Doctor said I have small airway

I never had a sleep study but past gf's said I gasped. So years ago I got a cpap machine used off craigslist.com but had nose attactchements.

A doctor I saw last week said I had a small airway for such a "big guy." Well I guess had she been smarter she had known that many Nfl Players esp with over 17 inch necks have sleep apnea.

I dont ahve insurance and think i'm just going to try to get a good deal on an Apap machine or see the doctor again and get a scrip for Provent which if you have not seen do a search on it. ITs prob not quite as effective as an apap but still pretty cool and effective.

So do you think that having your Cpap connected to your nose still works fine even though its the small airway in my mouth/ throat area being small which is common for "big guys" to have sleep apena if you read up on it. Brett FAvre has it and many others.

As long as you can get enough air flow through your nose, then a nasal mask or pillows should work fine for you. I have a small airway down my throat as well as a small mouth and narrow nasal passages. So, I cannot sleep with a nasal mask. I use a full face mask and sleep with my mouth open. Either mask will work fine for cpap treatment as long as it fits YOU, and you can breath okay with it.

Have you checked to see what a home study would cost? Those are less expensive than sleep studies in a lab, and you would have some help in getting the correct titration. And hopefully rule out some other issues that may be contributing, or call attention to them so that you can get treated for those as well.

There are options to go it on your own, but I would recommend trying for at least some doctor supervision as there are some things that could be complicating factors. Once you have the basics then making adjustments isn't as big a deal.

Maybe if you see that doc again you could ask them to clarify about the "small airway". Some airways are encroached upon by fat an/or muscle around the neck, thus making the airway small. Then there are airways that are extra "fleshy" inside in the back of the mouth/throat, making the airway small. Then there are those airways that are structurally small, as in with inset chins or narrow jaws. Maybe the last was what your doc saw, at least then her comment would be understandable. If a person is built big everywhere else, is it reasonable to expect the jaw to be proportionate? I don't know - just thinking it through. But it may be that this answer could make a difference in whether Provent is a viable option for you.

Having the air from your CPAP going in your nose is still effective because it still travels down the throat and splints it open - as long as you are not mouth breathing. In those cases a mask that accommodates mouth breathing or a means of keeping the mouth shut would be needed for effective therapy. Does your machine have data capabilities? It may be that you could get info from it to let you know if your treatment is effective. If not, buying a data capable CPAP or an APAP could be a big help as you go forward. But wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise if data proved what you're doing is working just fine? Do you have any reason to feel it is not as effective as it could be? Another possiblility could be to have any doctor order a trial period on an APAP, which is cheaper than a full home study. A rental for a week or two could answer your question if it turns out your machine can't give you the answers. Good luck as you go forward.

I get where you are coming from without insurance. I knew I needed Sleep Apnea treatment for over a year, and I was told my insurance would not cover the tests. What I did not realize is that I could have gotten the medical people to do for me everything they would do if I had insurance, if I had only explained my situation and asked to be taken as a charity case.

If one had a great insurance package. The order of events would likely be:

See a doctor, a GP would do. If you asked about whether Sleep Apnea treatment might be right for you. They might ask questions like: Do you dream. REM sleep is one of the deeper stages to sleep, and is, as you, the stage where you dream. Whatever your answer. The doc would write an order for you to get a "Recording Pulse Oximeter" from a DME for a single night rental.

Recording Pulse Oximeter is a small device that has the little clip to go over one of your fingers, and the recorder itself.

After a night, one would return to thing to wherever you rented it. They would read it and send the data to your doctor. Who might see that your O2 is getting too low, therefore you should proceed with the next, more expensive, time consuming steps.

Usually one sees a Sleep Doctor, who will ask a bunch of questions, answer a lot of questions about Sleep Apnea and the tests. Maybe not. The Sleep doc will write an order for you to undergo a Sleep Study, and then if needed, a Sleep Titration study to determine exactly how your machine should be set.

For some the tests are done on two different nights, but they can be done, with some less reliability, on one night in a split study.

After each of the studies, at least two different people will read the test by scoring, I think, every 15 seconds of the night. Reading the tests is pretty complicated. Last I heard no had been able to program a computer to do it. So a few days might pass before you hear of the results.

A sleep study can find a number of sleep issues that need to be treated differently than with a Sleep Apnea machine set on Auto. Please realize that many on the forum have uncomplicated OSA which can be helped by a machine on Auto. At best trying to use a Sleep Apnea machine on auto would require the individual to go through a lot more aggravation in trying to find the correct settings for themselves, and can turn out to be dangerous for some kinds of issues.

If you need a Sleep Apnea machine. Then they will write a prescription, including a setting for the machine. Which you will take to a DME, hopefully a honest, helpful DME of your choice. The Durable Medical Equipment company should be your partner in helping you to find the right mask for you. And help you through some of the frustrations of getting the treatment to work for you.

My punch line is that some Sleep Centers, like the ones that are associated with teaching hospitals, usually arrange for some people to get their services without charge. Usually starts with a discussion of sliding fee payments, and then an application from you to help justify their non-profit status. I suspect that even centers which are for profit will do some charity work.

Some DME's also have some - what might be called compassionate help. But one can not bother asking a DME for anything until one has a prescription from a doc in one's hand.

For myself, as I was sure I had to do this thing and would not be frustrated into quitting. I went from waking up in morning saying to myself, "It can not be time to get up yet, I am still tired." To, "There are so many interesting things to do today." It is like coming back to life after years of walking around in the fog of being tired. Life is a lot more fun.

There is one thing those of us on the board almost never suggest any one needing treatment, before machine, for whatever reason, try.

When those of us who have machines can not use them: Power out. Forgot hose on trip, and so on. We say sleep sitting up.

Sleeping while sitting up can keep some of the OSA from happening. I should be very careful to point out. I am not talking about sitting up while reclining in a lounge chair. Sleeping on one's back is usually the worst for those of us with Sleep Apnea.

Can any of you have tried this chime in with your results?

Just a note about Provent: Even if it works, the per night expense actually makes it more costly than CPAP if used full time.
(cpap equipment amortizes over time, yielding more economical --and more effective treatment.)
It may be more likely used by members of this forum as a travel or emergency alternative.

A person with a "small airway" is more likely to have OSA and to need PAP therapy. Therefore, many diagnosed with OSA have a "small airway."

The disorder [sleep apnea] results primarily from an anatomically small upper airway in conjunction with pharyngeal dilator muscles that can compensate for the anatomic deficiency awake, but not asleep. . . . Most patients with OSA have an anatomically small pharyngeal airway. -- http://pats.atsjournals.org/content/3/1/124.full.pdf

Sleeping while sitting up can keep some of the OSA from happening. I should be very careful to point out. I am not talking about sitting up while reclining in a lounge chair. Sleeping on one's back is usually the worst for those of us with Sleep Apnea.

This is not true at all for me. If I fall asleep sitting straight up, I'll have apnea AND reflux within 10 minutes. You cannot rely on positioning to prevent apnea, if the apnea is significant enough, positioning will not help.

I have a very small airway--it's structurally small with a very small chin (micrognathia) associated with a genetic disorder, high, arched palate, and generally narrowed structures inside. Sitting up doesn't change that one bit.