...or do many CPAP newbs fight the whole process??...i'm a bit over 5 weeks in...i'm back to the gym twice each week and one other pilates session...my only problem is irritation to the nose (suggestions would be appreciated)...since day one...i've never taken the mask off during the night.
too many,imho,are fighting the whole thing...silverback with his better ideas...others with stories of why they CAN'T use the machine.
here are the options (and why i chose to use it without fail)......you can DIE if you don't!!!..


does the idea that if you use it..don't fight it....without fail.....and you'll feel better and prolong your life....mean anything to you??

it did to me....

bigpoppapuff wrote:

...or do many CPAP newbs fight the whole process??...i'm a bit over 5 weeks in...i'm back to the gym twice each week and one other pilates session...my only problem is irritation to the nose (suggestions would be appreciated)...since day one...i've never taken the mask off during the night.
too many,imho,are fighting the whole thing...silverback with his better ideas...others with stories of why they CAN'T use the machine.
here are the options (and why i chose to use it without fail)......you can DIE if you don't!!!..


does the idea that if you use it..don't fight it....without fail.....and you'll feel better and prolong your life....mean anything to you??

it did to me....

Yeah, I think initially, particularly when you are not fully aware of the ramifications and are focused on 'there can't be anything wrong with me' and 'no way am I gonna wear that thing for the rest of my life'. After a while most people settle down and accept it, because like you they realise that it will keep them alive and prolong and improve the quality of their life.

It's certainly worth any small inconvenience.

Daniel.


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

I haven't fought it one bit in the 4 years I have been on it.

When i was diagnosed it was such a relief to finally know what was wrong that it was a pleasure to put my mask on every night.  Initially I wore a mask and that lasted about 2 months and I couldn't get past the leaks and poor fit.  I then moved to the nasal pillows and haven't looked back.

Over the past year my energy level has decreased and I have gained some weight and today I saw my sleep doc and he is doing another sleep study.  He thinks my pressure may need to be upped.

But keep at it and stay alive.

Hi, I am in total agreement with you... I am in my 2nd week of cpap .. and I did take the machine off at 3:30 am one night cause my poor nose was so sore.   I still have trouble with sore nose with one mask and with the other straps cut into my ears.. but what the hey... I am alive... feeling so much better and have to determination to make the best out of the whole thing.   Nice to know that there are so many others out here that feel the same. My thanks to this wonderful site and all you people who are here for each other. My hats off to you all.


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You don't have to be a star to shine.

I'm amazed at the stories i hear of people who can't keep their mask on.
They are unaware that they even took the mask off.
One of my friends dad has done that.

The thing is, these people aren't fighting the CPAP, it's something that is happening in their sleep.

I was lucky, from the get go, i just was able to wear mine thru the night with no problems. I guess I was so exhausted that i went to sleep right away as soon as head hit the pillow.

Bigpoppapuff,
       I couldn't agree with you more.  Cpap has given me back my life.  I have been on cpap almost 3 months and have been 100% compliant.  It is the answer to my prayers.  I have more energy than I've had in ten years, and now I only sleep at bedtime.  I had no problem adjusting, I was sooooo tired I could have slept on a picket fence.  However, I do understand how some people have a hard time adjusting and can sympathize.  Positive attitude is everything, you have to decide to make this work and stick with it.  Now, the people that just refuse to try is a whole other story.  They are adults and know the risk if they choose to take the gamble there is not much we can do.  I just hope they stay off the roads, it is their option to gamble with their own life, but not with everyone else's life.  

SGN

I find your initial post very ignorant.

Some people adapt differently to different situations – I believe that is fair to say no?

Calling those that complain of CPAP, “newbs� makes me wonder if you forgot what it’s like to be in the intial process of dealing with sleep apnea – perhaps before you were diagnosed. You had to be a “newb� at one point too – and to seek treatment, you have to be complaining of something… or is that false – are you so superhuman that you knew there was something wrong with you, but have no complaints?

You know what, sometimes the situation is not as cut and dry as yours. Sometimes people have additional variables thrown into the mix – such as a prolonged period of time where apnea went undiagnosed, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, anxiety or depression problem, weight issues – all leading to a worried insomnia. All of these can contribute to an anxiety, a feer, a period of time where you feel the whole world and all its belongings are against you – despite your pure ignorance, sometimes people are scared to fall asleep… sometimes people are scared to get better.

Lets look at it this way. I tell myself that my CPAP machine will make me better… all the time. Does that make it easier for me to fall asleep? No, because I’ve also been told by numerous doctors that AD meds or BP meds will make me feel better too. And they haven’t. What can change that heavy down attitude that nothing will work once you’ve been around the bend for 3 years already?

The point is… sometimes it’s not that easy. And there is no reason to act like you were not weak at one point.

While we appreciate everyone's opinion, we ask that we are respectful of other forum members.  Please treat others as you would like to be treated.

beanball....you seem wound a bit tight today.....as i mentioned in my post...i'm still a newbie to this whole thing....and not superhuman.....

read some of the threads...too many people seem to be trying to fight it...i didn't and am happier for it....
take some metamucil and cool off.....


"ignorant"???...hardly....it seems to this point that others agree with my post...which is,of course,my opinion....you have yours....i have mine...

One thing that I have noticed in CPAP therapy is that there is usually a mindset that goes along with it.  The folks that are constantly looking for alternatives generally don't do well.  IMHO it is because they are not accepting of the idea of CPAP and wearing a mask.  For me it was a matter of looking at my kids and asking myself if I wanted to be around for their graduations, and weddings... After that, the decision was easy.  But everyone is different...  The big thing is that if you have been diagnosed, getting the best treatment possible so you can be around as long as possible should be your goal...

Hi All,
It's not the people who have tried and "failed" that gets to me. It's the people who refuse to try at all. What I mean is After getting set up on my machine I was at a gathering of friends, and telling them of the whole thing.. one person told me that they were also dx with osa and put on the machine but refused to use it cause " It was too ugly and she refused to be tied to a machine for the rest of her life" This same person does not take her Rx for HBP as well cause she is not going to be "hooked on pills". She went on to crack a few jokes about how I must look at night... but stopped laughing when I asked her how she would like her Headstone to read If she falls asleep while driving .... Here lies Jane Doe - She died peacfuly in her sleep. May god have mercy on her for the innocent lives she took with her. I am not a mean person. I was hurt and embarrassed that so many people would laugh at my situation. These are the truly ignorant among us really bring out the in me. everyone has to deal with what is happening to them however they can. For some its easy other not so easy... for me this forum has been of great help.[/i]


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You don't have to be a star to shine.

Also like nighthawk said, there are some of us who aren't fighting it and are desperate for it to work, but for some reason wake up with the mask on the nightstand and the machine turned off with no memory of it whatsoever. I've been on it for 4 nights now and have done it every night, the first few nights more than now. The reason I found this site is because I was looking all over the place trying to find out if this was normal and how to stop it. I'm convinced that once the rem sleep calms down and I start having a more normal sleep cycle that the problem will disappear, so in the meantime I'm gonna keep putting it back on when I wake up without it.

As far as people who choose to fight it, we just have to understand people are where they are and do what the can and they should have some credit just for coming here and talking about it and trying. That means they are working for it as best they can at the moment. If everyone did the right thing because somebody told them they might die from it, it'd be a very different world.

jimmy

Jim,

In the beginning it can be rough.  If you are taking your mask off, it can be for a few reasons.  What is your pressure set at?  Sometimes if it is low, people pull the mask off because they don't feel like they are getting enough "air".  Another problem is mask comfort.  If you are cranking the straps down on the mask before you go to sleep, you might while you are sleeping try to take it off because it is uncomfortable.  

Or it could just be getting used to it.  But it DOES get better and before long you won't want to sleep without it!  Hang in there we are rooting for ya!

Sherryco, I am laughing my but off!!!! Thanks for that post. That was probably one of the greatest comebacks I've ever heard!

  To the sore nose people.......AYR GEL. In the nasal spray section of drug stores. Some people have posted other remedies like ky gelly or saline solution. I got instant relief from the AYR Gel and only needed to use it for a week or so. It was a godsend!!!!!!!


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I look foward to strapping on air at night and seeing what's playing in my new dream theater.
Jim aka JAL

I guess I would like to weigh in about the people who don't want to try pap, or those who do and think they can't do it.

I have been doing pap for about a year, and I find it annoying, a pain in the neck, because it adds more work for me (cleaning, etc.), but guess what?  I have not missed a night with this contraption!  Why?  Because, when I used to lie down at night, and start to doze, within seconds of nodding off, I was gasping awake to breathe!  Now I put the da--ed thing on, and spend some time adjusting it, then fall asleep.  I don't make three trips to the bathroom, don't get out of bed thinking, "Gosh, I am just not able to go to sleep", only to sit on the sofa for a minute or two then pass out from exhaustion!  I stop breathing about 141 times an hour, untreated.  You all have variations on that theme - you KNOW how it feels.

Put the masks on people!  If you take it off, put it BACK on!  Don't stop trying.  Who REALLY cares what it looks like, or sounds like, or all the other excuses we make?  BREATHE! PLEASE!


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From the land of ahhhzzzz...