I Have No Shame!

No, I’m not modeling this year’s Hallowe’en costume, nor am I auditioning for the latest Star Trek movie – I am wearing a mask that goes with my CPAP machine! This device has started to have a tremendously positive impact on my life – I have more energy and am able to be more physically active, even with my demanding job. So much so that I’m willing to humiliate myself a little (and probably jeopardize any chance I ever have of dating again LOL) in order to share the benefits of getting treatment for sleep apnea, and encouraging anyone who feels tired all the time or has been told by a partner that they stop breathing while sleeping to get help that will change your life!!!! But let me start at the beginning …

Several months ago, my cat Cleo kept waking me up multiple times every night. There were more than a few nights that I thought I’d surely take her to the vet the next day and not bring her home! But then I realized that the poor thing was just as exhausted as I was by morning, and I began to wonder if I was unknowingly doing something in my sleep that was waking her up. So I talked about it with my family doctor, and we arranged for me to attend a sleep clinic (see here for the blog I posted about that). And sure enough, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. According to the lab results, I stopped breathing an average of once every two minutes during REM (personally, I think if I’d slept more comfortably at the clinic that night, the frequency of apneas would have been higher, but that’s just my uneducated opinion!). After consulting with an ear/nose/throat specialist and ruling out surgery as an effective solution, I decided that the best course of action was to get a CPAP device.

The CPAP machine provides continuous positive air pressure that helps keep the patient’s air passage open when it would otherwise collapse until s/he woke up just enough to activate the muscles that would open it back up again. The air is sent through a hose to a mask that is held in place by Velcro straps. In my case, the mask just covers my nose – breathing through the mouth is not an option! LOL In my case, I even bought a machine with a little humidifier to moisten the air before it gets sent through the hose.

When I picked up the CPAP device at the medical supply company, the consultant there assured me that I would notice changes in my energy level right away, and that over time I would feel dramatically different. She told me she could see physical changes in her patients after they started to use their CPAPs – they looked more refreshed, and the bags under their eyes would go away. She even told me about an extreme example of a client who lost 120 pounds (!) after he started to use his CPAP device – he had the energy to be more physically active than he had been before receiving treatment for his apnea. No, that wasn’t a typical result, but she said that most patients do in fact lose weight after starting to use a CPAP, as they tend to be more active as their energy levels increase.

At the time, I couldn’t even allow myself to believe what she was telling me. I think I’ve been continually tired since 12 or 13 years old. People would tell me that I was too young to be so tired. My hobbies, my activities, even my social life were limited by my fatigue. I was even told by doctors in the past that I just needed to exercise regularly in order to increase my energy levels, and when I told them that I tried, but sometimes was too tired, they said just to force myself to go to the gym, as though I were just lazy or lacking in willpower. (I don’t really blame them – I certainly don’t fit the profile of a person with sleep apnea.) I would crave carbs and sweets and drink colas to keep me awake at work. And throughout, I would feel a sense of shame and embarrassment that I couldn’t do as much as everyone else.

So now I’ve had my CPAP device for two weeks. I’ve noticed that the bags under my eyes aren’t as bad as they’ve been for years, and my face looks somewhat younger. I have definitely had more energy to exercise, and have started going to the gym at 5:00 AM on weekdays – and I feel better all the time! The last couple of months have been extremely busy for me at work, and yet I’ve recovered in a fraction of the time it would have taken me without the CPAP.

So … you may not be a middle-aged overweight male (the typical profile), but:

• if you feel tired all the time
• if you’ve ever been told that you stop breathing in the middle of the night or that you snore very loudly
• if you have problems staying awake or alert during the day even when you’ve had a decent number of hours of sleep
• if you consistently fall asleep within 5 minutes of going to bed
• if your head always starts to bob if you’re in a darkened room (I always found it hard to stay awake in training or meetings if the lights were turned off for presentations)

then I say run don’t walk to your doctor and talk with him/her about a possible sleep study. It might not be sleep apnea for you, but if it is, there is treatment for it that really is successful!

For those who are curious, a CPAP device can be $1500 - $2200 Canadian. In Ontario, OHIP will cover $780. I am fortunate enough to have a benefits package through work that paid for the rest.

I am so excited about what I will be able to accomplish now that I have made this discovery. I can't say my energy level is 100% yet (I'm still getting used to everything, but it's coming along ...) My first objective is to get in shape – I can’t wait to see what adventures I’ll take on after that!

:->

C.