Update/Terrible Sleep study 6 months ago

[Peevies]

Hi everybody! I had posted about a disastrous sleep study about 6 months ago. I basically suffered all night without a CPAP so that my insurance would allow a new machine. I NEVER sleep without CPAP, and had avoided sleeping on my back since I didn't feel like suffocating in the sleep lab. The tech came in the next morning and said that "I'd have to do it again, we didn't get enough data, and I messed up, blah,blah." I was very worried that I would not get a new machine. Miraculously, I was approved for a Bi-Pap and my sleep doctor even told me she was surprised the insurance approved it. Maybe my agonizing sounding comments the next morning on the sleep study survey convinced them that I really suffered! I felt like death. I think I did comment that I avoided sleeping on my back and that could have skewed the data. I can't even remember what I wrote, I was so out of it.
Anyways, I got my first Bi-Pap after using plain old CPAP for 10 years. I cannot believe how much more clear-headed I feel. I wish I had been given an adjustable machine from the beginning. I really feel that the last 10 years only gave me 50% relief. It's not like I jump out of bed with tons of energy, but I always had a "brain fog" every day. That fog pretty much went away after 2 nights with the smarter machine. I can see from the little bit of data that I can access, my respiratory needs/pressure changes all night and every night.
I have felt better mentally at least. I have had many anxiety attacks, concentration problems and genuine performance issues at work before getting this machine. I almost lost my job - wish I got this machine a year sooner. But I can say that those issues are much improved now.
I could never figure out why I still slept poorly and felt so messed up even with therapy. Was it a leaky mask? Mouth leaks? Hormones? I didn't know.
My most telling clue that CPAP alone wasn't cutting it? The first night with my new Machine, I was having a little trouble getting used to the breathing. The data showed AHI of 17.1 Okay - that's having 15-20 events or something per hour? I had the horrible anxiety, brain fog and exhausted feeling as usual. Second night - my AHI was 1.7. Whoa!!!!!!! I felt like a new person!
Now, my poorest night's sleep on the Bi-Pap is waaaaaayyy better than the occasional (once every few months) best restful night I felt from my CPAP.
Just wanted to share my story of how getting an adjustable pressure machine was really the solution to a major problem with my therapy not working as well as it could. I feel so lucky I was approved and still have my job. I told my sleep doctor for the first time in 10 years that I feel like I am sleeping better! Thank God for the improvements in CPAP technology. Sleep better everyone!

[Vampira]

.........unfortunately my posting name should be Vampira, not Peevies!
It's been awhile since I logged in here - so the brain fog shows up once in awhile. I like the Avatar I picked for Vampira too!

[mariasam]

I like it very much thanks for sharing this information with us….