Could not complete titration study

I went for my 2nd sleep study - (titration) and put on the nasal mask and had a severe panic attack! I cannot tolerate anything on my face - (I told the doctor this) and he insisted on this 2nd study anyway. I started to hyper-ventilate and almost blacked out.

Besides losing weight, what dental appliances have proven most effective? I wore braces for years so a dental appliance would probably work for me. I feel like a failure over this but I did go in with the attitude that I will at least try and make it work. Thank you.

FJD2006,

Don't feel like a failure. You went in and tried. You also let your doctor know about your intolerance of having anything on your face.

Sorry to hear you had problems with your titration. I'm surprised that your doctor didn't specify to the clinic that you have a mask that isn't very invasive. Would it be possible for you to ask your doctor if you could try an APAP machine for a week or two for a "home titration?" Also, when you do this it's important to get a mask that isn't on your face. Now I'm sure other people may pipe in with ideas for masks, but the one I use that doesn't touch my face is the Headrest (formerly Aura) by AEIOmed. You wear it like a cap and then the nasal pillows come down around your nose. The only part even touching a little is the nasal pillows which are butting up to your nostrils. If you look on cpap.com and then under nasal pillows you'll be able to see pictures. It is very comfortable and lightweight.

How bad is your sleep apnea? If it's mild then a dental appliance may help. If your SA is severe then dental appliances won't work. I have severe osa and did try one to see if it would even help a little. It didn't help one bit. All it did was mess up my bite and frustrate me. I had a TAP appliance. Now I know it works for some and that's absolutely wonderful. There is a poster on this board that has been through surgeries and is working with a dental appliance. I don't recall his name, but he seemed to be doing well with it.

Melinda

Here's a link you can click on that talks about Swordz's dental device experience:

Swordz how are you holding up?

sleepylady wrote:There is a poster on this board that has been through surgeries and is working with a dental appliance. I don't recall his name, but he seemed to be doing well with it.

If you are talking about the poster named Swordz, it doesn't sound like he's doing well with it based on the above link.

Well darn. Last I had heard Swordz was doing pretty well. Thanks to the guest who supplied his name.

Melinda

http://www.talkaboutsleep.com has a whole forum dedicated to dental sleep medicine

In the cpap faq on this site (big white question mark in the red balloon) you'll find info about dental devices too.

Don't get discouraged by your panic - there are ways to overcome it - but having a mask slapped on your face just like that isn't one of them.

Aeiomed's Headrest with Nasal Seal (still called Aura by most of us), as Sleepylady says, barely touches your nostrils - it is not well know in sleep clinics and by DMEs (Aeiomed is a new company) but might be a solution.

Read, ask, tell us how things are going, and try to relax. It's no fun - but wait till you start sleeping better!

O.

But many people cannot even tolerate the Aura or the Breeze or the Adam because of the hose coming up over the head from the nostrils. You can still see this. This is why many go to an interface which only touches the nostrils and no other part of the face. The Swift barely touches the nostrils and a big plus is it also does not cause pressure on the upper lips.

Too, many techs at sleep labs seem to think tighter is better, when in fact loose straps are better on nearly every kind of masks.