DanM

Hello @PioneeringRedVioletJellyfish6611. If you intended to post information, we only received your "Hi" message. Welcome to MyApnea.Org, and please feel free to post on the Forum!

Hi Dayle (@BrightYankeesBlueLocust6465). I have not had sinus surgery as a CPAP patient, but I have worked with both physicians and patients related to this issue. While it will depend on your specific situation, CPAP users sometimes need to temporarily not use treatment while healing from some types of surgery. If they do not want you to stop using treatment temporarily, they may be able to lower the pressure so that you still get some benefit from your treatment. I encourage you to contact your surgeon and/or sleep physician and see if they can provide you with guidance. The pressure at 18 cm may be difficult to tolerate after surgery, depending on the type of surgery and your level of recovery. Best wishes, and please keep us posted.

Hello Ann (@ImaginativeScarletDolphin9830). I have heard of Myofunctional Therapy, and I read a literature review that showed the same statistics you mention. Here is a link to the article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25348130. I do not have any personal experience with the therapy, but maybe we have some community members who can comment.

Hi @FrankChartreuseMosquito9836. I am happy to hear your oral appliance is working to treat your sleep apnea. Medicare does cover oral appliances for sleep apnea and released some updated coverage information in October 2015. The criteria are very specific, so the guidelines must be followed closely for Medicare to pay for the treatment. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine has a physician finder on their Patient Resources web page (http://www.aadsm.org/PatientResources.aspx), and you may be able to locate a certified dentist in your area. A dentist who is board-certified in dental sleep medicine may be able to assist you with getting your device paid for. Best wishes, and please keep us posted!

Hi @CompassionateRaspberryGiantPanda7625. Have you had your CPAP compliance checked since the mask change and pressure adjustment? If the pressure is now too low, that may be causing your awakenings. It might be worth having that checked first. As for your nasal passages, this may or may not be related to CPAP. Reducing the humidity too much can actually cause congestion because the colder air can cause dryness and swelling of the nasal passages. Less humidity will dry you out. Maybe you should consider slowly adjust your humidity level back up to a comfortable level. The heated tubing will help keep moisture out of the tube and will help maintain the humidity level of the air as it exists the machine and travels to the mask. Some patients find using saline spray or rinse before bed also helps. Thanks, and I hope these suggestions help.

Hello, and welcome to MyApnea.Org @Yabadabadoo. I am happy to try and answer any questions your have about what numbers on sleep reports mean. We have a great member community and a very active Patient Engagement Panel, so I hope your experience is better here on our Forum!

It sounds like you got off to a rough start with your equipment. Unfortunately, your story is true of many new CPAP users. I am a patient, and my first experience was not so good. My second experience, with a great home care company and an excellent respiratory therapist who was educated about sleep apnea, was life-changing. A good equipment provider will spend time educating the patient, fitting the mask properly and teaching the patient how to fit the mask, allow a patient to try different masks while the mask is connected to a machine (because air pressure changes how a mask feels and fits), and will follow up with a patient to make sure things are progressing as they should. It does not sound like you received much support, but I hope things are improving for you.

Please do feel free to ask your questions and share your experiences. We will do our best to make you feel welcome! -Dan

Hi @WarmheartedViridianLoris0581. Snoring can occur for more than one reason, so the primary goal may be to find out why a person snores in the first place and whether the snoring might be contributed to other medical conditions. Once you know why you snore, it may be easier to prevent the snoring. An ENT physician can usually determine the cause of snoring. Thanks, and best wishes!

Welcome, @LoyalRedVioletWombat3981! Glad to hear you found MyApnea.Org. Please feel free to share your stories about diagnosis and treatment with our members. Many are newly diagnosed and are interested in hearing helpful tips and experiences of others!

Hi Nell (@FaithfulJadeGoldfinch6842). There are numerous options for nasal pillow systems, but I am not sure of which ones might meet your needs. Some of the exhalation noise depends on the amount of air pressure your machine is generating. You might talk to your equipment provider about letting you try several masks while awake and at your prescribed pressure to see if you can find something that works. Keep us posted! I'm sure many of our community members would love to know about masks that others use and why they like them!

Hi @ConscientiousEmeraldElephantseal6146. APAP machines that adjust pressure can sometimes climb to higher pressures if they are attempting to compensate for mask leak or if they detect periods of severe breathing. For some patients, the higher pressure can be uncomfortable. Higher pressures can also cause other issues for patients who do not need those pressures. Many physicians will limit the pressure depending upon specific patient needs. It is difficult to say if using your brother's machine pressure caused your migraine, but higher pressures can sometimes cause headaches, ear pain and other symptoms. If you suspect you need more than your prescribed 5 cm of pressure and are concerned about your lack of energy, I encourage you to talk to your sleep physician to see if your treatment needs to be evaluated. Best wishes!