HowardR3

Hi all, I'm Howard, found this site just today. I was diagnosed OSA about 10 years ago, then a couple years after was diagnosed with a a "slow-motion" traumatic brain injury or TBI (acquired hydrocephalus, from a bicycle crash almost 25 years ago) that was treated by installing a shunt to unblock flow of cerebral spinal fluid). Have since learned how incredibly important sleep is to brain health. I'm on my second CPAP machine (ResMed S9) and I think it's time for another. This one's about 5 years old and has been all over with me. But I can't get the chamber with the water to stay shut so I've been using it dry for some time. Sleep quality has been going downhill for last couple years, hard to know whether it's from an aging CPAP machine or if it's decline in brain function. But I'm going to try and get a new CPAP first, since getting a new brain isn't in the cards. ResMed doesn't make that model anymore so I wanted to ask folks if CPAP units "wear out" after a period of time like 5 years, and if anyone has had luck getting a replacement machine through social security disability. Lots to learn here, hoping enough of it sticks that I can learn something.

I'm another with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, diagnosed about 10 years ago. At the beginning I had trouble with a full face mask, I think because I'm very sensitive to sounds when I'm trying to sleep and the full mask is NOISY. But my sleep doc suggested trying the NASAL PILLOW MASK and I've been very happy with it. It's a small, flexible mask with a velcro strap around the back of the head and little adjuster in front. The mask itself is not much bigger than my thumb with what look like two protruding "nostril nodes" with openings on the end. The nodes come in 3 sizes (mine's a large). It's comfortable and quiet.