I had no problems adapting to my machine, though I didn’t really notice much in the way of energy differences or anything like that. I did start sleeping 30-60 minutes less per night once I had my Vader mask so I suspect I was getting enough good sleep before the CPAP, it was just taking longer.
Really the highlight of the experience for me was the fun fight with (and victory over) the medical equipment supplier for some fun overcharging games they played with both me and my insurance to extort a little extra profit on the sale of the mask. Note to anyone buying a CPAP, check with your insurance first as to the degree of coverage for the CPAP machine AND for the mask and then scrutinize all your receipts and charges to make sure both your insurance and you got charged the proper amounts.
My father got a CPAP a few years back after going through a process much like what’s described here, after many years of poor sleep. The solution proved less than perfect, though, and he eventually stopped using the machine altogether. A couple of months ago he decided to visit an ENT and was diagnosed with a deviated septum (broke nose in high school). After surgery, he’s sleeping better than ever and finally seems happy with the outcome. I find it a little funny that I could have diagnosed that. I had simply assumed, given the pretty obvious crooked state of his nose, he would have ruled that out up front.
I had the second sleep study last night. This was where they figured out what pressure to use on the CPAP for me. I slept so well, eletrodes and wires and all, and feel so much better than I normally do this morning. It’s like my brain feels like it’s normal again. I’m beginning to get really excited about it.
I can’t believe what a difference this machine makes.
I think I had thought that a certain degree of tiredness was normal. That you’re supposed to go through life in a bit of a fog. I knew I was overtired but I didn’t realize the degree to which I was suffering. Getting a normal amount of sleep would makes me feel… like an entirely different person. I used to think I was lazy. I’m not.
I feel like my brain is twitching. Although that’s not quite it - I don’t have the words for it. Maybe it’s like breathing again after having been held underwater. I have the anti-headache. It’s amazing, and life changing. I’m so happy. So, so happy.
Sounds like you got a lot more bang out of your cpap than I did. Had to fiddle with getting the right humidity settings? I hate having to fiddle with that at this time of year because swings above/below freezing can mean weird variations in the proper setting.
The humidity hasn’t been a problem. However, last night in my sleep I managed to rip it off of my face and BREAK IT. Well, disassemble the mask in a way that the manual specifically warns against. I could get it back together but not without some 3am cursing.
Interesting, I’ve never managed that. Though I have woken up sans mask to find it neatly removed and placed on the bedside table. Once you’ve had the mask long enough that putting it on/removing it becomes totally automatic I imagine you’ll run into that a time or two yourself.
As someone who basically shared in Marged’s sleep apnea every night for the past year plus some, I might have better words for it. It’s like getting your arm out of a cast. It’s like having an orgasm that lasts all day. It’s like suffering from chronic, unbelievable pain, and then killing yourself and going to heaven.
Well, that’s not totally surprising. Doesn’t smoking starve the brain of oxygen? My oxygen levels went from 90-something% to 70% during the night in the sleep lab when I slept without a CPAP.
I’m scheduled to have a cpap tech bring my mask tonight after work and show me how to work it. Kind of nervous about how I’ll actually sleep with the machine though. I had to do two sleep studies and slept a combined 5 hours or so between them. It was horrible…Hopefully it’s worth it in the end!
I don’t think there’s a lot to be shown honestly. I just picked my machine up and figured it out. Mine has an on/off button and a slow-start button that I never use. Oh and a humidifier reservoir to fill. Pretty straightforward machine.
The only tinkering I had to do was to play amateur handyman and mount something above my pillow to act as a hose guide. I just put a screw-in hook right into the (crappy old) headboard of our bed and hung a cable tie from that. That suffices to hold the air hose up and away so it wasn’t in my way if I was tossing and turning. Aside from that, and maybe a few days of fiddling to get the mask straps fit exactly right right there’s not a lot to it. I got used to it pretty fast and I imagine you will too.
I’m hoping the instruction (whatever it entails) doesn’t take too long. Thanks for the input - sounds like it should be pretty quick. We’ll see how tonight goes, sleep-wise!
Hi Nick. I have sleep apnea from gastroesophageal reflux disease when I sleep. I take an H2 blocker like Pepcid and I notice a difference if I miss a dose. You might give it a try first.
So much for my cpap tonight - apparently calling and verifying appointments doesn’t mean anything at all. Waited two hours because the Apria folks kept saying that the technician would be dropping it off. Finally got a hold of the technician and she says ‘Oh yeah, we don’t drop off unless you’re disabled or in a wheelchair, etc.’ I just love customer service these days.
Hm - I need to talk to my father as I believe he has apnea. Which may be useless as he´s the type of “won´t-see-a-doctor-unless-my-leg´s-missing” old schooler…
