A little background ... I have been using my CPAP (now BiPAP) since my 2001 diagnosis ... I'm sure in many ways that it has saved my life. Before diagnosis, I was falling asleep waiting for the traffic signal to change from Red to Green ... a half mile from my home ... in the morning. I fell asleep while eating, and quite often while watching TV or working on my computer. My sleep study was weird ... technician could not get a "baseline" because I was not able to fall asleep ... wires stuck to my body everywhere/unfamiliar bed/ unfamiliar surroundings. He told me that since I was not falling asleep, he was just going to put the CPAP on me and see what happened. After putting the full facemask on me, he left the room to "make a few adjustments on his console" ... and I WAS OUT FOR THE COUNT! Five hours later (shift change) I awoke, having had the best night's sleep in years. Everything was clearer ... lights were brighter ... the difference was amazing. Within the week, I had my CPAP at home, and have never stopped using it since then ... even for naps, if they are planned. At the time, I was 61 years old, and in much poorer health than I imagined. A year later, I had two heart attacks within 24 hours, leading to a stent implant and complete life change! I was grossly overweight, had high cholesterol, ate anything I wanted, and didn't exercise at all ... that's what people do when they have nothing else to do, I would tell myself. I credit my life change to an astute rehab nurse who asked me on the morning after my stent implant, "Mr. Bach, could you tell me what happened yesterday in your own words?" To which I responded, "Well ... I had this episode ..." "EPISODE, HELL!!," she exclaimed! "You had two heart attacks, and I guaranty that if you don't learn to live with your coronary heart disease, you will surely die from it!" No wiggle room there. It was the double slap to the face I needed. I changed my diet completely, cutting out fats and excess carbs, and began to exercise every day. Eighteen months later, I had lost 65 pounds, and my exercise repertoire grew from the treadmill, to weight training, swimming, bicycling, and lots of cardio. I truly felt better than I had in my entire life.
17 years later, I have managed to maintain most of my weight loss, at around 175 pounds. My diet is still very healthy, and I continue to exercise several hours daily. I still rely on my CPAP to provide a decent night's sleep. I am beginning, however, to wonder about the possibility of CPAP use having unwanted side effects. Over the past couple of years I have reoccurring problems with my eyes ... minor infections and tear duct problems. In addition, my hearing has started to circle the proverbial drain ... I wear hearing aides, which I do believe help, but notice that when I first wake up in the morning and take off my mask, I can hardly hear anything. As the morning wears on, some of my hearing returns ... I notice that because I do not wear my hearing aides at the gym - they get in the way ... I definitely hear better within a couple hours after rising.
Wondering if anyone else out there suspects eye and/or hearing problems being adversely affected by CPAP therapy.
