a thunderstorm so I will probably lose my internet connection momentarily here in Richmond Hill.... I am going out on the back porch to get wet and appreciate God's gift to man of thundershowers. This also means it will probably be good gliding weather tomorrow and I am going to take my son up soaring with the eagles north of here.

LIVE-LOVE-LIFE (in any order you wish)

I love your avatar. It reminds me of my beloved New England in Fall. Absolutely breathtaking!!

Laura

Losing awareness

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