Apnea and Brain issues. MRI looks bad.

yoyoyomonica wrote:

borgready wrote:If you can use cpap and keep everything working as far as oxygen goes then you might get by for awhile. But you will screw up or something will go wrong with using cpap and you will be scrambling to deal with problem.

You can mess up on CPAP? I dont need any new problems. and Yes I did have mental problems before the apnea was diagnosed. I am really worried about the damage that has been done. Each MRI is getting worse and worse. Sigh. I regret not getting treated.

Monica, IMHO borgready is being a little bit alarmist. Sure, the docs don't have all the answers, but if you listen to what they tell you (especially your new one), they may be able to help. I would also be reading all I could about anti-inflammatory foods, because inflammation contributes to a _lot_ of diseases that affect humans as we get older. Look for Todzo's posts on this forum and you will pick up a lot of tips. Sleep apnea is certainly associated with inflammation, especially if you become hypoxic (oxygen levels fall) during your apneas. From that perspective, treating your apnea with xpap can only help. On the other hand, whatever you do don't give up on looking for other possible solutions for your problems. Talking with your docs is an important part of the process, but should not be the only one. Ask questions on here, but verify what you read here with at least one other source that you trust. Maybe some other site on the internet, but your docs may be able to give you a few clues.

yoyoyomonica wrote:You can mess up on CPAP? I dont need any new problems. and Yes I did have mental problems before the apnea was diagnosed. I am really worried about the damage that has been done. Each MRI is getting worse and worse. Sigh. I regret not getting treated.

If you tinker with your CPAP and get it wrong, you can definitely make the CPAP ineffective and be no better off than non doing CPAP at all. If your doctor doesn't set the right pressure, you wont get the full benefit of CPAP either.

A limited number of people will get "central apnea" while on CPAP if the pressure is set too high. That's one of the reasons you need to have a good, data capable machine and check the results.

Apart from gas, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, upset stomach, ear aches, and other "minor" problems, severe problems from CPAP are rare.