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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on October 23, 2009 at 11:23am

Hi Jan--some people seem to settle right in and feel better pretty quickly. A LOT of us don't, and need varying
amounts of time to make headway in that department.

I've been on CPAP for more than 3 months. I can honestly say I feel better in some ways, but I DEFINITELY don't feel anywhere near where I need to be to be comfortable. My energy's better, for sure. I have my sense of humor back. I can think MUCH more clearly, but memory is slow to return. I have better stamina 'cause I've been pushing myself to make that happen, but I don't have the same motivation/energy--I really miss that, and hope it comes back or I'm gonna be cranky!! (er!)

My sleep still isn't predictable--I'm on my 4th mask. I have no idea why this up and down business continues, but I suspect it's related to the sleep debt issue. Feels sorta like a rollercoaster sometimes, and I can never predict how much sleep I can count on.........

I must admit it tries my patience at times. I'm 100% compliant and I think I should be feeling better!!! But I've heard so many people say the same thing that I have a sense of the probable time-reality involved.

One thing I know for SURE is that everyone's a little different which makes sense. None of us actually know exactly when apnea first began. 3 days in is a really short period of time to expect major, or even maybe minor changes. My opinion only!

I'd encourage you to stay on CPAP and do the best you can to stay positive. No small task but worth it in the long haul. Keeping in pretty close touch with SG helps me keep my balance. Hope it works that way for you as well.

Good luck--a lot of people who "get it" are pulling for you!!!

Susan McCord :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jan on October 23, 2009 at 11:37am

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response. I am definitely planning on continuing my 100% compliance. I am just curious about the range of experiences that people have had.

Best
Jan

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Permalink Reply by 99 on October 23, 2009 at 1:16pm

i have been using cpap since february and still do not feel any better although other say i am looking better that is a positive
august is was ill and left off my cpap althought i had a loathing to it although i was trying very hard to use the cpap every week
then october came and took to it like a duck to water
i have a december appointment which i am looking forward to with my respiritary nurse

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Permalink Reply by Mike on October 23, 2009 at 3:15pm

i like susan's response a lot. especially the part about not knowing just how sleep deprived you are/ how much of a sleep debt you have to work off before you can start feeling better. in my own case, it took a couple of months to notice any difference in my energy levels. that was my personal experience.

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Permalink Reply by Andy on October 23, 2009 at 9:34pm

Hi Jan,

I'm no expert here, but I have just finished my third night on CPAP. I have no idea how long I've had sleep apnea. I have been feeling totally exhausted for about a year, and my sleep pattern has been pretty messed up for many years, with only a few hours sleep each night. My short-term memory is very poor, and my thinking process has definitely been impaired to where I would read something and not understand or remember the details.

While there is an advantage (I can save money on books, since I can re-read each one and have no idea that I've read it before!), I am happy to have been diagnosed and on a CPAP.

Even though it's only been a few days, I don't feel as tired throughout the day. My business partner said I look much better, and seem to be more energetic. I definitely don't "crash" at around 3pm, as I have been doing.

I've also started on Nasonex, to clear my constantly stuffy nose, and that's been better, too.

My three nights have been AI < 1, which I'm told is a good thing.

So, in all, I'm happy with the results so far, and am hopeful that I'll get my memory and thinking bak to normal.

I hope you start to see improvement, and that it continues.

Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Mike on October 25, 2009 at 11:55pm

how are you feeling since you posted this? same?

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Permalink Reply by Jan on October 26, 2009 at 1:14pm

Thanks for asking Mike. I would say about the same. I do wonder if I might not have more than one sleep issue going on. The first of course is the sleep apnea which I am working on. But, I also wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time going back to sleep...might take anywhere from 30 min to an hour and sometimes more. Am wondering if other Sleep Apnea people have that or if I need to start looking at what else might be going on--- after I settle in with the equipment, of course.

Jan

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Permalink Reply by Danielle on October 26, 2009 at 2:36pm

I am a Respiratory Therapist who fits people with thier new masks and CPAP machines. I dont know from personal experience however I hear my patients say that they felt the difference after the first night. They describe it as night and day; that they woke up and felt rested like they never have before. It is possible your mask is leaking and not delivering enough pressure or your pressure needs to be incresed to fix the obstruction causing the apnea in the first place. Keep trying but if it still feels the same make an appoinment with your Doctor :)

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Permalink Reply by Jan on October 26, 2009 at 2:40pm

Hmmmm-- that's what I was afraid of. Though, I have heard differently on here in terms of how long it took to feel better. Interested in other experiences from SG members.

Jan

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Permalink Reply by Sian Davies on October 26, 2009 at 3:18pm

Hi Jan,
I'm geting very little use from my machine, because I wake up in pain. with trapped wind in my stomach (I've spoken about it on another thread). So, on average, I probably get one or maybe one and a half hours sleep with the mask on. I don't feel any better. However, I didn't use it on Fri and Sat, and I could hardly move yesterday because I was so exhausted. It might not be that you feel better from using it.... it might be that if you didn't use it now (after using it) that you would feel a whole lot worse... if that makes sense? I've been on CPAP for about 2 months, I think! (I can't really remember)

Jan said:

Hmmmm-- that's what I was afraid of. Though, I have heard differently on here in terms of how long it took to feel better. Interested in other experiences from SG members.

Jan

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Permalink Reply by Lala on October 26, 2009 at 3:31pm

You know what I've noticed since using cpap (3 months now), sometimes I feel really great and sometimes I feel not so great. But I NEVER feel like I did when I wasnt using the cpap. I think us cpap users will have our good days and our bad days, but I definitely notice a BIG, HUGE, GINORMOUS difference between before cpap bad days and after cpap bad days.

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Permalink Reply by Jan on October 26, 2009 at 3:33pm

I love the Ginormous part, especially :-)

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