Please help me adapt to this :(

[VVV]

Be very careful about the ENT. Some of them are chop happy and will want to do surgery. Surgery for apnea has a very low true success rate, and a lot of side effects.

Be careful about how you word your posts. The OP is not going to an ENT to get a cure for sleep apnea. She has bad nasal congestion and maybe some ear problems.

When you say surgery for apnea I assume you are referring to UPPP and maybe tongue base reduction. But a newbie may not understand this.

A good ENT might recommend turbinate reduction and septum straightening for the OP. This could be a wonderful surgery. It was for me.

[Julie]

I said it wouldn't record things when awake 'as' when asleep - as meaning 'the same as'..

[Mirrasi]

Thank you so much everyone. The sleep doctor mentioned that if I was struggling he could prescribe a nasal spray that woulodn't be addictive. I mentioned to him that I've had Flonase but that actually stops me up more and I don't know why. He said that wouldn't be the right type of spray for me anyway. Unfortunately trying to get through to him is not easy. HE is fantastic but his staff sucks. They never return my calls and I may have to go down there and complain.

I do wonder if he didn't refer an ENT because he is worried they might push for the apnea surgery. He is really against it. If I need a nasal surgery for breathing I might consider that but I have ZERO desire to do the apnea surgery anyway. I am very motivated to make this work because I feel like it's my only option unless losing weight magically makes it go away, but I have a feeling it won't and not willing to wait and see.

It is likely that it is all in my head. I waltzed into the titration expecting no problems. During the first sleep study I was sleeping in under 5 minutes. I was not aware that you had to keep your mouth closed. I've always joked that if I was kidnapped and someone duct taped my mouth I would suffocate. I also have never had experience with calustrophobia before but apparently I do when my face is covered. I feel I could adapt to the claustrophobia thing. The nose thing I have a feeling something is actually wrong. Especially with the machine stopping me up more. Anyway, I just wasn't expecting all that and freaked out in the titration. I slept for 30 minutes, woke up in a panic and wouldn't put the mask back on and left.

The doctor ordered an autopap as a rental to finish the titration. He wants me to wear it at home while watching tv (hence why I had it on) and get myself used to the feeling and everything. My insurace is really bad and would only pay for a brick CPAP machine with no data so I paid out of pocket for all this. I wanted an auto machine that would adjust to what I need, I wanted something that would have data, I wanted a heated humidifier. I want to give myself the best chance to make this work. (I got the Resemd S9 Autset)

This board is great! I'll just ignore any data on it while I am not sleeping with it. I'm gonna make an ENT appointment today. At the very least they will tell me there is nothing wrong and then I can relax knowing it's all in my head and I just need to get in the right frame of mind. I am not sure what to do about the mask though. I'm guessing that after an hour last night, if I had pretty big red marks that this mask isn't going to work. I'm not sure how to test out masks when I am not going through insurance. Maybe if I can ever get a hold of the doc he will have a suggestion.

[Pugsy]

Does your insurance offer coverage for masks at all? Or was it only for a brick cpap machine?

Just because you bought your own machine doesn't mean that you can't use a regular DME brick and mortar store for masks and other supplies. I bought my own machine privately and I have a DME store that I get mask supplies from using my insurance.
If you have no insurance for the other supplies then that makes it real difficult to try out different masks at a DME store but if you do have the pressure on the nasal bridge as a significant contributor to your congestion ....the number of masks that cover the mouth and don't cause pressure at all on the nose is really limited.

If that is the case then buy from cpap.com and buy the return insurance. Buy the Innomed/Respcare Hybrid because it comes with all the different sizes of cushions. The ResMed Liberty requires you to select size and you may not know which size. That way if you can't use a mask you don't lose the whole purchase price.
They Innomed Hybrid is actually a pretty good mask for someone who tends to be claustrophobic because you don't have a huge nasal thing blocking the line of sight. It's a bitch to finally get it all fitted but worth it once its done.

[mon]

Be very careful about the ENT. Some of them are chop happy and will want to do surgery. Surgery for apnea has a very low true success rate, and a lot of side effects.

Surgery of the nose is different from the surgery of the lower airway that is usually associated with sleep apnea. You may need surgery to rectify a crooked nose which may be interfering with breathing through your nose. Don't be too daunted by that comment.

[kaiasgram]

Hey forum friends. If you have one of those fitlife masks that you are read to throw in the trash...how about letting me experiment with it so I can speak on how it feels. Maybe we can get the "mask of last drastic chance" a better reputation and not scare the pants off of people when we suggest it. I am game to try one in the name of science but I don't think I want to buy a new one just to experiment with... I would be happy to test one that was one step away from the trash can. Doesn't need to be pretty. I just want to try one so I can explain to people how it feels.

Under the subject heading "Be Careful What You Wish For" -- I'm sending you a Fitlife total face mask on Monday!

[Pugsy]

Under the subject heading "Be Careful What You Wish For" -- I'm sending you a Fitlife total face mask on Monday!

Thank you.
In the name of science I will give it a fair trial so that I can at least experience it .
Going off mumbling "what the H... have I got myself into now?

[kaiasgram]

Under the subject heading "Be Careful What You Wish For" -- I'm sending you a Fitlife total face mask on Monday!

Thank you.
In the name of science I will give it a fair trial so that I can at least experience it .
Going off mumbling "what the H... have I got myself into now?

As well you should, my dear -- the leaks sounded like a Boeing 747 with gastrointestinal problems !!!

[SolSionnach]

Mirassi, welcome!
This is a very friendly place, a good place to get the answers you seek.

In my case I opted for a FF mask (Mirage Quattro), because I know that there are times that I need to breathe through my mouth. I had one night where I lay down and started to feel claustrophobic, and I said to myself 'NO WAY!'. I refused to feel that way - but I can certainly understand how one could find that feeling overwhelming.

The oddest thing is that I find my sinuses stay clear when I use the nasal pillows (Swift FX for her), and clog up more easily with the FF mask! WTH?

I wish you luck w/the ENT, but I would try the non-addicting spray that your sleep doc is recommending first, before I went with any kind of surgery. Kind of 'if the least invasive fixes it, that's the best answer'. I had sinus surgery in '01, and they reduced my turbinates too much, and made my septum deviate worse. I didn't end up with 'empty nose syndrome', thank heavens, but the dry winter air continually gives me nosebleeds.

If you go with a hybrid, make sure that you get some Laniosh or Ayr nasal saline gel. I use the latter, and it helps the pillows to seal better, as well as helping with the irritation that happens right at first. But you get over it quickly, in my experience.

Good luck!

[purple]

Uh, did the sleep doc mention a Neti Pot? I discovered that I am sure I had pollen and dust up my schnoze from years before. The big thing to keep in mind using a Neti Pot is to make absolutely sure it is sterile, the water is distilled, and not contaminated, whatever you use to stir the salt solution to mix it is clean. One person died from using some tap water that had bacteria in it. You might have to use the Neti Pot for a day or two to learn how.

[Suddenly Worn Out]

Be very careful about the ENT. Some of them are chop happy and will want to do surgery. Surgery for apnea has a very low true success rate, and a lot of side effects.

Yep, I totally agree. Surgery is how most ENTs make a lot of their money. So they want to cut. Any chance the insurance will pay.

Eric

[archangle]

I said it wouldn't record things when awake 'as' when asleep - as meaning 'the same as'..

Now, I'm even more confused. Anyway, the machine doesn't know whether you're awake and will record events whether you're asleep or not. The events you have while awake don't really mean anything about sleep apnea.