CPAP treatment.

[Nigel Worc's]

Hello all.

As some of you know, I was involved (indeed caused) an accident in June 2008, was found to be suffering with Obstructive sleep apneoa, put on cpap treatment, and off we jolly well go again .... all fixed.

I had my first annual assessment a week last Friday.

The medical team were well impressed, I'd only not used the machine for one night, and had a high 90's % of using it for more than the min required time (four hours a night).

They don't want to see me for another five years now, although I have open access to the department if I want it.

Now thye yucky stuff !

Last Saturday I started to get that feeling you have when a cold virus is declaring war on you, Sunday night, I was too bunged up to use the machine.

Monday, I was working with a mate in Wales, he drove as I felt unwell.
Monday night, still couldn't use the machine, I now have full blown man flu, and feel terrible, my sugars are raised (as will happen,I'm an insulin diabetic, and that makes me feel worse).

Tuesday I cannot go to work, I feel awful, and as well as the man flu, I'm feeling like I used to all the time ..... and I used to think that was normal.

I don't want to drive anyway, but I now have to ground myself until I have gone two nights clear on the machine again ...... and I'm supposed to be in Germany.

I'm issued with some steroid nasal spray, as that quickly, I've gone back to stopping breathing whilst asleep.....according to nursey wifey, and the medical boys don't like that.


Wednesday afternoon, get about 3 hours on the machine, but feel no better, Wednesday night, get a full night of CPAP, and Thursday morning still have a cold, but feel ok.

Thursday night, another full night of CPAP, feel ok on Friday, I am allowed to drive again now, but decide not to work .......making sure.

Bloody hell, just a cold, and without that cpap machine I can go down so quickly.

Anyone else on this treatment ?, if so, have you had any similar experiences ?

[CHIEF]

I use CPAP, When i first used it i couldn't believe how much better i felt. i'd say after a goods night sleep using it you'll be fine.

[Nigel Worc's]

CHIEF said:

I use CPAP, When i first used it i couldn't believe how much better i felt. i'd say after a goods night sleep using it you'll be fine.

I am fine, thankyou, and have been since I was placed on the treatment, right up until I couldn't use it for two nights in succesion.

I'm ok again now.

Have you ever been unable to use the machine for two nights or more ?, and if so, did you revert to pre treatment feeling as quickly as I did ?

[CHIEF]

To be honest no, but thats because i also lost 4 stone which helped a big deal. i went away for a weekend once and forgot my machine, i was fine.

I still use it daily as i'm sure my airways are better by using it.

[t84]

I had a UPPP instead, no machine needed, lovely

[t84]

I had a UPPP instead, no machine needed, lovely

[CHIEF]

t84 said:

I had a UPPP instead, no machine needed, lovely

Sorry if i sound a bit thick whats a UPPP? never ever heard of it. is it a medical procedure?

[968CS]

I've been using a CPAP machine for over 5 years and not had a single cold or case of flu in that time period even when the family around me has full of it,I think it blows it out of your system.

When I first started i was told it would take over 12 months for my body to recover from the effects of sleep apneoa, I have only ever done a single night without the machine and even after 5 years I still feel crap the next day.

Even the OH needs the constant hum of the machine to help her get to sleep.

[t84]

Yep, they remove your Uvula, Tonsils, Soft Palate

[CHIEF]

968CS said:

When I first started i was told it would take over 12 months for my body to recover from the effects of sleep apneoa,

I'm really really surprised at that comment. When i asked the same question they said i would feel a different person inside 48 hours. I scoffed at that statement but by Christ i felt so much better after my first night never mind 2 nights it was unreal.

I dont have a problem without it now as like i said before i've lost a fair amount of weight. I still snore regardless though so i wear it. Just got used to it i suppose.

[Nigel Worc's]

CHIEF said:

I'm really really surprised at that comment. When i asked the same question they said i would feel a different person inside 48 hours. I scoffed at that statement but by Christ i felt so much better after my first night never mind 2 nights it was unreal.

My experience is the same as yours, although I obviously drop back, like the other chap.

From talking to "my team", all this stuff is fairly new.

Despite feeling the same as yourself after treatment, I too have been told that it takes a while for your body to recover.

I assume this isn't just how you feel, my team tell me that they think some heart attacks and strokes, that don't seem to have obvious causes, can be attributed to this condition, they say the strain on your heart when you stop breathing is high, and oxygen loss to the brain can become an issue, especially when its happening as often as it was to us three.

[CHIEF]

Nigel Worc's said:

CHIEF said:

I'm really really surprised at that comment. When i asked the same question they said i would feel a different person inside 48 hours. I scoffed at that statement but by Christ i felt so much better after my first night never mind 2 nights it was unreal.

I assume this isn't just how you feel, my team tell me that they think some heart attacks and strokes, that don't seem to have obvious causes, can be attributed to this condition, they say the strain on your heart when you stop breathing is high, and oxygen loss to the brain can become an issue, especially when its happening as often as it was to us three.

yep that is what really sh*t me up. i was a bit 'yeah, yeah when i went to the sleep clinic. They told me then dont complain when you have a heart attack or stroke in your sleep and die.

They took an oxygen reading from my ear lobe prior to treatment and it was as bad as bad can be.

[Nigel Worc's]

Did either of you experience the "choking" ?

It was the choking that led me to crash, it was extremely rare, maybe once a year, and that was the single bit I hadn't reported to my gp on my diabetic check ups.

I would, very very occasionally, wake up, unable to breathe, actually fall out of bed, then it would ease, and I'd gasp air in.

It seems so strange now that I didn't report that, but it was so effing rare, and you were asleep, and not even sure if it had happened, sort of thing.

The day I crashed was very different to anything I'd experienced before, I'd never experienced anything (apart from the now obvious fatigue) whilst concious before.

[CHIEF]

Never had that but had the whole stopping breathing thing, only knew this from people who told me and i recorded myself once and then i knew how bad it was.

It was getting that bad i'd wake up with a pounding headache and bloodshot eyes as my blood pressure was shooting up when i was asleep.

[t84]

I wasn't diagnosed properly, never even attended a sleep clinic, they just gave me a pulse oximeter and then said "You have sleep apneoa, due to your age we think giving you surgery would be the best option"

I used to snore massively, and I woke up in the morning sometimes feeling like the back of my throat had swollen and I couldn't swallow properly

Edited by t84 on Tuesday 24th November 14:19

[Nigel Worc's]

t84 said:

I wasn't diagnosed properly, never even attended a sleep clinic, they just gave me a pulse oximeter and then said "You have sleep apneoa, due to your age we think giving you surgery would be the best option"

I used to snore massively, and I woke up in the morning sometimes feeling like the back of my throat had swollen and I couldn't swallow properly

Edited by t84 on Tuesday 24th November 14:19

I was diagnosed properly, as such, but also never attended a sleep clinic.

After the accident, most people just treat you as a lieing bd if you say you don't know why you crashed, you cannot remember it etc.

My GP, good old boy he is, knows me, because I'm diabetic, and knew I wasn't given to saying such things, if I said I knew nothing about the accident, then he was happy that I didn't.

He was wrong in his initial thoughts, but they were only thoughts, he sent me to see a respiritory specialist, there was a long waiting list, one of my mates told RAFA, I was seen within days by the military team in Brum, they listened to me, guessed, tested me, and that was it.

By the time the civvy assessment appointment came through, I was diagnosed, treated, and all done!

Last week was the first time I'd not been able to use the machine for two nights.

My wife has been poorly too, and today has been diagnosed with swine flu, she is quite poorly, she was rough yesterday in London,so perhaps I had a lesser touch of it.

I'm off to give it to the Germans tomorrow lol (not really...I've checked, surgery says I wont be contageous)

[968CS]

Sorry chaps i may have confused the issue a little.

I felt the benefit of the CPAP machine almost immediatley but i asked the question "will I ever be able to get a proper nights sleep without it?" and it was then that they suggested that it could take upto 12 months for my sleep patterns to change to how they were pre condition ie normal breathing patterns no excessive snoring ,they also added it may never change back.
I to have lost over 2 stones and started competing in sprint triathlons and the blood pressure has dropped, but i still find if i sleep without it i snore like a foghorn and feel crap the next day.