CPAPtalk.com

The frightening thing is the 'success' rate of the surgery--poor, to say the least.
I have seen the term 'cash cow' used.
A speaker at our local cpap support group said he had both UPPP surgery and a heart bypass--
Pain-wise he would rather repeat the by-pass.
Surgery is not the preferred treatment for SA.
Someday, it might be; but not yet.
Besides, I really like my CPAP--It relaxes me and puts me right to sleep.

Hi Copernicus -- hang in there buddy! I did and I'm so glad I did. It turned around for me on the fourth week exactly after getting my machine. I did quite a bit of reading on here. And I was so sick I had dizziness, chest pain, and was falling asleep SUDDENLY at the wheel -- once within 1/2 mile of my house! Get that mask on your face while you're awake, and relazed, watching tv, etc. That helped me a LOT, and if you take it off at night, put it right back on. And do the comfort stuff....the lanisoh on lips stuff, etc. and .......let's see......welll there are others on here who know more than I do...

There are some people here who will give you some good advice...but basicially you have just to hang in there through the tough spots...and it will turn around. I woke up monday morning feeling SO good I thought, "It's a shame there is no New World for me to go conquer" YEAH, I felt so good I wanted to tackle or conquer something. I have so much more energy, and I've been sleep deprived since the year 2000!

You'll get better....just keep plugging in with that mask.....MAKE yourself have a POSITIVE attitude even when y ou don't feel like it and your brain will start accepting that mask.

I woke up last night with thought, "OH NO, my mask isn't on"....that's because I was sleeping so deep and breathing so well and was so comforable....I reached up my hand to my face AND my mask WAS ON!!!!!

You'll get there too. Now, everytime I put that mask on I say, "hello old friend." because the mask gives me breath, gives me health, gives me energy, gives me back the life I once had lost due to sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness!

Hang in there! Post every day while you're going through this -- it helps to vent! I did my share! These people are pretty kind (since you're not a troll -- trolls we hit with 2x4's -- but newbies needing help get tea, sympathy and hugs).

(Junebug handing Copernicus tea DECAF of course! )

Thank you all for posting your replies.
NIght 2, was a bit better i think. took forever for me to fall asleep,and although the mask is still giving me trouble, i enjoy the air flow. am sure night 3 will be better still. the head gear on my mask is what is giving the most trouble, should i be looking into a full face mask with no head gear? are there any?
also, although i have always been a mouth breather, i found that i am only breathing from my nose with the cpap on. is the nasal mask more comfortable? do i switch?

copernicus wrote:It is a S8 series II, it does have a chip with it. my doctor prescribed the Cpap one day before she travelled and she is gone for ten days. i have to take my machine and chip to her when she gets back.

info on the net is very conflicting, and other doctors i have spoken to dont believe in cpap therapy and have advised surgery. Hence my trying to find some answers here

Must be the surgeons advising that. I would stronly suggest you give the machine a try before trying something as drastic as that. Once you get your gear dialed in and you get used to it after a couple of weeks you will be amazed at the results.

copernicus wrote:Got my Cpap only yesterday so i have only used it one night. I can not see myself getting used to sleeping with this thing on my face, and it is both worrying me and depressing me...any words of encouragement? or advise?

Because of my weightloss I no longer need to be on a cpap machine but I can tell you that if you stay with the mask you will almost become addicted to it and it will become a comfort thing. In other words when I went off the mask I had to have little talks with myself in order to convince myself that it was ok to not wear the mask. So just stay with it, it will work.

copernicus wrote:Thank you all for posting your replies.
NIght 2, was a bit better i think. took forever for me to fall asleep,and although the mask is still giving me trouble, i enjoy the air flow. am sure night 3 will be better still. the head gear on my mask is what is giving the most trouble, should i be looking into a full face mask with no head gear? are there any?
also, although i have always been a mouth breather, i found that i am only breathing from my nose with the cpap on. is the nasal mask more comfortable? do i switch?

3 days ago i switched from a mirage activa nasal mask to a quattro full face. I can see now why they tried to steer me towards the nasal and a chin strap. the full face can be a little trickier to get sealed and comfortable on your face than the nasal mask was. But I am getting there and think I am close to having it dialed in. The main thing is to get the mask as comfortable as possible on your face. The mask and straps will seem confining and intrusive at first. Before long you do find yourself reaching for the nose exhale port to make sure it is on. you have to give yourself a little time to adjust to sleeping with the gear.

It is difficult at first for most. But you get used to it. Before long you find that you have the mask adjusted just right so it if finally comfortable. You are relaxing and your numbers are coming together and most of all you are finally feeling rested when you wake up.

I know you can do it and will benefit from your efforts. I figured if the folks here can do it so can I!

I am determined to make it work and to get the most out of the program it has to offer. I struggle with working swing shifts on top of having apnea. The gear and advice from here has really been helpful for me to have a better life and I am sure it will for you as well.

You are asking lots of questions. Because of that I know you will come out on top. It will take a lilttle getting used to and you will be posting how great you feel and helping others as they follow your progress and learn from what you have learned.
It is happening for me and will for you as well.

Patience and perserverance

copernicus wrote:Thank you all for posting your replies.
NIght 2, was a bit better i think. took forever for me to fall asleep,and although the mask is still giving me trouble, i enjoy the air flow. am sure night 3 will be better still. the head gear on my mask is what is giving the most trouble, should i be looking into a full face mask with no head gear? are there any?
also, although i have always been a mouth breather, i found that i am only breathing from my nose with the cpap on. is the nasal mask more comfortable? do i switch?

I don't remember reading what your pressure is...but if it is relatively low...I would steer away from the Quattro FFM. There are several posts floating around about how that mask don't vent out the CO2 properly at lower pressures...leading to dizziness, etc. Other FFM may work fine for you. I like the nasal pillows (with a PapCap chinstrap) as it is less stuff on my face...and I get great numbers with that set up. I hope you are continuing to adjust well and I totally agree with everyone who has said you will look at your CPAP as a comfort.

copernicus wrote:So how many days (or maybe weeks) before i am comfortable with it? and how long before i start feeling better? I would really love to get my life back, and losing the unexplainable extra weight would not harm either.

I am now 30 days into my CPAP lifestyle. My only issue is mask leaks. I like the air blowing in my face. I often wondered why I needed 2 fans on high blowing in my face for me to be able to sleep. At first I had little to no mask leaks, now I cannot wear my mask for more than a couple of hours without leaks. I would much rather sleep with my mask on than off. I have morning migraines if I don't wear my mask. I didn't realize how bad they were until I didn't have them at all for a couple of days. Not having them in the morning, is why I haven't shoved my machine into the closet!

Hello,
I have been on Cpap for 9 mos. I do feel a lot better but it has not been easy..After trying a variety of different masks I finally found a pretty comfortable one and I think that is the biggest issue for cpap users is to find the right mask. I cannot say how long it will take you to start feeling better as it is an individual thing. I can tell you this, I will never sleep without my machine again. I have at times fallen asleep without it if I am watching TV or reading and I feel like CRAP! Please take this very serious as it will shorten your life if you do not establish a positive attitude and commitment to a life with Cpap. Good luck and it will get better for you.
Bren

Sucker, it would really be helpful if you would register and list your equipment in the User Control Panel(text)so we can see what mask/machine has worked for you. Thanks and Welcome

copernicus wrote:Got my Cpap only yesterday so i have only used it one night. I can not see myself getting used to sleeping with this thing on my face, and it is both worrying me and depressing me...any words of encouragement? or advise?

I felt/feel the same way, but after almost 3 weeks, I'm actually starting to sleep in bigger chunks of time. Some nights are better than others. Last night I was cold and was snuggling down into my bed, which squished the nasal pillows, which kept leaking, and vent holes got covered and started whistling, so woke up many times - unfortunately hubby woke up too. Good thing he's very sympathetic . A few other nights I've pretty much slept right through, just vaguely remembering waking a little to adjust my mask.

I have faith it will get much better in the next week or so.

Cheers,
Xena

Hello to the CPAPers out there. I am new to the forum but have been lurking for a week or two. It's great to know that others out there have gone through the same thing and eventually got to feeling better. I am looking forward to that "Ah Ha" moment when I can actually wake up and say I slept most or all of the night. My girlfriend thinks I am being unrealistic and will never get to that point. I can relate to this thread and am frustratetd at present but dedicated to using the CPAP and feeling better. I have been averaging about 7 hours a night for the first week with the CPAP but a lot of that time has been watching TV and not much of it actually sleeping. I have the impression that my machine is fully data capable (can someone verify that for me?) and I would like to find out where I can get the software (Encore Viewer or Encore Pro ????). Perhaps there is a "demo" copy of some sort out there someone can direct me to

Thought I would chime in and say hello. A lot of great info on here and looking forward to participating.

copernicus wrote:Got my Cpap only yesterday so i have only used it one night. I can not see myself getting used to sleeping with this thing on my face, and it is both worrying me and depressing me...any words of encouragement? or advise?

I can relate completely - just ask people here! I was so depressed about this in the beginning I wanted to take the bridge. I quit for a whole week - just packed it all up to return and then got into trouble with the Dr. he heard about it and was furious with me. So i tried again and he changed me to Auto - I do not have good data yet so am not sure about how I am doing - I can only tell you that I am not experiencing headaches everyday when I wake up - it does feel good! As for the nasal mask thing - well that is still a struggle and I wake up a lot but its getting a little bit better. I am having dreams now too so that is supposed to be good - last night was a good night - I slept 8+ hrs with it on and feel good today. I do not have a choice but to do this it seems and I kind of think I am getting a little bit more relaxed with it - maybe used to it even and the machine sounds are now pretty quiet since I have moved it below ear level and its surrounded by thick fleece which absorbs the sound for the most part. being a light sleeper i keep telling myself the sound is the waves of Aruba which sounds pretty good now that we are getting snow.
Best of luck - if I can ever help just ask ok?

I guess my view is pretty black and white:
Your body uses sleep to restore, heal, and be ready for the stresses of the following day.
Reduced oxygen is going to compromise this restorative process and you will eventually reach the point where the restoration falls short of the wear and tear of a normal day (assuming that you have not already reached that point). Excuse my morbidity, but I see this as the point where you start to die. It is generally a long and slow process involving good nights and bad nights, but the bottom line is that, on average, you are not fully recuperating from one day before the next begins. Reduced oxygen intake is compromises everything - say you catch a flu and instead of getting over it in 9 days, it takes 12 days.
The human body is amazingly adaptive. Look at your mask and figure out what is irritating you. a good DME should allow you to try some variations, and you should be fairly demanding that you get a mask that works reasonably well for you.
I guess my point is that some of us are very desperate when we get diagnosed and others are just a little uncomfortable. However, oxygen is core to our existence - in the end, returning your oxygen intake up to an optimal level is one heck of a gift and the aggravation of adapting to the gear, while real, is a pittance compared to the long term benefits! This is the big picture!

I'm sure this is an oversimplification, but by understanding and appreciating these long term benefits, I believe you can more quickly view the CPAP as a positive rather than negative addition to your life and once you think of it as your "friend" it will be much easier to adapt to.

I changed from a nasal torture device to a hybrid-y thing which has nasal pillows and mouth mask - no contraption across the bridge of my nose or forehead to make me feel like I'm in a vice! Much better!
It's still taking some adjusting to too, but I'm way more comfortable.