CPAP machine experience

[mhg]

Have a friend who is reluctant to consider a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) machine for her sleep apnea. (now....no need to reply about how she just can't OPT to get one...we know they're prescribed after a sleep study, etc.).....

 

She's concerned about it being a major nuissance at night. From what I've heard, those with them say they're wonderful. Any of you use one at night or have a spouse that uses one? Do you/spouse like it or not? Pros? Cons? Glad you have it? Has it made a big difference in your energy level?

 

Thanks.

[MaMa2005]

My FIL got one years ago and it has improved his quality of life immensely. Before the CPAP, he would literally fall asleep after sitting in a comfortable chair for about 2 minutes and this would happen when he was reading the morning paper (i.e. after a full night's sleep).

 

He used to snore terribly and the CPAP has taken care of the snoring. My MIL says she likes it because it is like a white noise machine. Of course, anything was better than the horrendous snoring.

 

My FIL is 78 and while he is slowing down a little, he is still full of energy and sharp as tack.

[I talk to the trees]

When my father started using his cpap, he said the difference was like daylight and dark. The noise doesn't seem to bother my mother any.

[specialmama]

3 family members use one and can't imagine life without them now. To live refreshed and truly rested after years of little REM does wonders all around. Only disadvantage is when there is a power outage the snoring intensifies... but that's only a disadvantage to the others in the house, not the person with apnea.

[Ellie]

Love my C-PAP. I have mild apnea, and the C-PAP still made all the difference in my life.

[anotherbrother]

My husband has one. It has certainly improved his sleep, but I honestly don't love it. I keep my opinions to myself but it feels as though there's an intruder in our bed. I miss snuggling and late night / early morning chats. Once his mask is on that's kind of it for the night.

[EJCMom]

I have one. I LOVE it. It allows me to actually get a restful night's sleep. I didn't realize it before I got it, but I probably hadn't had a true night's rest in several years before I got it. Within the first week of using it I had more energy than I'd had in years.

 

In fact, after doing some research about how dangerous sleep apnea is, I'm actually afraid to sleep without it.

 

It did take about a week to become accustomed to wearing it and to get comfortable with it. Now, it's just not a big deal. Someone else mentioned feeling like it interfered with intimacy. My husband and I had a talk about that and he had been feeling that way too at first. Now, we just make sure to spend several minutes cuddling and visiting before I put my mask on. It's a matter of establishing a new routine, I think.

[mhg]

How large is the device? Is it much trouble to get on and off (say if you needed to run to the potty in the middle of the night)?

[AngieW in Texas]

I have a friend with one and he loves it. The first night he slept with it was at a sleep study lab. He was only able to be there for 4 hours with it. He felt more rested after that 4 hours than he had felt in weeks. He had a lot more energy very quickly.

 

He won't even attempt to sleep without it.

[EJCMom]

How large is the device? Is it much trouble to get on and off (say if you needed to run to the potty in the middle of the night)?

 

If you have to "yank it off and run" in the middle of the night, you can just yank the hose out of the connector in the mask and leave the mask on and run if you really needed to. Otherwise, it takes about five seconds to take it off.

[Desert Rat]

Both my parents have CPAPs. My mom went from taking 3 hour naps every day and still feeling tired to sleeping 7 wonderful, uninterupted hours at night and having tons of energy.

 

My dad's story might help. He was in an iron lung as a child when he suffered complications from polio. Having the cpap on made him have flashbacks of his time stuck in the machine (he was only 4). So, he started using it when he took a short nap in the day. Then he would try for a few hours at night. It took about 6 months but now he loves it.

 

Neither of my parents think it's a nuisance. It may take some getting used to but getting to wake up the next morning is a good motivator.

 

HTH

[Pamela H in Texas]

My son uses one. Definitely worth it.

[Scarlett]

My FIL got one years ago and it has improved his quality of life immensely. Before the CPAP, he would literally fall asleep after sitting in a comfortable chair for about 2 minutes and this would happen when he was reading the morning paper (i.e. after a full night's sleep).

 

He used to snore terribly and the CPAP has taken care of the snoring. My MIL says she likes it because it is like a white noise machine. Of course, anything was better than the horrendous snoring.

 

My FIL is 78 and while he is slowing down a little, he is still full of energy and sharp as tack.

 

Ditto the experience for my 72 year old dad.

[Cheryl in NM]

I absolutely HATE mine and refuse to use it. I hate the noise, I hate having something stuck on my face that has to be kept sealed every second.

 

Also, I have allergies and I found the pressure unbearable when my nose was stuffed up. I even tried the "no mask" solution and found that to be worse than the masks because you have to keep a seal without a mask.

 

I've lived with sleep apnea for 10 years, my last sleep study (4 years ago) showed that I stop breathing 16 times an hour (about every 3-4 breaths), but only when I was on my back. So I sleep on my side or stomach.

 

Weight is also an issue. I did not have apnea when I was an ideal weight. Now that I'm overweight (60#) it is a problem. I've had apnea since I was 35# overweight.

 

My bright idea has been to just lose weight. As you can see that hasn't worked well!

 

Just wanted to note that it's not for everyone.

[sheryl]

Yep, I have one. It was confirmed by a sleep study about 10 years ago that I have up to moderate sleep apnea.

 

This will not be a very encouraging response, but it will be truthful and hope it helps.

 

It took me 3 years to begin using it b/c I was upset I had it. At that time I tried it. Long story short. I'm disappointed that in the last 7 years I've used for less than a combined total of 6 months.

 

Is this wise? No. Is it productive. No.

 

My reasoning...my machine is 10 years old. I felt embarrassed beyond belief that I had to wear this thing with tubes and air pillows entering my facial area/nose making me look like a freak. It's older so it's a bit bigger about the size of a large shoebox/mans shoes.

 

Now I understand the size has been streamlined...that's good.

 

The few times I've worn it my energy the next day SOARED! So, I'll swallow my pride tonight and remember the benefits from using this machine. I need to get back on board with this thing and let it help me as it was designed to do.

 

In short...it will/may take days even several weeks to get used to it. Other than that, it really is a wise and good choice. Do not get hung up like I did with how it appears when one is wearing it. She can retire to bed earlier so her dh doesn't see it. Or, she may want to just wear it once so her dh can see it and be done with the suspense. ;)

 

She should wear it now and do not give up after feeling frustrated. They told me to wear it during the day for an hour to get used to it. Good idea for 2-3 days, then move to early evening wearing it while reading a book in bed. Then proceed to wearing through the night....it will still likely take some time to get used to it, but you're transitioning that way.

 

The feel....well again once you get USED to it, it will be fine.

 

Sheryl <><

[FriedClams]

I have had one for about 6 months. I can't say that I LOVE it, but it's been very helpful and I do feel much better now that I have it.

 

At first, I cried. I felt like a freak. But I sucked it up and wore it. Mostly for DH since my snoring was interfering with his sleep. He instantly LOVED it. I mean L-O-V-E.

 

So I've stuck with it. I've traded masks a couple of times to get one that fit better. The first one killed my face. Now I have one that's pretty good. It occasionally leaks and I still fiddle with it to get the fit set right.

 

Overall, six months of constant use later I live with it and we're starting to become friends. I feel better in the morning. I have more energy. I don't snore. DH sleeps better. I feel tired and grumpy on the mornings when I don't use it. I don't like traveling with it, but I take it and I feel better for it.

 

So for me - it's a little love-hate. And I do it for my health and my family. The alternatives are much worse than using it.

 

ETA - the noise is totally not an issue. Most people who need a cpap snore like crazy so their partners already use a white noise thing or a fan anyway. For us, there was no transition at all with the cpap.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Kayaking Mom

[4kids4me]

I have had one for about 6 months. I can't say that I LOVE it, but it's been very helpful and I do feel much better now that I have it.

 

At first, I cried. I felt like a freak. But I sucked it up and wore it. Mostly for DH since my snoring was interfering with his sleep. He instantly LOVED it. I mean L-O-V-E.

 

So I've stuck with it. I've traded masks a couple of times to get one that fit better. The first one killed my face. Now I have one that's pretty good. It occasionally leaks and I still fiddle with it to get the fit set right.

 

Overall, six months of constant use later I live with it and we're starting to become friends. I feel better in the morning. I have more energy. I don't snore. DH sleeps better. I feel tired and grumpy on the mornings when I don't use it. I don't like traveling with it, but I take it and I feel better for it.

 

So for me - it's a little love-hate. And I do it for my health and my family. The alternatives are much worse than using it.

 

ETA - the noise is totally not an issue. Most people who need a cpap snore like crazy so their partners already use a white noise thing or a fan anyway. For us, there was no transition at all with the cpap.

 

May I ask how old you are, because I wonder if that's part of why you felt like a freak????

[Denisemomof4]

my father and a very dear friend of mine both tried them and absolutely could NOT sleep with them. I hope your friend has success. They may LOVE it, but it didn't work out for my loved ones. It was so uncomfortable for them they couldn't sleep.

 

Now I got an air cast Tuesday and the dr. said everyone hates them and can't wear them. It's a dream come true for me. So there ya go. ;)

[kalanamak]

Cpap is as close to a medical miracle (for those who need it) as I have seen, next to the antibiotics (for those who need them). I have seen marriages saved, people's hallucinations (hypnagogic) disappear, 50 lbs lost, blood pressure and diabetics meds stopped, headaches cleared, promotions obtained, and parents of adult children forgiven. More than any med or operation, I've had people come bouncing back to the office and say "I feel like a new man".

 

The unseen benefits are less sudden death and car accidents.

 

Tell your friend her brain is too deprived to think straight and she should follow her doctor's advice. If she doesn't listen, kick her.:)

[FriedClams]

May I ask how old you are, because I wonder if that's part of why you felt like a freak????

 

I'm 40. It's not age - the cpap is weird & I feel ugly in it. DH think I'm beautiful because I would go through all this mostly for him to be able to sleep. He's the best!

[4kids4me]

Cpap is as close to a medical miracle (for those who need it) as I have seen, next to the antibiotics (for those who need them). I have seen marriages saved, people's hallucinations (hypnagogic) disappear, 50 lbs lost, blood pressure and diabetics meds stopped, headaches cleared, promotions obtained, and parents of adult children forgiven. More than any med or operation, I've had people come bouncing back to the office and say "I feel like a new man".

 

The unseen benefits are less sudden death and car accidents.

 

Tell your friend her brain is too deprived to think straight and she should follow her doctor's advice. If she doesn't listen, kick her.:)

 

Maybe her friend is only 36 and is pretty young and yes, she might need to lose some weight, but she's not THAT big and she's not THAT old and she's certainly not a grandpa or someone's dad that snores REALLY loud. In fact, she probably barely snores at all and can't see that a barely-snorer who's got a pretty long thin neck would really need to go to a sleep-study and have total strangers watch her sleep. And then, probably the friend is thinking, "I'm a young woman and I really don't want my kids to make fun of me and what if I don't hear my child cry in the night because the freakin' machine is blaring next to me." After all, she's a young barely-snorer...but a very, very, very tired barely-snorer and probably no kick in the pants will make her swallow her pride and talk to the doctor, not even well-meaning friends who are trying to help figure out why she's not functioning like she should be. :D

[mhg]

typo

[mhg]

Maybe her friend is only 36 and is pretty young and yes, she might need to lose some weight, but she's not THAT big and she's not THAT old and she's certainly not a grandpa or someone's dad that snores REALLY loud. In fact, she probably barely snores at all and can't see that a barely-snorer who's got a pretty long thin neck would really need to go to a sleep-study and have total strangers watch her sleep. And then, probably the friend is thinking, "I'm a young woman and I really don't want my kids to make fun of me and what if I don't hear my child cry in the night because the freakin' machine is blaring next to me." After all, she's a young barely-snorer...but a very, very, very tired barely-snorer and probably no kick in the pants will make her swallow her pride and talk to the doctor, not even well-meaning friends who are trying to help figure out why she's not functioning like she should be. :D

 

Wow....you must be somehow channeling the OP's friend. :smilielol5:

[4kids4me]

Wow....you must be somehow channeling the OP's friend. :smilielol5:

 

I know, I know. :tongue_smilie:

[melmichigan]

My DH now wears one. The biggest problem we had was that he just couldn't tolerate it at the ideal pressure for him. Once we convinced the doc of that and had it lowered he could wear it. It's been almost a year again so we are thinking of having him try moving the pressure up a little again and see what happens.

 

I can always tell if he hasn't worn it or took it off early, and no not because of the little marks on his face when he first gets up ;).