(11-13-2016, 05:29 PM)woodturner550 Wrote: Yes this advise in by my doctors. One thing I have learned is to become informed. I'm in a position that either way can be harmful. I don't get any rem sleep, always tired vs get sleep but risk death caused by infection.
Have any of your doctors suggested an oral appliance? That would most likely not pose the same kind of risk and it might provide you with some partial relief from the OSA.
If the OSA is severe enough where sleep tests show that you cannot get into REM sleep, then you may need to talk to the docs about whether the problem is severe enough to warrant considering a trach if an oral appliance does nothing to help.
Here's the thing: If your sleep is as bad as you say it is, then the lack of sleep may in the long run compromise your immune system and that will put you at risk for infections.
Quote:I have been on the coast two years and I have not had a noose bleed or infection in two years. This may be the very best I can achieve
Thanks for your thoughts and advise.
A question for you:
What do you want from this forum? This forum is primarily a self-help forum for CPAP users, but as you say, CPAP is contraindicated in your particular case.
There are a few other treatments for OSA, but they are usually not as successful at treating the condition as CPAP. However, some of those other treatments may not be contraindicated in your case, and some treatment may be better than no treatment.
My advice is to ask your medical team whether using an oral appliance designed for the treatment of OSA is worth looking into. It probably won't eliminate your OSA, but even if it cut your untreated AHI by 25-50%, that may be enough to let your body get into REM sleep at least occasionally and it may be enough where some of your daytime fatigue is lessened.
If your diagnostic sleep test showed that your OSA is worse on your back, then doing what you can to avoid back sleeping may make at least a marginal difference. Likewise if you are overweight, losing the excess weight may help. If you are NOT overweight, work hard to make sure that you do NOT gain weight since extra weight will make your OSA worse. (For what it's worth, I'm a 5'1" woman who weighs 110 lbs and I've never been overweight in my life, but I have moderate OSA.)
It may also be worth asking your medical team whether surgery might help in your case. And if they think that surgery is a possibility, then start asking a lot of questions about exactly what kind of surgery they would recommend and what a desirable outcome for the surgery would be.