[Sentient]

Originally Posted by Christopher

This really is the single most positive life altering event I've experienced. It's like someone turned a light on in the room and I'm seeing how dim things were for the first time. I've energy in spades and I'm already losing weight. I haven't had any symptoms of depression since I started treatment and I'm finding that everything I normally do I'm doing more efficient and better without any more effort.

My friends and family have noticed a change in me also. My wife can't remember me smiling this much. I'm much more like I was when I was younger. I can't recommend enough to anyone who thinks they might be suffering to look into treatment.

Dude, that's just great beyond words. I love to see a post like that.

I have a good friend that had surgery on his uvula, in an effort to help with his snoring & breathing at night. If I'm not mistaken, I think he said that his insurance wouldn't cover it and he paid for it all out of pocket. I really felt for him, because after it was all said & done, I don't think it really helped him as much as he had hoped.

I wasn't familiar with the cpap until seeing this thread. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be as you're trying to become accustomed to it. But obviously the benefits far outweigh the bit of discomfort in getting used to it.

It's kinda hard not to chuckle at the thoughts of waking up at night, or in the morning, and trying to put the moves on the wife while speaking like Darth Vader....

"Wife... Join the dark side of the bed and feel the power of the force."

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Popsyche

Well, well fellow Pillow Pilot! Gettin' used to the 'face jock' eh?

I've used a CPAP for at least 10 years now. Here's a little secret thing I found out about it. Do you get raging hangovers if you go to bed...tipsy? Boy will this help that! Apnea is WAY worse when you have alcohol in your system, as I'm sure your wife can attest. You will snore more, and have more frequent episodes of the heart stopping. That is what an apnea is, you stop breathing, your heart stops, and HOPEFULLY, your brain wakes you up enough to get it all going again. John Candy's didn't, and he died in the Mexican desert from Sleep Apnea.

Anyway, that CPAP will blow that bad alcohol right out of your bloodstream!

If you have any questions, just PM me!

Sweet! Finding another 'pilot on here makes my whole day. I haven't done much alcohol experimenting yet, but it's only been a week. I can honestly say that I haven't had enough to drink to even get tipsy in ages. Unfortunatley the only time I really get to drink is at gigs and I get paranoid about driving and drinkin' and cops and wrecks and all that crap so I'm a pretty light drinker.

I'm running the full face mask! It turns out that I have a very narrow sinus something or other and for the most part I'm a 97% mouth breather day or night. They tried the little over the nose thing and I just about died.

Thanks for offer but so far it's been very clear sailing with the C-PAP. It's funny, when I tell people about it they just can't imagine how uncomfortable it is and how I could sleep with it on but if they only knew how valuable the sleep is. I'd go through a whole lot more uncomfortable to get the benefits!

Originally Posted by Sentient

Dude, that's just great beyond words. I love to see a post like that.

I have a good friend that had surgery on his uvula, in an effort to help with his snoring & breathing at night. If I'm not mistaken, I think he said that his insurance wouldn't cover it and he paid for it all out of pocket. I really felt for him, because after it was all said & done, I don't think it really helped him as much as he had hoped.

I wasn't familiar with the cpap until seeing this thread. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be as you're trying to become accustomed to it. But obviously the benefits far outweigh the bit of discomfort in getting used to it.

It's kinda hard not to chuckle at the thoughts of waking up at night, or in the morning, and trying to put the moves on the wife while speaking like Darth Vader....

"Wife... Join the dark side of the bed and feel the power of the force."

My doc was telling me that a high percentage of people that go in for the snoring surgery ends up with sleep apnea because the surgery weakens the muscles that allow the airway to stay open.

The wife has been amazing so far. It really is an adjustment for her too. The snoring was bad but she'd gotten used to it. Now I have this whole thing on my face and tubing and if I lay funny and the mask leaks it hisses. She said the hardest part was the first couple of nights. I'd wake up and get pissed off at the mask and curse at and spend a few minutes messing with the velcro straps and then pass out again. I don't remember any of it but it sounds like me!

[Popsyche]

Originally Posted by Christopher

I'm a pretty light drinker.

In the immortal words from Animal House,"I suggest you start drinking heavily!"

Originally Posted by Christopher

The wife has been amazing so far. It really is an adjustment for her too. The snoring was bad but she'd gotten used to it. Now I have this whole thing on my face and tubing and if I lay funny and the mask leaks it hisses. She said the hardest part was the first couple of nights. I'd wake up and get pissed off at the mask and curse at and spend a few minutes messing with the Velcro straps and then pass out again. I don't remember any of it but it sounds like me!

Getting used to the 'headgear' (Velcro thingee) is annoying. I make mine pretty tight and make sure that the hose is directed straight up to the headboard. This facilitates easy rolling over without that damn air leak from the hose being caught under you. The mask I have now will actually squeal really loudly if it leaks, which wakes me up, and defeats the whole idea of the thing!

What model and make machine do you have? My first one sounded like a 747 taking off every night, which was still better than the godawful cacophony of my snoring! I stayed at a friends house once, and his wife said that I actually had the windows in their old apartment rattling along! I wore out my welcome there very fast!

Getting used to the contraption is small worry when compared to the results. It really is amazing how much difference it makes. And besides, the white noise of the air rushing is calming!

[Christopher]

Mine's a CFlex Remstar. It's really quiet. Another day and I feel better! This is just crazy.

[Jason]

So how you making out Chris??

[Christopher]

Hey man, long time no see. I'm doing fucking excellent. In fact, I feel so good that I almost feel guilty sometimes.

I just experienced the weirdest thing last week. I got my first cold. Now at 34 years old that may sound strange but I did. I used to get sick every single time a bug would circulate and most often I'd get it twice. The symptoms were always so bad and they always led to sinus, ear, or throat infections. Every time I'd get a the flu or a cold I'd be flat out sick for a week or two.

A couple of weeks ago my son brought home the local cold / flu bug from school. Both my daughters got it and there were plenty of coughs and sniffles to go around. I knew I'd get, I always get it.

I got it. Only instead of being horribly sick and ending up on drugs just to cope I got some minor symptoms and they went away in a few days. I've never realized how simple a common cold is.

This got me thinking about my health as a life long trend. I'd never had such an easy cold or flu bug. I've always gotten terribly ill. I think the doctor may have been right. I think I've always had this. Every day I feel better and better and it's like internal systems are going online each day.

Only days after treatment I discovered that I'd had a headache for as long as I could remember. I didn't realize I had one until it was gone. That was weird.

Everything is different. Sights, sounds, tastes, tactile experiences, hell pretty much everything is better than it was a few weeks ago. It's really a strange situation. I played a Halloween party last weekend at a local bar. It's the first gig I've done since I started feeling better. I played MUCH better than I ever had. Even my bends were in noticably better tune.

I thought it was just me but everyone in the band noticed it and several people made comments to us about how much better we sounded.

My memory is improved, my concentration, obviously my energy level has skyrocketed, and my appettite is way down. My doc tells me that studies are showing that the two hormones that make you feel hungry or full get reversed when you have apnea, they don't know why it just does.

I've done nothing different exercise or diet wise and I've lost 10 pounds since I started treatment.

The biggest difference is the length of the day. I used to bitch all day long about how I didn't have enough hours in the day to get everything I needed to done. Now I feel like I have twice as much time. I've taken on new clients in the studio, started getting caught up on chores that I've been putting off forever, and studying music and guitar stuff that I never had time for.

Life is scary good.

[Popsyche]

I just got a new machine. It's a Puritan Bennett. It is TINY! Almost fits in a brief case.

Good Luck on your road to normality!

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Popsyche

I just got a new machine. It's a Puritan Bennett. It is TINY! Almost fits in a brief case.

Good Luck on your road to normality!

Thanks man. I had no idea what normality was all about. Hell, I didn't even know how sick I was or how long I'd been sick. It's all pretty crazy!

[NegaTiveXero]

You, I think I might have this problem. I mean, i always wake up tired, the day seems so short for me. Apparently I snore, not a whole bunch, but I do. I'm always breathing through my mouth. I almost always wake up with a headache and feel worse than I did when I went to sleep. I'm also an insomniac.

How can you get this checked out?

[Christopher]

I just talked to my regular doctor and he sent me to a sleep specialist. If there's any way you do have it get it checked out, it's beyond worth it!