When I saw my Cardiologist in December of last year she asked me a bunch of questions about my sleep habits, my energy levels, etc. and she decided to send me to a pulmonary sleep specialist. On March 26, 2018, I saw the Pulmonary sleep specialist and she decided I needed a sleep study so on March 12, 2018, I went to the Hines VA Medical Center and spent the night wired up like Dr. Frankenstein's monster. A couple of days later I got the results. I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, RLS, and PLMD! I spent a lot of time on Google for the next couple of days.
A week ago I received my CPAP, a Dreamstation Auto CPAP, and humidifier along with the Dreamwear Nose Pillow Mask. I must say, the journey thus far has not been as gruesome as I expected. I consider myself quite lucky because so far, I am adapting to everything quite easily.
The first two nights were the most trying. I spent a lot of time fixing leaks, adjusting straps, positioning the hose, etc. I also was feeling some restriction/pinching around my nostrils which made it difficult to fall asleep.
By the 3rd night, I decided that I would change the nose pillow from small to medium to see if that was the source of my discomfort. My oh, my! The relief was instantaneous! It was then that I realized that I was going to be able to make it work! I got the best nights sleep I have had in years ... no, decades! Each night since then has been progressively better, even if it is only baby steps. I'm gonna do this!
Admittedly, I don't feel anywhere near a million bucks, and I may never get there, but I definitely don't feel like a nickel and 2 pennies anymore. Maybe somewhere around $100 and rising!
Needless to say, I have spent a lot of time in the last month snooping around on these pages. I have learned a lot, and I still have much more to learn. People on this forum have been immensely helpful. There are a lot of people here with boatloads of knowledge, and most are very gracious about sharing with others. I hope that one day I will be able to contribute to these pages and maybe give someone a little boost to keep going. So, for any noobs out there like myself who are struggling and unsure of this journey stick around. You will get tons of info and tons of support on this forum. Thank you all!
BTW. My apologies for the length of this novel!
