BrainsNeedSleep

Ruby I am sure you know that when flying, TSA and airlines are required to allow a medical device on board with you as a third piece of luggage, not to count against your 2-item max, and requiring you to "check" it is absolutely not okay. A couple of years ago I thought I saw something on the TSA website that one could print out and show the TSA agents but when I went back just recently in anticipation of a trip of my own, when I searched "CPAP" all I got was info on oxygen.

Getting over the whole "I'm no longer attractive to my bedpartner" does take a little doing, but I have friends whose partners are relieved about the mask because (1) the reduction in snoring is so helpful, and (2) they know it's a health issue and they would like to keep their bedmate around a while :-) Granted, there are partnerships where one or both are uncommunicative, but then the issues are far greater than a simple CPAP. Personally I loathe the industrial-grey hose assembly and am looking forward to neon green or fuschia, and I prefer the "fighter pilot" mask image than Darth Vader, though Darth does share sound...

And I had to crack up at your remark about the mask-slipping sounds: my dog leaps up and runs over to check on me when a particularly bad one happens, usually when I'm shifting position. He also wakes me up if the mask leak alert too-quiet alarm goes off because I rarely hear it my self.

As for sleeping with others -- increasingly people I know are using CPAP (partly because I pester them until they get tested) and the odds of getting a roommate on trips, etc, who also uses one may be moving in our favor!

So glad to know you are persisting in using yours. I hate mine, too, for all the usual reasons, but since I now see the benefits -- including just how bad things got! -- there's no way anyone is taking mine away until something better (and non-pharmaceutical) comes along.

Dan, what are the potential side effects of that treatment? And do you have any sense of how often docs actually LOOK in people's noses? Dr Thomas was the first one who ever did, and that was only after finally I got an ENT to check it and try to fix it. The airway begins in the nose, doesn't it?

Another thing -- regarding the weight despite eating well -- I'd like to offer what has worked for me -- the "whole grain, healthy carb" recommendation spiel is not necessarily so helpful. In a weak moment I caved and bought a package on a fundraiser on public television, read it, and experimented -- and not only did it help with weight, but it changed my brain fog significantly. If you're interested, Dr David Perlmutter's book Grain Brain is one place to start. Your library may have it or be able to obtain it for you. High healthy fat/low carb helps me tremendously. This is the first winter I have not put on the extra 10-15 pounds and I am able to maintain stable weight for the first time ever. You might care to try it once you feel you are sleeping better. Which I hope is very very very soon!

Personally the only software I use or trust is SleepyHead. Still learning how to use it well.

I am not a medical doctor either but 89 I have been told is not good, but it depends on how long, how often, etc. As for whether it represents central sleep apnea, I believe oxygen desaturations occur with any sort of event, obstructive or central, that lasts long enough (I may be incorrect on that) -- but you should look at the details in your sleep study report (be sure to get a copy for yourself!) -- it will tell you how many events were obstructions, partial obstructions, and centrals. If you have a mix of them, go to the article on here in the RESEARCH section by Dr Robert Thomas about complex sleep apnea. That might help. Good luck and let us know how you do.

1. a friend helped by sending me her unused CPAP and mask (!), and telling me to go on cpaptalk.com, where people helped me set the machine for my prescribed pressure and provided more information than I could absorb at the time. THIS website did not exist back then.

1. yes, but only by becoming completely nonfunctional and almost hysterical in the doctor's office, I was absolutely desperate for sleep. I know now why sleep deprivation is a form of torture..

1. getting a doctor to listen and send me for a sleep study

my understanding is that there are different models of chin straps, some cup the chin a bit and others are just plain straps. one of the "cuppers" might be more helpful to you?

Marjorie, what do you think would have helped convince you, way back when you first had it, that you needed to use the machine? We still struggle to find ways to convince people a lot of health issues result from sleep apnea and that until something better comes along the PAP is good treatment. Can you help answer this question? Good luck, sorry to read about another person suffering apnea's consequences.