A Newbies Journey

Hello everyone. My name is Penny. I have been STRUGGLING to use my machine for almost a month, now. I have lots of issues with it ranging from sinus issues to me ripping the mask off in my sleep..... I have called to try a new mask as was recommended to me by someone in another thread, so we will see how that goes.

I wanted to tell you guys a little about me and how I came to where I am today. Back in 2007 I went into the hospital and had surgery for MRSA. (staph) They put me on daily steroids (prednisone= )and a very strong antibiotic (vancomycin). I took the antibiotic bactrim one week out of every month for a year and the prednisone daily. I gained 100 pounds in 3 months. No, that is not an exaggeration. After that, I was sick all of the time. I have had so many different "disorders" and strange things to happen to me. From Dermatographia to Intracranial Hypertension to Fibromyalgia. The list goes on and on. I honestly was beginning to feel like a hypochondriac. Every day something else was wrong. Up until this point in life I had always been healthy and at a very healthy weight. One day recently, while complaining to my doc, he asked me to fill out a sleep survey. I laughed at him. I honestly didn't think that I had any apnea problems. Sure enough, I was diagnosed with OSA.

My question is this.... Is this yet another "disorder" to add to my 3 year ordeal, or do you guys think I may finally get relief and become a normal human being again because of my CPAP machine? Is it possible that this was the problem all along? I have been blaming the prednisone for all of this random stuff. But could it be that OSA has been the real culprit??

penn

Welcome to the forum, Penny! Bless your heart, you've really had a rough time! My guess is that your multiple health problems have multiple--but related--causes. Obstructive Sleep Apnea plays a direct role in how your body heals and responds to medications. I can't think of a way that improved sleep would hurt you or make any of those conditions worse. Let us know how we can help!

Penny,

You poor thing! I can't even imagine gaining that much weight in such a short time. I really hope that you can get that Swift for Her set up to work better for you tonight. But if they don't work for you, try another mask. After numerous tries, I discovered that my nares are a long narrow slot (who knew? I had never looked at myself for that before) and pillows won't work for me. If one mask doesn't work, move on to another. Everybody's face is different. I suspect that you will feel much better after you get this working for you. Let us know how it goes.

Bev

Oh my what an ordeal you've been through. I would think you could expect some reprieve from your ailments, but everyone is different. Certainly, your body will be better able to fight off pathogens with a rested body, i.e., healthier immune system. Personally, I have lost 20 pounds since Feb 2009 only from CPAP therapy. Nothing else has really changed until now -- being a new daddy.

The prednisone was the cause of your weight gain, and that obviously turned around and became apnea. If you're still on the prednisone, you'll have a hard time losing, but if your weight's at least stabilized, and if you can lose just a bit at a time and keep it off, your apnea will improve as that happens. It's unlikely to go away altogether, but ... if you end up having bariatric surgery for the weight, your apnea should disappear for good! It's just one of those things. I also think the hypertension and FM probably just came along as logical hangers on to the weight and apnea. It is just another disorder in a way, but if you can get it fixed up, then you may go a long way to dealing with the other problems.

With a lot going on, it can be hard to untangle the mess and make sense of it. It's hard to know if the OSA was already present or a result of the weight gain. When I was on Prednisone I gained about 40-50 lbs in less than 6 months. Hated how it made me feel. When it was discovered that I had glaucoma with dangerously high eye pressure, it was decided that almost certain blindness was not an acceptable trade-off for treating my other lung condition, so I was taken off the Prednisone. All I can tell you about using CPAP is that addressing this one issue made a major difference in how well I was able to handle the other issues. Let us know how you progress once your cpap treatment is stabilized. It will be interesting to hear what differences it makes for you.

Thanks so much for all of the kind words, guys. I really think that even if I don't have the miracle cure for all of these random ailments... at least I am on a good road with CPAP. Especially becoming part of this community and learning from you guys and having some sort of support system of people that don't think I am crazy.

Penn