Before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I was nodding off at work, when driving, and when riding with someone else.  I always wondered why I would run out of energy early in the day.  I figured my problems were weight related.  
Well, one day at my doctors office while I was waiting to see him in a room, I nodded off and was sawing logs.  When I woke up my doc, other doctors and nurses were in my room and I had a pulseoximeter on my finger.  Being very familular with sleep apnea he was checking my blood oxygen level.  He told me I should get tested for sleep apnea, and explained it to me.  I was all for it, anything that would help me feel better.  I was tired of being tired.  
After about 4 hours the technician came into my room and said I had it bad and she put me on a bi pap first, but then cpap.  I got about 2 hours and good sleep and noticed a little difference.  
Once I got the machine I struggled for a while with sinus issues.  I tried humidity but could tolerate it.  I struggle for several months.  I tried ff mask for a while and then got to where I could use humidity with it.  And that was working for a while.   Then I got the idea of trying my nasal mask again with the humidifier, and I have had alot a success with it, and I thank god for it.  I have more energy than i have felt in a long time.   I couldn't imagine not having my cpap.  
Thanks Rich

These guys are great, they have over 30 years experience and it shows. Mike and Neil were very helpful throughout the whole process and I now have a great fitting mask and I love my S8 Elite. I was able to talk to Mike who is a certified sleep therapist before I ever bought anything and it was free of charge. I know that they were doing it to earn me as a customer and well,  it worked. Their prices were right there with everybody else’s and definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for a cpap, mask, or supplies; they have earned my business for life. Check them out, pretty nice website with a lot of info and a nifty quiz... <commercial link deleted> per posting guidelines

This might be totally silly, but I just want to share what I have discovered “in case” it makes sense to anyone who is trying to get used to equipment, overall.  This might also be stated hundred of times elsewhere in the Sleep Apnea Forum – there is just so much information on the site, I have not been able to look at it all (and who has? – who has the time to invest?).  It’s is the most valuable/informative site I’ve ever seen!!!

The initial idea that air rushing into, being forced into my nose was “too much” or seemed “just wrong”.  The fact that it was the “fix” to sleep disorder(s) made me accept the notion.  Initially, I did not approve of the idea, but I had to accept that it was the “fix”.  Big difference between accept and approve.  One does not have to enjoy or like something to accept it?!

Trying to use the mask and machine was definitely awkward at first.  I wanted to just reject the whole thing – put it on a shelf or refuse it.  Why, I thought, should I have to struggle with a seemingly normal regular thing like “good sleep”!?  I knew the answer was “because I do not experience normal regular “good sleep”!).  

So, I tried.  And I tried.  I researched the Internet.  I found the SAF (Sleep Apnea Forum).  I learned that it is common to have difficulty in the beginning.  Okay, that fact made me feel “normal”. Misery loves company.  

To keep this post short, I had to “vent” about it, it seemed.  So I did “vent”.  I let the frustration and anger flow out of me (I did not approve of it, but it was real).  I heard from people and saw where people struggle for a long time with the mask and machines (equipment)….and here I was disappointed that it had been “x” number of days for me – some people have been dealing with the “trying” for months and months!!!  So, I guess feeling humbled, I gave in and obviously relaxed somewhat.  I did not realize that “giving in to the idea” mentally would also allow me to “give in” to it (relax) physically as well!

With my insulin pump (Nov. 06), I “named” it to bond with it – become friends with this $8,000 piece of equipment attached to me 24 X 7 (except for showers).  I tried to name it “Hal” (from Space Odyssey?) but the name jumped into my head – “Sylvia”.  Thus –she is Sylvia and has been for all this time now.  She is my best friend and boy, oh boy, what an improvement she has been in the control of my Type 1 diabetes!!!!  Thank you Sylvia!  

I named my CPAP machine…”Daddy” (from Cesar Milan’s pit bull, such a cool calm and collected canine – one of Cesar’s all-time favorite dogs/friend).  Also ChronieToo helped me come up with that name.  [Thanks much]  My equipment has a name and it is now my friend and I accept that it will help me sleep better and better over time.

It worked!  It works!  It was not magic, or I don’t believe it was (is there magic?).  I have not been using Daddy for long (14 days now) but I guess I relaxed enough that I  use it when/if I nap.  My husband called me during the nap and I kept Daddy on, all hooked up and running and I had a conversation with hubby.  He could barely tell I was wearing Daddy!  I, somehow, managed to close off the back of my throat to speak clearly with him!  (or clearly enough)  Now, I sometimes check to see if Daddy is still turned on and running!  There is no struggle to breathe (so I wonder if Daddy turned himself “off”!),  

I might add that I changed (exchanged) my mask 3 days ago – a huge help for me!  I guess I decided that “Daddy” and I were going to “work together” on this.  It was not going to be me against a machine/equipment.   Maybe I gave in to the whole idea?  

It’s something to ponder?....


_________________
Regalad,

OSA/EDS 9/9/08
F; 58 yrs; Resmed S8 Auto II;
Humidaire 3i; ResMed Mirago Micro mask

My success story is here http://blog.koifishcommunications.com/2008/09/29/a-sleep-apnea-treatment-i-can-live-with.aspx

Hi All, New to the forum here. Just glad to say I am finally using a CPAP! The following is a little long, but I feel better after writing it! -bg-

I've had my Respironics Remstar Plus LX for probably 8 years and have had multiple failed attempts trying to use it. I tried different masks, tried using the "ramp" option, talked with the Doctor. Seems like my regular Internal Med Doctor was next to useless back then when it comes to Sleep Apnea! He had very few suggestions for overcoming my problems with the machine except to try the "Other" mask. I must give him credit though, at least he wrote the referral for a sleep study.

Bottom line I could not sleep with the dang thing turned on. With the ramp option I laid awake just waiting for the pressure to increase, then when it did my entire head felt like one of those allergy commercials where the suffers head blow up like a balloon! Extremely uncomfortable to say the least.

I logged a whole 42 hours on the machine in these attempts and finally gave up and put it away several years ago as I was not sleeping at all with the CPAP machine. The cure just seemed worse than the disease at that time...

Fast Forward several years...

I have had 2 years of PIA (Pain in the A...) health problems recently, Blood Sugar out of control, Cholesterol way too high, Blood Pressure climbing along with my weight and to round thing off nicely I fell down some brick stairs at a hotel pool area and blew out both my knees (torn meniscus in both knees added to already painful arthritis in the knees) making it less than easy to stand up let alone walk. Even my favorite thing in life to do, cross Country Motorcycle riding was being effected as I would be fighting falling asleep at 2:00pm when I was out riding. I was diagnosed with diastolic heart failure two months ago, shortly after a round trip to Texas! I had begun a small workout program just prior to the heart failure diagnosis as I knew I was physically out of shape...

I haven't taken it laying down. Got myself a Stationary recumbent bicycle and have built up to 30 minutes a day (Monday-Friday) at Level 9 (going to level 10 next week), Added a 30 minute weight lifting routine M-W-F using a set of Dumbbells and my Bowflex (That had been mostly sitting collecting dust for 2 years).

I have been watching my diet a lot closer and now all my Lab test have come back in what the Doctor refers to as "Well Controlled" after several months of effort, it was not easy but I got there! I'm still working on my weight. BUT, I was still feeling tired all the time and having a very difficult time staying awake in the afternoon at work now, not just when I was out riding or driving across the Country.

Roll forward to about 1 week ago!

I had had enough, so much so that I was tired of being tired all the time to the point of almost being angry. My new doctor suggested giving the CPAP one more try and gave me the number of the Sleep Clinic we use here at Kaiser as I probably should be retested/reevaluated at this point. He was pleased with my other progress and felt Sleep Apnea was the one hurtle I still needed to cross.

I pulled my 8 year old "Respironics Remstar Plus LX" out of the closet. Checked that everything was clean and still in good working order. Connected a new humidifier to it (8 years old but had never been opened). Checked the clock on the Remstar, it still had a whole 42.2 hours logged on it.

Went to bed using the standard nasal mask. Tried the ramp feature, that just made feel like I was starving for air so I switched it back to full power and sleep pretty well for 4 hours or so. When I woke up I could not get comfortable and sleep the rest of the night without the CPAP. I tried again the next night using the alternate Nose Pillow Mask I had and was pretty successful, slept all night about 7 hours, didn't feel great in the morning, but didn't feel bad either, my nose was a little sore! I figured I had at least won a battle! But I still have the War to win...

Night 3, went with the Pillow mask again and same results as Night 2, nose was sore in the morning but I sleep all night (just over 7 hours again, wife said I did not move all night long). I got up to use the bathroom and returned to bed and could not put the mask back on as my nose was really sore, (Reminded me of putting new rubber bands on my braces kind of sore when I was a kid...) So I just got up for the day.

Night 4, switched back to the standard Nasal mask, turned the CPAP on (Did not use the "Ramp" feature again) and just went to sleep. This was Friday night and I ended up sleeping 10 hours straight!!

I haven't done that in over a decade! The last two nights have been the same, but with just a "normal" 8 hours of sleep. I thought I would never say that again.

This morning is the first morning I am beginning to feel "normal" again, still not sure what "normal" is but I think I like where I am headed.

Let see how I do this afternoon at work!! I actually have been looking forward to going to bed the past couple of nights.

I found this forum and a few others over the weekend and see there have been some huge improvements in the hardware over what I have currently. I am looking forward to talking with the Sleep people here at Kaiser and probably upgrading my equipment to something smaller, quieter, and having the many improved features that are available now!

Not feeling 100% yet, but I think I am on the way to finding out what that feels like!

I checked the run time clock on my CPAP and it is now just over 100 hours, That means I have sleep nearly 60 hours in the past week! (minus a few hours when I was checking out the machine when I first set it up again last week).

I am looking forward to keeping up to date on this message Board, any suggestions on the care and feeding of my equipment is greatly appreciated as is any suggestions on taming this disorder.

Sleep Well,
Paul

Well, what can I say? After 3 years of machine not working, I finally got my BiPAP up and running with my O2 machine.  During my sleep test 3 years ago, I stopped breathing 127 times in an hour and my O2 level dropped and stayed at 70%.  They woke me up for fear I may have a heart attack or stroke. This was all new to me.  I got my machine but didn't knew how to make it work and on top of that, I had lost my insurance and had no idea that "some" insurance company had picked me up and was paying for it all along.  Anyway, I finally got things worked out and after a few restless nights getting used to have a mask crushing my face (LOL) I fell alseep.  Wow, I dreamed (or at least remembered dreaming) my bald headed Dad was black headed with a flat top hair cut and beard.  He has never worn a beard.  I can't wait to get back to that comedy.  Everyone has a story, I'm sure, but I thought I'd share mine.  It's great to dream again and be able to reach the REM stage.