[Diagnosis] Got the bad news today.

[DoubtFire61]

Result of sleep study put my AHI at 110.  I guess that's pretty bad.

Simultaneous to the study, I was found to have elevated blood pressure. Ironically, subsequent treatment of the BP issue has resulted in much better sleep...only the wife stealing the covers or the dog cough awakens me during the night now.

Dr still insistent on getting a CPAP.

Being claustrophobic, I cannot image sleeping with a mask on...

This really sucks.

[GuppyDRV]

Felt the same way......it gets better! There are minimally invasive Nasal mask that should help.

It's worth it......no joke!

GuppyDRV

[Walla Walla]

Don't worry about it. After awhile you'll get to the point where you can't sleep without your CPAP. Read up on masks in the link below. There are plenty to choose from.

Welcome to Apnea Board.

[paulag1955]

I felt the same way. Having a positive attitude will help. I can't say I'm all the way there, but I'm adapting to sleeping with the mask. You can do it because you must.

[trish6hundred]

Hi DoubtFire61,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck as you start your CPAP journey.
Hang in there for more responses to your post.

[Spy Car]

The most minimalistic mask--and one that has a cult following of users (including myself)--is the ResMed P10 Nasal pillow mask. 

It also has the least disrupting air venting of any mask in my awareness.

As long as you are not a mouth breather the P10s are something to consider.

Bill

[Ockrocket]

"Got the bad good news today"

Welcome DoubtFire61..

Sorry, I "edited" your thread title. 

As hard and daunting as it may seem at the moment, your overall health will benefit in the long run.

There will be nights where you struggle with it, but with the help and knowledge of the people on this forum you will find the answers you need to get using CPAP fine tuned for your needs and comfort.

It took me a good 6 months or so to get it things worked out for my needs, then from there it has become routine for me each night.

Without CPAP I was struggling to get to sleep in under two hours of going to bed, and only sleeping 4 to 5 hours, this was leaving me severely fatigued and ultimately led me to falling asleep at the wheel of my vehicle and crashing. 

Now each night when I don my mask I'm asleep within a couple of minutes, it has also made me more diligent in ensuring I get at least 7 to 8 hours or more each night now. 

I am now around two years in to CPAP use, and I have it all fairly well sorted for my needs... even to having a setup that allows me to go camping with my CPAP on my motorcycle to locations that have no power supply available. 

Hang in there, have patience, and ask questions.. you will get it all sorted out. 

[Gideon]

My story.

Like many here I did NOT have sleep apnea, I didn't stop breathing in my sleep, I didn't snore. Sound familiar. 

JUST to tell her "I TOLD YOU SO" I took a sleep study. 
I had 90 events per hour, an AHI of 90!! Go figure. ((At least it's not 110))

I didn't have a problem, I was driving off freeways at exits because I was driving to stay on the road. It was the rumble strips on the side of the city road that woke me up, rumble strips you ask, most know them as driveways, I was driving across driveways, and scared to admit it.

2nd sleep study, the titration study, and I woke at 5:30am actually feeling awake and refreshed, I was stunned.

My DME told me 6-8 weeks to get a CPAP device and I said no way. I said find one elsewhere and I'll travel as far as it takes to get it. End result was about 1.5 weeks to get an appointment and the device, and I've never looked back.

My Rx was CPAP at 18 cmH2O and I took to it like a duck to water. I was lucky, I was immediately feeling better. That was in 2003.

Today I'm doing a consistent 0.5 or less.  Not everyone will get scores that low, we are all individuals, each of us is different.

If you let us I'm sure that we can help you on this journey.  The numbers, getting your AHI down, typically well below the AHI of 5 which says that you are "successfully" treated.  The hard parts are finding a mask, and any comfort issues that come up.

First order of business, get a copy of your initial sleep study!!!, then post it here (delete personal information).    The makeup of your apneas is important.
Second study!!!

Use your next Sleep Study, your titration study, to try on several masks. Try them from the least intrusive (the ResMed P10 pillow mask) to the minimal nasal masks, and finally (If you have to) to the Full Face Masks.  The Amara View has nothing in front of you from the nose up, a good alternative to a traditional Full Face Mask.

Read the New to Apnea link and the Mask Primer, both in my signature.

Finally ask questions here, there is no such thing as a stupid question.  Do not hesitate to do this.
Ok there is one stupid question and that is, Did I really mean what I just said?  duhhhh


Fred

[ghstudio]

The title is wrong.....it should be "I got the good news today....now I know what's wrong and it can be treated"

This is not the end of the world....it may be the start of a new life...or at least a much longer one.

[mesenteria]

I, too, went from disbelief to having to accept a new reality.  I was a competitive runner, in good health, seemingly sleeping soundly (although not more than about 6 hr/night), good weight, non-smoker, low alcohol consumption, on no medication, and generally on top of the world.  Today, just weeks later, I'm on metoprolol to control heart rate and strength of beat, statin to control serum lipids, and on an anticoagulant in case my paroxysmal atrial fibrillation pays a visit...again.  When my cardiologist said I was to undergo a sleep analysis, I knew that would be a dead end.  Long story short, 30 AHI/hr later, I'm on a CPAP.  I feel no difference....at all...except maybe I'm a bit groggier during the day (metoprolol).  But my numbers upon awakening each morning are vastly better.  Yuuge!

When I was in the equipment provider's offices and trying on masks, I could hear a voice screaming about ten yards behind me that this couldn't be real.  It was a bad dream.  And, yup, my first couple of nights were horrible.  But I keep up the self-talk.  I had to do this.  I simply must do this for my own good.  I'm told I'll get used to it.  And I did.  I had to fiddle with fit, fiddle with position during sleep, fiddle with the humidity in the tubing, get remedy for opening my mouth as I fell asleep and allowing the CPAP to force a gale through the new path of least resistance.  I now have to tape over my mouth.  But that worked!

Just keep telling yourself that it's not THE big deal.  THE Big Deal is that you have a problem.  It's the condition, not your new way of dealing with it.  Your new way of dealing with it, now that you know of it, is just the first step in restoring your longevity, your health, your ability to enjoy conversations, the bright sunny days coming before long....all of life.

Rejoice!  You are in a position to profit from both a definitive diagnosis and from a restorative measure that few people can hope to enjoy around the world. Some never learn how bad they have it.