Some good questions Ruby.
My wife had been harassing me for ages about apnea but it was only when I was desperately tired and in a perpetual fog and waking up feeling like I had been run over by a bus that I actually looked up the subject on Google and learned about OSA and the consequences.
I went to my local doctor and she asked about symptoms and gave me an Epworth Sleepiness Test to fill out and informed me that I would need a sleep test to access the hospital sleep specialist. She suggested (because of cost) that I hire the equipment from our local pharmacy and gave me a request form.
I got the machine that same day with basic verbal instructions on how to set it up and the next morning I took it back to the pharmacy.
2 days later I received the report which I immediately took to my doctor.
She gave me a referral to the hospital sleep specialist and rang him to request an urgent appointment.
I got an appointment within 3 days and he simply reviewed the sleep report and filled out a bunch of papers then told me to go see the sleep clinic people.
He told me briefly about the purpose of the pressure and the impact on central events of going too high and the problems with the digestive system.
I told him that I was about to leave the state so he noted on the prescription (which simply said start at 12) that they should show me how to access the clinical settings on the machine.
I went straight from the hospital to the sleep clinic and picked up the test machine and mask with a brief demonstration of function and took it home. The next day I flew out of state and began the process of figuring out masks and settings.
That was a week after first raising the subject of apnea with my doctor.
I returned with the machine a month later and was handed a new machine and mask of my choice all still in their boxes. I took them home and set them up to the specs that I had reached by trial and error.
I had no choices when it came to the machine but I did insist on the mask that I wanted.
I don't feel that there has been any real followup or support but that may be largely my fault. I am certain that the normal pathway and support systems are there for most people here although they do take a lot longer to get there.
I have since done the usual research into masks and such and dropped into various sleep clinics to check out their gear.
After 4 years of going it alone I had issues that I couldn't find the answers for and so I came to this forum.
I will probably linger for a while longer because it is fun then try once again to get back out into the real world.
