I went to the dentist today - and while I wouldn't say I LOVE going to the dentist (because quite frankly that would make me a bit weird and slightly scary...oh....wait...hang on....LOL...never mind) I definitely don't particularly mind it, however, after the assault earlier this year I was fretting about having a bloke hovering over me potentially causing pain - well actually to be honest I was more worried that I might have a painfully public reaction (like crying or going a bit freaky on the poor guy).

Luckily they know all about it because I had to have some treatment on my teeth when the whole thing happened (though they gave me a lovely lady dentist for that particular treatment) - so my normal dentist was fab and the whole thing went without a hitch (and also with the all clear and don't come back for six months wooo hooo!).

What I did realise after a bit of contemplation this afternoon is that while I wasn't conscious of being stressed about the whole thing particularly, I haven't been able to get myself off to sleep for a number of nights (and seeing how I feel tonight it's obvious what has been the cause).

I wonder how much being stressed (certainly in the early days) about OSA and the use of CPAP (and coping with a massive change in life style) actually also affects the ability of the treatment to be really effective from the get go....

as I said...just a thought. I'm not usually a partiuclarly stressful person so this is relativley new ground for me. What have you guys found in terms of stress v CPAP?

Stress has an effect on every thing, Ive been so stressed out with my cpap that Ive given up, I now refuse to use it and will be taking it back next week.

As you seem to be someone who seems to revel in challenges from other posts in the forum, this comes as a real surprise.

Perhaps you are just going to trade it in for a more helpful model, and I hope that this is just the case.

If you are really refusing CPAP treatment for confirmed OSA, I am concerned about you. OSA makes your risk of having a stroke or heart attack in your sleep due to insufficient oxygen in your blood reaching your heart or break significantly higher.

And if you snore very loudly, your wife or partner may well cause you even more stress than before when you are awake because you are stopping HER from sleeping.

Don't give up. Life is too valuable to foreshorten by a heart attack or stroke ... even if you are fit and otherwise healthy. The lack of oxygen is something beyond your conscious control.

Please reconsider.

Or if not, at least someone else just as in need of treatment for OSA will benefit from your returned machine so perhaps some good will come of your well-meaning decision if you can live with the undesireable consequences.

Starting CPAP is SOOOOOooooo stressful.
Your bedroom resembles an invalid room, you look like a cross between Darth Vader and the Elephant man, you sound like Darth Vader....
Sleep becomes the Holy Grail
I'd give a great deal to return to "just" feeling as tired as I did with OSA (which was crap) rather than how I've felt for the last 2 weeks since starting CPAP.
I can so understand people giving up.
I'm thinking - how long do I give it?

Sorry as someone who had to fight tooth and nail to get any form of treatment for my OSA I find your attitude very depressing. No its not easy, but is anything worthwhile easy to get?

You have got to get right mental attitude - welcome the CPAP as a friend not an enemy. Learn to love it.

My 10+ years on CPAP therapy have been a milestone and I am really grateful for my diagnosis and efficient treatment. I have my life back, good sleep and the risks of serious health problems are back to normal.

Yes it takes time to adapt to both psychologically and physically, but it's well worth it.

I have carefully considered my response to the above, as someone who lives in Scotland and is currently 5 weeks into my (minimum) 3 month wait to get a machine. I have removed every expletive from my answer in order not to cause offence, Gazby. My response to your statement is listed in its censored full version below:










'And that's all I have to say about that.' {Forest Gump}
Fx

You'll see that for most people it takes a few months at a minimum to get used to the change. I've posted this before but for the first 6 months or so I only really made it 3 or 4 hours a night with the mask before abandoning it - now I can't sleep without it.

Alsacienne is right - it takes time to adapt but it is definitely worth it.

For me the stress was not using the machine it's stopping me sleeping in the first place at the moment (so no machine on) I'm thankful that since my change in mask I haven't actually had any problems being asleep once I get there.

The first few months are tough and no one will deny it, but most of us on here have found that perseverence is the key. I'm also 10+ years in now and as I said - wouldn't be without it!

Jesus I go away for a few day and Im been painted as some fraud As I said I am not using cpap this is because my body will not except it, in a morning when I go to bed I take sleeping pills to help me sleep with my mask and within the hour of being unconcious I take the mask off while Im out cold, this happens all the time, also I hate cpap and I dont want it, but let me finish. When I was on apap I slept well sometimes 6 hours and no problems, I am due to return to the hospital next week for my final visit before my yearly check up and I shall be pushing to change back to apap. Since using my machine when I dont wear my mask I have not once snored or had a bad sleep, strange things are afoot, anyway enough of this twaddle, Im off fishing

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lge3hyQt-Nc

Hang on a sec Gazby before you head off for the river bank!

I'm very concerned about you and your returning your CPAP. And this is genuine whatever we've discussed about cybersafety and individual privacy.



I don't think you are a fraud in any way, especially as you have been formally diagnosed as having OSA which is a serious condition if not managed correctly and long term.



You did mention, and mention again that you coped much better on APAP; please go back to your hospital or clinic and explain this and ask for an APAP for your wellbeing and to improve your health.



This appalled me, not only because you are having such problems with your mask but also because these meds could do you considerable harm if taken long term.



This certainly does happen to many users, but hopefully with the passage of time, comes acceptance and the habit lapses ... how long again have you been under treatment? Could you not give yourself a little bit more time to adjust? PLEASE.



I wouldn't for an instant underestimate the problems of accepting the whole concept of xPAP therapy. It is frightening to have to wear apparatus at night, and certainly without it, you would risk finding yourself suffering even more - the health risks of a heart attack or stroke are significant when insufficient oxygen reaches the brain - and you must also be aware that this would be desperate for your wife and family. I am not trying to play the emotional blackmail card here, even if it seems so, but I am sure that your wife and family love you to bits and want to have you here on earth as long as possible. It IS important to have support from your partner and family (something I've been so blessed with) and it may take time for them to adjust both to the therapy and the 'new bedtime you'. Please do discuss your plans for the future as regards xPAP with them before you make any important decisions. You might be surprised at how much support you may get from them that you currently aren't expecting ... such as your wife gently helping you put your mask back on if you don't wake up with it off, as an act of love and compassion.



That's great, but I can't say that I understand it. I still worry when I fall asleep unexpectedly say in the train or the cinema (!) and fear that I'll have snored my head off - and worse, dribbled publicly!!



Again, I'm sorry for being thick, but I don't really understand this.



Whilst I respect your decision, I can't fully understand it, but will accept it without understanding. However, I for one will not forget you, and will just hope that everything turns out for the best, and that you will be offered an APAP and return to tell us how things have finally turned the corner.

Well said NM, this is what would worry me the most, a night or even a snooze without my CPAP machine.
I could not face waking up the next morning feeling as though someone had taken an orbital sander to my throat during the night.
There are so many people who have waited a long time to get treatment, to find some relief from the endless days and endless nights of sleep deprivation, that I cannot understand why anyone who really has OSA would not just use the machine and be done with it.