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...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
#11
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Surgery is not the best option, and it is no guarantee that your apnea will go away.
I had a septoplasty and Uvula reshaping surgery. A painful two week recovery and it may have helped initially, my apnea returned.

I'm now in my third year of CPAP, and with the help of this forum, have improved my sleep that I wish I never had the Uvula surgery. The septoplasty helped though...and that really relieved nasal infections following the surgery.
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#12
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
I'd suggest a two pronged approach, especially since none of us has specific info on your nose.

1. Get a CPAP, specifically a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet or AutoSet for Her (slightly better than the Autoset, but not enough to wait for it., or the new AS11 Auto.
2. Get an appointment with a surgical ENT to discuss the narrowing and possible surgery.

Note that I too doubt very much that the surgery would "cure" you but it may improve your breathing. To be clear, the optional step above is the surgery, you will likely need the CPAP either way.
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#13
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
There are two major manufacturers of machines and a few smaller ones. One of the major manufacturers just issued a world wide recall of their machines. The last man standing, is luckily the better machine. It's called ResMed.

Resmed has a line of machines. The CPAP machine gives a person one pressure all night long. This is suitable for some people who events are consistent throughout the night. i.e. 10

The next up from there is the APAP. It offers variable pressures throughout the night. i.e 8 - 12. This is required for people who's apnea events change during the night, for example during REM sleep. It also has the ability to operate like a CPAP. The preferred machine is the ResMed autoset for her model. I don't have the name exactly correct, but autoset and for her are key.

There are more expensive machines that offer additional features. Because of the price (mainly) they are only prescribed to people who need theses features. The CPAP and APAP are most commonly prescribed to new users. Again, the APAP, Autoset, for her, being preferred.

If you have health insurance it will probably pay for the machine, masks, etc. Health insurance plans vary, so it is best to talk directly to them. Some people find it is less hassle and possibly cheaper to purchase a machine outright. But that would be dependent on the insurance coverage.

There are local businesses that sell these machines and they will help fit you for a mask. Then there are online suppliers who may be cheaper. Apneaboard has a supplier list of known reputable online suppliers.

Some sleep doctors may tell you where to go to buy your machine, but you don't have to listen to them. When I got my machine I telephone interviewed a number of suppliers and chose the one I felt was most responsive. Ask your sleep doctor for your prescription.

Having sleep apnea is NOT a big deal ..... if you treat it. Untreated it has heart disease, diabetes, memory loss, depression,
Weight gain, GERD, as some of its best friends. And they are party poppers!

XPAP is like wearing glasses, in that it corrects your sleep while using it, but doesn't cure it.
Sleep-well
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#14
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
Don’t think your an odd ball. Welcome………..
from the hose heads.


It's estimated that one in 15 adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea, which equals 18 million people. Approximately 80% of these people are undiagnosed. Although men are at a higher risk of sleep apnea than women, both sexes can suffer from this disorder.
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#15
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
It's estimated that one in 15 adults "

I find it scary, when I'm driving down a two-lane highway, to think about how many drivers going in the opposite direction might be struggling to stay awake.   
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#16
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
I think all the politicians also have untreated sleep apnea
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#17
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
CPAP is a good starting point because it has a good success rate, lowest cost, and it's also the least invasive. Your doctor was probably being laissez-faire about it because sleep apnea is such a common condition and this is a proven treatment with little risk compared to everything else. Having to attach yourself to a machine every night does seem daunting though, can't blame you there. I could never understand how people slept with those things either, until I ended up using one myself.

I wouldn't worry about 'dependence'. These things don't breathe for you, their purpose is to hold a higher pressure to keep your airway open. Your body still has to do the work of breathing in and out, so these parts won't atrophy.
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#18
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
A HUGE 'Thank you!' to all your encouraging and supportive answers and comments.

I was very scared yesterday, but reading your responses made me feel safe and comforted.

Over night and during today, I came to the realisation that knowing the diagnosis is the best that happened to me in the last year or so; especially as my fatigue and lack of energy caused me to doubt my mental health. To the point I wanted to resign from my job claiming 'burnout'.
I now belief that my burnout symptoms are all related to apnea and my mood has shifted from being devastated  (yesterday) to hopeful (today) that this device will bringvback the person that I used to be during the day.

Someone mentioned that using this device is like wearing glasses. It doesn't cure but "rectifies" the problem.
May I ask whether the results are instant? Will I wake up 'refreshed' after the first night already, or will this be a process of several days or weeks? - assuming there are no teething problems in getting used to wear the mask at night initially...

Thanks again for all your help so far.
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#19
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
How quick for relief? Honestly it varies. I was a lucky one. I saw great relief from my titration test, just the one night of machine use. BUT My AHI was in the 90's and I would drift off, the rumble strips krpt me going straight before CPAP, most know them as driveways, think about it. When they told me 6-8 weeks to get my 1st machine I said noway. and got one at about a week. So I was "Instant". Others can take up to several months. You have likely had apnea for many years, you cannot expect to fix all that overnight. Also, while you know you have apnea, other things can provide the same symptoms.

The key is to use the machine, come back here if/when you are having issues, we have seen just about everything. And to keep a positive attitude.

Post your results here, the OSCAR daily charts as often as you feel the need to, and especially until you know what is not normal for you. It should take us about a week to get you dialed in. Rarely do the sleep docs get it right on the first try.
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#20
RE: ...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.
I think the most important thing to get is the right equipment. If you can get a Resmed Airsense unit, that's the perfect start. Get one that has SD card capability to pull the data and upload to the Oscar software that is offered here. The Oscar data is used on this board and will be asked to show your data. Instructions are up on the Wiki.

The next important part of kit is a mask that fits properly and is comfortable. Leaks must be almost non existent as they will impede your therapy.

From that point on, some people claim that they feel great instantly, but I think for the most of us it takes time. Mostly because we need to "dial in" the correct pressures. The problem with sleep doctors is that they will give you a target pressure, and if you wear your mask for a set amount of hours and your AHI is below 5, then you're compliant, and treated...in their minds. But you may not feel it.

And that's where this forum helps with the advisory panel.

For me, I've been on CPAP for three years. It was up and down on how I felt...never really dialed in, until this year, and mostly within the last few months. I now have a mask dialed in, I tape my mouth...because I'm a mouth breather, and honestly in the last few weeks have started to feel the difference. This is mostly due to about 30 years of apnea. In my situation, it will take time to be that 100%.
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