its kind of a complicated issue, but ill go ahead and explain.
4 years ago i had all the symptoms of sleep apnea...constant urination urges at night (3-4 times), constantly feeling exhausted, i was told it sounds like i would stop breathing at night, i snored super loud, etc.
i had a sleep study done...it was "inconclusive", they wanted to do it again, except, each time i had to pay like 350 bucks out of pocket till i met my deductible, AND i woul dhave to buy the cpap machine out of pocket since my deductible was 5,000 bucks.
long story short, i said, screw it, i'll just buy myself and apap machine, try it out for a few months, and see what happens...if my symptoms get worse, ill stop using it, if they get better, i'll keep using it.
i found a resmed s9 autoset on craigslist, new, unopened, for about 1/4th of what i would have had to pay out of pocket if i went the "legit" route...basically a guy bought it for his dad who flat out refused to use it, refused to open it, and so he wnated to get rid of it.
i lucked out.
i also bought a quattro full face mask.
this was after doing a ton of research on the subject mind you. i figured, with an autoset, id be fine since i wouldnt have to titrate it.
at first it was really difficult to sleep with the machine, the constant feeling of claustrophobia was awful. but, once i got used to using it, within a few weeks my symptoms dissipated. i never had issues with having to pee multiple times at night, hell, i dont pee at all at night, its rare that i have to wake up to use the bathroom...maybe like once a month or 2...if that.
i definitely feel more wide awake, and i stopped making the snoring noises that i heard complaints about.
so i figured, i clearly had sleep apnea, this resolved it.
that was when i weighed 260lbs... (im a 6'0 tall 33 yr old male)..i now weigh 194, and am not going to stop my dieting and exercise till i hit 175.
could i have a sleep test? id rather not pay out of pocket. ive got no proof i actually have or have ever had sleep apnea, other than common sense...if you have all the symptoms, and take the remedy for the problem and all the symptoms go away...well, odds are, you have/had sleep apnea.
anyways, this was 4 years ago when i started using it...sitll using the same machine, but ive replaced the masks and filters regularly, etc. however, the machine, which used to, back then, regularly go over 10.0 in the pressure readout, now never seems to go over 4.0 when i peek at it, and i never have that heavy pressure feeling you can sometimes get when you know youve had an "Event" that it amped up the pressure for.
ok, thats my story, i hope it clears things up. i guess i could always just stop using the machine for a while to see how it goes.
or i could titrate it myself to the lowest setting, and check the readout after a few days to see what it does.
what do you all suggest for this self medicator?
btw, thanks for all the warm welcomes