Introduce Yourself!

Hi sleepydiane and welcome to the forum:

Yes...only I was able to keep up with school...I just couldn't seem to make it to the school bus on time. This was very vexing to my mom, because then, she would have to get up and drive me to school. I was often late. I was even late for school in England, as a 12-year-old when we lived there for a year. The schoolmaster didn't take kindly to this and I wound up in the headmistress' office. This wasn't fun. I still couldn't seem to get myself out of bed. When I did make it to school, I was always rumpled up and not quite awake yet. The schoolmasters thought I just didn't like school. Fortunately, enthusiasm was not a graded subject...

Hi - newly diagnosed hater of the CPAP LOL - I posted a question about how long to start feeling better - I have it pretty severe - 738 episodes in 7 hours of sleep during my sleep test - Oxygen saturation dipping to 77% at times - and minute and a half intervals where I completely stopped breathing. I have diligently used the CPAP since I got it, great results even though I hate the thing - but don't really feel better after 3 weeks. Here's to hoping!

Hell, my name is Oscar. I’ve been using a bipap for about 6 years, it has really changed my life for the better. I have mostly central sleep apnea and no matter how much weight I’ve lost I’ll still be on a bipap till death do us part. I was at least able to get the pressure lowered some, I’m currently on 16/12 setting.

Hi, my name is Karen and I am new to all of this. I was just diagnosed with OSA and have been using a CPAP machine since the August 23 2018. I am using the Phillips Respironics DreamStation with the AirFit P10 nasal pillows system. I really haven't seen much difference yet but I know I have just started on this journey and hopefully I will soon start seeing the difference soon. So open to any tips that you all may have.

Hi All, I'm new here, in the U.K., 57 years old, of average build, and have recently started using a Philips Dreamstation CPAP. 'Recently' meaning I've had 9 nights with it. My sleep study AHI was 19, and according to Philips it's now down to around 1.5. I'm assuming that the AHI figures from the study are directly comparable to the device. If not, then how do you compare them? Not sure yet whether it's my imagination or not but the feeling first thing in the morning of doing a round or two with heavyweight boxer seems to be receding! Which has got to be good. Throughout the day, too I'm not feeling quite so wiped out, and I've restarted the gym visits. Eventually, I'd like to get back to cycling and doing 50-60 mile rides which seem a lifetime since. Regards, MTD.

Hello, my name is Adam. I was diagnosed with OSA about 2 weeks ago. So far my CPAP has seemed to help a little so far. Although I know it could take a couple months to feel the full effect of it. I have the Resmed 10 Auto and my pressure is adjusted to range from 10 to 20 as I am sleeping.

The cpap is working good for sleep apnea. However, I seem to ha e recurring corneal irritation since starting to use it. I’m wondering about the pressure causing dryness to the eyes & whether that could cause my eye issues. I need to have cataract surgery but cannot seem to get my cornea healthy enough. The corneal eye issues began after starting cpap therapy. Does anyone else have eye issues?

Hello, I’m new here. I just had the CPAP portion of my sleep study last night. I can tell that my head is clearer today, from the moment I woke up; They actually let me sleep until 07:00am.

I watch for people’s POSITIVE CPAP experiences, because the negative stories will only add to any hesitation to do what I need.

I used a nasal pillow type of thing that’s just had a hole where it pressed against my nares. The air connection was on the top of my head. This is SO MUCH EASIER that full face or nose “masks!” I didn’t sense ANY phobias about difficulty breathing. It just takes a bit of getting used to.

I’m looking forward to receiving my machine and feeling more alert, with fewer body aches, on a daily basis. My mom (and my ex-husband) had CPAP, and I feel really blessed that there are new types of gear which makes using it so much easier.

I don’t want to be literally dying every night, for lack of oxygen, and I want mental clarity every day! Yeah, aches and pains from sleep deprivation will diminish!!

So looking forward to the benefits of HEALTHY SLEEP!

Hello everyone, I am 33yrs old (m) and recently diagnosed with a home study device for mild mixed sleep apnea. As you see from my first thread (https://myapnea.org/forum/need-your-feedback-how-to-set-expectations-deal-with-central-sleep-apnea-diagnosis-as-part-of-mixed-sleep-apnea), I am right now dealing with the potential implications/causes for the central sleep apnea part, which scares the hell out of me.

I am the guy who panics and draws the worst conclusion. Especially when the doctor drops words like "your brain forgets to breathe", I am already thinking of tumors or other neurological illnesses since I am not taking opioids and never had a stroke.

Hi Folks,

Just signed up to MyApnea and put a bit of basic info in my profile. I read somewhere on this site that it is geared towards US citizens but I'm in the UK. Is that OK? If so, I look forward to being here.

JPC

My name is Steve! Am 67. In remission of colon cancer! Have colostomy and also spinal stenosis with surgery next week! Am widowed after 40 years marriage. Otherwise, I feel great . Live in country on 21 acres! Enjoy life! Tks for letting me join!

Hello,

My name is Chris. I'm 34 and just got diagnosed via a sleep study for sleep apnea (68 events per hour and got down to 70% on the oxygen level). Oddily, don't feel too tired during the day, but I might have gotten used to a lower energy level and made adjustments to compensate. Anyways, tonight will be the first attempt with a cpap machine. Resmed Air sense 10 etc.

Greetings folks. Im a 58 year old male. I have Afib and now diagnosed with severe OSA. I am waiting patiently for a machine. I did the split night study, and found the CPAP atrocious and amazing. The mask was uncomfortable and caused some side effects. However even with that I got some of the best sleep in years for a few hours. I feel confident i will find a better mask and maybe an adjustment in humidity will help with dryness. I actually had blood from dryness from throat. I did mention it halfway through test about dryness. She was going to adjust humidity. Could be damage was done. One thing for certain is I can not continue to live like I am. My body fights all night long. Sleep comes in minutes or even seconds. I keep my wife up by huffing and puffing. My days are tired. If you are the praying type, I would ask you might say a little prayer for me. I am over 2 months into this. Waiting for someone to contact me about a machine. Tonight I will suffer again, hoping the Lord will wake me for tomorrow. I am optimistic. I worry I waited to long before seeking help. <sigh>

Hello there, my name is Eric and I’m 37 years old. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea a little over a year ago due to the extreme daytime sleepiness that I’ve lived with for almost a decade. Couldn’t afford to do anything about it, but this year I found that I couldn’t get life insurance, so I was forced to do something due to the diagnosis.

The sleep study this year showed the same AHI as the last one at 6.8, which are mostly hypopnea events. The thing that prompted my going for a study last year was my wife waking me when I stopped breathing as I fell asleep (I stop breathing for ~20s as I fall asleep, apparently, which I didn’t know until she noticed and started waking me when I did it).

This year I have insurance that covers things, including a CPAP. The sleep medicine clinic set me up with an Airsense 10 Autoset and bet on a mirage fx nasal mask working best for me.

As of today, I’ve been using it for four nights. It always gives me a score of 100, which worries me. The worst leaks were with the full face mask and the least I’ve attained was with the nasal mask (claimed no leaking at all last night); my best AHI thus far was last night at 0.5. The FFM also was less comfortable from the air blowing all over my face.

My biggest problem is that it starts pulsing as I fall asleep since I stop breathing as mentioned above, which makes it harder to fall asleep. Beyond that, the first night I felt bloated, but that has gone away. I still have chest and upper back aches all day... On the upside, after the first night I wasn’t yawning all day.

Is it normal that it seems to cause you to lose your appetite? Since starting, I’ve been skipping one meal a day and eating less in general.

Hello all! This is the first time I've visited this forum. I'm new to the forum but not to CPAP. I am likely the dinosaur around here. I've been using CPAP continuously since 1992. That's right, more than 25 years. Back then no one had heard of CPAP and even most doctors didn't know what sleep apnea was. My first sleep study recorded 66 apneas per hour. CPAP absolutely transformed my life. I had been having such severe memory problems that it became difficult for me to work. At the time there, of course, was no support group and almost no literature about sleep apnea or its effects. Even the technician that brought me my first machine knew next to nothing. He told me that I should be careful because the machine could cause me to "blow a lung". I now know that was a stupid thing to say, but I too was ignorant, as well as confused and a bit scared.

Hi, I’m Bill. 58 years old. A long time sufferer with no treatment. I gave up on CPAP very shortly after I was diagnosed 15 years ago. My life has gotten unmanageable. Always beyond exhausted. Finally I learned about Bipap and researched it. I experimented without going through a doctor so I’m not sure what my current HCI without treatment is, but I’m sure it’s severe. I’m on my fourth mask I think I’m about to figure it out. I’m using a ResMed N20 nasal mask and the best I’ve been able to do is a 10 HCI with it. I have ordered a large nasal piece to replace the medium and I think that’s gonna do the trick. I hope so. After i succeed on that for a few weeks I’m going to tell my doctor all about it. I actually got an old bipap on line for cheap because I didn’t want to pay for another sleep study before I knew if I could tolerate a bipap. No insurance. I replaced the cheap bipap with a Dreamstation auto bipap. After 3 months I think I’m about to figure it out.

I am Mark Smith, a Pharmacist, want to join discussions related to medicines, their suitable dosage and side effects. Believe in sharing and getting knowledge.

Hello, Emil, 45 male, diagnosed with sleep apnea two years ago. ResMed AirSense 10 user here. Worked great until recently. Going to post my questions/quandaries in the forum. Thanks so much for having me!

Hi,

It's me, or at least I think so. :P

Hi Sierra,

Thanks for so much useful information. I don't know how you have the patience to deal with people the way you do.

Firstly: Of course the Australians are ahead of the Americans! Isn't that always the case? :O

Secondly I don't use the ramp because I need to breathe right now not just when it gets around to it!

As to comparative machines ........... Unfortunately my detest has no prejudices. I detest the Resmed 9 as well as the Phillips machine I used while it was being serviced, and I also detest the F&P Icon that I bought to leave in the car boot for unplanned stop-overs.

It well might be that I simply detest being shackled to a machine? :P

If I should ever manage to mend my attitude the Resmed 10 does seem like a nice machine but I would probably have to buy it out of my "special treats for bribing grandchildren" fund because I doubt that the hospital that supplied the machine would upgrade this one unless it died of natural causes and even then I think they have switched over to the Philips machine which I detest even more vehemently than the Resmed.

As to invoking AI the very thought is disturbing! Like we haven't got enough interface problems when the machine has only a limited range of settings and outcomes and STAYS PUT where we set it!

I can see some situations where it might be invaluable and even life saving but I doubt that it would pan out that way for everybody.