New user

[dreamcatcher]

I had my appointment yesterday and was told that I need CPAP, I have my fitting appointment arranged for the 26th of this month. The service I have received from the sleep clinic has so far been second to none. Hope I can get on with the mask, but I cannot help feeling a bit daunted by the thought of having to wear one for the rest of my life.

[acebass]

Hi Dreamcatcher,

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

I felt the same as you do when I was first diagnosed, and it is difficult for people who don't have OSA to understand how you feel. Most say "but surely you feel better getting a nights sleep", and yes, you say you do, but that doesn't take away the knowledge that this can be a lifelong experience and that is the bit that is daunting.

I have had my CPAP for six years now, and some nights it annoys me and occaisionally I feel a bit down about wearing it, but on the whole I know that I am heaps better off for having it. Whilst I am not managing to lose much in the weight stakes, I am a lot fitter than I was, walking for half an hour every lunchtime and teaching and practising Judo (Brown Belt) 2 nights a week, I recently completed a 10 mile nighttime walk for charity (something I wouldn't have ever considered before CPAP)...

You are not alone, there is a huge community of CPAP users here and they are always willing to offer helpful advice, so don't be afraid to ask!

[shuckie]

Hi!

Hello Dreamcatcher and welcome!

Please rest assured that you are not alone in feeling a bit daunted by the prospect of having to wear a mask for the rest of your life. I had a similar feeling when I was diagnosed and I would imagine that quite a few other people on this forum probably had similar feelings too.

I've been wearing my mask for less than a week, and if you read my other threads you'll probably get the impression that I'm still getting used to it (to put it mildly lol!). That said, I'd rather look like an extra from a medical drama when I go to bed than still be ignorant of my sleep apnoea and the long term damage it could have been doing to my body had I remained undiagnosed.

You may find that it takes a while to get used to wearing a mask when you go to bed, or you could be one of the lucky ones who adapts quite quickly. Either way, I hope that you start to feel the benefits sooner rather than later, and that we both decide that having a good night's sleep is more important than looking fashinable in bed!

Please don't hesitate to come back to the forum with more questions, either before your fitting or afterwards. I haven't been a member of this site for long but I'm already very grateful to the other members for their friendly advice and support in this new chapter of my life.


Kind regards

shuckie

[James @ Intus]

Welcome dreamcatcher. Appropriate name by the way as many find that dreams start to come back once on CPAP. It's the wonders of regular sleep phases!

Dautning yes, but possible to conquer, absolutely! You have a lot to look forward to, even if perhaps the first few nights don't go that well. Normally, things settle after a few nights, when the initial excitement has been swapped with a relaxed mood and when you fine tune the straps of the mask.

Basically, for every little issue you may face, there is a solution. Registering here allows you tap in to a wealth of experience so you've made the first right step already.

PS Great to see Peter "Acebass" pop in, as is seeing shuckie's great reply.

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks for all your kind words, I am pretty adaptable and so I believe I will get on quite well with the mask. Hopefully the extra sleep will give me the energy to concentrate the other problems in my life.

[dreamcatcher]

I can't wait for next week so I can try the mask. Last night I was in bed before 10pm up at 5.20 am, which is normal for me, but I felt as if I had no sleep at all! I am at work this morning feeling totally wrecked.

[shuckie]

Hi again dreamcatcher!

I can fully empathise with how you feel. I can't remember the last time I went to bed and woke up the following morning feeling refreshed. Many times before I was diagnosed I had complained about waking up feeling as though I'd had no sleep, and having no idea why I felt that way.

On the one hand it's good having an answer to that mystery, but at the same time you have to cope with; a) not knowing what to expect from CPAP and b) having to wait even if you're looking forward to joining the Elephant Impersonations Appreciation Society lol!

Please try to cope with feeling like a zombie as best you can while you wait to be fitted with your CPAP, and remember we're here for you should you need any hints or tips to get the best out of your treatment.


Kind regards

shuckie

[gil5on]

Hi all Im new to this forum I have been diagnosed and been using a cpap for 10 years now.i had a follow up appointment today after 8 years (dont ask) and they have provided me with a new machine very state of art. Its auto apparantly it adjusts while you sleep im looking forward to this as I very often used to wake with my old one and find I had removed during sleep. so you never know I may have a decent night well almost .

[Berneta]

Dreams

Hi to the Newbies! I have been on my CPAP for 3 months now, and have adjusted very well with few problems. Its my hope that things go well for you too. I could not resist on commenting about James' remark about having dreams. For years I could not ever remember having a dream--I thought I sure must be an odd ball. I just didn't know that to dream-- you must have regular sleep patterns that allow you to go into Dreamstate. The very first week I used the CPAP I started having dreams--fantastic dreams, vivid colors and smells, so real they felt like they were really happening. I woke with wonderful memories. My brain was finally busy putting every moment of my long lost waking hours into their proper places. I dreamed about everything. And WOW some of it was better than real. LOL. I also had dreams of my loved ones who had passed on-- but the dreams came not in a nightmare type of way. Often my family members were on picnics, or other outings, sometimes just sitting around the table talking and drinking tea or coffee, or having a holiday dinner. I would wake up and cry sometimes because it had seemed that they were still alive-- and then I would remember that they had already passed on. I think it was my brain making up for all the sleepless nights, when I had no way of dealing with the grief I felt at the time of their death. I still have the dreams--some just silly, some are a fantasy, and some are very real. But so far I have not had any really frightening dreams. Some people may have bad dreams--I can only speak for myself. I am so glad that James mentioned the dreams. No Therapist told me to expect them. It seems that most of those who are not on a CPAP themselves, really don't know all the things we experience. I think that Sleep Apnea and the recovery and CPAP treatment, should be researched much much more. Welcome to the Forum, Sweet Dreams, Berneta

[dreamcatcher]

I have now had the machine for a little over a week now but due to being on holiday for most of the time I have only been able to use it for about 5 nights so early days yet. I am managing to keep the mask on all night now, although my nose is a little sore, I am sure this will resolve itself. I can access the machine's memory card from the LCD screen and can see my average sleep cycle still seems to be less than 1 hour but hopefully this will improve with time.