Titration completed

btesterman wrote: I'm not a mouth breather at all but I guess the full report will tell if there was any mouth breathing. Probably with such low pressure I wouldn't have felt the need to switch to breathing through my mouth.

I think I'll use the Ambien the first few nights that I have my own machine - just to get over any "machine jitters" that might keep me awake. I used to use Ambien every night but found that overuse results in my body becoming so tolerant of it that it didn't work well. We'll see.........

I didn't realize that I was a mouth breather until I started my CPAP with a mask with nasal pillows. However, I was able to train myself not to breathe through my mouth after a short time.

When I was first diagnosed I was regularly using Ambien and melatonin to get to sleep. After the first week on CPAP I was able to give up all sleep meds. I can't say that this will be the same for you, but I hope you will find that you don't need them anymore as well.

I love Ambien WHEN IT WORKS so I just don't want to overuse it. Last night I didn't get to sleep until after 2 AM so I probably should have taken some. I'm trying to make sure once I have my machine it will be fully effective.

Thanks for the tips - I'm going to make some phone calls today - insurance and doctor's office. I'm not normally a "control person" but I do want to manage this since I'm the one who will be using the equipment!! When I was newly out from breast CA I had a series of tests done. I always insisted on getting a hard copy of each test result. One time, to make a long story short, my liver CT was never read/recorded or it got lost. Had I not kept track of everything it wouldn't have been noticed. Fortunately, the CT was fine but had it not been...... Bottom line - manage your own health care!!!

btesterman wrote:I love Ambien WHEN IT WORKS so I just don't want to overuse it. Last night I didn't get to sleep until after 2 AM so I probably should have taken some. I'm trying to make sure once I have my machine it will be fully effective.

Thanks for the tips - I'm going to make some phone calls today - insurance and doctor's office. I'm not normally a "control person" but I do want to manage this since I'm the one who will be using the equipment!! When I was newly out from breast CA I had a series of tests done. I always insisted on getting a hard copy of each test result. One time, to make a long story short, my liver CT was never read/recorded or it got lost. Had I not kept track of everything it wouldn't have been noticed. Fortunately, the CT was fine but had it not been...... Bottom line - manage your own health care!!!

Good to hear that you're gathering information and making phone calls. I have read over and over here how important it is to go in prepared with knowledge, as otherwise we are at a disadvantage. I really don't like to stereotype an entire industry, but from what I have read (and experienced) it's often truer than not that the DMEs try to take advantage. The truth is, MOST sleep apnea patients probably don't give a hoot about "the numbers". Most probably don't even realize that they can monitor their own therapy. But we know better here. Personally, I like to go by how I feel, but being able to see that I am doing well "by the numbers" gives me the extra incentive to carry on with CPAP.

Especially with 'mild' apnea, as we have, it'd be easy to just say "why bother", but the numbers (and the way I feel) tell me that it's working very well! Also, I know just how awful I felt before CPAP. And I remember how difficult it was to think and concentrate. And I realize how much damage sleep apnea has done to my body over the years. I never want to go back to that!

I have the utmost respect for good physicians, but I too have found that I have to be responsible for my own health care. I get copies of all tests and reports. If I hadn't brought up OSA as a possible explanation for my high blood pressure to my doctor myself, I never would've been tested! The doctor was happy to just give me a pill and say "there's no explanation". I don't roll that way. It is my body and my life, and I'm going to make the most of it!

For many years I have had extremely erratic sleep patterns. One night I could be ready for bed at 8:00, go like that for a while, and then switch to a 3:00 bedtime for a while. It really messes with your life! I don't know if it's just coincidence, but my sleep pattern seems to be evening out since beginning CPAP. Except for a week or so when I didn't seem to be able to get enough hours of sleep, so far so good! I do wonder if I unconsciously feared sleeping, since it wasn't restful due to the struggle to breathe all night long.

I hope that you have good results right away, but do be patient with yourself. We didn't get into these patterns overnight! There may be minor problems to solve along the way, but I think you're going to do VERY well!

~ DreamOn

I'm only on day 31 with my machine. In the beginning I too felt the need to use either Ambien or Ativan to get into the groove of using the machine and the mask. There were a few times when I woke up in the middle of the night and found that I had to get up, go read a book, eat some toast, take some Ambien or Ativan, and then go back to bed to try to sleep again (that's how my life always was before). Little by little I found that I'm using sleep meds less and less, although I won't hesitate to use them when/if the need arises. For the past week I haven't had to use any.