I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.  Idon't know which one yet, only that I have sleep apnea.

The problem I have had is during the sleep test, it was very difficult for me to sleep with the nose piece and only breath through my nose.  When I normally sleep at home I breath through my mouth.

Another problem was that the nose piece is very tight and in the morning or I should say at the end of the test when I take the mask off it hurts quite a bit as I have to peel it off.

I never did like the tests, but my doctor is adamant that I need CPAP.

I don't want to use it but will give it a try anyway.

Has anyone had these problems or feelings?


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Bob

I am in my first week with my CPAP. To be honest I no where near comfortable with it yet. Last night was the first night I didn't take it off 1/2 through the night. And, even using it all night, I did not feel any diffrent today. Now with all that said - I REALLY believe it is going to make a diffrence. Today I had a couple hour break around lunch and I came home and took a nap with it. It was about an hour nap and I really enjoyed using the machine for that short nap. I guess it just takes time to get use to and I am believing people on this forum that sometimes it takes some time before you feel better. Just hang in there - if anything I have learned this week since finding this forum - we are not alone...

Good luck


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Tired

The first couple of weeks are the hardest.  This is a huge adjustment, but it does get easier.  Especially as you get to feeling better and better.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!  Good luck to you both!

To be fair, it should be worded, "of those patients who have been compliant on CPAP therapy for at least a month, how many really like being on therapy?"  I bet most newbies are pretty unhappy with the situation unless they have been some of the lucky ones to see immediate results.

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

I have had my CPAP for 2 nights.  Although I would rather not have to use it, I sure have slept a whole lot better with it.  I have had a little trouble waking up with it, but I've woken up a whole lot less than "normal".  I came pretty close to sleeping all through the night last night, which is a big accomplishment for me.

I did have one BIG problem the first night.  I slept so well, I slept right through my alarm.    I can't remember the last time I was late to work.

I, as many before me, didn't much care for the CPAP when I first started. Be that as it may, I was compliant to a point. That point being somewhere in the middle of the night, when I would remove mask, turn off both the CPAP and heated humidifier, put the mask away, and not even know I had done any of that.  

However, after seeking surgical solutions and discovering that I was a prime candidate for the surgery but the success rate being what it is (50% effected, with 50% improvement) I elected to steer clear.  Having made the decision, I have become more compliant, and find that I am waking most mornings with the mask still on.  

So, what am I saying?  Only that a lot of the compliancy, at least for me, seems to be sub-conscience. Now that I have chosen CPAP, I use CPAP.

Yeah, the poll needs qualifiers.

Afterall, starting with cpap therapy is a lot like asking, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"
I know, sick.

But it's a lot like asking a diabetic if they like poking their bodies to get blood every day.
Or asking an amputee if they like strapping on a prosthetic limb every day.
Or asking someone on dialysis if they mind sitting for hours and having their blood cleaned three times a week.

We don't like it, but given the alternative, we adjust to the idea.

And given the fact that this cpap therapy is less obtrusive than the above examples -- heck, we only have to deal with this during sleep -- we have it pretty good.  Of course, we would rather be perfectly healthy and go back to our pre-suffering lifestyle.  But life could be a whole lot worse.

And actually, many people eventually find an odd comfort at strapping that mask on every night.  Some no longer want to sleep without it.  It can be calming, comforting, and a reminder you don't have to worry anymore.  

No, we don't start off liking this.  But many of us soon learn to like it, especially when we are reminded how awful it was before.


Linda

I want to thank everyone for their point of view on CPAP.  Your insight has gotten me to call back to my doctor and tell her that I will do CPAP,

My doctor won't be back, that figures - first they hound you to do something then they take off on vacation, for a couple of weeks.

I am still hesitant to use it because of my constant turning in bed.  The technician during the test kept trying to tell to sleep on my back and was becoming very annoying.  I have had two back surgeries and a third is planned for me.  S0oo, here I sit waiting to find out when I get the machine or do I have to see a pulminologist first like the doctor hoped would convince me to use the CPAP.

bob


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Bob

stano40 wrote:

I want to thank everyone for their point of view on CPAP.  Your insight has gotten me to call back to my doctor and tell her that I will do CPAP,

My doctor won't be back, that figures - first they hound you to do something then they take off on vacation, for a couple of weeks.

I am still hesitant to use it because of my constant turning in bed.  The technician during the test kept trying to tell to sleep on my back and was becoming very annoying.  I have had two back surgeries and a third is planned for me.  S0oo, here I sit waiting to find out when I get the machine or do I have to see a pulminologist first like the doctor hoped would convince me to use the CPAP.

bob

Hi Bob,

Not every sleep study lab seems to be the same.  Apparently yours want you on your back.  That may be because the worst apnea happens when you're on you back.  But at my sleep study, I was encouraged to sleep how I normally do, which is on my side.  

My brother also has sleep apnea and complained of tossing and turning with the result of the hose getting stuck and the mask leaking.
He later got a different mattress, for he found he would toss and turn whenever his wife woke or turned in bed.  He got a kind of mattress where he no longer feels the mattress movements when she moves in the night, and he says that has really helped.  And he's tried a different mask and that has helped too.  Also, keep in mind, the home environment and use of cpap is a lot different than in the sleep lab.  You are more comfortable at home, and if you get a mask and set up that really works well for you, it will be so much easier.  


Linda

Thanks Linda, all this information has been comforting and helpful.  I guess my biggest fear is "Why Me", "I don't need to do this".

I know my doctor only wants the best for me, she's a great doctor and I'm glad I've got her.

But...................I guess I'll have to try and see if I like it.  Takes time I guess, from reading all the posts. This is a very good forum for support.

You mentioned different style masks.  That was the biggest problem I had was waking up and finding this mask implanted in my face and trying to peel it away from my face.  The technician tightened it so it wouldn't leak and that hurt.    

I didn't know about surgery either, but I wouldn't choose that way, only as a life saving need.

bob


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Bob

airfieldman wrote:

I, as many before me, didn't much care for the CPAP when I first started. Be that as it may, I was compliant to a point. That point being somewhere in the middle of the night, when I would remove mask, turn off both the CPAP and heated humidifier, put the mask away, and not even know I had done any of that.  
 
However, after seeking surgical solutions and discovering that I was a prime candidate for the surgery but the success rate being what it is (50% effected, with 50% improvement) I elected to steer clear.  Having made the decision, I have become more compliant, and find that I am waking most mornings with the mask still on.  
 
So, what am I saying?  Only that a lot of the compliancy, at least for me, seems to be sub-conscience. Now that I have chosen CPAP, I use CPAP.

 
That is an excellent post!  We all want an easy, quick solution, but at this time there is not one.  Accepting therapy to me is the biggest part of successful therapy.  It really is a life and death matter, and if its viewed that way, you can become very compliant.
 
Peter Farrell from Resmed relayed a story at the ASAA lecture earlier this year, of a man that had a horrible time with mask sores.  (must have been using a mask with comfort something in the name   )  Anyway, he asked why he continued to do it.  The man answered.  Its simple, I got my marriage back, I got my job back, I got my LIFE back.  
 
Once you start seeing the improvements that getting treated make, you will do what it takes for those improvements to stay.

I don't like the bother of CPAP, but like the results!  While I had a very easy transition to CPAP, it's a regimen I'd rather not do.  Despite that, I'm not willing to consider surgery or a dental device.