New to this site

[Julie]

I'm not saying you 'need' a FF mask - your MD did that... I just wanted to clarify that the diagnosis of 'mild' (or mild-moderate) apnea doesn't necessarily correlate with needing (relatively) minimal therapy - apples and oranges. How frequent your apneas are is not a factor when prescribing equipment or pressures - that's why you're titrated separately (even if on the same night) once it's established that you do have apnea, however severe or not it is. Use a nasal mask if you want to... no one will force you to do otherwise... only trying to explain how things are done. But the more you tell yourself you might not need therapy, the more you're giving yourself permission to not do it... and that's not a good idea if you want to be around for your family and yourself. Just because you have mild apnea doesn't mean you don't have it, just that you don't have as many events/hr as others. But it doesn't mean it's not affecting your health. Lots of us are claustrophobic to some extent... and just about all have overcome it with help.

[ChicagoGranny]

He told me that i have moderate sleep apnea

the report that i got said mild sleep apnea

Which is it?

ChicagoGramps

[MissDi]

i am going to go by the report which says mild sleep apnea---

[Julie]

To what end? Denial?

[MissDi]

Physician interpretation and comments: findings are consistent with mild, non positional obstructive sleep apnea.
overall AHI=7, overall RDI=17, %time <90% SpO2=0.5%, mean SpO2=94.8%, %time snoring>30dB=46.0%
sleep latency --12 minutes
sleep efficiency of 93.9%
mild sleep disordered breathing (AHI=7)is noted based on a 4% hypopnea desaturation criteria.
overal respiratory disturbance index is also mild (RDI=17) based on a 1% hypopnea desaturation criteria
apnea/hypopneas are accompanied by minimal o2 desatruation (% time below 90%SpO2:0.5% MinSpO2:86%)
treatment considerations: consider treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure, mandibular advancement splint, referral to an ENT surgeon for modification to the airway, and/or weight loss or behavioral therapy.

This is basically what the report says.

I am in the process of losing weight and have not yet been referred to an ENT.
I deal with anxiety and depression and have been in therapy.
--I am now exercising 3-4 days a week at a local gym taking classes and riding the recumbent bike for 30 min (going about 5 miles)(started 3 weeks ago even before the DX)

don't know if denial plays a part, but i am willing to try to see if the CPAP helps.
guess i need the encouragement...

[Julie]

Ok, terrific! We will encourage you all over the place because we'd rather hear from you, even complaining, than not hear from you at all or hear that you've given up. Just take everything in tiny steps, one at a time for as long as each takes, and you CAN do it!

[library lady]

A lot of doctors

That is BS that you are making up for argument's sake. You have no evidence whatsoever that this is true.

compensate for the mouth breathing (if any) as necessary.

And how does this magical "compensation" work?

It's not magical at all, Chevie! There are chin straps available, and there are people who tape their mouths shut or learn to keep their tongues positioned on the roof of the mouth,etc. It's called "creativity."

[ChicagoGranny]

P
I deal with anxiety and depression and have been in therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is also linked with depression. In a studyof 18,980 people in Europe conducted by Stanford researcher Maurice Ohayon, MD, PhD , people with depression were found to be five times more likely to suffer from sleep-disordered breathing (OSA is the most common form of sleep disordered breathing). The good news is that treating OSA with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may improve depression; a 2007 study of OSA patients who used CPAP for one year showed that improvements in symptoms of depression were significant and lasting.

http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disord ... -and-sleep

Fire the therapist and get a CPAP.

ChicagoGramps

[palerider]

the little holes are to vent your Co2 (sic)

No, the "little holes" are to vent exhaled air which has been enriched to about 4% CO2.

didn't your mother, assuming you had one, tell you the old one about 'if you don't have anything useful to contribute, then go play in traffic?'