Newbie here!

[tmorris]

Hi everyone! I have enjoyed reading your forum. I am a 38 year old female recently dx with severe OSA. I am convinced I have had sleep apnea since a child. My mom said I slept alot and I remember coming home from school to take a 3 hour nap! After many many visits to doctors complaining of headaches, extreme fatigue, and sleeping in my car during my job ( I travel), I was told i was "depressed" and have been on antidepressants for 15 years now. After blood work was normal I just got " your bloodwork is fine" So I took all of this on myself and called the sleep doc. Sure enough, I was dx with severe sleep apnea....apnea episodes 49 times per hour ( span of 40-50 sec), and oxygen level at 78%. I use a ResMed S9 Cpap which can be adjusted to auto and c-flex. I have a nasal mask and chin strap. Although I am changing the mask today since I cannot use the chinstrap due to TMJ ( I am a mouth breather). Anyway, I felt amazing after I left the sleep lab. So I had very very high expectations and was very excited. I have had enough of feeling so sick all the time. My pressure is at 12 as prescribed on cpap. I began to experience very painful abdominal bloating and gas to the point I had to take off my mask. So they changed the setting to EPR 3. Still did not help. So I took it on my own and put it on "auto" with high setting of 13. Felt like crap all day. So last night i put it back on 12 at full pressure and actually feel much much better. However, I am a little dizzy and light headed. I am looking at getting the full face mask " Mirage Liberty with nasal pillows" Anyone like these? Just wanted to introduce myself!

[Mary Z]

tmorris, welcome to the forum. There has been quite a lot written about gas and abdominal bloating. If you do a search using these and similar terms you should find plenty to read. Don't leave your doc out of the loop if you're having problems. Good luck, keep us posted.

[SUSANAMT]

I just recently started using the mirage liberty face mask with nasal pillows and I think it is much more comfortable than a regular full face mask. i also find I don't have sinus congestion when using it either.

[JohnBFisher]

Hi everyone! I have enjoyed reading your forum. .... Just wanted to introduce myself!

Greetings! Welcome to the forum. As you can see, lots of folks share their experiences and see what they can do to help.

It's not unusual to have a great night at the sleep lab, then struggle for a few weeks. Strapping a leaf blower to your face is NOT normal. But it sounds as if you are on the right track. Your DME should have asked if you have TMJ, since a chin strap would not be a good option for you. Oh, well. As you will learn, you need to be an educated patient, who acts as your own advocate. You have the highest interest in a good outcome for the therapy. No one else has as much invested in it as you do.

Anyway, hopefully you will fairly quickly adjust to CPAP therapy and will find a new you, able to tackle the world! Best wishes for many nights of good sleep!

[Mask2fit]

Could someone tell me what a TMJ is please?

[archangle]

Could someone tell me what a TMJ is please?

Google is your friend.

TMJ is a disorder of the jaw.