Hello, my name is Tony, I am currently 25 years of age and I suffer from a severe case of obstructive sleep apnea. The doctors at Kaiser logged me in at a staggering 77.8 average events per hour the night I did my sleep study with the watch pat device. Not really sure how reliable that thing is compared to using an actual CPAP, also not sure if the doctors just tried to bs their way in to prescribing me a CPAP, I feel like an APAP device would better suit my condition, but it’s not my place to say anything over a doctors order. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you all two incidents that occurred with me using my CPAP device in the first one, the second one is in the “About Me” portion of my profile alongside the one you are about to read right now. Anybody who thinks they have OSA or were told by a doctor they have OSA, get yourself checked, and for the sake of ones you love, GET YOURSELF A SLEEPING DEVICE!!! Swallow that pride and ego and give yourself a normal nights amount of rest for once, no matter how much the first two weeks will suck because they will!!!
My doctors sent me a letter in the mail telling me that my CPAP usage was at %20.7 and they want me to be using it at %70 and above. I kind of shrugged it off because I’m young and think I’m freaking Superman.
Here’s a story of why I believe in guardian angels and the grim reaper. Little background about myself I was a pretty hefty cigarette smoker of 6 years almost a pack a day, sometimes more than a pack if I was out drinking with friends. I am also a major fast food eater. There was a night I decided to replace meals with cigarettes so I didn’t eat all that much that day, the plan was to smoke more, eat less, so I could try to kick start a diet, that being said, I ended up smoking about a pack and a half of camel blues throughout that day. I’m throwing the brand out there in case anyone who reads this is a camel smoker. I went to sleep around 4 in the morning, in my sleep I had this dream I was staring at an ambulance stretcher that had a white blanket covering an overweight persons body, I can only assume now that was my body. To the left of the stretcher was a morbidly obese man wearing what looked like an Air Force jump suit, just staring at me with no emotions coming from his face, also with no words spoken by him, I didn’t say anything to him either. He looked at me like he was telling me I should lay down on the stretcher. Looking back at it I feel I was not dreaming and was actually in the embodiment of my own soul. As I’m looking at this man I hear my own voice constantly saying, “dude DUDE dude DUDE DUDE!” An Angel %100 was contacting me, in an effort to wake me up. Hearing the word, “dude” constantly playing in the back of my mind woke me up out of my sleep in the middle of REM, which caused me to undergo sleep paralysis, plus I was in the middle of an apnea event, so I woke up not being able to move or breathe. I thought I was dead I swear on those I love, but the word dude kept replaying in the back of my mind to the point I tried mouthing the word, “dude.” The second my lips fully opened, my whole body felt the sensation of me breathing. It shook the F outta me! When I was able to normally move around I grabbed my phone to check how long I had been sleeping and the time was 5:30 exactly. I still get flashbacks of the way my body felt on top of the sound of my CPAP rushing air in to my lungs. If you have OSA, and don’t use your machine, I hope this story scares some sense in to you like it did to me. Since then I have started a temporary vegan diet to drop as much water weight as I can and start a diet. I have been able to keep myself to just a few cigarettes a day when I really feel like having one. Today is March 10, 2020. This happened on the 22nd of last month.
I used to have nights where I would stay up as much as possible just so I wouldn’t have to go to bed and use my CPAP. I believe that’s called somniphobia.
Safe sleeping!
One of my mother’s close work friends lost her husband unexpectedly, because he did not use his c-pap. He had went out of state for his brothers funeral and died in his sleep. He took his cpap with him but that night.....he didn’t use it!
From what I read here, many caregivers are not living healthy lives, through no fault of their own, but sometimes in fact b/c they're searching for coping mechanisms.
I appreciate and applaud the courage it took to recognize the unhealthy living style which put you on a quick path to a cemetery plot, and also thank you for sharing the "wake-up" call which sometimes many of us need in our own journeys as caregivers.
Many either don't recognize the path they're on, or can't make changes. It's not an easy thing to do. But it's encouraging when someone shares a life changing situation.
Best wishes for a successful transition to a healthy lifestyle.
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All the best to you & thanks for sharing a motivational story!
Meanwhile, this 'caregiving forum' gets posts about bloody discharge after a hysterectomy where everyone is falling all over themselves to post comments on...........and such a thing has NOTHING to do with caregiving either! At least with Tones post, if someone you love is fighting off using a CPAP machine, his story is a testament about why they SHOULD use it!