Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
#11
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
I began my recovery 6-1/2 weeks ago. I was sure people got tired, worn down, and walking dead when they got my age (just over 50). After all it was just stress, and once I shed (as in, retire from) that awful job that has supported my family, I could get my life back. I could fall asleep in mid sentence, what a trick! Never fell asleep when others relied on me. But, when my daughter said she has hard time being with me because she is so horribly sad and scared I'll die. YIKES!

Well, I am glad I promised to get checked, and glad I made good on that promise.

My condition does not seem incredibly hard to treat. None of the effects of apnea so far have be hopelessly complex, but there are blood sugar, blood pressure, and thyroid autoimmune things going on. Perhaps they will stabilize, maybe some of it will reverse. I count myself fortunate that I have not experienced strokes, heart attacks, afib, fall asleep at the wheel accidents, and loss of job.

I am thankful for finding you, this community at apneaboard. Thanks for being there, talking about issues, giving a helping hand.

I have had awesome WOW feelings, both the first day, and periodically since.
Dedicated to QALity sleep.
Post Reply Post Reply
#12
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
For me that WOW moment did not occur for about 9 months and when it did it actually lasted about 2 weeks. It occurred before I knew much about what I was doing (had not found this board yet). I slept through every night. I woke up ready and eager to meet the day. It seemed like I did not move at all in my sleep (woke up in the same position I went to sleep). Woke up on my side. Normally go to sleep on my side but wake up on my back. Had loads of energy. Never felt like I needed a nap. Never yawned in the afternoon or evening. Just felt great.

I have been chasing that feeling ever since and it has been about 3.5 years. I have also learned a lot about PAPing in the interim. Sadly I did not find this board until I had been PAPing for several years. I decided to go searching for information to help me to find that WOW area again and that is when I found the Apnea Board. A real WOW moment but of a different type.

I know that my life is improved over living without the CPAP but I still search for that WOW area that I visited before. This may be some of the reason for some of us to go by the rule, "If it ain't broke, fix it anyway". It may look like it is fixed but to us it is not fixed until we revisit that WOW area on a permanent basis.

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
Post Reply Post Reply
#13
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
I,m 6 odd weeks into it and I felt a lot better around the 3 week mark.I rarely sleep through the night though,hopefully that will come with time.No more falling asleep on the couch after work.Now I have to try to go bed at a decent time.
Post Reply Post Reply
#14
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
I wish I could say that after 60 days on CPAP that I feel 100% better, but I do notice some differences. Instead of waking up every hour, I can at least sleep 3 hours before waking up. It is quite frustrating, because I would love to sleep through the night. Once I wake up, it takes me a couple of hours to fall back asleep. I hope this improves with time. I also spend a lot of time fighting with my pillow. I have spent a lot of dollars on different CPAP pillows, but they don't work for me. I am short with a short neck, and most of these specialty pillows aren't made for short people. I will just keep looking for that perfect pillow, if it's out there!
I would like to encourage anyone out there to not give up, beacuse I'm not! I believe that I have had sleep apnea for at least 10 years before being tested. I had never heard of it, and didn't know why I couldn't stay awake during the day. Once you know, keep up the treatment untill you find what works for you. I hope that soon I can sleep through the night and wake up feeling great. I wish the same to all of you out there. Sleep-well
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#15
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
(12-22-2014, 04:01 PM)roe1549 Wrote: I wish I could say that after 60 days on CPAP that I feel 100% better, but I do notice some differences. Instead of waking up every hour, I can at least sleep 3 hours before waking up. It is quite frustrating, because I would love to sleep through the night. Once I wake up, it takes me a couple of hours to fall back asleep. I hope this improves with time. I also spend a lot of time fighting with my pillow. I have spent a lot of dollars on different CPAP pillows, but they don't work for me. I am short with a short neck, and most of these specialty pillows aren't made for short people. I will just keep looking for that perfect pillow, if it's out there!
I would like to encourage anyone out there to not give up, beacuse I'm not! I believe that I have had sleep apnea for at least 10 years before being tested. I had never heard of it, and didn't know why I couldn't stay awake during the day. Once you know, keep up the treatment untill you find what works for you. I hope that soon I can sleep through the night and wake up feeling great. I wish the same to all of you out there. Sleep-well

Just wondering if you've tried the nasal mask?, I can see not every mask or method will work the same for everyone, I've only tried 2 nasal mask and for me the two I have tried were night and day difference from one another, I don't like the larger one's because I'm very claustrophobic and no need for a full mask because I'm a nose breather, I know at some point I'll try the pillows but I'm just not there yet.

Mr. Van Winkle
Post Reply Post Reply
#16
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
Hi Mr. van Winkle,
Yes, during sleep study, they tried two different nasal masks. I am also very claustrophobic and had a difficult time with the nasal masks. I pretty much had a panic attack there, and slept less than two hours. I had to go back for a second study, and they tried the nasal pillow which I could tolerate, but only slept for 3 hours. My sleep study showed that I stopped breathing over 33 times an hour and oxygen level dropped to 69%. I was thinking of trying a hybrid mask, but unable to get much information about this type of mask. Since I discovered this forum, I get the impression that the type of mask could affect your numbers. Although I really like the nasal pillow and don't have much trouble with it, except for occasional mouth breathing due to nasal congestion. I am going to add a chin strap to see if that helps. What do you think of my AHI being around 4, but no obstructed, and a couple of centrals. My numbers usually consist of hypopaneas lasting 15 seconds
to over 30 seconds. Even though my numbers are usually under 5 AHI, I am worried about the hypopaneas and how long they last. What do you think?
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#17
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
(12-22-2014, 05:25 PM)roe1549 Wrote: Hi Mr. van Winkle,
Yes, during sleep study, they tried two different nasal masks. I am also very claustrophobic and had a difficult time with the nasal masks. I pretty much had a panic attack there, and slept less than two hours. I had to go back for a second study, and they tried the nasal pillow which I could tolerate, but only slept for 3 hours. My sleep study showed that I stopped breathing over 33 times an hour and oxygen level dropped to 69%. I was thinking of trying a hybrid mask, but unable to get much information about this type of mask. Since I discovered this forum, I get the impression that the type of mask could affect your numbers. Although I really like the nasal pillow and don't have much trouble with it, except for occasional mouth breathing due to nasal congestion. I am going to add a chin strap to see if that helps. What do you think of my AHI being around 4, but no obstructed, and a couple of centrals. My numbers usually consist of hypopaneas lasting 15 seconds
to over 30 seconds. Even though my numbers are usually under 5 AHI, I am worried about the hypopaneas and how long they last. What do you think?

5 AHI is a lot better than 33
I had 37 AHI on my sleep study , I'm mostly under 1 AHI since I've been using the F&P Eson nasal mask before that one I was using the Resmed N10 nasal mask and was in the 2-4 AHI range .
I'm so new to this myself I'm sure more experienced folks will chime in to help.
One thing for sure WE are at the right place for help and assistance that is for sure!
Keep it up! it's definitely working!
Mr. Van Winkle
Post Reply Post Reply
#18
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
Thanks, it looks like your mask change mad a difference.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#19
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
I have had my Resmed S9 since March 2014 and I don't feel any different. I have a hard time with congestion and don't have that under control. My sleep Dr said to take something like Allegra. Not!! Doesn't work.Rolleyes
Post Reply Post Reply
#20
RE: Newbie - How Long to Feel Better with CPAP use
Choosing a FFM for me was a "no-brainer" because of (1) feeling of choking when using either nasal mask or pillows, (2) have had a nearly constant sinus issue even when using decongestants and nasal sprays, (3) resulting long - like 30 yr - habit of mouth breathing.
I'll tell you this, in a way of recommending, the FFM may be a solution for you so if you do get stuffy you can use mouth breathing as an alternative.
Negatives to FFM: (1) more of your face is covered and cannot be reached in case of itch (my nemesis), (2) heard therapy is potentially less effective, (3) larger area to seal, (4) more area exposed to forced air drying and irritation.
Positives to FFM: (1) mouth breathing is relatively easy as required, (2) mouth breathing is also sensed and rewarded by the machine, (3) it eases my brain while my nasal passages clear initially and with position changes.
What I found was - my nasal passages do clear quite readily after a few minutes use, I rarely use decongestants, anti-histamines, and anti-inflammatory medications I formerly used. Having a FFM just assures me while I relax and my nasal passages clear.
You may also gain the same assurance, making treatment easier to put up with.
Dedicated to QALity sleep.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Low AHI but still feel tired everyday Abhi 5 223 2 hours ago
Last Post: staceyburke
  Help Lowering a Varying AHI for a Newbie rtkierke 16 390 03-27-2024, 05:41 PM
Last Post: PeaceLoveAndPizza
  Feel like my CPAP machine is killing me jimbob123 1 93 03-27-2024, 05:42 AM
Last Post: Rich66
  newbie looking to get machine dialed in Jpm6179 3 133 03-25-2024, 07:42 AM
Last Post: Jpm6179
  CPAP newbie / OSCAR / study feedback Brad124 4 193 03-23-2024, 08:02 AM
Last Post: Brad124
  Newbie kindly asking for OSCAR analysis ash630 5 206 03-20-2024, 02:08 PM
Last Post: Sleeprider
  CPAP making me feel very tense while I'm asleep jlpool 15 836 03-16-2024, 05:34 PM
Last Post: jlpool


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.