Sleep Apnea!

[smange]

Been diagnosed as a "severe" case over the last week or so and had my first night last night with a CPAP machine. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night which I'm hoping is down to it being the first night with the machine and it obviously feeling a bit strange.

Have to say didn't find it as uncomfortable as I thought I would and was expecting it to take a few nights to get used to it so no great surprise that I was a bit restless.

Any fellow sufferers on here who are using CPAP?

Did it take you long to get used to the CPAP and how do you feel now that you are using it?

Was chatting to a fellow in the clinic who has had one for a couple of years now and his words were "life changing".

Hope he is right as I have spent too many years feeling tired all day and every day regardless of what time I have went to bed and how many hours sleep I had (or thought I had)

The facts of and figures of the sleep study were quite scary to be honest and almost unbelievable as to how often I "stopped breathing" during the night

 

[gregers]

was diagnosed with a slight problem a few years back.
apparently the results for me say i stopped breathing approx 7 times,which according to them wasnt a problem for a machine,but the consultant did send a letter to me trying to punt the machine for about 400 quid.
sleep clinic a laugh aint iti had mine done at hastings conquest hospital.once wired all up i went and sat outside smoking to my hearts content,with peeps looking at me with wires comming out everywhere.
think mine has got a tad better since then,well no more aching ribs,from the digs by the missus.
lost a bit of weight since then,dont smoke as much as i did.

one thing i did notice with the clinic and my dr agreed,at the time i was just over 6'1" but when they measured me amazingly i was under 6' so when it came to working out my bmi surprise surprise i was very overweight.think this is sneaky way to make you feel guilty with your weight?
knew someone who had to use a machine like this and he said after a bit of time it worked wonders on him.
i dont need to give you a b@@@@ing about smoking/eating/weight etc as youve already had that,all i'll say is GOOD luck persevere and im sure in time you will start to feel more relaxed etc.:thup:

 

[GB72]

Yep, 2 years on a cpap machine now. Takes a little getting used to but after a while it feels odd to sleep without it. Just got the readings from my latest data card and I am back to within normal limits. What you will notice is how much better you feel in the morning, more refreshed and less tired. I age that I life changing. I feel better and so does my wife as it stops me snoring. Great service from Boston Pilgrim hospital and the people at Philips Resprionics are great to.

Not sure what mask you were issued with but if you can get the ones with the blue gel padding they are a bit bulkier but more comfortable. Also if you are offered the attachment for your machine to help stop your throat getting dry, take it

 

[Deleted member 16999]

How has it affected your Driving Licenses, my wife is being tested next week and website mentions informing DVLA if diagnosed?

 

[GB72]

Bit vague this. The rule is that it needs to be reported if your symptoms impact on your ability to drive. My doctor told me they did not and I was ok but this could change if I did not keep up my therapy. Now I am back to normal levels so not an issue

 

[Break90]

Irrelevant to the OP, but I seem to remember Hal Sutton suffered from sleep apnoea

 

[yassine]

look for alternative cpap mask

 

[Bunkermagnet]

A friend of mine had it quite badly. They seemed to have cured it after surgery (which wasnt that pleasant)

 

[Slime]

How has it affected your Driving Licenses, my wife is being tested next week and website mentions informing DVLA if diagnosed?

Guy accross the road from me has had his license suspended for a few months but he's expecting to regain it soon as he's been getting a lot better.
Not sure what treatment he's undertaken.

 

[Kellfire]

Let’s spell it apnoea like the good people we are...