What convinced you?

[Sleepster]

The fear of the consequences of living with untreated sleep apnea. I have a life to live. I'm not ready to die.

I worked with a guy for over 20 years. During that time I watched him gain a lot of weight, despite the fact that he had been an avid bicycle rider. He recently died in his sleep at age 58.

[SideSleeper]

I had had a couple of close calls driving but woke up just in time to prevent an accident. Third time I fell asleep, managed to drive almost through the small town next to where we live, and ran into a car stopped at a crosswalk (the only one in town). Apparently I was in control, hit license plate to license plate with my Prius and his VW Golf. No one hurt. Airbag didn't deploy so I was going the approximate 30 mpg speed limit or slower. No one hurt--just the cars respective bumpers. Called my doctor and had an an appointment with a sleep doc in less than a month. I basically quit driving at that time--scared. Also tore my 2nd rotator cuff in 6 months and had surgery for that 6 weeks after the accident. Couldn't get the sleep test done for 5 months till shoulder healed so lost my license. Have been compliant with APAP for 6 years last month and have adapted well, even to having to switch to a full face mask.

[YipeekiOH]

Spouse.

I was going to my annual physical exam in December 2020 and before I left my husband said “you really need to discuss your snoring with your doctor because recently you have stopped breathing at night and I have to nudge you to get you to breathe.” I was mortified then proceeded to discuss with my internist who referred me to the local sleep institute. Since it was during COVID I did a home study where I was found to have mild apnea. Been on CPAP for about 18 months and never looked back. CPAP has been a godsend to me once I got the pressure dialed in the proper masks. The number of annoying symptoms I had (headache, GERD, elevated blood pressure, daytime foggiest, fatigue) are now gone.

Sorry for any typos…it is time for bed. ?

[Deborah K.]

I was having cataract surgery, which went fine, but the anesthesiologist told me that I had terrified those working on me because I went into severe Atrial Fibrillation.  My husband took me straight to the hospital near us and I had to spend five days there because the drugs did not work to force me back into normal sinus rhythm.  They finally performed cardioversion, and it worked.  The heart doctor was pretty sure that I probably had apnea, so he sent me for the test, I went on pap, never had a reoccurrence of AFib, and all is well.  

[ragtopcircus]

My father was an early adopter of CPAP. Back then, the nearest sleep lab was in another state, and the machines were loud and crude. So, I was already familiar with apnea and CPAP.

Did that mean I sought treatment sooner than most? No, quite the opposite.

With that early machine in mind, I did not want to be diagnosed even though there was no doubt that I had it. Then my previous wife died after a long fight with cancer. As a widower and single parent trying to date again in my 50s, the last thing I wanted was that boat anchor around my neck. I didn’t want it at home, and I certainly didn’t want to haul it around. If a condom in the pocket is presumptuous, a CPAP in the trunk ….

I tried everything I could to avoid CPAP. I tried just about every type of oral appliance out there (Rx and otc). I would drink coffee before bed. When alone, I slept on my side on the couch with the lights and TV on to avoid deep sleep, because sleeping made me feel worse than not sleeping. When not alone, I tried to always be the last asleep and first awake. Of course, none of that is very healthy.

Finally my fiancée/wife (an RN) told me it was “time”. In return, I told her it was time to get her own machine out of the closet and start using it again.

In hindsight, yes I was being stubborn and foolish. Not treating my apnea caused far more trouble in relationships than the machine would have (none, really).

I’m still paying for those years of training myself not to sleep (difficult to unlearn), and for the physical damage from years of untreated apnea.

[withtao]

In 2015 I went for my eye checkup with my ophthalmologist (I have a condition that required bi-annual checkup) with my wife in the exam room. The doctor asked me if I had sleep apnea to which my wife very quickly responded, "YES". She had told me I stopped breathing for quite some time. Anyway, the doctor said I had 'droopy eyelids'! I asked how was that relevant and he replied that the eye lid is very similar to the skin in the nasal passage as is prone to dropping and causing apnea! So, I had my PCP schedule a sleep study and diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Took a month to get the DME to approve it, but ever since I've used it every night (except for power failures). Previously I would be ready for a nap within a few hours of getting up in the morning. Now it's difficult to get a nap because I'm not really that tired.

In the past two days I've determined the cause of almost nightly Large Leaks and corrected the problem (P10 didn't like my head position on pillow!).

Look forward to many more years with my two best friends, my wife and my Resmed Air Sense.

[Brazen]

Ragtopcircus
...If a condom in the pocket is presumptuous, a CPAP in the trunk ….


Ha!
You have summed up dating with a cpap perfectly.

[withtao]

You have summed up dating with a cpap perfectly.

We're besties.

BTW, I posted a separate thread detailing my experience with Leaks.

[Kuutar]

At a routine check-up/physical I happened to mention about snoring (and my family's comments about it) to the doctor. She referred me to a sleep specialist to be screened for sleep apnea. Never in a million years did it even enter my mind that I might have sleep apnea. I thought I was relatively healthy. I did have severe sleep apnea. Looking back, I went into some kind of a denial mode and told myself I was researching the topic first. I was probably also uncomfortable with the idea of being strapped into a machine at night (I don't look at it that way any longer). It took me months before I finally came to terms with it after a whole bunch of reading, and finally got the CPAP machine. Now knowing a whole lot more about the condition, it horrifies me that I waited and didn't get it right away.

[withtao]

Been there, did that.  You have effected the rest of your life for the better.