First day after CPAP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

So, Adam got his CPAP yesterday.

They say there is an adjustment period. I can only assume they mean for the bedmate. He went to bed at midnight and fell asleep by 12:15.

One of the puppies went to bed around 12:20 and freaked out, which freaked out the other one. He slept through it. They both refused to near him without me.

I went to bed at 1am.

I had trouble falling asleep, which is nothing new for me (insomnia) but this time it was only due to the fact that I had to keep checking his pulse.

He was sleeping so silently that I couldn’t hear a single breath coming from him. His chest wasn’t moving. This is a guy who usually shakes the bed because he breathes so hard.

I fell asleep around 1am and slept soundly until 6:45. I normally wake up constantly because of his snoring or his apnea.

The reason I was woken up at 6:45 is because Holly (midget puppy) was standing on Adam’s head. She does this most mornings. He generally gets up and blearily goes pee, then comes back to bed for another 4 hours more sleep.

Today, as I woke up to him talking to Holly, I could tell that his voice was different. He was clear. He wasn’t mumbling. He went to the bathroom and even his footsteps were clear and deliberate.

He came back to bed, put his mask back on and tried to go back to sleep (habit). Five minutes later, he got up and made the coffee. He goofed off for an hour and then took a shower, made his lunch and by 8:45, he was leaving for work.

I got up when he left and started cleaning the house. Forty-five minutes after he left, his alarm clock went off.
He has an hour long drive to work, an 8.5 hour work day and an hour long drive home. On his way home, he went to the pet store and the grocery store (he got me orange cheddar cheese. 12 friggen years and he still gets me orange cheese. blech). Anyway, he walked in the door at 7:30 with a big smile on his face and a clear look in his eyes. He’s chipper. He’s joking. He’s wide awake and feeling great.

His coworkers thought he was pulling an April Fool’s prank because he was the first one there, on a non-show day, for the first time EVER.
I want to find the person who thought up the CPAP and I want to give them the biggest hug and kiss they’ve ever had.

By the way, they’ve made enough advances in CPAP technology that once the seal is made on his face, the machine is virtually silent.

2

Congratulations to you, and your husband! I am so glad it is working for you! I just couldn’t do the machine, so I opted for the surgery (uvula, tonsils, soft palate removed). I JUST had it done 2 weeks ago today! I didn’t have the apnea problem though. After 2 weeks of near hell, I have had 2 YES, TWO nights of no snoring! WAAAHHHOOO!!! Thank God for modern medicine (CPAP and UPPP surgery!)

3

It’s completely changed my life. And I’m not the one who wears it. :slight_smile:

4

I’m with Zsofia. My wife has one and I notice the difference when she doesn’t have it on.

5

Do they make machines for two? My husband and I both need one, I suspect.

6

I didn’t see any on the shelf but you could each get your own (if your insurance covers them both).

7

I don’t see how a machine for two could work because you’d probably need different settings, Cat Whisperer. But if you think you might need one, please find out.

I have a coworker who got one a few months ago and it has made an enormous difference. Absolutely enormous. She says it’s a hassle sometimes, but it’s more than worth it.

8

I hear so many people complaining of symptoms of sleep apnea that don’t want to take the time and effort and spend the money to investigate and treat it. So I really have to commend those that go for it and get treated- it’s much better than just sitting around complaining and suffering from poor quality of life. And much better for the bedmates, too!

9

I thought you said it was a midget puppy.

10

Although I am having issues with my nasal passages getting too congested some nights, I want to worship my CPAP. On nights when I can’t wear it because of said uncooperative nose, it feels like I’ve woken up without really sleeping. All hail the face squid!

ETA: One of my cats is absolutely terrified of the machine. She ran out of the room at top speed the first couple nights like she had seen a ghost. Now, she avoids the bedroom at night.

11

Your OP brought tears to my eyes! My CPAP has changed my life. It’s my sleeping pill, and I get the rest I need.

No more falling asleep in meetings, while driving, while trying to spend time with my family!

It’s a miracle.

All hail the inventor of CPAP!

12

I DIDN’T COMMENT ON THE PREVIOUS CPAP THREAD BUT NOW I WILL

I have been using cpap for 19 years! When I was married, my wife complained about my apnea and snoring. When I was a traveling musician, my band-mates were afraid I’d stop breathing and die.
I was in a treatment center in 1991, and my roommate was so disturbed by my snoring and apnea, he talked to the staff, I was sent for a sleep study, and they put the mask on me for the test.
I took to it right away. It helped me sleep, and I don’t snore.
I have lost a lot of weight, and the settings were dialed down a couple of years ago, but they said I still had episodes of apnea.
I am SO used to it by now, I use it when I lie down to read.
Been one of the best things for me.
Good luck with the new machine.
David

13

Another grateful c-pap owner and user right here.

I had been told by my bedmates for years and years that I had sleep apnea.
But I’d never done a sleep study.

Last June, I went to my doctor for a usual check up and he detected that I had Atrial Fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm.
They sent me straight to the cardiologist, the same day, and he ran many tests.
My cardiologist sent me to a pulmonary specialist and he ordered a sleep study.
I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. They prescribed a C-pap machine and I believe it has saved my life.
After using the machine for 3 months my blood pressure had improved. I no longer showed any signs of Atrial Fib. and I was sleeping through the night for the first time in many years.

After six months I’m no longer falling asleep during the day, have lost fifty pounds and feel great.

If you or your bedmate shows any signs of having sleep apnea, excessive snoring, stopping breathing etc… get yourself checked out. Have a sleep study done.
Please, please, please.

Many people die every year from sleep apnea.

I am convinced that c-pap saved my life.

14

No, this wouldn’t do at all. If you just connect two people together, they’ll asphyxiate each other. Besides, one of them might have bad breath.

15

I’m supposed to use a CPAP but occasionally don’t. If I call asleep in front of the computer I don’t have it on. I feel rested but not as much as when I do use the CPAP. I have the problem though of the mask not fitting as my face contorts through the night and it starts making farting sounds. I’m working if if’s not calibrated correctly.

16

MannyL - Have you tried different masks? The one Adam has only covers his nose and it flexes as he moves so it never breaks the seal.

So, last night wasn’t as good because he fiddled with the steam and he said he felt like he was drowning. He turned the steam down and while he didn’t feel like he was drowning, he still didn’t sleep as well. Tonight he’ll try it on the lowest setting and if that doesn’t works, he’ll just stop using it (the steam).

17

By “steam”, I think you are referring to the humidifier?
If the bedroom is cool and the humid vapor is warmer, it can cause condensation in the hose hence the “drowning” effect that you describe.

I had the same problem when I first got my machine. I searched online about it and found a company that sells hose covers. It is a cloth like tube that covers the hose thus eliminating the condensation. It also makes less noise and is more user friendly than a naked hose. ie it feels nicer than a naked hose.
Problem solved.

Not sure if it is permissible to link to their website but if you sent me a pm I’d gladly share it.

Sweet Dreams,
Sherman

18

I got all excited when I got health insurance last summer figuring “hey! They’ll finally diagnose me with sleep apnea and I’ll get a CPAP and my life will be better!”

Got the sleep study. Had just over 2 hours of sleep all night, according to the study, and almost no REM or deep sleep at all. It felt like a pretty typical night for me, too. Anyway, the results said: “Insomnia due to mental disorder.” Which is pretty much what I’ve always told people: being bipolar is what keeps me awake. My brain doesn’t understand the concept of “time to turn off”… and now I pretty much have medical evidence of exactly that. Sucks to be me. I take a bunch of different medication and yet lookie here it is 2:23am and I’m wide awake :confused:

I sooooo wanted to be on the happy CPAP train :frowning: Glad it’s working for you folks and your spouses, though!

19

I’m so sorry Opal.

I’ve suffered from very bad insomnia my whole life so I definitely feel your pain. I have used Ambien and Lunesta without even the slightest sleepy feelings.

I was supposed to have a sleep study but I ended up moving and never got around to having a new one scheduled.
When did you join us in MA? I thought you were in OH.

20

I was in OH for 2 years, then Dan (my husband since last May) finished podiatry school and got a residency in the Boston area, so we moved :slight_smile:

My insomnia has been my whole life, too. Worse at times than others, but always there. Ambien just makes me do weird crafts projects that I don’t remember in the morning. I’m currently on 10mg of Melatonin and 200mg of Trazodone, but it doesn’t do a damned thing. I had been on 60mg of Temazapam, but after a while it wasn’t working well anymore and the doctor wouldn’t raise the dose, so we’re trying to find something new. It’s so frustrating.