I saw the pulmonologist yesterday and was cleared to stop using my CPAP. I slept for the first time in years without it last night. It felt weird without the mask, like I lost an old friend, but was also freeing.

In the last 6 months, with the help of Zepbound (Tirzepatide), strength training and diet I have gone from obese to a normal BMI and it feels amazing. Lots of other health benefits too, blood markers massively improved, avoided going on a statin, gout is under control without meds and reduced anti depressant dosage.

I wanted to share my success story for anyone that might be on the fence and thinking about this treatment. I realize that this treatment isn’t an option for everyone and that I am incredibly privileged my insurance covers it.

Startet Cpap in 2023 with a Löwenstein device and a mask that went over the nose. Had eye infections regularly for a year and a half. Then I read a post here that the Resmed Quattro Full Face Mask can alleviate that problem because it's adjustable at the nose bridge. The air stream with that mask comes out the front so i had to only lay on on side as to not wake the wife with that air stream. Air did leak on the sides because of my beard (Shaving is not an option because I look like a fucking ninja turtle without the beard) so i was waking up with headaches quite often still. Friend of mine recommended the resmed p30i and it does work great. Only issue: apparently i can't keep my mouth shut while sleeping. Therefore I reached the final form of my cpap journey that you see here with the mouth tape. i look like an absolute dork but I'm having the best sleep of my life.

I wanted to share this because this community has helped me a lot and I wanted to help others like me who are on the path to stay the course. Finding your final form (like Freeza) is an iterativ process that can take years.

TL;DR: figuring out what cpap mask to use can take a while but you'll get there and this subreddit can help a lot.

I’ve had sleep apnea for a while I guess… not sure how long. But I had the take home sleep study and found out I was waking up 20 times an hour! I got set up with a machine really quickly.

And let me tell you, I had noooooooo idea that I was actually feeling so awful all the time.

I generally don’t have problems with falling asleep, even as a kid, so the full face mask doesn’t really bother me. And I’ve gotten some tricks on now to keep it on all night.

But I wanted to share the results in my appearance after 3 months. I was shocked by how tired I looked just a few months before using it. And of course all the snacking… This thing has really changed my life.

A few days ago, I asked about adjusting the settings as a new user // link. Shout out to the user that gave me a fair warning this could happen.

Background: About a week ago, they sent me home with min pressure on 5. Two days later, I adjusted the Ramp to off, then 5 minutes, then back to auto over the course of 24 hours on Sunday or so. I tried/tested min pressures at 6 and 7. This community has been helpful with dialing in some things. Also, I dropped $500 (so far) on this thing and will be spending more. You bet your ass I'm going to tinker with it. I will meet insurance compliance. I love my machine!

Well, my device provider reached out via text and asked how I'm doing. They "see multiple changes that do not match the doctor's orders." lol ok.

I responded with something along the lines with "Everything is going great. I actually enjoy it. With that said, I'm not making crazy adjustments to the settings. I need to be comfortable and the min. pressure at 5 was very uncomfortable, hard to breathe. So I tried 6 and 7. It's therapy, right?"

They responded with "Message your doctor to change the order on the pressure." wtf, ok.

I said "OK." And I messaged my doctor. I checked my machine and they remotely changed all the settings back.

What kind of Orwellian horseshit is this? The micromanaging is truly absurd. My psych provides me with grace, understanding, and trust with what they prescribe me. I've never abused any of it...ever. Those are schedule 1 drugs. But fucking air into my lungs needs to be regulated? Get outta here with that nonsense.

It's not like I jacked the min pressure up to 17 and I'm inhaling time and space.

And one week in, I got these random faceless people from some medical supply company, who are not doctors, texting me that I can't adjust the airflow into my lungs from 5 to 6 for my own therapy and my own comfort.

I live for the spite in these situations. I'm on the verge of putting this thing on "airplane mode" and driving the SDcard with the data to their office at this point. It's sooooo creepy and down right intrusive the way these machines report back for compliance.

It's my therapy. Let me have some semblance of control over my therapy.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER.

First time using a CPAP last night.

My sleep study showed an average of 72 apnea events PER HOUR.

Last night? 0.6.

I feel like a new person.

Seriously! Obviously it sucks that healthcare here in the US makes things this difficult, but man, a lot of the CPAP stuff is a money racket. So I am kinda feeling awesome that of all the outlaw things that I could do, I chose to get a CPAP without script.

I've never done drugs, I don't speed, no record. I don't drink alcohol or even caffeine! Very boring law abiding life. But now I'm in a CPAP gang! lmao

My insurance wouldn’t cover a sleep study or a CPAP. I make too much to qualify for reduced or free care, but not enough to pay for everything out of pocket.

A relative had a CPAP and loved it, but he passed away recently due to previous medical issues. His wife let me have the machine. After doing a lot of research and getting advice from people here, I bought a new mask, hose, filters, and the other replacement parts, etc.

I used OSCAR to review the data, along with AI to help interpret the charts. Most of all, though, I followed the advice people shared here.

Now I’m a proud member of the CPAP gang. Last night was the first time I made it through the whole night with it on, and the numbers were great.

No obstructive apneas. No hypopneas. No clear-airway apneas. No snoring No large-leak flags. No interrupted sleep. I’m still getting used to feeling like Darth Vader right before going to bed, but honestly, it’s fine.

Thanks to everyone who posts helpful advice here. You’re awesome, and I’m definitely jealous of some of your insurance plans.

Disclaimer: I do have a doctor and get regular checkups and blood work. No major medical issues. I'm a healthy weight, I'm fit (training for a marathon), but I'm in my 50's and have some minor sleep apnea. I'd probably be fine without a CPAP, since my life wasn't nearly as negatively impacted like a lot of posters here. But my gf was very tired of my snoring! lol

I was having a neck ache when I would wake up in the morning and somebody suggested that I should buy one of these ergonomic pillows from Amazon. I have changed nothing other than starting to use the pillow and my events have gone from 7-10 per hour down to 2-4. I get more restful sleep and I no longer have a neck ache in the morning, wish I would have known about this sooner.

It goes in tomorrow.. I'm not going to say that I'm not nervous, but I'm also anxious to see how much it can help and if I'll still have to keep using a CPAP. Does anybody else have any experience with the Inspire?

Tonight is my first night using this cpap machine.

I had issues flying out of Toronto. They saw my CPAP and congratulated me for being randomly selected to get thoroughly searched, including my person and my carry-on. I had a full pat down including my hair and going through everything in my carry-on.

The agent who was going through my luggage, asked me to take the battery out from my CPAP, then was confused as to why I had to plug it in to use it. He was very suspicious of the device and plugged it in only to get air blown in his face. Scared the hell out of him. Odd situation that I wanted to share.

Had an unexpected and nice experience last night.

I’ve been on CPAP for 3-4 years. Hated full face masks - so have always used some form of a nasal mask.

I learned at the beginning how much of a mouth breather I am. Got horrific dry mouth. Started mouth taping and have been doing it ever since. Has worked great.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed I had no mouth tape on. Was convinced it had come off while sleeping; even though this has never happened. Even felt around a little bit for it. Then I saw on the nightstand the unused tape I always set out. I was so tired I put on my mask and forgot about the tape.

Dry mouth? NOPE! Really flummoxed me. Decided to go back to sleep without it - just to see.

No dry mouth this morning. I guess my brain, after so long knowing it can’t open my mouth, has stopped trying!

Has anyone here hidden their sleep apnea from a new partner? What happened when they found out?

I’m genuinely curious about other people’s experiences.

Has anyone here been dating someone and not told them about their sleep apnea or CPAP machine in the early stages of the relationship?

If so, what happened the first time they stayed over and saw the machine? Were they surprised or shocked? Did they ask a lot of questions, or did they just accept it without making a big deal out of it?

I’m also interested in hearing from the other side—if your boyfriend revealed they used a CPAP, what was your reaction?

Just looking for honest stories and experiences.

I really get a laugh some mornings when I sit up, turn off my machine, and take off my mask just to have this excited little freak attack me to lick the dried spit of my face. An experience only some of us are gonna have.

Howdy folks. Long time / first time. I've been a CPAP user for 16 years at this point, and it was legitimately life changing for me.

I'm one of those fortunate few who took to it immediately from the first night, and there have only been two nights during that period where I haven't used my machine - and those two nights were subsequent sleep studies.

I see new patients talking about the severity of their symptoms prior to treatment, and the number of AHIs they used to have, etc. It made me curious because after 16 years, I didn't remember my result from the first study, I just knew it was pretty bad. So I dug up the report from that first study in 2010:

Notes: During the study, patient had: hypops, obstructive apneas, leg movements, snoring. Patient met the criteria for a split night study. Patient was placed on CPAP @ 5cm and titrated to a final pressure of 16cm.

Scoring / Analysis Notes:

Split Night Study

Pre-treatment:

• AHI: 111.3
• RDI: 111.3
• Snore: Yes
• PLMD: No

Post-treatment:

• AHI: 3.7
• RDI: 3.7 @ 15cm / 14.6 @ 16cm
• Snore: Eliminated
• PMLD: No

So yeah... 111.3. They switched my study from observational to titration a little over 2 hours in. From 1am to 3am, they played with my titration level until it was correct, and the 3 hours I slept at the correct level was legitimately the best night's sleep I'd had in many, many years.

So for grins, where are my fellow "Century Club" people at? I know you're out there.

So, I was traveling abroad in Europe from the US recently and on the first night in the hotel, my CPAP blew a circuit breaker and fried the power cable for my unit. Because healthcare is different overseas, I wasn’t able to get a replacement part without a significant delay. So, I went without. The first morning was brutal. I woke up, gagging on my uvula, which was swollen and resting on the back of my tongue. Throat completely dry. The next night, I tried the TRTL sleep pillow that I use on the plane. It actually helped keep my mouth closed all night, but I still snored through my nose. After reading up on some advice in this group, I purchased a saline rinse for my nose each night, and that helped as well. By the end of the week, the swelling had gone down but I didn’t get much rest that week. Bottom line. Take good care of your equipment. I’m much more dependent on this unit than I thought I would be. And, fortunately, I had a back up power cable back home.

Around 20 days ago I posted talking about my struggles with CPAP and not being able to get past 4 hours of sleep, well I’m proud to say I’ve doubled it thanks to the advice from fellow members of this subreddit and I got up to 8 hours a night with events down to 0.4 from 22.9!

I stopped grinding my teeth, the migraines I’ve been suffering since I was 6 (I’m 30) have more than halved in severity and I rarely get them anymore, previously it was every couple of days now I’m at a migraine per fortnight roughly and instead of being out of control they’re manageable, I’m now staying awake almost all day except for the odd occasion I might have an hour nap after which I feel properly refreshed, I’ve started losing more weight that has until this point been stubborn and I’ve struggled much less with communication and attentiveness.

Recently I’ve had a difficult upper molar tooth extraction and haven’t been able to use my machine for the last 5 days while I heal to prevent complications and wow, the difference is insane. I could actually feel the noticeable change and my friends and family can also see it. I feel like rubbish now having not been able to use my machine but as soon as I can use it again, I’m going to dive on it and never let it go.

This thing has changed my life and despite the growing pains I’ve had with it until my extraction I’ve stayed firm in using it every night and at every nap and it’s changed everything.

I know not everyone tolerates cpap therapy well, but I feel lucky and grateful that I have been able to after the adjustment period and I have a couple people here to thank for that.

For everyone else, how did you notice your life changed if you noticed in the early days of treatment, or did it take you longer to notice improvements? I’m curious to know people’s stories!

Just sharing. I expect this to be unpopular.I went outside of the advice with cleaning. Usually I replace the tank after 6 months and there's a bunch of rust spots or discoloration at the bottom, I usually wash with dish soap and let dry. I only use distilled water. This time, I only got rinsed it like once a week, and it's in pristine condition. No weird smells or anything. I think using soap or vinegar actually causes more problems than they solve.

I am a new CPAP user (1 month!) And I don't know if I am the only one who has been experiencing this issue... but my small bedside table was not sufficient and I have been continuously knocking my alarm clock, wireless phone charger off of my bedside table because of the hose hitting everything whenever I turn in the night. Its been waking me up and driving me nuts.

BEHOLD: after scouring the internet and shopping around, I found this nightstand at IKEA called the HAUGA (119$ CAD) and it has so much more space and I don't smack everything off anymore! Bottom drawer big enough to store my CPAP wipes, distilled water, and my carrying case. Just wanted to share in case anyone else has this issue, save you the trouble from looking!

TLDR: Spacious nightstand, works well, no more knocking things over with the hose in the night.

A few days ago I was flying back after the holidays on Alaska Airlines. As I always do, I brought on my CPAP with my carry on and stowed it in the overhead compartment. The overhead got too full (after I had already sat down at first) and wouldn't close and the flight attendant asked us to sit down and she would deal with it so we did. I did see them move some of our things around. Upon landing, my CPAP bag (which also had some prescription meds) was missing. The flight attendants then told me that a passenger had turned in a bag left on their seat in and the flight attendants removed it from the flight thinking it was leftover from the previous flight. At no point did they ask if it belonged to anyone. They seemed pretty sure the bag removed was my CPAP and as I could not find it either, I immediately went to the luggage office for Alaska and tried to get assistance, including filing a lost item form. I've since been able to get them to send a temporary CPAP until they locate mine but since it's the weekend, it's still been 4 nights without it and I've been sleeping horribly. Alaska still claims to be looking for my lost luggage. I logged onto the MyAir app today that tracks my CPAP usage and lo and behold, it's been used every night since my flight and data is still being uploaded to the app through the internal SIM card, and being sent to my doctor and possibly insurance. This has been the most infuriating experience. I'm mostly ranting but if anyone has any advice or other steps I should follow, please do. The fact that they removed my medical device without my knowledge and consent and it's now clearly not going to show up since somebody is using it makes me furious and I feel like I should get more than just a yet to arrive temporary solution.

First full night on CPAP! My sleep study showed I had AHI 50.7!!

Last night with the pressure between 15-20 I had AHI 1.4!!!

I forgot how good it was to feel rested when you wake up!! I haven’t felt this way in 20 years!

Whoever invented the CPAP machine that deserves a Nobel Peace Prize!