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I guess i would be considered one of the "lucky ones" i started off very well on my own i am on my third night tonight on cpap. I am doing very well besides a couple minor issues with my mask that need to be taken care of. I was in denial "still am sometimes" blamed myself, my weight, anything possible. I resisted treatment for probably well over 5 years now because i refused to do a sleep study after my doctor suspected i had sleep apnea back in 2007. I already knew in the back of my mind i did and refused to be one of those who had to wear a mask. I am 28 years old, this is not how i saw myself i will tell you that. But i will also tell you something else, it's not quite as bad as i imagined. You wear a mask 1x a day and that's bedtime. The benefits far exceed the consequences in my opinion. I am sleep 6.5 hours after 2 nights on cpap i wake up feeling more energetic and have a more "refreshed feeling" There is many benefits of cpap therapy if you need it. I think for you it's just frustration because you cannot find a mask that works for you. Keep being your own advocate and try out many masks. Nasal, full face if you have to. Don't settle for anything less than what feels good for you.

Don't quit this is for your health and overall well being.

kaiasgram wrote: Bottom line, I feel worse than I did before CPAP. It may not be "normal" to want to quit if you're experiencing the benefits, but it sure is normal if you're not!

This was me too, for a long time. I was exhausted, my brain wasn't working right, and I was incredibly irritable. I can only assume that I was waking up more from the mask, the forced air, and the anxiety produced by the news that my sleep was actually harming me than I had been from the untreated apneas. Never did get a good explanation from the docs as to why I felt so horrible. Now, most days, I feel about the same as I did before cpap. So it is mostly tolerable.

So my advice is to stick with it -- I was told 6 months -- and look for some type of improvement even if you still feel awful. Lower blood pressure? Fewer symptoms of GERD? Fewer episodes of nocturia? I never would have imagined that those things were related to apneas! Others have reported things like better color and skin tone. If you notice improvement in something, it can help motivate you to keep trying until maybe you'll feel better, or at least not worse.

Hang in there and keep looking for support here when you need it.