surgery?

I have been following this message board for a couple of months now and I am so glad I found it! Thank you to all who have given myself and others such good information about sleep apnea and the ins and outs of the CPAP machines. When I had my first sleep study to see if I had sleep apnea, I was told that I had 29 "events" per hour. When I had my second sleep study to get a titration level for a CPAP machine, my doctor said I have severe OSA and he will order a CPAP machine "patient's preference" with a setting of 13-15. He is an ENT specialist and said I will also most likely need surgery due to the severity of my condition. From what I have read here and elsewhere on the internet, most of the surgeries have a very low success rate and a very long (2 plus weeks) recovery time. Have any of you on this board had any experience, positive or negative, with surgery to correct this problem. He wants me to give the CPAP a try for 8 weeks first then discuss the surgical procedure if need be.

I have to tell you, my first 2 experiences with CPAP during the sleep studies were not positive at all. First I had air leaking out every time I moved, then when they had the straps so tight, I had red marks where the mask fit my face for 2-3 days afterward. Also my skin is very sensitive and I broke out in little papules in some areas where the mask was in contact with my skin. My technician administering the titration sleep study said they don't normally see the kind of pressures I was requiring in people my size...I am a 40yo male, 5'11" 163 lbs.

You folks on this message board have given me probably 95% of the information that I know about CPAP and OSA, with my doctor kicking in the other 5%. At this point I think I know more about the different machines available than he does. Sounds like the Auto CPAP is the way to go from what I have read.

Please keep up the good work!!!