Breathing room air from a mask/hose will not cause depression.

I don't do any of the "daily care" things you do.  I believe that much of it is overkill.  And if your mask is "squashing your face", it is too tight!  

Snow Cajun wrote:

Sometimes though I get really frustrated and say, "they should take In God We Trust off of our money"

Well, "In god we trust" was never ON our money until 1957 as that was the way our founding fathers WANTED it.  

But thats another debate entirely.  

Accx4 wrote:

or if it is my brain wrapping around the fact that the next 50 or 60 years will be spent with this thing. I watched my mother pass away March 22nd from respiratory failure after 2 weeks on bipap and can't help but think that CPAP is pushing me down the same path.  I am getting fatter by the minute and actually stopped running yesterday after only 2 and a half miles (instead of 6) because I hurt all over.  I am considering starvation to reverse this metabolism and kick start the weightlloss. Am I feeling this because of the machine?  or because of the diagnosis?  

Using CPAP improves your sleep, and therefore also your mood, so you're having a hard time wrapping your head around the diagnosis and you're making some assumptions that are simply not true.

For one, it takes about 3 mos for glucose metabolism to get back to normal. Once it does, it will be easier for you to lose weight.

Two, you don't know that the next 50-60 years will be spent on CPAP.  If you lose weight, your may go off it, or maybe not, you won't know until you get there, so don't assume.

Have you stopped to think that if your mother had been diagnosed with OSA early on she might not have had to suffer from respiratory disease?  BiPap gave her 2 extra weeks, it didn't kill her.  With early diagnosis and treatment she might still be around.  CPAP is reminding you of the problems your mother had and what happened shortly before she passed.  It was obviously something very painful and traumatic for you, and rightly so.  But you need to stop associating the machine with her death and start seeing it as what will help you live.

CPAP isn't pushing you anywhere.  You are.  You decided to smoke.  You let yourself gain weight.  The problems that you have, CPAP did not create, but it will help you fix them.

The good news is that it DOES get better.  Just keep at it.

"For one, it takes about 3 mos for glucose metabolism to get back to normal. Once it does, it will be easier for you to lose weight. "
I think that is just a theory or a guess. I never had any improvement in metabolism, and if it has not started within 20 months it is unlikely to start. It is quite likely that the people who change metabolism from CPAP (if they exist) are those who were so exhausted they never got out of a chair. But people who lead reasonably active lives shouldn't count on a positive change.



_________________
Arthur
Sleeping with a curvaceous blonde autoPAP (Resmed autoset). Surviving, and in small ways doing better. Maybe there will be that big surge of energy, and easier weight loss one day. Hope springs eternal.....

ArthurAnxious wrote:

"For one, it takes about 3 mos for glucose metabolism to get back to normal. Once it does, it will be easier for you to lose weight. "
I think that is just a theory or a guess. I never had any improvement in metabolism, and if it has not started within 20 months it is unlikely to start. It is quite likely that the people who change metabolism from CPAP (if they exist) are those who were so exhausted they never got out of a chair. But people who lead reasonably active lives shouldn't count on a positive change.

there is a growing body of literature that implicates sleep apnea in the pathogenesis of altered glucose metabolism. Intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation in sleep apnea can trigger a cascade of pathophysiological events, including autonomic activation, alterations in neuroendocrine function, and release of potent proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor- and interleukin-6. Epidemiologic and experimental evidence linking sleep apnea and disorders of glucose metabolism is reviewed and discussed here http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/99/5/1998?ijkey=7e299fa87d2df9d01288fc69b219d0dc2e7b1e7b . Although the cause-and-effect relationship remains to be determined, the available data suggest that sleep apnea is independently associated with altered glucose metabolism and may predispose to the eventual development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.


This may not be for everyone. But just think about it. The Brain need carbs to function. And the more our brain is depribed of this the more we eat and crave these things. Over time this can cause slow weight gain. For some this may not be the cause it can be as simple as just having no energy at all to do anything. I know for me. I do not eat a lot. I eat healty. I even have joined weight watchers to get my weight off after I had my last baby. I tried working out for 30 minutes a day. be it walking, swimming or what ever. Not matter what I did. It seemed I averaged a 1/2 pound to pound a week up and then back down. Seems like I can't get any where. My doc did blood work. The whole nine yards. Nothing showed up. He started asking me questions about my sleep. It all came to gether and he said I think we should start with a sleep study.

So I am hoping in the next few months I can see the change in my metabolism. And all the research I have done. Even though they are still trying to gather more info. But from the peer review site that I gave above there is a lot of evidience that links SA with altered glucose metabolism. I suggest doing research before blowing off the whole idea of this even happening.


_________________
Severe Central & Obstructive Sleep disordered breathing
AHI:116.4
Lowest Sat 85% High96.1%
Total Central,Obst,& mixed 190/hr
Out of that total 66 were Hypopneas
IpapMin7 max16 Epap6
Bipap Auto SV
Resmed Mirage Swift II

I have read through these posts-I feel for all of you who are battling with multiple losses, griefs, crises, challenges.  Getting DX with sleep apnea and learning to cope with the thought of being dependent upon a machine the rest of our lives while we sleep can be devastating.  My DX could not have come at a worse time either.  

My oldest child reached adulthood almost a year ago, and moved out 3 days after my DX.  Given his age, he is totally into himself and his girl.  So, I am experiencing a major life change-partial empty nest.  (My children and my career have been the center of my life. I have also watched one of my best friends suffer through a horribly painful divorce, my other best friend survive cancer,  a dear childhood friend have her house burn to the ground, and another friend's parent become critically ill.  (all within the past few months) I then was in the hospital, DX with GERD secondary to the undiagnosed sleep apnea, and now diagnosed with a problem with my SA node and valve damage from the . . undiagnosed sleep apnea.  To top it all off, I just survived a major move-due to the health issues.  

I do not have a history of depression.  I even tested negative.  This is a miracle!  I watch people try to cope-it I respect the strength it must take to live with depression. The only two complaints I did not have for the doctor s the past 5 years-snoring and depression!  I did however, have a bout of situational depression right before diagnosis and for about 2-3 weeks afterwards.  I felt like I was on board the Titanic.  I had so may feelings and emotions, fears, anger, uncertainty.  The depression lifted.  So many of you are dealing with multiple situations that can contribute to depression.

I still struggle with dealing with the grief of everything.  Situational depression can be a part of grief.  Right now, one of the biggest challenges for me is getting my friends (the ones who are not in crisis) and family to understand the definition of sleep apnea and how sleep apnea impacts our lives.  Many fail to understand, and push me, lecture me, scorn me for talking about it.  It is really difficult to not be able to say anything when this condition affects our very existence.  "you should be in church" If you are tired, just take a nap" "sleep apnea is not real" "you just need to lose weight"  "It won't kill you"  "you don't really need that machine-you need to have more faith-God will heal you"  . . . I too, have other health issues.  There are days I feel frustrated to tears.  I just cry and just let it go. Then I am fine. It is OK to feel our feelings.  We have that right.  

I finally realized this week that nobody can understand us more than each other.  We are so fortunate to have each other here!  We can share together, feel together, cry together, laugh together, feel angry together, debate together, cope together.  This can help us plow through the rocky layers of grief and begin to rebuild our lives.  Many of us have been 'asleep' for years' buried just beneath the shadow of death. For me, getting this DX was devastating.  There are so many challenges.  BUT THERE IS HOPE.  CPAP has helped me tremendously, and my life has been ressurrected, to some degree. I am awake enough on most days to enjoy the people I love and the things that bring me joy.  My greatest heartfelt thoughts for each of you, are that you will wake up every day and find hope and tap into your sources of strength.  There is a rainbow after every storm!  Lantern4life

Gosh lantern4life, I feel so bad for you.  What a roller coaster you've been on!  I too had my middle child graduate from HS last spring and go off to college.  I miss him dreadfully, we all do.  The oldest is married and the youngest is still at home and in HS.  I am so glad too that we have each other on this board to talk and share with.  I am feeling so much better in just 3 weeks time with my c-pap machine.  In fact I was asked to speak and share my success at the next A.W.A.K.E. meeting in our community!  I've not had depression (but I also haven't had the events in my life that you've had) but I do have a significant weight gain since about 2 years ago.  My extended family doesn't understand either the ramifications of sleep deprivation and that sleep apnea is a medical condition.  Thank goodness my husband and kids do (he wears a mask too).  I am so determined to rev up my metabolism with this c-pap machine.  I wish I had a support group for that!  I would love to chat with people that have had success losing weight post DX of SA and the use of c-pap.

I don't have OSA, my husband does, but I believe in it!  In fact, I knew well before he was diagnosed that he had it - all I had to do was listen to him.  He was the one who initially didn't believe in it.  It took a medical crisis and a visit with a respirologist (what Americans seem to call pulmonologist) to make him consider it.  It was how he felt after his titration study that turned him into a convert.