What is your name? Helena
Where are you from? Maui, Hawaii
Tell us about why you use CPAP and how you got diagnosed.
I was diagnosed 9 years ago with MOA (Moderate Obstructive Apnea) and ADAMANTLY REFUSED to even consider a CPAP machine. I had heard too many horror stories. My experience at the sleep lab was a nightmare and I was POSITIVE that my diagnosis was INCORRECT.
Plus – I was newly married and how sexy is it to go the bed every night with a mask on your face and a machine making more noise than my snoring?
Fast forward 8 years. One day I suddenly experienced total and complete double vision while driving on the highway. I was safely guided over to the shoulder where thankfully, my son was able to take over the driving. The double vision lasted for over 2 weeks. Doctors and specialists could not determine why.
That was only the beginning.
A host of other seemingly random things began occurring with my health… high blood pressure (heart attack level), increased migraines, and an eye so swollen it looked like I had been hit by a bat so that my eyeball was actually going to pop out of my head… over fiften doctor/specialist appointments later and NO ANSWERS.
Fast forward one more year to NOW. All the above continues to be a problem, migraines increasing and occurring daily. I am forgetting everything even minutes later and coincidentally, I cannot lose weight even with a plant-based HEALTHY diet that I have maintained for 6 years.
My doctor requests a friendly “checking-in on you” appointment and asks: “How’s it working out with the CPAP Machine?”
I look at her like she is crazy and say “what machine? I never got a machine. I don’t believe I have sleep apnea. Yes I snore – but that is just because of my sinuses and my big tonsils. My dad snored and he didn’t have sleep apnea. I never have trouble falling asleep. I sleep easily – any time I want.”
My sweet and kind doctor smiles, takes a deep breath and gently says “lets look at your sleep lab report from nine years ago. Did you know that you stop breathing an average of 22 times an hour, every hour? And that was 8 years ago! It could be a lot worse now.”
I GASPED. I was so adamant that the sleep lab was wrong that I never even paid attention to the report!
She continued: “We’ve done everything to address all these issues you’ve been experiencing and nothing has worked. All of these things can also be caused by lack of adequate rest and oxygen.
“I know you believe you are getting enough sleep at night… but with you not breathing for 10 seconds or longer 22 times (or more) an hour, you are putting a great deal of stress on your body. Your body cannot properly rest and repair itself, not to mention the stress that is being put on your heart.
What if all this time, all it took was a small device which would deliver pressurized air through your nose and/or mouth? What if your metabolism stabilized because your body was now getting adequate rest and oxygen? What if your migraines stopped because your body isn’t stressed? What if your BP returned to normal because your heart wasn’t overworked trying to pump oxygenated blood to all your organs during the night? What if…. (dramatic pause)… ALL your answers were held in the use of a CPAP machine? There are so many new smaller versions now. Would you please reconsider – at least give it a try for 1-3 months and see how it goes?”
I would like to say a light bulb went off in my head, but truthfully, it was more like a BAZILLION 1000-WATT BULBS and a CHOIR OF HEAVENLY HOSTS singing the hallelujah chorus. I felt so dumb that I had unnecessarily put my body through so much stress all because of vanity and the ignorance of not knowing the real danger of sleep apnea. But, I also felt TRULY THANKFUL that I was still alive and breathing and that I hadn’t had a heart attack or something. I asked God to forgive me for needlessly putting my health at risk and….I of course said yes.
I had my CPAP machine 4 days later.
What do you LOVE about CPAP treatment?
Well – this testimony is coming from a brand new CPAP Babe… I have had my machine for exactly one week – and based on everything I have read and what I was told by my doctor and the technician who trained me, we need to be patient as it normally takes people 1-2 weeks (sometimes even longer) to get used to the machine. I was told that it is okay to start with one hour a night and work up to a full night or a five hour minimum for best results.
I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED that I slept with it on for five hours my first night… and between six and eight hours each night after that.
These are the things I love about the machine and my treatment so far:
– The machine is SMALL
– It is UNBELIEVABLY QUIET (sometimes I don’t even know it’s running, even while I’m wearing it!)
– I was given a nose piece which I thought would be impossible for me since I snore with my mouth open, but I wanted this to work so desperately that I am actually sleeping with my mouth closed for the first time in my life, so
I am not waking-up with a dry mouth
– I am getting a DEEPER SLEEP
– I am not waking up 1-4x a night to go to the bathroom
– My husband cannot even hear it and is finally sleeping without ear plugs
– Speaking of my husband, he isn’t “turned-off” because of it –he thinks I look cute
– It’s EASY TO USE
– It’s high-tech and sends the report on how I am doing directly to my doctor
– It provides instant gratification by telling me how I did the night before
– It sends me helpful pointers on what I can do to make my experience better based on what my readings are
– It’s only been ONE WEEK and already my apneas have gone from 22 events an hour to only 1-3 an hour
OVERALL… It is totally different than what I expected and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to start this treatment.
Any advice for other CPAP Babes?
** PLEASE DON’T WAIT TO START TREATMENT ***
Your health is far too important to delay getting a CPAP machine if that is what your doctor is recommending.
I promise that it probably isn’t as bad as you think it will be – and in fact, it will probably become your new best friend. It has only been a week for me and I am already getting to that point.
Do take whatever class they offer to help you get acclimated to your machine. I am so glad that I did, because at first it can all be a bit overwhelming.
Be patient with yourself. It is not a competition to see how fast you can get to a full 5 or more hours a night using the machine. Everyone is different. Just know that just by you starting on this journey, that you are moving in the right direction to better your heallth.
