I have really enjoyed reading the stories and information in this forum so I thought I would share my story for the one person who might find it interesting. I am a 38 yo single dad of 3 little ones and have had severe daytime fatigue for quite some time. I asked my doc about it and assumed it was related to the stress of work and kids but he mentioned a number of things that could also cause it such as low thyroid, osa, vitamin deficiency, acid reflux, etc.. He had me tested for all the simple things and every thing came back ok. He then said even though I didn't fit the profile for sleep apnea based on the majority of his patients who have it and in his words "you are about 40 pounds lighter than the weight at which most people start to develop it" but he still wrote a script to have me go in.
Literally the next day the sleep lab called and a very nice woman explained the whole process that I would have to fill out some paperwork, come in for a consultation, and then do the sleep study. I went in for my consult and the dr reviewed everything and then they gave me a tour. I then had my sleep study and the follow with the dr. She said that I had mild osa and not all dr's would treat me but she is going to since I meet the criteria that insurance cos have for cpap reimbursement and also she said osa is a chronic illness that generally gets worse with time not better so I might as well start therapy now. She then had me scheduled for the titration stayover which also went very smooth.
After the titration stayover the dme called and asked if I would like to come in or they can come to my house. I said I'll be there in 30 mins and they said great. The rt explained everything to me and showed me how to use the equipment and clean it. I tried on a number of masks and decided I liked the nasal masks the best so that is what I got.
The first night was definitely the roughest. I couldn't seem to get the mask adjusted properly even though it fit great at the dme. I finally got it somewhat comfortable and fell asleep. In the middle of the night i remember waking up and taking it off for reasons that I have no idea about. Even though I was awake and conscious I have no idea why I did it. The second night was better I slept through the night but decided that I really needed some accessories. I bought the cheek pad things since I had marks on my face for half the day which was really annoying. I also purchased a hose cover and cleaning wipes. I realized that the hose was really annoying when I was sleeping so I looked for hose holders but did not like any of the ones for sale so I made my own using fleece and a sewing machine. My goal is to make the whole contraption as comfortable and non medical looking/feeling as possible. One of the biggest challenges is keeping my kids from messing with it. They are absolutely fascinated by it which is not a good thing since there is no telling what they may do with it when I'm not in the room. The. I told rt from the dme called a week later and asked how everything is going and we talked for about 20 minutes about various things. I told him that I don't mind the nasal mask but it is kind of bulky and I wouldn't mind trying out a nasal pillow and asked it I was allowed to have two. He said insurance only covers one but if I stop by he would let me pick out a nasal pillow mask and I could keep it. It must have been my luck day but I was very nice with him and the staff and I've learned a long time ago being nice generally gets you much further in life than the opposite.
Conclusions.... My experience (this is just my opionion) of everything so far has been extremely positive. For some reason I never felt anxious or worried through the process or knowing that I have osa. I have had several medical conditions in my past that have been more severe than this (an amputation, surgery, and a few other things) so I really wasn't any more upset about being told I have osa any more than the doctor telling me I have a cold. I am not trying to downplay the impact that this diagnosis can have to some people I am speaking strictly from my own viewpoint. I would not be alive today if it wasn't for modern medicine so I am one of those people who is very thankful that I live in an age where this wonderful technology cpap, despite it's shortcomings, exists and I as well as others can benefit from it. This wouldn't have been the case 30 years ago.
My machine is a PR REMstar Pro with a system one humidifier and a F&P Zest mask which I noticed made the trek to my bedroom all the way from New Zealand. So far I can't complain too much. It is amazingly quiet. The only thing that I think they could improve on is the b/w lcd display seems a little dated and does not provide much information and has no backlight. I did purchase the encore viewer software and have been reviewing my data for the past 2 weeks since I have been using the cpap. I really like looking at the information and was a little surprised by a few things... I have only been averaging 5-6 hours of sleep a night and that is unrelated to the osa but just more of my busy life. I don't watch tv since I don't have time for it and between work and getting my kids to school and sports, doing laundry, cooking, getting groceries, fixing stuff around the house, helping my kids with homework, etc. I never realized how little sleep I got. I could've sworn I was sleeping 8 hours a night but the numbers don't lie so I am trying to get more in the 7-8 hour range. Also my ahi has been averaging 1-2 every night so I am going to talk to the doctor to see if that's acceptable or if I need to have my machine adjusted. On the bright side it shows that my mask is not leaking at all which is good and I am getting very used to it and almost don't feel complete without it. I have included a few pictures to show my setup.
