You know, I could mimic many of the people here regarding my success.  As several have noted, life pre-cpap was horrible and post-cpap is GREAT!  I think my greatest success has been recently where I was beginning to feel unrested again and like my cpap was not "doing the job".  It was time for a checkup on my apnea and possibly an upgrade to my pressure.  With a new sleep study, new pressure, and new mask, it's working great again!  Everyone please remember, if it's working for a while, then begins to lose the effect, you need... MUST... visit with your doctor again.  Great success stories everyone!
Carl


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Happy CPAP'ing

I've been on my BiPAP for just about 3 months and I consider my PAP to be worth 10 times MY weight in gold.  I haven't had to make a bathroom run at night since I started using it and after about 6 weeks of learning how to put the mask on right and tweaking machine settings, I am sleeping completely through the night and I've started to become aware of dreaming while sleeping.  I don't get tired after lunch anymore and I don't nod off in church.  It's truly an amazing change to me.

I have been using the machine for about a month and a half now.  Immediately I noticed that I was no longer overwhelmingly drowsy when driving 10 or miles, nor was I falling asleep in the middle of watching a movie, or tv.  I definetely felt more energy and not so out of control.

I have been tracking my daily usage of my CPAP machine on an excel spreadsheet since my machine doesn't do more than to cumulatively track hours used.

I have watched my weekly averages go up steadily in the past 6-7weeks.  I am averaging 7 hours a night now.  In the past 10 days, I have had 6 or 7 days where I slept between 7-8 hours.

I no longer wake up with headaches.  It didn't happen every morning, but it happened quite a bit.

I no longer wake up in the middle of the night for what I thought was to use the restroom.  Seems my bladder can hold just fine after all.

I no longer feel sleepy in the afternoons at work regardless of what I eat for lunch.

I was never grouchy or irritable, but my mood is definetely better anyway.  I just feel happier and more full of life.

And, so far, I have also lost 16 pounds, and while I credit SparkPeople a lot for that, it would not have been possible if I were not finally able to sleep.  Some might want to try to lose weight in order to avoid the machine, but it's like putting the cart before the horse.  Until your system is able to enjoy genuine recuperative sleep, you won't be able to make enough progress at losing weight to effect the apnea, if it is able to be affected at all.

I love this support group. I've been really busy with work lately, and haven't been able to be around.

Hugs

Trish

I am so jealous of you guys... the only success I have had is no more night sweats around the neck, no grogginess and need for a coffee as soon as I wake up, and no more morning headaches. Its small stuff... overall quality of life is inchanged or worse. But maybe eventually I will either see an improvement or at least accept it.


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Arthur
Sleeping with a curvaceous blonde autoPAP (Resmed autoset). Hope springs eternal.....

I have been soooo blessed to have found a doctor who actually knew what he was talking about.
My Sleep Apnea consisted of:

- over 75 episodes per nite (every nite)
- 6 to 9 trips to the bathroom every nite
- strange looks from the neighbors because I snored so loud
- 2 failed relationships; "no woman is supposed to sound like that", they said.
- weight gain!!! yes...over 60 pounds - due to slow metabolism from reduced oxygen and heart rate
- skin discolorations - again, due to lack of oxygen in the bloodstream
- GERD - acid reflux, choking, strangling, heartburn
- headaches (migraines sometimes immobilizing me)
- missed time from work
- bad posture; body fatigue, lethargic feeling
- depression
- crankiness and agitation (major mood swings)
- narcilepsy
- high blood pressure

AFTER CPAP, I am proud to say I have:

NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS....

- No more snoring and getting the weird looks from neighbors
- No need for antacids and Pepto
- I like sleeping alone, so there!
- no headaches!!
- I work overtime now, when I want to
- energy to stay awake, take long walks, go shopping, etc
- no dozing (or black outs) throughout the day
- The weight is coming off
- I smile more, and I'm easy to get along with
- I get up maybe 1 time and that's not even every nite (no episodes at all)
- skin is clearing up, gradually
- posture has improved as breathing has improved
- Blood pressure is a steady 115 over 70

I can think of a hundred reasons why some people wouldn't want to try to
live with this machine.  But the one reason that makes it worth it, is that
if I didn't use it, I'd certainly be dead.

To anyone curious, concerned or even bothered about the idea of CPAP being
a necessary addition to you life, let me tell you. Without if, your life won't be
much. This thing, as awkward and strange as it looks and feels, IT WORKS!!

IT SAVED MY LIFE AND IT SAVED MY LIFESTYLE.  

I'VE NEVER FELT BETTER.

Like most child-like grown ups, I even tested the waters and slept without the CPAP one afternoon;
just for a nap to see if I could tell the difference.  Well, if you've ever been chased by a dog, a car,
or an angry spouse, multiply that by 10!  

I was wasted. I did it on a weekend when I knew I was going to be at home.  I felt HORRIBLE
after just a two-hour nap.  So that's how I knew I couldn't live without it.  I work 10-14 hr. days
and I work 2nd shift.  CPAP is the best thing since the wheel!

God Bless and Sleep Well

I suspect that I have had apnea most of my life, though when I was a child, they didn't appear to have a name for it. I'd always been told that I snored something terrible, and that I stopped breathing during sleep. I thought it was just how I was.

After I got married, and my new husband was so worried about having to "jump start" me so that I'd breathe again, I did some research and found out that what I did had a name--apnea. But that was as far as I got.

It wasn't until almost twenty yrs later, when my marriage was breaking up that I finally did something about it--because the stress of the divorce seemed to make my symptoms worse--you all know them, sleeping any and everywhere, scared to drive for fear of going to sleep......

So I made the appt.....evidently, my apnea was bad enough that they fitted me with a machine that night--it seems that my extremely small nasal passages don't help-lol. In the morning, I woke up, I was RESTED! I sat on the edge of the bed and burst into tears. The tech came running into the room, thinking I was upset that I was going to have to wear this machine for the rest of my life-LOL

I LOVE my cpap......

I posted this in the main Help area, but thought I should move it to this thread.

Hi folks -

A while back I posted this on a different thread "How did you first  know you had OSA" (or something). So this is Part I:


    Quote:
    Well, quite frankly, my story is just beginning, really.  In that I just went for my sleep study this week, and haven't received the full results yet.  However, I am almost certain I will need (do need) a CPAP device, because they put me on one after less than two hours of the sleep study.  The technician didn't tell me any of the actual data, but my my wife says that I stop breathing every few minutes which scares me. I consistently only remember waking up 1-3 times/night usually to pee or because I'm drenched with sweat.  

    Background.  I'll be 40 next month and have been stocky to overweight to (recently) very overweight for as long as I can remember.  Back in college when I played sports everyday and bicycled everywhere, I was still chunky, but in good shape.  Since then, it's been a constant struggle to fight off the ever increasing pounds.  Until recently (last year for sure, but more like last few years) it's really never impacted my overall quality of life.  But, now it's a different story and honestly, I am very excited to have the information and likely diagnosis that will help me right the ship, so to speak.  But, I am also scared.  In recent months, I've been gaining weight, despite exercise and a healthier diet. I wake up with headaches several days / week, and am constantly tired during the day, to the point of nodding off at my desk.  The biggest wake up call came back in November when I fell asleep at the wheel with my whole family in the car.  Thankfully, and amazingly, nothing major happened.  We sideswiped another car, and neither sustained major damage, and nobody was injured.  Suffice it to say, though, that since then, I've been on a mission to make sure I have all the medical attention I need to get this under control.

    I know that losing weight would help my cause, and I am hoping I can stay committed to that, but I also feel as though I am trapped in a vicious cycle where by the apnea has caused me to gain weight which in turn makes the apnea worse and so on.....and because my sleep is being so horribly disrupted that my energy and metabolism and ability to lose weight is virtually nil.

    Anyway, I am glad this forum exists and I hope I haven't restated too many of the obvious things that everyone here experiences.



Fast Forward to March 14, where I get my Test Results, Part II:

As I mentioned above I was put on a mask/CPAP during my sleep study because of the emergency protocols and so on.  

So, in the 2 hrs and 12 min I was monitored without the CPAP, I had approximately 200 events (apneas and hypopneas).  The average duration of the events was 19 sec and the longest was 43 seconds.  My average oxygen saturation was 82% and the low was 66%.  All of this translated to an Index Score of 108 (Very Severe).  With the CPAP, I slept about 4 hrs, and had an index score of 1.  So, my Doc prescribed the machine, cool humidifier, and setting of 12.

I had a vacation and a business trip planned starting 3/17 and going to 3/29, so I was unable to get my machine until yesterday.  Frankly, knowing the machine was coming was a huge relief, but it was a very tough 2 weeks in terms of headaches and exhaustion.  Thankfully, on my vacation week, I had a lot of time for naps, not that they were all that effective.

April 3, first night of CPAP, Part III:

So I got all my gear yesterday, and last night I slept for a solid 5 1/2 hours straight without waking up to pee, or drenched in sweat, heart pounding.  I did wake up very briefly once, but only momentarily and fell back to sleep with no problem.  I took my mask off at 6:30 AM when my alarm went off, yet stayed in bed playing the snooze game for about a half-hour. I imagine, it'd probably be better to keep the mask on until I actually get out of bed, but I was very pleased none the less.

My set-up:  Respironics REM Star M series with Cool Humidifier, with Pressure set to 12 (ramp up from 4). I am a mouth breather, so I am using a full face mask (ResMed Ultra Mirage), which I don't find particularly uncomfortable.  I had to fiddle with it a bit to get a good seal, but after that I had no issues.

The outcome:  Today I really do feel like a different person.  I am still tired, because I really went to sleep too late, but I feel different.  I actually feel like my mind can handle information. Lately, I've been feeling completely useless mentally and wanting to go back to bed as soon as I get to work.  Today, I am back to feeling like there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do.  I know it's too early to claim victory and there will probably be bad nights etc, but I am so happy to have the machine (and this forum to share my experience) that can barely contain myself today.  I want to jump for joy.

Anyway, thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read my story, and I hope that I can continue to contribute to this forum in the future.

David in New Jersey

I think it is too early for me to be doing a success story, I've only been on the therapy for two months now, but I do feel that my life has changed since then.

After reading of so many other folks with problems with their masks, machines, doctors, etc., I consider myself extremely lucky. I like the machine, I look forward to wearing the mask, I feel incredibly better in the mornings, no snoring, no apnea, well-rested... all in all, this is perfect for me (my wife rather likes it to... we can finally wake up in the same bed!!!).

I did have some communications breakdown with my MD, but we got that all worked out. Other than that, I have no complaints at all and I hope it continues that way.

It will be interesting to revisit this post a year or so from now... here's hoping!

I just finished my first week with CPAP and these last couple of days I've been feeling great! My brain fog has lifted, I'm more energetic, and I feel that I have a sense of normalcy in my life now. My OSA is severe and went undiagnosed for several years. I kept thinking that the way my head felt was caused by several possible things: depression, anxiety, mental problems, or just not being a daytime person. I now feel like a whole new person and full of energy. I wouldn't want to go back to life with CPAP. Though it is a minor inconvenience, it is well worth the trouble. And it's tempting to want to dwell on how my life could have been different if I had known much earlier, it's a relief knowing that my life is turning around for the good and that the future will be brighter.  

I have AHI of 40 and just yesterday had my tonsils out and uppp.  I feel no worse than when I have a a bad bout of strep.  Was told to have my tonsils out a year ago but I didn't like the doctor.  Thanks to all your help and support I got a better doctor and peppered him wth quesitons.  He said tonsils were so bad that he did minimum uppp cause he didn't want be to have liquid coming out of my nose.  Also got endorsement from sleep doctor. No bleeding yet tonsils done with electrocautery.

He gave me a 75% chance to eliminate the sleep apnea since I had to have my tonsils out anyway.   Anyone in the west michigan area I would recommend talking to him if you have similar problems. Not sure he would have done the uppp only.  I was snoring even with the CPAP but last night I fell asleep without it and didn't wake myself up snoring and choking.  But I am keeping it on mostly until I have another sleep study.  

Ask a lot of questions and get a second opinion.  Don't think this will work for everyone, not even sure about me yet but pain is manageable.

Hopefully not so sleepy sue

I started the CPAP last June, if you think you have sleep anea go to geta sleep study. Its worth it!  I hate the mask and took about a month to get used to it but I can not go a night without it now. My husband sleeps all night too!
I got to the point where I stopped breathing in my sleep and would wake myself gagging, my heart would even stop beating. My hands and feet were numb, not like they fell asleep but more like there was no blood in them I would suck in air and my heart would start up and I could feel the blood going back into my extremities.
So 10 months now I have been using the CPAP and last night I fell asleep watching TV, with NO MASK! It happened again, woke up gasping for air, heart had stopped, I sat up, sucked in air and heart started POUNDING and I thought "did I just have a heart attack"? No, couldnt be, I have no pain inmy chest. Then I felt the blood going back into my hands, I wonder how long I wasnt breathing, how long my heart wasnt pumping? Probably just a few seconds, but even if I hold my breath for 30 seconds my heart doesnt stop and my blood is circulating. I dont know maybe it was a minute? What if I had not woken up, or my heart didnt start back up? I know others have these same symtoms, it has to be bad for your heart right? I will never go without again!

I think I might have a success story to report. I don't feel better, but my wife (who is usually very critical and negative) told me that I look better since I started CPAP, and that other people have evn commented on it to her! Isn't that something amazing.... I wish I noticed improvement rather than just hearing about it from someone else, but it is something. And I had a low blood prssuer when I had it checked the last time 112/60, although I did try to think peaceful thoughts while it was being taken. So even those of us who don't notice success might really show signs to iothers of something good happening.

I just wanted to share for all the people that are reading the posts at the forum looking for some hope and help:

This CPAP is the most incredible, wonderful, phenomenal, brilliant, fantabulous, invention of the century!  I started CPAP 10 days ago and OMG!!!!  I feel like  MILLION bucks!!  I literally feel like I have had a shot of adreneline.  I almost feel too good for my own good!

Long story short... I've felt like hell for the last two years.  The last 3 months were particularly bad.  I even literally hit a pedestrian (he's ok) because I was so spaced out and felt like my brain was detached from my body on top of the utter exhaustion I've been feeling.  I had to keep calling in to work because I was so dizzy and disoriented that I didn't have enough wits about me to talk to clients.  My marriage has been stressed because I was always so, as my husband calls it, "crusty".  

My husband suspected that I might have sleep apnea because I kept gasping for air and gagging at night along with snoring so loud that he could hear me from outside the house sometimes.  So I found this forum and realized that this was more than likely the case.  Then I was pissed!!  I didn't want to have to wear that damn mask.  When I went to the dr.'s office I literally balled and told her that there was no way I would wear that thing.  She said, "Just promise me you'll give it try... I've seen people's lives change and if yours doesn't then we'll explore some other options."  

I got set up for my sleep study and had the first one.  It took 1 month between my first study and titration and I swear that was the single longest worst month of my entire life. I think if the dr.'s office would have called to reschedule even a day later I think I literally would have died.   For me I could handle the being tired part but what I couldn't handle was the spaced out, dingy, disoriented, out-of-body, other-world, dizzy, unfocusable (if that's a word) feeling.  It felt best to just stare off at blank wall.  I literally began dreading going to bed at night.

So here's the great news.  I started CPAP 10 days ago and I feel absolutely, positivley phenomenal!!!  I used to have to pop a pill to feel this good.  I feel a buzzy excited energy about me.  My eyes are open so wide .... as if they want to open even wider  Shocked .  I noticed that feeling yesterday and wondered why I had such an interesting feeling about my eyes... and then I realized it's because they've been in a "scowling" position for so long.

Every night this week I have been so excited about going to bed.  Get a load of this.... last night I went to bed around midnight and being Friday I was excited about getting to sleep in today.  And boy... did I sleep in!  Once I woke up I even layed there about another 30 minutes just to waller a while in my feeling of greatness.  I was sure it was at least 10:00am or possibly later because it felt like I had slept sooooo long.  I sprung out of bed with a happy smile on my face ready to embrace this beautiful day... I decided to check the time and would you believe what time it was... 6:45am!!!!

I wish I had better words to explain how incredible I feel.  I literally feel like I want to run... I feel like I want to stand on top of a mountain and shout!!  My whole body is absolutely buzzying.  I feel clear and crisp and clean.  The last couple of days people I know (who don't even know about this whole ordeal) have said to me, "Wow, you look really great". Someone even said I had a "glow" about me.   My husband says the turn around in me is like night and day.  He said my whole aura and energy has compltely shifted.  YEAH!!!

So... for anybody reading and hoping to see if they can or will feel better... I'm hear to to tell ya... I do feel like a million bucks and it's only been 10 days.  I have my fingers and toes crossed that this feeling doesn't ever go away Smile  Oh yea... I have a love affair with my CPAP now!  I'm proud to be Hosehead!!

And.. as a side note... I really really (and I do mean really) didn't want to have to wear a mask with all those straps on my head.  I was set up with the Mirage Swift which just goes right under your nose and I LOVE it!   I don't even notice it now and it's so comfortable and quiet that I have to check that it's really working Smile  Which is funny... all I have to do is open my mouth to hear me sound like a vaccuum cleaner.  Hoseheads unite!!

10 days on CPAP and Do I feel good today!!  It has given me my life back.  I was once ranked as one of the top 5 amateur short track inline speed skaters in the US for my age category.  When my sleep apnea started , it was like an anchor slowly dragging me down.  I ate to stay awake in work and gained weight, and I lost my seemingly boundless energy.  What was once a fairly ripped and muscular body for a guy my age (49 at the time) now started to look pretty below average.  I awoke at night with my heart pounding.  My doctor put me on BP medicine which slowed me down even more.  It was a slow inward spiral.  Then a few months ago I had to change my family physician. He suggested a sleep study after expressing my complaints to him.   In only 10 days, I can feel the change in my life; a truckload of more energy, I'm chasing the wife around again (she loves it!), and I'm already thinking of lacing up the skates, this time competing in the Grand Veteran category.  This geezer ain't dead yet!


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My life was restarted on June 29th, 2007

57 yr. male
pre-CPAP apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 64
ResMed S8 Escape w/humidifier
ResMed Mirage Swift II nasal pillows system
Prescribed for a 6 but I like to fool with things, and prefer 7

I feel it's time to share my success story....I've been using CPAP since 6-6-07.  That was the day  my life re-started.  I was in miserable shape like so many people are that have untreated OSA.  I didn't know that's what I had, I had guessed I might have sleep apnea but didn't know that it caused so many problems.  I just knew that you quit breathing momentarily while sleeping.  I was tired all the time.  I fell asleep during meetings, while talking to people, while sitting still, basically anytime I wasn't moving around and even at that time sometimes I was so sleepy I could doze off while standing.  I didn't watch t.v. much cause I could never stay awake long enough to even get interested in what I was watching.  Going to the movies was almost out of the question.  The last movie I went to see was the third Lord of the Rings.  It was a constant fight to stay awake even though I love LOR.  I think I had a bruise on my side where my partner kept goosing me.  My home life was falling apart and my job was (I didn't know this at the time) in jeopardy.  I went for a sleep study after talking to my doctor about Provigil.  I work in a nursing facility and I had saw where one of the patients had been diagonsed with narcalepsy and was prescribed Provigil and read up on it and thought maybe this was my problem.  I went in for a sleep study and was diagnosed with severe OSA.  During the first 235 minutes of sleep I had 290 respiratory events and my oxygen level was dropping down to 72%!  The sleep tech hooked me up to a CPAP and I slept like a baby for the next 5 hours.

It was almost a month before I got my CPAP.  I was nervous about going to sleep until I got it.  It was a little awkward at first.  I pulled the thing off in my sleep a few times but for the most part I took to it like a duck to water.  I felt better almost immediately.  I had more energy than I had had in years.  I'm 33 but I swear I felt like a teenager again.
I had been having problems with my lower back tightening up anytime I had to walk a good distance.  My legs would feel like they were on fire and I'd be gasping for air.  I work in a rather large building and as luck would have it, my department is on the backside away from all the offices I had to have daily contact with.  I had began to think of my daily trips to these offices as a painful pilgramage.  Now within a months time, I can make that pilgramage with very little effort. No pain, no burning in my legs and am not out of breath.  I used to couldn't fold or hang up clothes without it feeling like my shoulders was about to fall off.  My jaws would even feel like they were about to give out when I was eating! I was having some severe muscle fatigue.   Now, I can fold and hang clothes with no problem and have actually started to enjoy househould chores however strange that might seem

I am diabetic and very over weight.  I have gained so much wieght in the past couple of years and the doctor told me it was possibly related to OSA.  I have now lost 20# without hardly tryng!  I am on 2 blood pressure pills, crestor and just got my diabetic pill changed to an injection of Byetta, because Avandaryl was causing some horrible swelling in my feet and legs.  I had been taking Lexapro and then Celexa for depression which I don't think really ever helped me.  I stopped taking those cause I don't feel depressed anymore.  I feel like I am living now instead of existing.  I am pretty sure if I had stayed on the track I was on, I wouldn't have lived much longer or would have wound up in the hospital.  I was a horrible mess and can only see that now since I feel 100 times better.

I am so grateful for CPAP, I can't imagine my life with out it now.  I hope one day maybe to not have to use it anymore if I continue to lose weight.  But if I do, I feel it's a small price to pay to be healthy.