Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cliff on August 16, 2011 at 10:05am

i sorta feel the same way - i had a sleep study done 3 years ago and they put me on a cpap machine.  it was so bulky and annoying, i ended up not using it.  3 years later, i was having some issues due to my sleep including falling asleep during the day, or not being able to function during the day due to being tired.  i went back to the sleep lab last week and got re-diagnosed with moderate to high sleep apnea and am now being told that it got worse because i didn't use the cpap when i should have.  

i am a little depressed about it to, as when i had used the previous cpap, it was loud and my wife didn't want me in the room with it, as it kept her awake, so i was always sleeping in the guest bedroom.  not a way to keep a marriage alive!

i hope they make a better cpap that is more quiet and more comfortable, instead of making me look like some monster out of a movie with the huge mask they put over the head / face.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sharon Beatrice Gray on August 16, 2011 at 10:07am

Hi Carolyn,

 

Being diagnosed with OSA does not mean you have to wear this mask and machine the rest of your life. Weight loss and healthier eating along with exercise can eliminate the need for the machine. If worn properly and consistently with a good fit, the CPAP machine will have you feeling great all day evvery day. It does take getting used to, so please give it a chance and get excited about feeling better and having more energy to get a 15 min walk in or take the stairs.

 

Good luck,

Sharon Gray, RRT RCP

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike on August 16, 2011 at 10:08am

I hope they come out with a decent surgery.  Just wearing this thing for the rest of my life with the health problems that result is depressing.  It's embarassing wearing this in front of my friends (we share a house) and I never would wear it in front of a date.  At least I'm pushing 50 so I don't have that many more years to worry about it!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jay Polatnick on August 16, 2011 at 10:12am

Not to minimize your perception of this medical condition, but have you considered Dr. Steven Park's 'Sleep Interrupted' ?  This will get at the bottom cause of your apnea and gives alot more options than 'CPAP for life'.

 

Best Regards,

 

Jay

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Elaine Hetman on August 16, 2011 at 10:14am

I totally understand.  I have only started with the process and I now dread going to bed.  However, I am starting to feel more energy during the day.  I am also more focused at work which my boss appreciates.  So I am trying to stay positive.  I am going to work on getting some extra pounds off by excercising more often and hopefully I will be able to sleep better even with my mask on.  It is a tough adjustment, but look at the awful things that could happen to us without it!!  Hang in there.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Schmidt on August 16, 2011 at 10:24am

I am so happy to have been formally diagnosed with apnea and given a simple treatment that works - my CPAP. Before that, I was groggy and foggy-headed all day, even dozing off at stop lights (though I must admit, I had perfected the ten second nap!), and had no idea that it was a treatable condition. Best of all, since it's treatable with just a machine, I don't have to worry about getting surgery, which is a lot more inconvenient and worrisome than strapping something to my face at night.

I'll admit that I was frustrated and annoyed when I first found out I'd have to use a machine, but after getting it home, and getting the first few nights of good sleep in decades, I was thrilled to have it. Since I've gotten it, my stress levels have gone down, stomach problems have greatly improved, I haven't gained any more weight (since I used to gorge myself on pop and candy to stay awake during the day), my blood pressure has stabilized, family relations have improved (thanks to all the stress reduction and rest)... there really isn't any reason I can think of to NOT want to use a CPAP if you've been diagnosed with apnea and it's a treatment option. Nothing to worry about, just give it a try.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Karel McKinney on August 16, 2011 at 10:26am

Carolyn,

I do understand.  I am also one of those who started CPAP treatment, only to give up on it for a couple of years, and ended up in the hospital one night with A-FIB.  This type of heart rhythm can be one of the results of untreated sleep apnea.   I now am at least 97% compliant and my husband also has been diagnosed.  So we kiss each other good night and done our equipment!  Cliff - my husband has a newer machine, and it is very quiet.  My insurance will not pay for a new machine for me until my current one is at least 5 years old. I know it is hard sometimes, but keep thinking positive, and more positive actions will follow.  We can be thankful that the Doctors have this tool to help us live longer more productive lives.  Hang in there!

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jay Polatnick on August 16, 2011 at 10:39am

Then again.....a significant number of patients are not easily CPAP compliant, so don't feel like an alien in that's the case.  www.doctorstevenpark.com offers a series of Teleconferences, featured a variety of experts on the topics.  Hang in there!

Karel McKinney said:

Carolyn,

I do understand.  I am also one of those who started CPAP treatment, only to give up on it for a couple of years, and ended up in the hospital one night with A-FIB.  This type of heart rhythm can be one of the results of untreated sleep apnea.   I now am at least 97% compliant and my husband also has been diagnosed.  So we kiss each other good night and done our equipment!  Cliff - my husband has a newer machine, and it is very quiet.  My insurance will not pay for a new machine for me until my current one is at least 5 years old. I know it is hard sometimes, but keep thinking positive, and more positive actions will follow.  We can be thankful that the Doctors have this tool to help us live longer more productive lives.  Hang in there!

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Weeks on August 16, 2011 at 11:02am

Give it a couple weeks and you will find that you have more energy and feel more alert.  Many people find that after they become acclimated to using a CPAP they don't know why they didn't start using one earlier.   Be sure to talk with your CPAP provider regularly in the first few weeks to get the system working perfectly.  There are lots of masks available ensure that your mask is 110% comfortable and doesn't leak.   Use the 30 day trial periods to find the perfect mask for you.  Then use the added energy and time in the day you will get from the CPAP to work out more, eat better, and spend time with friends and you'll feel even better.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Donaldson on August 16, 2011 at 11:15am

Well, I was quite happy about it, since it finally answered a lot of questions and started me on the road to feeling better through C-Pap. I do, however understand where you're coming from. It did occur to me that I would have to have a mask strapped to my face every night for  the rest of my life. I did suffer from depression before I had my sleep apnea diagnosed. I ended up on antideppressents and had the same reaction. "do I have to take drugs to feel well for the rest of my life?" That is what made try to find out why I suddenly became depressed. Getting on the C-Pap took care of the depression and I am fine now. You will get past the initial fear of having to be a slave to a C-pap machine and in time it will become second nature to you and it will just become one of those things that you would do before bed, like taking meds, or brushing your teeth. I see that you have to depend on an insulin pump. You must have had to get used to dealing with that. You will also with C-Pap now. Life will improve. Trust me.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Andy on August 16, 2011 at 11:20am

Hi Carolyn,

 

Sorry to hear that you're having trouble.

 

In my case, it was sort-of the opposite. I was diagnosed with depression, and later with sleep apnea!

 

I was talking with my doctor last week about how many of his patients have trouble with dealing with the fact of using a CPAP machine for the rest of their lives.

 

Since I started on CPAP two years ago, I'm more rested, I'm dreaming again, and I have far more energy than before CPAP.

 

I also find that the CPAP filter helps my nighttime allergies. My nose was always stuffy, pretty much every day, and now it's fairly clear.

 

So, I've decided that I'll have a positive attitude about this.

 

CPAP for the rest of my life? Yes. But far better than having other, more intrusive, medical devices.

 

The alternative: Potential for heart attack, stroke, death.

 

I'm thinking that CPAP is much better than death!

 

Maybe you could try writing down all of the positive and negative points about CPAP. See which list is longer. If the positive list is longer, there's your answer! If the negative list is longer, try looking at some of the negative items, and see how you could make them positives.

 

I know all of this may be easier for me to say than for you to do. But give it a try!

 

(And post back with your positive/negative list!!)

 

Good luck!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Louise on August 16, 2011 at 11:40am

Everyone has been well spoken here. I too have had a trip to Emergency & a night in ICU with Ventricular fib. At that time I was put on a med & told to investigate the sleep disorder. I put that off for over a year. I've been on my CPAP machine for 9 months. I feel so much better, sleep all night, not falling asleep at my desk, have more energy to do tasks at home & think I am more pleasant to be around. I have acid reflux before and it is entirely gone now. I guess I don't think about having a machine for the next 30 years, I think about how I feel each day.

I wish you the best and hope that you can find some positive in your diagnosis.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• …
• 7
• Next ›
• Page