Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[Trevor Coad]

Thanks to those who got this forum going and maintain it. I've learned new terms like "brain fog" and a better understanding of the sleep apnea.

Started with a CPAP machine last Monday. Wednesday swapped to the Resmed S8 11 and stayed up till nearly midnight reading all about it and what settings we could tweak. Woke Thursday morning before the alarm went off, feeling like it was the best nights sleep I could remember. With the rest of the house still sound asleep I sat up to check the time. 3:15 am.

No longer falling asleep at work, on the couch after work, on the couch after dinner. Thinking clearly, and now have energy again to do stuff like make saw dust in the workshop.:grin:

I'm now raising awareness of sleep apnea with every one who will listen.

[Allen]

Have just come back from my follow up appointment with my sleep specialist after having completed 7 weeks on cpap therapy. The specialist is very happy with my progress and the data the nurse downloaded from my S9. He said that there is no need for me to come back until this time next year.

[SuperSleeper]

Thanks Chopins11th, Allen, REMember, genes, Luv2Sleep & Trevor Coad for sharing your stories and experiences.

Reading these first-hand accounts sure helps newbies to CPAP.

Allen, thanks for the update. Good to hear things are going well.

[need4sleep]

over 11 years ago I was diagnosed with mixed apnea and narcoleptsy, I was fortunate for having worked in the hazmat industry, so sleeping with a mask on my face wasnt a problem. I felt better the first night on therapy, my doc told me I was so bad if I had gone any longer I would not be here today and wouldnt have seen my kids grow up. so with over 38,800 hrs logged I guess I'm some what of a veteran to this now with my first machine usein the last of its 9 lives I finally recieved a new one a few days ago thanks to medicare, what a difference new technology makes and yes I am disabled and legally blind so sorry for any type o's..lol..so dont give up on it..there is light over the horizon and u will get there with determination...

[Billlee1955]

Now in therapy six years and getting a new, more sophisticated machine. I am a success story, but not perfect. At night I do not snore, sweat less, urinate less, fewer morning headaches. Honestly I am still tired although improved. I struggle with mask comfort; I have tired many masks. I tolerate them until they are worn out but I have yet to find one I love. Now have an Aloha on order.

I love CPAP. I fall asleep in ten minutes and breath easier. I have been at 13 and 10 cm H2o.

[jgjones1972]

Hello all,

I've been on APAP for 3 months now and am feeling great. It seems I've probably had apnea for 25 years or so, but it has only been unbearable for the last couple of years. I think the best way to demonstrate the positive changes in my life is to list what I don't do any more:

I no longer wake up to the sound of my tires running over the rumble strips at the edge of the Interstate (happened 3 or 4 times a week).
I no longer spend every night sitting in an upright position, waking up every 20 minutes.
I no longer awaken to the sound of my face hitting the floor after I've fallen asleep standing up.
I no longer fall and hit my face/head/neck/ribs against the night stand after having tried to sleep sitting at the edge of the bed.
I no longer have ankles that are swollen to about three times the size they should be.
I no longer take Alka Seltzer 4 or 5 times a night to try to fight back the acid reflux.
I no longer fall asleep unexpectedly at the worst possible times.
I no longer act out dreams in real life while other people think I am awake and just acting crazy.
I no longer take 4 - 6 trips to the bathroom to urinate every night.
I no longer make noises that sound like a wild boar hog being choked to death every time I try to sleep (and sometimes when I was awake but kind of asleep, if that makes sense).

I DO use my APAP every night and get about 6 beautiful hours of coma-like sleep every night.
I DO LOVE the feeling of the air pressure (average 18cm) and the humidity (for the first time I can remember I am actually breathing through my nose at night).
I HAVE ditched the DME, made them take the S9 Escape Auto back and dealt directly with my insurance company and doctor in order to be able to get the S9 Autoset I've had for 4 days now!!!
For the last three nights my Pulse Oximeter hasn't registered a reading under 92.

I really wish I didn't have to depend on a machine every night just to be able to have a normal life; but hey, it is what it is. None of the men on my Maternal Grandmother's side of my family ever made it past 55 years old. From the family stories, it's pretty obvious they had untreated apnea. Lots of strokes and heart attacks (usually starting around 40 years old, which happens to be how old I am now), even though they weren't really overweight (I'm not either). As for me; unless someone comes up with a miracle cure, I'll feel blessed to be able to put that mask on every night.

Thanks for the forum and all the great info here.

Keep your noses to the hoses folks!

[Rickgo]

My name is Rick and I have sleep apnea. Knowing what I know now about sleep apnea, looking back I believe I’ve had it my entire life. The symptoms were ever present in my life: always tired during the day, nodding off anywhere and everywhere, the inability to drive long distances without pulling over for a “power nap”, inability to focus, needing to take naps during the day, loud snoring, tossing and turning during sleep, short temper, no patience, and more.

I met my (ex) wife in 1982 when I was 26 years old. When I woke up after our first night together, I saw a look of terror on her face. She stated she was up all night watching me sleep thinking I was going to die because I stopped breathing a number of times. Fast forward to 1994 when my (ex) wife gives me an article on sleep apnea saying they wrote a story about me; it was me word for word. I went for a sleep study after reading the article. I was diagnosed with a severe case of sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP machine. After 3 sleep studies, I ended up with a final pressure of 16; a pressure I remain at today. I found out I had been a case study at my lab because I was under 40 and physically fit (not the usual profile) at the time I was diagnosed and I was the worst case they had seen up to that point.

Well I consider myself one of the lucky ones. The lab I went to was outstanding. The Doctors and the Technicians were great and really helped and coached me through the studies and getting started on treatment. The first night I slept with my CPAP machine was the first night of the rest of my life. Not only did my life change as I no longer suffered from the physical effects of sleep deprivation, my children’s lives changed as they no longer suffered from my effects of sleep deprivation, i.e., bad moods, no patience, and short temper. It still amazes me that such a serious disease is so easily treated.

[b360155]

Welcome Rickgo! Sorry to hear about the "ex". Keep the faith though. My case was somewhat similar to yours in that I didn't fit the typical profile of a SA sufferer either. I was divorced in 1993 from my ex, however my new wife (as of 8/22/12) who was my girlfriend/fiancee at the time, informed me that I would stop breathing in my sleep and my snoring was so bad she often had to sleep in another bedroom. Went in for a sleep study and was confirmed with a moderate case. I started therapy 9/30/11 and we're both happier and sleeping better (in the same room) than ever!

[Rickgo]

Hey B36, Thanks for the welcome and congrats on the wedding. No problem about the Ex, we have 3 great kids and 1 grandkid together and are good friends. I also have a new wife and 2 more beautiful kids and 1 more grandkid. I am one of the lucky ones. My wife is on me if I lay down without putting on my mask. Here goodnight to me is "put on your mask" :-) They say it is better the second time around and so far I believe it. Keep up the good sleep!

[SuperSleeper]

Thanks for posting need4sleep, Billlee1955, jgjones1972 & Rickgo ~