Hi, I'm the new guy!

Hello Everyone, I wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself to you all. I recently became aware that I had a very bad case of Sleep Apnea and with the help of my friend, "STL Mark" and my Fiance, I had a Two Day Sleep Study and saw a Sleep Specialist. It was determined that I had both Central and Obstructive Sleep Apnea and need a ASV machine in order to help regulate my Sleep.

I'm 53 years old and worked in the IT Industry for 20 years before I was diagnosed with a Disease known as "Arnold-Chiari Malformation" (www.wacma.com). This disease took a heavy toll on my body, especially in my Mid to Upper Back, my Shoulders and Neck, this disease also brought with it Migraines every other day. By the time I was diagnosed, to the time I had Nuerosurgery to correct the issue, certain nerves in my mid to upper back had lost their protective sheathing and are now rubbing loosely in my back, which causes an incredible amount of pain. The Surgery did help alleviate my Migraines, now I have a Migraine once or twice a Month, a big relief to be certain! After Surgery I attempted to keep working, but by May 2005, my Doctor said that if we kept on raising the dosage of my Pain Meds, it could very well kill me. I had to resign from my work and file for disability, and of course, had to fight four long years before I was approved. Today, I do take a cocktail of medications designed to lessen my pain to a more tolerable level, and for the most part, that works out. Unfortunately, when you fill your body with Pain Medications over a long period of time, certain things happen, like having poor memory, at least short-term, having constipation constantly and of course, sleeping becomes it's own adventure. On top of that, now I have Sleep Apnea to worry about! The hope is though, that with more restful sleep, the body may no longer require so much medication and we could back off the heavy doses.

That's about it for me, I'm new here, and I am looking forward to learning new things and discovering new ways to get better sleep!


Bob

Welcome!! This is the learning place better than any doctors office or library. Be prepared to do alot of reading and be sure to ask alot of questions.

Welcome to the group, though sorry that you have to be here.

Bob,

I'm glad you are here. You are among friends here and they are all part of your support system. The transition to using this equipment is not one that comes easy for many. Having a team on your side helps. I will look forward to assisting you in your journey.

Mark

Hi Bob. Welcome to the forum.

Welcome Bob!

Hello Bob, welcome. You will learn a lot of useful things here.

Hi Bob and welcome

I am also new here and people are very helpful and nice here.

Greetings! Due to both the pain medication and the neurological issues, I am not surprised that you need an ASV unit. It can take several months to adjust to that therapy. But hang in there. It helps.

Hey Bob!

Welcome to the forum. Here's hoping you adjust to ASV therapy as quickly as possible so that a good night's rest will come soon.

Keep us posted on how you are progressing.

Welcome Bob! We'll help you thru your "cpap journey". As stated, educate yourself here and work all your issues one at a time. Get a machine that is data-capable, and know you may go thru several masks. Look for a mask that is comfortable and doesn't leak. I hope the best for you!

Sheriff

Hello and welcome. I'm not familiar with the use of an ASV but several here are and will be a valuable resource for you. I am familiar with Arnold-Chiari Malformation as three friends and family have it to varying degrees. One has had surgeries and has suffered greatly with it, as you have. Hopefully addressing your sleep apnea will give your body a boost in dealing with the other issues.

Welcome!

welcomed

sounds like I've been through a fraction of what you have. The most pain I've had is from a tonsillectomy and that's 3 weeks, but enough to teach me that high volumes of opiate related medicine is really bad for the system.

I'm a programmer and have worked in IT industry, and found over the years I was untreated, that to code anything required tremendous effort and reliance on rules I knew about when I was more "with it" - autopilot if you like. But no creativity, certainly no elegance to the programs I wrote. I found the frustration with that made me worse - bit like altzheimers must feel to someone who knows they have it and is aware they could be better.

I'm much better now , much more able to think and focus, I'm very happy people on this forum helped teach me how to live with the machine, doctors failed, so a comment I read further up the thread must be true

Good luck with the pain medication and the sleep.

Andy

Hey Bob,

Man, it sounds like you have an aweful lot on your plate.

I have found this forum to be really helpful and supportive.

Thanks for the introduction and welcome to the board!!

TheWino