Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[Rickgo]

Thanks SuperSLeeper and all who make this forum run so well. We, the ones who are successful need to "pay it forward" in getting the word out and helping people get diagnosed and successful with their treatment. To All - Keep up the great work!!!!

[majoraward]

I'm still on planet Earth so after almost 13 years of this crap, I mean CPAP, no I mean VPAP...sorry I'm a little confused. Did I say Earth, oh gawd, am I still on this rock? Nevermind. It all started in a galaxy far, far, away...I mean it all started back in 2000 when 911 still just meant you were calling an emergency number and you weren't frisked at the airport like a common thug. I hadn't been sleeping well, reverse that, I didn't know I hadn't been sleeping well but I had been extremely depressed as in I decided to take a dive off the rocks into the great unknown, only there was this stupid seal that kept preventing me from jumping in (true story).

I went to doctor next day who sent me to a is-he-nuts type of doc and then after he said I wasn't but that I was very tired, he sent me to a sleep doc. The sleep doc had me immediately do a sleep study and low and behold I wasn't getting very much sleep at all! It is difficult to sleep when you are waking up every 30 seconds, and kicking about as much. I had severe obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

So they set me up with a CPAP machine and some meds. The world was right then - actually no, neither worked at all! I would tear the CPAP mask off my face as soon as I fell asleep, they tried many masks but it made no difference, my subconcious mind was having none of it. The pills worked enough for me to get 1 to 2 hours of sleep a night (without the CPAP machine). So after several years of this I died - end of story.

Okay, so I didn't die but I wished that I had several times (a day), but I was too locked into this stupid world to say goodbye so I stuck around. Eventually after losing my job because of it (another story) and going back to college online for a few years, I was just surviving by getting very little sleep, I would not sleep for days. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how bad it was - it was that bad.

November of 2005 I landed a very good job that would start in January 2005, I hadn't told them of my problems. Just so happens my doc called me in December and said they had a new CPAP machine - positive air pressure or something like that that would allow me to breathe more naturally at night - it worked! He also had some other meds he wanted me to try - they worked!

I went on until now - end of story! No, sorry, it only lasted a couple of years and then my medications augmented - they actually made my RLS worse. Everything went bad once again but the ole CPAP machine still worked, only I was seldom in bed to use it.

After awhile the RLS was far worse than the obstructive sleep apnea and all the operations hadn't helped the apnea (another story) but they found that a combination of strong meds would help me so that my RLS symptoms would go away enough that I could sleep again.

It has been a rollercoaster of a ride but I finally got to the last 2 years of the story and it has been much better! No, sorry, I mean much worse! The medications have been doing all kinds of things, except helping me. At the moment I am doing pretty good - except I now have central apnea too and a machine I have had for the past year, a VPAP that costs a few bucks more than the old CPAP machine. I like it.

At least my health otherwise has been great! Wait, no, I just got over having my prostate removed about 7 weeks ago cause of cancer, I'm 57 years old if that helps (young for prostate cancer). Sounds like they got it all though which is a plus. I'm working which is also a plus and at the moment the VPAP and meds are working (although I am tired after having 8 hours sleep). I am trying out a Zeo headband tonight, the new one for the iPhone, so it should be interesting to find out just how well I am sleeping...if you have gotten this far congrats!

[donmozza]

Cpap therapy has changed my life.

I was falling asleep at work and driving, waking up every hour to goto the toilet, I was having kidney issues, waking up like I was hung over every morning, and heart palpitations because of all the coffee I was drinking to stay awake, and my wife had enough of my snoring like a bear.

Doctors did all tests thinking my kidneys were shot, gave me tablets to try and so on but no difference. Then I remember I was told that because I snore I may have sleep apnea, so I did a sleep test and I had a mild case but bad enough to cause me issues (over long term).

From the first day I slept 8 hours uninterupted and it has been like that for over 2 years now. The only thing that wakes me us is my 7 month old baby or my 3 year old son.

My wife loves my Resmed CPAP machine we can now sleep in the same room together and I dont disturb my kids or her, and also when I travel for work and if I have to share a room I don't disturb the other person.

So it has worked a treat and now with the nasal masks it is soo easy to get used to it. Recommend it to people who thin they have Sleep Apnea or symptoms to check it with their doctor and get a sleep test done.

[SuperSleeper]

Welcome majoraward and donmozza! Thanks for posting your stories!

[Spog]

I have a minute and since this board has been so helpful in the information that is just connected to it (manuals, wiki list etc.) in helping me understand the language and how to us my machine properly I decided to share:
I must have been born with it. I have snored my entire life, I am now 48, I have been with my wife since I was 21 and she had been kick starting me since our first night together. My ribs can atest to this. I had a very labor intensive job for years and would reach exhaustion easily; I was embarrassed whenever we had to sleep over anywhere, as a couple or even just a fishing trip with the guys because I snored That Loud. It caused me to pass on many things. I was missing life and not enjoying the one I had. At 28 I went to a doctor, at a good hosp. in N.O.. He looked me over and diag. me w/ severe obstructive sleep apnea. I was operated on. They removed my tonsils, my adnoids and opened the opening to my throat so I no longer have a uvula. It seemed to work for a while. I finally was able to breath; but alas, the symptoms just started right up again some 12-18 months later, and the snoring would shake the very walls. I was up constantly, suffereing from night terrors again (going on for years), and if you have ever had night terrors I need not explain how even more disturbed a sleepless night can be (these things are bad, and may even make one seek mental help). Back to the doctors, after I moved to another city;this was actually forced on me by my wife, since running a small business I just never took the time, however when my brother came to visit, made me look at myself in the mirror, sunken eyes and all, I went. They ordered a sleep study. Diag. w/ severe apnea, set me up with a Remstar M series Plus and I hated it for about 3 days, then I got into the groove and all I can say is "life-changing" I slept through the night! I did not snore! I have not had night terrors since! The immediate benefits were wonderful and in the long run my energy levels rose and I will not leave home without my little black box. I have recently started to have minor issues again, but I know I will overcome them, even now at a trouble spot without doctors care on this issue for 5 years now I am still way ahead of the game. I am sure it has added years to my life. I am planning on going back for a new sleep study and upgrade my machine so I can track my actual numbers. Good Luck, hope this story helps.
Spog

[Sleepster]

My 7-day average AHI is 0.9.

This is the first time I've broken that barrier and gotten an average below 1.0.

Sometimes is just takes time for the body to get used to CPAP therapy. Especially after decades of untreated OSA.

[SuperSleeper]

Welcome Spog, thanks for posting!

Sleepster - congrats on your new membership in the "Minuscule AHI Club".

[Kemosabe]

New member, first post, and actually feeling a little guilty about what seems to be an incredibly smooth and effective start to life with CPAP!

I'm a mid fifty's-ish guy who was only recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (AHI 69). I wasn't at all surprised that I had sleep apnea, as I've always had complaints about my snoring, and my wife has often said that I stopped breathing during the night and that it scared her. So I finally mentioned this to my MD during a regular physical, and he sets me up with a sleep study.

Very eye-opening to see very specific results from my sleep study, and a bit scary to start to learn about the long term effects of untreated sleep apnea. Might partially explain why, despite being in fairly good shape for a guy my age, I had a TIA (mini-stroke) a couple years ago, which led to having my carotid artery being roto-rootered. Great fun, that.

In any event, my sleep study was what I now know to be a split study, as they put me on a CPAP after a couple of hours, and were able to almost entirely eliminate the AHIs, and get the O2 levels back up from the 60% range to essentially 100%. Dramatic improvement, IMO. So I was really looking forward to beginning my CPAP treatment, but a little anxious about how well I would take to it, after reading so many others' struggles with the adjustment. I was hopeful, since I didn't seem to mind the CPAP the night of my sleep study, but still worried.

I've only been using my machine for 2 days, so obviously I have just barely begun, but I am ecstatic almost to the point of feeling guilty by my early experience. It's been easier and more effective than I dared to hope: I haven't had any real problem sleeping all night long with my CPAP, and my AHIs dropped to below 3, with zero leaks 95% of the time, and 95% pressure almost at 7.46, which is close to the bottom of my prescribed range. Other than some very slight irritation in one nostril, I've had virtually no problems with the mask (Swift FX). After being a notorious mouth breather, I've been amazed that I've seemed to almost automatically kept my mouth closed (given the zero leakage), probably because it feels so weird when I open my mouth and the air seems to rush out of it. In short, I don't seem to have any trouble sleeping with the CPAP, and based on the data it seems to be controlling my sleep apnea as hoped.

I know it's only been two nights, so I don't want to get ahead of myself, but given so many other's stories of struggling with the adjustment, I just wanted to add my experience to the mix in the hopes that it encourages other CPAP newbies. And yes - I do feel fortunate and even a bit guilty to find myself adjusting this well this quickly. I'm really hoping and praying that my early fantastic experience continues.

Glad to have found this forum, and thanks to everyone who has shared so much helpful information along the way. Hope I can add to the dialog a bit.

[eszry]

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that I am glad to have found the board.
My story started back in 2002 when I had my sleep study done.
I remember busting into tears when the doctor told me that I had severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, I wasn't lazy or mad. Just extremely tired. He told me that I had probably had severe OSA for the past 5 years so I should be proud of the fact amd realise how strong I was that, I managed to get up each day and work. LOL.
He then scared the pants off me and sent me to get a machine which would record the effect it was having on my sleep patterns.
I was not allowed to drive for 6 months when I went started on my machine. I hired one for the beginning and had a month or so for the doctor to see if the machine helped.
I remember going to bed that night after putting my mask on. ( I tightened it so much that I woke up with a mark around my nose.) When I woke up I bounced out of bed.
It was that different. Gone where the days when I had to drop my legs out of bed first because it was too hard to lift my head off the pillow.
Suffice to say that I am back to normal, (well as normal as I get anyway)
I have just got myself a new machine. S9 autoset, my doctor will be really pleased mine was 11 years old. It was still working well and I will miss it, but in that time I have rebuilt and made about 5 new computers, so I thought it was time.
I only see my doctor once a year now, and have done for about 5 years. He has twitted me about my old machine but I had the software and would download it to bring it in. (That has been a pain for the last couple of years because my 1st machine had a serial connection and new computers don't usually have them. Had to use lots of twists to work it and run virtual XP on my computer to do it.)

While I found it uncomfortable at first using the machine and mask, but anything was better than what I had been going through. Initially I also used to sleep rigidly on my back petrified I would knock off the mask. Now I sleep which ever suits. Even face down but that does tend to leave unfortunate nose marks.
That being said, I have found that making sure that your mask cushion is changed regularly is the most important thing for making sure treatment is effective for me.
I can only say to people, perservere, living with it is a lot better than the life I had without my machine.
light & love
eszry

[Sleepster]

Welcome to Apnea Board, eszry. What you say about persevering is true. It takes courage to do what needs to be done, and if you have obstructive speep apnea the easiest and most effective remedy is CPAP therapy. There is a downside, but the benefits make it all worthwhile.