Losing the will to fight

[tedvpap]

Thanks Sleeprider and JesseLee for the information. There are so many different types of machines it's pretty overwhelming. I just had a look online at some ASV prices, wow they're expensive! They don't seem to be as widely available either which is concerning. Hopefully my APAP machine works for me but if a few more weeks pass and I'm still waking up regularly, feeling fatigued and getting CA events each night I might have to consider ASV.

You need to relax and be patient.  You are getting ahead of yourself.
I doubt that your CAs are causing arousals.  Arousals are normal.  I usually have 3.

We can investigate further if and when the time comes.

[Ockrocket]

You need to relax and be patient.  You are getting ahead of yourself.
I doubt that your CAs are causing arousals.  Arousals are normal.  I usually have 3.

We can investigate further if and when the time comes.

 ..... What Ted says, patience.

Stop thinking of a "cure" over days/weeks, CPAP is a process of trial and adjustments until you achieve an overall improvement in your long term ongoing treatment. 

The time frame varies for each individual.. and there will be nights when your numbers go haywire, or you don't sleep well, or you don't manage to use the machine at all. 
These things are normal, and should not cause you to panic when they happen ( and they WILL happen at some point ), the important thing is how your average numbers sit. 

You are starting to make progress, and your "introduction" to using CPAP has been about on par with the majority when they first start off.. 


'It doesn't work for me' - 'I hate it' - 'I'm not getting any better' - 'I still can't sleep' - are all common in what is heard from people just starting off. 

Then the stages go through the pressure settings- mask leaks- humidity- condensation in the hose and mask ( aka "rainout" ) - skin irritation from the mask- gas/bloating- and so it goes. 
You may experience all, or none, of the above, and possibly other things as well. 

Just remember that there are solutions to most of the issues, and that it takes time and patience to work through any that you may face along the way. 

Keep at it, and keep asking questions when you need to. 

[Sleeprider]

Good post, and it's worth pointing out Personxyz has made significant progress in a short time. More can be expected.

[Personxyz]

Thanks for the advice guys. I know I need to be more patient but I feel like sleep apnea is holding me back in life. I'm not able to pursue a lot of my goals in life because I don't have the energy. That's incredibly frustrating.

I'm very comfortable with the mask and machine now, I soon forget I'm even using them. Last night was another full nights treatment. I had another period where I slept for 2 hours without waking up. Unfortunately for the rest of the night I woke up roughly every hour or so.

Central events halved but I still wake up just as much each night.

Could it be that I have UARS or Cheyne-stokes? That could explain why I wake up so often even with a low AHI.

I'm worried that I'll get down to barely any events per night and still be waking up 5 or more times. That's scary because then I won't have a clue what is causing the problem which will mean I can't treat it.

It's my birthday today and the only thing I wish for is to successfully treat my sleep apnea as soon as possible.

[Timur]

Great post, Ockrocket, very wise advice. 

I see that you mention it is your birthday, Personxyz, well happy birthday to you! Wishing you all the best.

[SarcasticDave94]

Happy birthday, Personxyz.

FWIW you're closer to getting that wish happen than before you started CPAP. Investing in things that take time test our ability to be patient. I'm sure all of us have at least one thing in our lives that we want solved yesterday. I know I do. Be assured it will happen, even if it does not happen as soon as we want.

Haven't you ever wondered why the people doctors see are called patients? Now you know why IMO.

[foxfire]

 Would ASV be the only option if these central events persist?

It really depends on your doctor. My doctor prefers to try Enhanced Expiratory Rebreathing Space (EERS) and Diamox with straight CPAP before prescribing ASV. This is not at all a common treatment and could be considered somewhat experimental, although he says he has treated thousands of patients this way.

[Sleeprider]

Personxyz, happy birthday. Your central apnea index continues to improve, and is already well below the criteria where you would be considered for ASV. This is doubly true in the UK where public medicine imposes strict criteria for advanced therapy. Healing from sleep apnea is a process and it takes time. Your body is conditioned to respiratory event related arousals and eventually it will forget it needs to be on high alert for apnea. You will sleep better and more continuously, but I can't offer a fast way to make it happen. Your therapy is good enough now that the process will begin and you will slowly notice the benefits.

[Personxyz]

Thank you all for the birthday wishes.

Foxfire, I hope the treatment is very successful for you.

Sleeprider, I guess I just need to keep using the machine and be optimistic. I know I come across as a little negative at times but that's just the fatigue taliking. I like to think I'm quite optimistic usually and what you said seems logical.

Yesterday I had to work 12 hours (not a great birthday) so I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. CA events went up but are still low, as is my AHI. I don't know if the above average fatigue from the long workday caused the little jump in CA events. Maybe, but I guess they fall into the normal fluctuation range anyway. I woke up 5-6 times again but fell asleep quickly each time as I'm comfortable with the treatment by now.

[sonicboom]

Great work personxyz in sticking with it. As far as the frequent awakenings another thing you might want to examine is your eating habits/patterns. Generally speaking, eating and/or drinking close to bedtime will usually cause one to be awakened during the night one or more times. Alcohol consumption, caffeine intake - they all play a role. It is all part of what we call good sleep hygiene. Once you are satisfied that your sleep hygiene is good and not contributing then you can look at potential other factors like simply assimilating to your equipment and the therapy.