Waiting on final results

Hey Hey,

I'm pretty new to this whole Sleep Apnea business but after my dentist sent me to my doctor because of the way my (I have no idea what it is he saw) looked and my doctor sent me to a sleep specialist because of all the symptoms I had and the sleep specialist sent me home with a machine with straps, a finger pinch and a nose tube to do a home sleep test; it looks like a lot of my health issues may be caused by OSA.

The person I met with showed me some graphs which demonstrated that I stopped breathing for 20-30 second spans and my blood oxygen dipped to 80%. Not sure where that all fits in the spectrum or whether it's even significant but I am looking forward to getting the full results within the next couple weeks and possibly finding some relief.

Can anyone tell me everything I need to know about OSA and what equipment to get? Thanks.

Just kidding! hahaha Annoyed the crap out of a lot of you right there didn't I? I apologize, I'm like that. The truth is, I've been reading through a lot of these threads attempting to prepare myself for the road ahead. I will definitely be asking a lot of questions as I work out all the kinks but for now I just wanted to take a moment to say Hi and to thank all of you for the invaluable information you've already provided through this forum and for whatever help you will give me in the future.

To note: I am not particularly delicate and will most likely laugh off any and all jabs. Some of the bickering on here actually had me laughing pretty hard. This should be fun

To note 2: Still waiting for registration to go through but after a few days of patience decided to post "not logged in" since it seems there is an ongoing issue.

ThatGuyTyh

Welcome to the wonderful world of sleep apnea. It sound like you have some pretty significant oxygen desaturation when sleeping. Use of the xpap machine will help with that. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to get a machine will full data capability. That will make it easier to dial your therapy in. Mask choice is a very personal thing. What I like, you may hate. I went through over 12 masks before I found one I found one I could tolerate. Having a thick skin is a big asset here. If you have been reading a lot of the forum entries, you probably have a good idea of whose advice to follow, and whose to ignore. The best advice I can give about that is to listen to those that have been here for several years versus those who have been her only a few months.

Thanks Okie! I'm a little clueless when it comes to what machines are available currently vs what was available 10 years ago (as a lot of the newbie threads I see date back pretty far) but one thing that became blatantly clear was to get one with full data capability which will be a determining factor for me. I like the idea of being able to fine tune my treatment, whether my dr likes it or not, this is about feeling better, not pleasing a dr. I have a decently large face/head so time will tell how many masks I will go through before getting the right fit. Hopefully not too many.

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote:hahaha Annoyed the crap out of a lot of you right there didn't I? I'm like that.

Oh, great; another asshole.

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote:The person I met with showed me some graphs which demonstrated that I stopped breathing for 20-30 second spans and my blood oxygen dipped to 80%. Not sure where that all fits in the spectrum or whether it's even significant but I am looking forward to getting the full results within the next couple weeks and possibly finding some relief.

That rates as severe sleep apnea, but most of us here are severe. If you want to look at it as good news, then your condition is bad enough that CPAP will make a big difference in how you feel and your general health.

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote:but one thing that became blatantly clear was to get one with full data capability which will be a determining factor for me.

... And "Auto" - wiki/index.php/AutoPAP

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote:what equipment to get?

As far as the machine, this is not so difficult. There are only two brands of machines that are regularly recommended here, and you want to get an auto machine.

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote: I am looking forward to getting the full results within the next couple weeks

Ask for a copy of your sleep study summary. It's probably just one page.

Welcome!

Okie bipap wrote: If you have been reading a lot of the forum entries, you probably have a good idea of whose advice to follow, and whose to ignore. The best advice I can give about that is to listen to those that have been here for several years versus those who have been her only a few months.

+1

ChicagoGranny wrote:Oh, great; another asshole.

That's what my wife says

ChicagoGranny wrote:That rates as severe sleep apnea, but most of us here are severe. If you want to look at it as good news, then your condition is bad enough that CPAP will make a big difference in how you feel and your general health.

I definitely see it as good news; so many of my issues seem to be symptoms of OSA from what I've read. I'm just happy that this could be the solution. I'm turning 30 next week and have been feeling much older than I should for the last 5 years or so. Always chalked it up to "that's just the way it is for me".

ChicagoGranny wrote:... And "Auto" -

Correct! I've also seen a lot about cutting out RAMP. I'm sure that will make a little more sense to me once I become more familiar with the hardware and its adjustable settings.

ChicagoGranny wrote:Ask for a copy of your sleep study summary. It's probably just one page.

Will do! Once I get the results, my insurance company requires me to do another sleep test with CPAP to determine if it is actually helpful before they will agree to dish-out the 80% coverage. It may seem silly but I'm truly excited about all this. Knowledge is power after all, and I suppose I've felt rather powerless until now.

ChicagoGranny wrote:Welcome!

Thanks!

Guest wrote:It may seem silly but I'm truly excited about all this.

No, many of us felt like that - CPAP was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Haha I'm in a similar boat! I'm 28, just had a rough sleep study and waiting for results. I'm also excited about it all since like you said, knowledge is power. Once I know my results I'll also be deliberating between the two popular auto cpaps.

The bickering really is pretty entertaining XD

xxyzx wrote:on the spectrum
bad

Again, it seems counter intuitive to say but... Nice!

xxyzx wrote:all you need to know is use the xpap or else bad things will happen

Ive seen CPAP, APAP, and XPAP here. Am I correct in assuming that the x is simply a variable to represent "whichever pap machine you use"? If not, what is the difference? Also, yeah, I'm getting really tired of those bad things. No pun intended.

palindrome17 wrote:Haha I'm in a similar boat! I'm 28, just had a rough sleep study and waiting for results. I'm also excited about it all since like you said, knowledge is power. Once I know my results I'll also be deliberating between the two popular auto cpaps.

The bickering really is pretty entertaining XD

Hey palindrome! Saw your thread, I guess we'll be going through a similar journey here. The real question though, Is your name really a palindrome?

ThatGuyTyh-ish wrote:

palindrome17 wrote:Haha I'm in a similar boat! I'm 28, just had a rough sleep study and waiting for results. I'm also excited about it all since like you said, knowledge is power. Once I know my results I'll also be deliberating between the two popular auto cpaps.

The bickering really is pretty entertaining XD

Hey palindrome! Saw your thread, I guess we'll be going through a similar journey here. The real question though, Is your name really a palindrome?

Indeed it is! I'd love to say my name is Radar but...

Level?
Bob?

My name is an acronym. I always liked the name Hawkeye though...

chunkyfrog wrote:Level?
Bob?

I'm going to guess Anna.

Anna
Otto
Hannah
Elle
Lil
Ava
Eve