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As a forum member I know we have had a number of new members sign up and I would like to welcome you to the forum.  Things can be sort of slow over the holidays and this can be a stressful time when people need  extra support.  I encourage everyone, new or old, to post. An intro, progress report, question, tip, anything to help keep the forum active and interesting for all of us.

I personally am looking forward to a new sleep test in the new year with a trial of an ASV machine to see if we can get my AHI down into normal range. Those who have been around have heard my story many times, so just skip over this if you like.  I have been on CPAP (or AUTO, Bilevel) for almost four years, but have never been able to get my AHI under five, usually it's in the teens.  My doctor feels it's due to a number of medications that I take and I agree with him.  I have excessive daytime sleepiness and take Provigil with good results and generally feel CPAP has improved my quality of life.  I do still have trouble with depression and though I have a very good psychiatrist have not got that under control (actually, I'm bipolar).  My pipe dream is that if I could get this OSA under better control that my depression will also fall into line.

I am 100% compliant with my therapy and feel this is one of the most important lessons we can teach our new members. All night, every night and hopefully naps are necessary  for success. Sometimes there are many little problems at first that make this difficult- finding the right mask is I believe one of the biggest hurdles.  Fine tuning the humidity level can also make a big difference in comfort.  The newer machines with the many comfort features such as expiratory relief, and ramp can be difficult to navigate, but can make the difference in success and failure for some.  Dating with the machine and bringing a machine into a relationship can be difficult and seemingly insurmountable obstacles for some members.  Many folks take longer to feel better than others who have overnight success and can get discouraged and quit therapy.

We are here as a support group to help each other get over these hurdles and preserve our health and well being through the miracle of this therapy.

There are also alternatives to 'PAP therapy.  We have members who sucessfuly use dental devices, and have had successful surgery.  There is also a fairly new device called the Provent device which some may find helpful.  An electrical stimulation device is also under testing which would free you from the need for the machine.

Who knows what the future may bring as more research is done into what seems to be a growing problem, or at least one becoming more known.  I know I would like a magic pill for the new year. LOL!

There is also the grieving process for those newly diagnosed with a serious life changing chronic disease.   Please don't ever think this is something easy to accept and deal with- ask for help, discusss your feeling with others who have been there.  It's a process, not an event.

There are a wealth of topics to discuss, so please help me in getting 2012 off to a lively, interesting and supportive start on this forum, Mike Goldman's gift to us.

Thanks for your patience with me.

Good Year and Good Breathing to all.

Mary Z.

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Great post Mary. This forum provides a self-selected group of supportive people who help each other get well with Sleep Apnea. It's a rare place that is so open, warm, intelligent and just downright useful. May we all do our part to keep it that way in the coming year and years ahead.

:)

That's a great post Mary, and good to encourage people to participate.  So often people use the forum when they're struggling, but forget (unintentionally) to visit when things are going good - yet there are people who visit daily looking for help and advice.  It's a wake up call for us all to pop in and see if we can help.

Good luck in 2012 for your next sleep study, and I think your experience of the ASV will be interesting.  I trialled one of those and it was fabulous!  With all the help you give to others, you deserve the best treatment you can get.  Thanks Mary!

PS  Don't even think about thanking people for having patience for you, as you have never-ending patience for others :)

Given the ad promoting Ford Fusions in the "CPAP Supplies" box:

http://www.ford.com/cars/fusion/?searchid=64584805|2100178765|43874711

I think the Board is pretty much dead and needs to be pulled off Life Support (obviously an "S/T BiLevel" with an alarm system).

Mary, thanks for your post.

I appreciate your thoughts and hope your sleep test proves helpful to get your AHIs lowered.  I have depression and have been on medication for many years.  It's my hope to get my AHIs lowered to 5 or under, as well, and be able to reduce the antidepressant I'm taking.  Thank you for sharing your story with us. It gave me the courage to write that I have depression. This is something I've never done before.  

Barb

Mary,

I hope your upcoming sleep study goes well and that you are able to get the type of machine that you like.  I'm enjoying my machine and feel very comfortable with it's abilities.

Mark

Thanks, STL Mark.

Thanks for writing, Mary.

I subscribe to Dr. David Brownstein's newsletter. The letter this month deals with depression and the problems associated with trying to treat it with medication.

There is useful advice that might be helpful to you.

I would be happy to forward the newsletter (by e-mail) to anyone who asks. Just send me a private message.

Happy New Year to...all of us!

bump

Cut and pasted for Yeoh: At 11:00pm on December 31, 2011, YeohYeohsaid…   

Hi Mary, I just performed the OSA surgery on 28 Dec and I am still recovering from the surgery. I have the surgery done on the upper air way, tonsil and throat.  The upper airway is recovering fast but the throat and tonsil is still very hurt, cant really take anything.  I believe it will take another week or two before I could fully recover.  The doctor had removed the magnet in my nose yesterday and the airway is clear.  I feel significant improvement in the air flow through my nose while breathing and the feeling is really great (I never had such a good airflow through my nose as I had sinus and very narrow airway) .  However, despite having good air flow, my wife notice I still have the snoring that come with choking and gasping while I sleep yesterday  I am not sure this is cause by the swelling in throat or I am yet to fully recover from the surgery.  Only time will tell.  I will keep you and the team here posted.  Stay tuned.

I would also like to remind people to check in on the main page daily if you have time to keep current on all discussions, not just the ones you are following.  Some posts may still need replies or a thread  may have just slipped by you.

There is so much new posting going on - it's great.  Thank you.  This is our mission to help each other navigate the world of sleep apnea and the ins and outs of treatment.

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