I have one word to say about using my C-PAP machine.......

[hedgehog]

[mopinko]

1. not helping?

mine doesn't help a lot. one thing it does do, tho, is rids me of nightmares of powerlessness. dreams about trying to run away and not being able to move, slugging someone with all my might to no effect, catching my hubby fooling around and him laughing at my outrage. in other words, dreams about trying to breathe. it has been several months, and that is about all that it does. but for that i am grateful.

[hedgehog]

2. I was thinking of how i look with my mask on - as in "BOO!"

I went through three masks. The first was too big, the second too small, the third just right. I appear to be the rare person who loves my machine. I figure I look strange in the mask, but then my husband and I sleep with the lights out, so who cares?

Oddly enough, I used to wake up and check to see if my husband was breathing, and I used to worry over the kids until they were seven or eight.

[The empressof all]

3. Well we'll be unique together then

I got mine 15 years ago and the sleep tech said I took to it like a baby to a bottle. I'm attached to my machine and believe with all my heart that I would be dead by now if I hadn't been diagnosed.

Love, love, love my C pap

[hedgehog]

4. Just out of curiosity - I've been suffering from sleep apnea

for I'd say 20 years (at least). Once you got your machine and started getting some sleep, did you see a recovery in general strength and stamina? How long did it take? I am stunned by how much I slowed down to accommodate being exhausted. I'm trying to work out a bit more every day to get back to where I was.

[The empressof all]

5. I have other medical issues that compromise my mobility at times

After I got my C-pap my body hurt less and I was no longer falling asleep without my knowing it. (Like driving! :wow: that's :scared:) For a number of years I still needed to nap during the day. Subsequently I've made several significant changes in my eating habits which have also increased my stamina and helped with weight loss.

As a mental health professional I was under the assumption that I was depressed and sought treatment through the typical cognitive therapy and medication. Thanks to a very astute psychiatrist who was unwilling to keep trying me on new drugs I got the sleep assessment. Thankfully I never went through years worth of the drug trial and error process. I think it was because I was able to give him a very clear clinical picture of what was going on. I really never guessed it was a sleep disorder until we had the discussion.

So the answer to your question is yes and no. I felt better within a week but because of my other medical issues it's hard to assess....