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Julie wrote:Would both of you be willing to forget - short term - what your machine says and try something new?... what's to lose?

I was grossed out at the thought of taping-sure I'd never, ever do it. But I got desperate, and Pugsy was gentle in her suggestions for trying it out. It didn't happen to take care of my dry mouth, but was quick, easy and cheap to try - how many xPAP options can you say that about? Also, it was not at all as icky as I had pre-supposed.

Time to get creative - health and energy are well worth it!

MitzyG wrote:My untreated was 64 episodes per hour, pulse ox went down to 86%.
I wake up not wanting to get up at all. I eat, have my soda and I feel pretty decent. Then, it feels like the big crash........
I admit to struggling with depression. I also admit to struggling at work (unrelated to the sleep issues). Everything else in life is fine and I go through bouts when I feel very depressed but there's no reason for it! So when I read that the sleep apnea could cause it, I was thrilled. I have had my hormone levels and vitamin levels checked and corrected...I felt FAB afterwards, but then it "evened out" and I was tired/sad again..........
Not sure if you can relate to any of that.

I can relate very well. Your original AHI was almost exactly the same as mine. I also don't feel like getting out of bed in the morning, but I limit my sleep to 8.5 hours with the alarm.Once I am up and showered I feel pretty good, for about an hour, and then start to get very tired again. I also anticipated that my level of depression would improve ( and that my BP would drop). And of course I have also had my hormone and vitamin levels checked. I certainly feel depressed that my brain is not as sharp as it was, and sometimes I feel the depression may be self perpetuating. The more tired I feel the more depressed I get, which causes more exhaustion. I have noticed I feel more normal when I get involved in a conversation with friends. I don't know if that is because I have stopped dwelling on the things that depress me, or if it is simply because I am making an extra special attempt to concentrate more.

Julie wrote:Would both of you (Mitzi & Rick) be willing to forget - short term - what your machine says and try something new? Like a few days of mouth taping at night to see if you are in fact losing too much pap air that way?

Thanks for the suggestion Julie. Sometime ago I noticed I would wake up and discover just a wisp of air leaking through my slightly parted lips. I have used tape for about a dozen nights now without any noticeable improvement. When I did use the tape it was probably never more than 3 nights in a row, so it may not have been long enough to benefit from. I will give it another try.

I'm embarrassed to admit it. Last night, I was really desperate. Saw Julie's note about taping. So I did it. What did I have to lose? Taped up, it lasted until about 3:30am. Woke up today feeling fab! I wonder if it was the tape or one of the 5 million other things I did?

Let's try for a repeat performance tonight. !

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