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I had a sleep study in 2013 and I was borderline for apnea. I tried a RESMED machine but gave it away.

I do snore (my wife is a very sound sleeper and can sleep through anything so she doesn't know if I stop breathing). I wake up zonked everyday and have lots of day time fatigue. Morning headaches. I used to chalk it up to booze but I haven't had anything to drink for 3 months

With being unemployed I'm looking at jobs where I'd need to commute and can't nap during the day (last job was work from home). I'm 5'8" 182 and 55 years old

I'm searching and trying to not go nuts. Am I depressed, is it blood levels etc etc. my appointment with the sleep doc again is June 20th. I'm leapfrogging that and going to get fitted for an Oral Appliance on Monday.

I've rambled but am looking for some healing words!

What was "borderline apnea"? What about sleep disruptions in the study? Really have given us nothing to go on here, except that you have some degree of sleep apnea that may or may not be severe enough to benefit from treatment. My perspective is that after 40 years of rest deficiency any loss of sleep is too much. How about some details on why you did not use the Resmed you had (was it prescribed or gray market acquired?) Help us to help you.

I was diagnosed with mild apnea in 2013. I didn't fair well with the mask.

I chalked up fatigue to drinking but now that I've removed that, I'm still very tired! I wake up and could go back to sleep and I'm always napping during the day. If I lay on my back while napping, I do "catch" myself snoring.

My wife's suggesting I get tested for Lyme disease.

I spoke to my dentist today and I'm going to go in for a fitting and get going with the oral appliance for apnea

Can't tell you that, you didn't take XPAP treatment seriously, you are in De-Nile still, you don't make a effort to make your life better, you have a lame excuse for it all.

So I can't Jim

You do sound like you have apnea and I would pursue things with a proper new study. Get the results, come back here (to this thread if possible) and we'll help you sort it out from there. If you can't afford a lab study, at least get a proper home study - your doctor should sort that out, but a good sleep doctor, and/or either pulmonologist or neurologist with sleep training would be preferable as family doctors unfortunately all too often are surprisingly ignorant about the condition. Your family (and those on the road with you) as well as your employer will thank you! Don't want to discourage you, but oral appliances are not for everyone and can have consequences. Cpap is still the gold standard, and for good reason.

Julie wrote:You do sound like you have apnea and I would pursue things with a proper new study. Get the results, come back here (to this thread if possible) and we'll help you sort it out from there. If you can't afford a lab study, at least get a proper home study - your doctor should sort that out, but a good sleep doctor, and/or either pulmonologist or neurologist with sleep training would be preferable as family doctors unfortunately all too often are surprisingly ignorant about the condition. Your family (and those on the road with you) as well as your employer will thank you! Don't want to discourage you, but oral appliances are not for everyone and can have consequences. Cpap is still the gold standard, and for good reason.

I agree with Julie as it sounds like you may not have gotten the help you needed to adjust to pap therapy. This forum is great for helping folks like you who are struggling,

If you still decide to pursue an oral appliance, I certainly can respect that decision. But as an FYI, not to generalize my experience to your situation, but when I tried one, I found it more intolerable than wearing a mask.

So if you do decide to pursue this option, I would buy one of the cheap appliances to see if you can tolerate sleeping with something in your mouth but before you commit to an oral appliance made by the dentist. I wish had done that as I think it would have saved me a lot of aggravation.

And make sure you ask the dentist what the side effects are. If I remember correctly, mine had said there was a 15% chance of my bite being altered if I wore the appliance over time. That was even in spite of doing the exercises they suggest in the morning to get the mouth back to the right position.

But most importantly, ask your dentist to provide data on the effectiveness of the dental appliance he/she chooses for you regarding the chances of getting the AHI below 5. Having mild apnea increases your chances but I would still ask for this data. When you evaluate it, check the source to make sure it isn't company sponsored. And make sure he/she is choosing the best option for your situation vs. what is convenient for him/her to make.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks 49er and Julie (to the rude guy - go fly a kite)

49er, what didn't work for you with the oral appliance? I had a number of fits with the masks and nasal pillows so I'm curious.

I'm aware this is a CPAP board so My guess is many haven't ever tried OAT

Itsjustme869 wrote:Thanks 49er and Julie (to the rude guy - go fly a kite)

49er, what didn't work for you with the oral appliance? I had a number of fits with the masks and nasal pillows so I'm curious.

I'm aware this is a CPAP board so My guess is many haven't ever tried OAT

You are right about that boo boo, but.... If you use the search feature "oral appliance" you will find 1700+ POSTS.

There is a reason that cpap is usually covered by insurance, and oral appliances seldom --if ever.
The cost is not justified by the anticipated outcome, and side effects can open up a can of litigation. (TMJ,etc.)
I shared a cubicle with a colleague who had TMJ, and there were days when her pain was audible.

Itsjustme869 wrote:My guess is many haven't ever tried OAT

Gramps and I both have custom-fitted oral appliances (about $1700 each at the time) - very uncomfortable and not effective. CPAP is so much easier, and it is close to perfectly effective.

49er wrote:I agree with Julie as it sounds like you may not have gotten the help you needed to adjust to pap therapy. This forum is great for helping folks like you who are struggling,

+1

49er wrote:So if you do decide to pursue this option, I would buy one of the cheap appliances to see if you can tolerate sleeping with something in your mouth but before you commit to an oral appliance made by the dentist. I wish had done that as I think it would have saved me a lot of aggravation.

Good suggestion. But, I would still recommend committing to learn how to make CPAP work.

It's Probably in your head... and neck! I would advise against the oral appliance without another sleep study. You said the last one was in 2013? Are you still a mild?

With your given job status it sounds like cost is a factor. Start with investing in an Auto PAP machine that can give you data. There are members that can sell you one or work locally with Craigs list (but know what you are looking for!)

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/oral ... 1506058063

Itsjustme869 wrote:Thanks 49er and Julie (to the rude guy - go fly a kite)

49er, what didn't work for you with the oral appliance? I had a number of fits with the masks and nasal pillows so I'm curious.

I'm aware this is a CPAP board so My guess is many haven't ever tried OAT

I was always able to fall asleep with the appliance in my mouth but when I woke up in the middle of the night, I wanted to remove it yesterday. Also, because I felt like my jaw was already out of position, I immediately did the exercises to alleviate the situation as I didn't want to wait until the morning. Obviously, that was not conducive to good sleep.

49er