The Big CPAP Success Thread - Must Read for Newbies!

[symmit]

Well, I've joined although I haven't even been diagnosed yet!

Welcome! Do keep reading, both here and elsewhere - let us all know how your sleep test goes!

[mkwebman]

What a joy to read these success stories

Well, I've joined although I haven't even been diagnosed yet! I spent last night in an Oxford sleep lab. My GP was excellent - I mentioned snoring almost as an aside when having my 6-monthly check-up (for heart related issues) and he sent me away with a Sleepiness questionnaire to return. Before I knew it Oxford had phoned up with an appointment. So now I'm waiting for the results. I hope the diagnosis is positive - sounds weird but if it isn't I won't know what to do. I heard about the fantastic effects of CPAP therapy from my dentist's receptionist and realised that I had so many of the same symptoms as her husband. I really hate the idea of surgery! So I started looking round the internet today to get a feel of what happens, and am heartened to see several mentions of brilliant service at Oxford in this thread. Thanks to the people who posted, and I'll be adding my experiences as they happen!

[symmit]

Success: Four weeks in

About six months ago I saw my GP due to just feeling generally unwell and tired in the day. He whined about my weight and blood pressure and told me to exercise more, eat less and check my blood pressure regularly to see if it comes down, if not he'd look into medication for that.

Odd thing was my blood pressure was high in a morning, but normal in the evening. And I would be tired all day, often going to bed in an afternoon.

All came to a head when I got a bit of a cold, and couldn't sleep at all, wiped me out completely, after getting over the cold the sleeplessness didn't go away. Would wake up in the night unable to breathe and having what felt like a panic attach - I checkd my blood pressure on waking like this once and it was OMG over WTF, with a pulse in the 120s.

So I did some googling (sleep was out of the question) and came across OSA.

Snore? Tick. Overweight? Tick. Sleep all day? Tick. Stop breathing at night? Tick.

Online home sleep test? Tick. Buy. Wait. Do test. Send back equipment.

Ring ring: "I've got your results and will email them to you, when you get them call me back to discuss but I think you'll be wanting to try a CPAP".

Printout from the sleep test shows longest period of sleep was 2h 45m, 109 Apneas, 33 Hypopneas, so that's an AHI of 51...

I call him back, choose a machine, arrange delivery and then wait.

BIG package arrives by courier, so I unpack it, sit down, work out where everything goes, fire it up, check all the settings and stuff, install the data software on my laptop, strap the mask to my face to get a fit and attach the hose and hit start. Then hit stop. Then hit start. Then stop. Then do that a few more times and think "I've gotta sleep with that???!". Push past it mentally then sit watching TV for an hour with it running and me wondering how this can be better than not using...

Anyway, that night I have dinner early, thinking "gonna be a long night". I go to bed at 8:30, thoroughly tired having not napped in the day, sleep for an hour or so, wake up thinking "arrrghhh" then realise I've not got something from Aliens on my face, then suddenly it's morning, I've slept 10 hrs in 6 stints, one of which was four hours long. Not only that but I'm awake, I don't ache, there's a mask on my face and I'm breathing normally, as if its nor there. Feels, erm, odd. Body is tingling, I'm not tired. I unmask and switch off and reach for the blood pressure tester - 110/70...

Night one done, wasn't tired all day until about 8pm, night two was similar, but night 3 onwards and I was only waking one or two times per night.

From then on it just gets better, my sleep tech gets the data from me every day or two and keeps upping the base pressure a little.

<<skip 4 weeks of "stats chasing">>

Now I'm 4 weeks in - I haven't woken in the night for a week. I fall asleep quickly and quietly (sleepweaver mask is helping that!) and I wake up calmly and refreshed. Often I'll go to bed and I'm not tired then!

My advice to anyone new? Take your time, if CPAP is going to work for you, you have to work with it, persevering until it just suddenly falls into place, and pushing your sleep tech for help, advice, tips, adjustments, masks whatever you need to make it work - for me it's changed my life, I feel more alive than I have done in years.

[jackyk]

lol, had to add to this. my kids call my mask E.T. bcos they say its shape is like ets head.
have sent you a pm muckymits lol

Just recently joined but been on the hose for nearly 6 months. End of last year felt horrible, went to docs and at first they could not find why I was so tired and forever falling asleep, till one day my GP was on holiday and the stand in one asked me my symptoms and he said straight away 'I think you have sleep apnoea'. I was sent to James Cook at Middlesbrough and was found I was having 70 AHI and was given a Resmed S8 (now called Brenda by Daughter and grand kids )3 days later.

First night was a bit bad getting used to the mask, but after the next night I woke up and 'WOW hello world'. I do have the odd bad night and did have 4 in a row then started to fall asleep again, different mask now and terrified of not using Brenda, still have issues with fatigue but loosing weight and slowly getting there.

[acebass]

Ive called my machine miller and no, not after the beer but after the very famous "Windy Miller" for those who remember him

....camberwick green......!!!

[Sparticus]

Ive called my machine miller and no, not after the beer but after the very famous "Windy Miller" for those who remember him

[Sleep2Snore]

Hissing Sid a very apt name for the machine.

[silvercarper]

I call my APAP "Sid" and my friends and relatives know who Im talking about.

Why "Sid" well look at this link.

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~kmr/lyrics/album1/captainbeaky.htm

[Sparticus]

Great to hear that you're getting to grips with it! It's amazing how much the acceptance period can vary from person to person, but as you say it's worth persevering with

Just a few months ago, I was fighting it and having lots of problems once I excepted it, everything just fell into place. Now I love my little friend. Maybe its time to name him or her

[Tom @ Intus]

Great to hear that you're getting to grips with it! It's amazing how much the acceptance period can vary from person to person, but as you say it's worth persevering with

[Sparticus]

I'm Cured!

I'M CURED!

......is not something you will hear on this forum, more like the sound of "Flatchets" echoing round the room. So, you have your new machine and cant wait to try it out. Evening comes and off to bed you go all excited that in the morning you will wake feeling like a million dollars.....

The reality is some what different. The first night will be a learning curve and will continue for many weeks. Mask leaks, Bloating with possible wind, insomnia and a load of other problems that you will face along the way. You maybe lucky and only have a sore nose to report but then again you may not. There is one thing I can guarentee is that you will have lots of support from people like me that can help and guide you to a point that your happy with your O.S.A.

For me, I am settled and happy with my O.S.A but I still wont let my guard down, just incase something crops up. I'm now about 6-7 months into my treatment (Cant remember) and a few months ago I hated my machine and would climb into bed without it, telling myself I will have a night off or happily launching my mask across the room after 15 minutes of trying to sleep. On the odd occasion I would sleep through the night and look like mike tyson has used me as a punch bag. These are all common things with having OSA.

These problems I have mentioned are not to scare you (Newbies) but are just a few issues you may incounter on your journey. My Journey has now broken out of the clouds and its all blue sky and smiles. I go to bed and happily don my mask without a second thought and not even an F5 tornado would get to rip it off. Although I did one night sleep with my mask on for 5 hours without a hose until I was woken by my good lady holding the hose in her hand and shaking her head My record is 11 hours sleep with my mask on and its the same most nights. Success? I would have chosen a different word, Educated sounds about right.

It just leaves me to say a huge thankyou to all the people on here and other forums who I gladly left, just remember "HELP" can sometimes be the hardest thing to say but when you do, you know your half-way there to Success

(Flatchet: Bum Burp)

[acebass]

A quick update. I have been on CPAP for 3 months now, my energy levels continue to increase. I regularly sleep for 7 hours with little or no disturbance - if I do wake I manage to get straight back over again.

I never fall asleep in front of the television before 10 pm (I think after that is normally acceptable) and wake up feeling as though I have had a good nights sleep..... something that has not happened in years.

I am a very happy bunny

good for you. Glad its working..

[sleepytime]

Update

A quick update. I have been on CPAP for 3 months now, my energy levels continue to increase. I regularly sleep for 7 hours with little or no disturbance - if I do wake I manage to get straight back over again.

I never fall asleep in front of the television before 10 pm (I think after that is normally acceptable) and wake up feeling as though I have had a good nights sleep..... something that has not happened in years.

I am a very happy bunny

[whisperer]

Its Better Than The Alternative!

I am 64 and have been a CPAP user for about 15 years.

I was so tired my husband used to lever me out of bed in the mornings, after trying to wake me about half a dozen times. I would stagger into a the bath that he had run for me. He would then have to wake me up in the bath a couple of time before I staggered along for breakfast (I kid you not) and eventually I would wake up (couldn't really call it waking up but my eyes were open and I was functioning to a certain extent). By the afternoon I used to fall asleep at work at my computer and I quickly admitted that I couldn't drive for any distance as I could feel myself falling asleep, so I went to my GP.

Eventually an overnight stay at my local sleep clinic diagnosed sleep apnoea.

I got my life back, DVLA confirmed I could continue driving. Life became enjoyable again instead of it being something I participated in a sort of fog. Don't get me wrong there are times it is not easy using a CPAP machine for such a long time.

I believe if the medical world helped people like us a little more to lose weight would make a big difference. l lost two stone but my weight fluctuates even though I exercise and watch my diet. In life nothing comes easy you have to work at it and that include having sleep apnea, but I am so grateful that I don't feel the way I did.