Hi Ralph--glad you're sticking with CPAP. It took me awhile to get going but now I wouldn't even lie down without it. I was diagnosed the end of June '09, finally really got on CPAP end of July/early August.
Boy, your question is one I'm still asking as well. From what I've learned on SG, it varies a great deal between individuals. Some people seem to bounce back pretty quickly. Others, like you and me, seem to have more of a recovery period. I'm still a long way from being able to say I feel good. I have better pieces of time, and then I have really droopy days. I dont know what the rationale is. My kinda gut sense of it is that it may have something to do with how long a person has actually had undiagnosed apnea. For myself, I now know I was symptomatic back in the early 70's!! You'll hear people on here, 'specially the professional folks, talking about "sleep deficit" or "sleep debt" which refers to the amount of damage bodies sustain from being sleep-deprived over a long period of time. One of the guys compared it for me to buying a car and having to make payments on it to pay off the debt Kinda like that with us, I think. I've finally learned, again from SG, that it just takes time and patience and compliance with treatment. Once I really got that into my head, I quit beating myself up for feeling so lousy. One of the very best things about SleepGuide is that there's ALWAYS someone online who "gets it" and can provide info &/or support and encouragement on the rough days. It CAN get discouraging at times. My best thought for you would be to keep in touch, as you're able, with what's being said on here. And don't hesitate to jump in with any questions you have. People are very patient on SG--the same kinds of questions get asked repeatedly and I think it helps to hear the different responses people give. It's a little like brainstorming--a lot of good ideas get thrown out. And you're safe here, which is just critical when we're just beginning treatment.
I'm really glad you contacted me. I'd hope you wouldn't put pressure on yourself or believe that there's some "deadline" for feeling "rested". It's just a really fluid process in my somewhat limited experience. Be gentle with yourself for awhile. Seems to me people's minds need to heal just as much as their bodies do. We've been in shock, unbeknownst to us, for significant amounts of time, sometimes years. It takes a toll. Feel free to contact me any time. I'm usually on here sometime every day, at times a lot!! But you'll get responses from lot of people if you have questions posted. Another good thing is to start a new Discussion re: questions. Or start one titled "I'm new" or
"Help, I'm confused", etc. Folks tend to pay close attention to requests posted for help. Jump in, my friend!..you won't be sorry!!
susan mccord
Boy, your question is one I'm still asking as well. From what I've learned on SG, it varies a great deal between individuals. Some people seem to bounce back pretty quickly. Others, like you and me, seem to have more of a recovery period. I'm still a long way from being able to say I feel good. I have better pieces of time, and then I have really droopy days. I dont know what the rationale is. My kinda gut sense of it is that it may have something to do with how long a person has actually had undiagnosed apnea. For myself, I now know I was symptomatic back in the early 70's!! You'll hear people on here, 'specially the professional folks, talking about "sleep deficit" or "sleep debt" which refers to the amount of damage bodies sustain from being sleep-deprived over a long period of time. One of the guys compared it for me to buying a car and having to make payments on it to pay off the debt Kinda like that with us, I think. I've finally learned, again from SG, that it just takes time and patience and compliance with treatment. Once I really got that into my head, I quit beating myself up for feeling so lousy. One of the very best things about SleepGuide is that there's ALWAYS someone online who "gets it" and can provide info &/or support and encouragement on the rough days. It CAN get discouraging at times. My best thought for you would be to keep in touch, as you're able, with what's being said on here. And don't hesitate to jump in with any questions you have. People are very patient on SG--the same kinds of questions get asked repeatedly and I think it helps to hear the different responses people give. It's a little like brainstorming--a lot of good ideas get thrown out. And you're safe here, which is just critical when we're just beginning treatment.
I'm really glad you contacted me. I'd hope you wouldn't put pressure on yourself or believe that there's some "deadline" for feeling "rested". It's just a really fluid process in my somewhat limited experience. Be gentle with yourself for awhile. Seems to me people's minds need to heal just as much as their bodies do. We've been in shock, unbeknownst to us, for significant amounts of time, sometimes years. It takes a toll. Feel free to contact me any time. I'm usually on here sometime every day, at times a lot!! But you'll get responses from lot of people if you have questions posted. Another good thing is to start a new Discussion re: questions. Or start one titled "I'm new" or
"Help, I'm confused", etc. Folks tend to pay close attention to requests posted for help. Jump in, my friend!..you won't be sorry!!
Susan McCord :-)
Sep 16, 2009
susan mccord
Susan McCord :-)
Oct 4, 2009
susan mccord
DUH!!................
Oct 4, 2009