...just been told I have Apnea and very confused.

[Sleeprider]

Speaking of the "right equipment", you will find the therapy most comfortable if you can make the most minimal mask interface work. Nasal Pillows are remarkable in that they only seal at the bottom of your nose, and with some experience, you can continue to talk, interact and even drink with a nasal pillows mask. The trick is to prevent air from escaping via your mouth by maintaining control of the airway with the back of your tongue. Once you master this, and maintain that seal during sleep, the rest is very easy. I'd suggest trying to make nasal pillows work first before resorting to larger heavier interfaces like a nasal mask or full face mask. The best part for you is that by applying pressure directly to the nostrils, your nose will open up and flow air like you used to dream about. If you are subject to allergies or congestion, then Flonase (fluticasone propionate) can help reduce inflammation and open the passages even more.

[Gideon]

Since nightgagger brought it up. your machine.
You have a choice of DME to use and which machine within a class of machines you get. This is important.
nightgagger mentioned AirSense 10 which is a series of CPAPs and APAPs, one of which is affectionately called a brick which means it has no detailed data. Here at AB, one thing that sets us apart from most other pap forums is that we use data to base our advice on.

Please post a redacted copy of your sleep study. We need to kow the breakdown of these events, what kind of apnea are represented ans in what quantity. All we know so far is you have an "incident rate of 44" assuming that to be an AHI of 44 which means severe Apnea and as such you NEED a machine. We want to see the breakdown of your apnea to see is you may need something other than a standard machine. Factored into this is also what is your general health, your cardio-pulmonary health and your CNS (central nervous system) health.

I can almost guarantee you a diagnosis of OSA and an initial machine recommended by your doc of a CPAP/APAP. With this machine class we suggest the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet or AutoSet for Her (which has a very slight edge) and very soon the new AS 11 AutoSet. We have also seen sleep reports that have grossly mis-diagnosed the patient. Not that we expect this but we do look for it.

[NelsonM]

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'm so sorry to hear that, it sounds awful. I think a lot of us here have been there.

For me the improvement with CPAP was immediate. I felt better the very first day, like I was literally dancing to music while making morning coffee whereas before in the morning there was a 20% chance I'd just try to go back to sleep.

But I was lucky. To be honest a lot of people have trouble with CPAP. Some only start feeling an improvement after weeks, some folks can't tolerate it at all. I don't write this to discourage you! I think CPAP is probably the best first thing to try if a doctor recommends it, mostly because it's not permanent in any way. Just be aware that while it ends up working for a lot of people it sometimes takes some time and adjustment. There are a lot of resources here on this board to help you with that.

Try to set yourself up for success. For me that meant getting the best machine (Resmed 10 Autoset) and a likely-to-work-for-anyone full mask (ResMed Airtouch F20). And then approaching it with a positive attitude. I spent an hour or so while I was awake getting used to the mask, breathing through it (disconnected from the machine mostly, although trying it with the machine too). That way when I went to sleep that first night it was at least familiar.

[SwissTruffle]

Thanks!

In relation to the machines and masks, I am making notes of all the comments.
The process of getting my machine does not appear to be that transparent at the moment.
All I know is that a team from the hospital (I guess a third party of some kind) will contact me in the coming weeks to arrange a home visit and a set up.
My doctor didn't come across of this process providing me many - if any! - options; apart from the mask which I was told will be done via a fitting test.
I guess, at this very moment, my doctor treats this event as a 'test' to see whether I will respond favourably to this treatment in the next two/three months.
I assume, after this trial, I am better off organising a machine myself using the helpful advise and info provided by this group here?
Looks like I will have to fund all of this myself anyway...

[SarcasticDave94]

Keep us updated on what they plan on when you become aware of it. If you're paying for it all, then get what works best. I'd not suggest anything other than ResMed machines, AutoSet or AutoSet For Her in APAP, the VAuto for BPAP. I'm not getting anything that indicates you need a higher specialized machine above this.

There is value in considering pillows masks first. They are the least invasive and lowest area to leak.

[Cpapian]

To answer your question about instant improvement, I would say yes and maybe.

As soon as you use your machine and sleep with it, properly tuned, it will prevent apneas. On your sleep study your score was 44 per hour. Getting 8 hours of sleep you were being disturbed approximately 350 times during the night. Most of us, with a little tuning, get 0, 1 or on a bad night maybe 2. On an eight hour sleep you would be disturbed 16 times at an AHI of 2. Much, much better even on a bad night. So you will be able to have a lot more quality sleep, less adrenaline shocks.

How that translates to how you feel will be uniquely yours. When I have been sleep deprived, the first couple of nights I feel very tired. I have always assumed that was my body moving from exhausted to tired.

The machine will immediately prevent apnea events. How much better you will feel .....

[Gideon]

All I know is that a team from the hospital (I guess a third party of some kind) will contact me in the coming weeks to arrange a home visit and a set up.

At this point you ask what machine they are delivering, and say "I'm expecting a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her or a ResMed AirSense 11 AutoSet, which is it?"

[mjphyi]

The process of getting my machine does not appear to be that transparent at the moment.
All I know is that a team from the hospital (I guess a third party of some kind) will contact me in the coming weeks to arrange a home visit and a set up.

You'll need to remind the Americans that you're based in Ireland and the system is different from what they're used to. Certainly post the process in Ireland once you find out what it is.

My doctor didn't come across of this process providing me many - if any! - options; apart from the mask which I was told will be done via a fitting test.
I guess, at this very moment, my doctor treats this event as a 'test' to see whether I will respond favourably to this treatment in the next two/three months.

He quite probably does, and many US doctors aren't very responsive either, and seem irked by patients from this forum who have educated themselves here to a higher level than their doctor. And a 2 or 3 month trial is very much better than one night. At least it would be if your doctor is good at tweaking the many settings available on the CPAP machine on a regular basis during the trial.  There appears to be a growing trend to start people off with a machine that can alter it's settings within given ranges, and attempt to let the machine find the best settings. Without attention from someone who knows how to interpret the results in detail, this method often doesn't work especially well for the patient (judging by posts in here) although insurance companies providing CPAP machines seem to think it works well for them.

I assume, after this trial, I am better off organising a machine myself using the helpful advise and info provided by this group here?
Looks like I will have to fund all of this myself anyway...

I wouldn't presume that the trial won't work well for you, but I would prepare for that possibility.  In particular I would urge you not to make the giant mistake that I did, which was to insist that because my nasal passages were often completely clogged on one side or another, that I should have a full face mask. This was a huge mistake, and it took me four years of trying to get over it. Full face masks work for some people apparently, but we apparently have more than 100 muscles in our faces, and it appears that any one of them can contract during the night, and cause a mask leak. That may well ruin the effectiveness of your therapy if you are using the Auto CPAP machine usually prescribed to new patients. I'm actually surprised that I haven't run across a service to mould masks to individual patient's faces. The very best machines seem to be much less affected by leaks.

Many people including myself can learn to use a nasal mask, and breathe through their nose. After all, nasal passages are airways, and CPAP machines expand them. My own use of a nasal mask cut my hourly apnea rate by a factor of 5 or so. I don't know how hard it will be to get your trial equipment to include both a nasal mask and a full face, but I would try for that. You should also make sure your trial is done a machine that records a lot of data, so you can post some of your results here for more informed advice. However there's still a lot to get used to, and it can certainly be discouraging.

[rhyman]

SwissTruffle,

I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. I know I have had it for years, but just didn't go for the sleep study. Thankfully, my wife really pushed me to get it done. My AHI was around 30. I was not happy to find out that I had OSA, but now that I have accepted it, I am so happy to have my CPAP and know that I am taking the right precautions against what could have very well shortened my life.

I like the advice of others to make sure you get the ResMed machine. Now that the other major machine was recalled, this is really the standard. And having the removable memory card is a must, so you can upload your data to OSCAR and let those on this board help you with understanding the data and how your treatment is going.

I encourage you to try as many masks as possible. With this, you can venture to different brands, and all should work just fine with the ResMed machine. I started out with a nasal mask, but mouth breathing put an end to that pretty quickly. I have tried several full face masks, and have settled in on a hybrid mask - ResMed F30i. Which brings me to another point - I would try both types of masks, those where the hose connects in front of your face and one that connects on top of your head. See which allows you to be most comfortable. I have tried 10 different masks, each offering a different fit, which lends itself to comfort and leak.

I think I am one of the lucky ones, who has adapted pretty quickly. Other than night 1, where i only got 4 hours on the CPAP, I get between 7 and 8 hours of therapy each night. My AHI is always between 0.5 and 2.0. I also have been using an Apple watch to track my sleep. I started this practice a couple of weeks prior to getting my CPAP, so I could compare. I am getting better quality sleep. And I do feel somewhat better, and hoping that I start to feel amazing soon. I have been on CPAP for 6 weeks.

Hang in there. It is a lifestyle change, but as someone said in a previous post, it could be a lot worse. Commit to it, accept it, and find the right equipment, and we all hope you will be telling us how great you feel in the weeks and months ahead.

[AndyB]

SwissTruffle,

Like you, I was diagnosed with "severe" sleep apnea after a sleep study that showed I had an AHI of 44.  That was 6+ years ago.  Also, like you, I was lucky enough to discover this incredible forum, with its many knowledgeable, helpful and supportive members, within days of my diagnosis.  The education and guidance I've received here has been invaluable.

It's not always easy to become acclimated to using a CPAP machine.  For me, the process of adjusting to apnea therapy took several months, but now it's no big deal.  I use my machine every night, all night, without fail, no matter what.  It has become simply a routine part of my life that enables me to sleep well and avoid the adverse impacts of sleep apnea. I encourage you to think of the important health benefits you'll achieve from your therapy.

Good luck to you,
AndyB