Thanks for the welcome sleepycarol! Since joining this group and hearing these stories. I realize I'm afraid to sleep at night. Is that normal for most of us? I am having a bit of a problem wearing my mask all night. Working on getting it fixed.

Thanks for a warm welcome! I just began therapy about four weeks ago, still trying to figure it all out!

Thanks for the warm welcome. I should be getting my CPAP in a few days. I'm actually very excited. It's been so long since I've had energy I've forgotten what it is like.

My problem, unfortunately , is very unique. I have no lower mandible structure to keep my airway open. Very severe OSA started several years ago and I have been on a steady decline health wise ever since.I need a custom made mask with built in structure to hold my lower face in place. is there anyone out there who knows where I may go for such a device? I have hope that someone can help me.

Hello sleepycarol,

Thanks for the welcome. I thought I was lucky to find the forum yesterday just to be able to attend Wednesday meetings and maybe get some advise. But I took the opportunity to post a note and right away I received a very thoughtful response that contains such amazingly invaluable information and advise which has helped me out tremendously already. And the advise was offered in a very caring and generous spirit as well which I found remarkable.

And now I have received your kind note as well. Thank you for your thoughtful welcome and support. It is most appreciated.

Best and Good Health,
Renee

Thank you Carol. This is my oldest daughter Kylie at her pre-school graduation.

Thank's for the welcome,we found out my wife has sleep apena,when
she went in to have her historectomy. they had to give her adreline shots
3 times to bring her back.

Thanks! :-)

Thank you for the welcome I have been useing my VPAP 25 for 18 months

Hi, got my machine last nigt and got four hours of sleep but I feel great. I haven't been this awake for years. If only I knew about his when i was younger.

Thank you for welcoming me to this website. I hope to get much help and support from you all. I have had severe sleep apnea diagonosed for several years, and have tried several masks. But alas, due to my lifelong habit of being a mouth breather, I need a full face mask. They are not as comfortable as the nasal masks, but you get used to them. You are right about this being deadly. I had no idea what a threat to my health this stuff is. In fact I had never heard of sleep apnea before my second husband mentioned to me that he found that I wasn't breathing a lot during the night! Who knew? Well I know now. I have had four overnight sleep studies over the past couple of years. The last one, just last Friday, shows I am still having over 25 episodes per night. My doctor says no more that five should be my goal. So they have increased the air pressure to 10 in hopes this will help the problem.
Thanks again Carol.
LaVonne in Mesquite, NV

Thank you for the warm welcome. I look forward to visting this forum often. I also welcome any advice or information that would be helpful to a newbie who has only been on cpap therapy (the machine) for about 35 days.

Thanks for the welcome. I am glad to find out there is a place to communicate with others about this problem. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago through a sleep study and was quite surprised but have been helped a great deal and for the first time in a long time I do not feel the need to nap everyday. Yea

Hi carol, thanks for the welcome. I was diagnosed with OSA about ten years ago and tried cpap for several months. I got no noticable relief and had a real nightmare with DME. Part was my fault, but the equipment and service was not what it is today back then. I went without any treatment for many years until I got a machine which had belonged to someone who died. I promptly started using it and noticed a moderate improvement, butnot the cure i wanted. I adjusted the pressure til I got it up to 15" which was the machine limit. I still didnt get full relief, and started noticing a greater level of fatigue. About 6 mos ago I ordered a new machine and started checking data each day and raising pressure to get more relief. I settled on 16.5/19.5 and have hesitated to change more, but my results have been mixed. The lowest my ahi has been is 2 episodes per hour avg. Normally it runs about 4. I am not getting leaks and most nights I dont have mask slippage. About every 9-10 days or so I wake up with a mask leak in the early morning. Some days my data says I have been at 16.5 the whole night, other times its 19. I suspect I may have some central apneas but I cannot afford another sleep study so I am looking for better things to try. My level of fatigue has not improved and I may have already damaged myself past getting more improvement. I have metabolic syndrome, and type two diabetes and the Dr who prescribed the sleep study also did a brain MRI and my brain is not in the best shape. I stay up most days without naps but I still have a lot of symptoms. My long windedness says a lot, I will close now, thanks again.

Gracias por darme la bienvenida. Mi esposa me dice que no la dejo dormir. Que me quedo sin aire y sospecha que tengo apnea del sueño. Todavía no he ido al otorrinolaringologo. Espero poder hacerlo pronto. Gracias de nuevo por su ayuda....

Thank you, I am glad that I found this site. People that do not have the issue, do not really understand how life altering it is !

Hey girl!! I was just looking around on the New Members Group and ran across your posting with apnea definitions--there were a # on there that I didn't know!!

I think this is an excellent pice of info you've presented, and it behooves even those of us who aren't totally "new" anymore to pay attention to the New group. ( I still feel "new" on a # of levels anyway). Just wanted to thank you for your ongoing commitment to SleepGuide. I've always appreciated your input and still do!

Keep up the good work!

Susan McCord :-)

That would be "piece" Lol

Thank you so much! I have only had my machine for a few months and have had issues with nasal congestion at times, but I already love it so much that I know I will keep using it. I was shocked to find out that I had it so bad! I am in a surgical program for the lapband so I hope to lose some weight and get off of all my meds. Thanks for welcoming me! I appreciate it'

Thx. Hows life treating you ?
Rall..

Hi Sleepycarol,
Thanks for your warm welcome :)

Hi Sleepycarol, Thanks for your welcome comments. I hope to contrubute to the group discussions. I'm willing to discuss my history with sleep apnea and Narcolepsy and hope I might be able to add some information for others.

I'm doing fairly well with CPAP, chin strap, and mouth guard. I also have Narcolelpsy, so I take 800 mg of Provigil a day to stay awake. I also take Citralopram Hydrobromide and Meletonin at night as a aid to relax me for sleep.

Thanks again Sleepycarol for your warm welcome.
Rick

Thanks to Carol for the 'welcome.' I am not a CPAP user nor do I have sl. apnea; I have another chronic condition which saps my strength, causes pain and spasms at night, and robs me of sleep and rest regularly.
I have had enough insurance changes and work issues (job losses/changes) to suffer the loss of my MEDS recently, which HURTS. Nobody believes me when i tell them how much PROVIGIL costs OTC, and I actually *DID* pay cash for it once, I was so desperate.

I have now been introduced to NUVIGIL, which seems to me less effective than Provigil but at least it's CHEAPER!! I guess we "get what we pay for."
Best regards to all of you and I hope to read/see/ talk with you again!
Joy

Thank you, I was diagnosed with Sleep apnea about 2 months ago and was compliant until I got bronchitis and now it's been hard to get back into wearing it.
Thanks again for the welcome.

Rita

thank you Carol

Thank your for the "Welcome" Carol.

Thanks for the welcome Carol. I'm actually a sleep tech n love when my pts are 100% compliant. It's great that u r as well. Keep up the good work and continue to spread the word!

Hello Carol...thank you. I am going in for my overnight stay in 2 weeks. Coincidentally I sell mattresses for a living and am educated in sleep disorders.
You would think someone like me would know better, Good luck to everyone here in getting a good night. When all else fails, buy a new mattress!

Hey, Carol, are all these comments you're leaving tonight all newbies? If so, WOW! They're pouring in like crazy!!! GOOD news!! If not, do you have carpel tunnel yet????????? lol
Susan McCord :-)

Hi Carol! Wow, SG's rockin' right along---lotsa new people last night and today!!

Did you see that a dental device dentist joined? I'm excited about that--he'll be a great source of reliable info--seems real steady as you go to me. He started up a Group already--"SnoringIsn'tSexy" !! I joined--am curious to learn more about the device.....

No baby news yet. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something. I'm thinking maybe the C-section didn't happen today. Maybe she's in labor......first baby, no fun....

Talk to you soon!

Susan :-)

Wow, Carol, the newbies are keepin' you hoppin' tonight, aren't they?

I continue to be amazed, and happy, about how many people are showing up on SG and joining. The word must be out there!

Thanks for all your Welcome work--I always notice it and have never told you so.........

Susan McCord :-)

Hi Carol--I'm SO glad to be here! I love SleepGuide. AND the people on it....I feel like I know you too. Isn't it odd how close people can sometimes become in cyberspace? I find that amazing. And great, especially with someone like you!

Re: "our" new baby, yes, she is just lovely. Did you see the newest picture Mike sent where it looked like she was smiling right into his eyes?She's so alert--she was only about 36 hours old in that picture--she looks like she's smiling!!! I know he's just whipped--she has him wrapped up in a big pink ribbon!! I just LOVE watching the progress of young people starting families of their own, and bringing these precious tiny children into this tough old world. Makes me KNOW it's gonna continue on somehow....

Glad to hear from you. Thanks again for all your work on SG. Talk to you soon.

Susan :-)

Thank you. This should be interesting.

Hi Carol--OMG, I can't stand it. I just have to say this to another grandma. I've been talking to MIke--he brought Melinda and Eliza home today. He's just beside himself with joy, Carol!.......we were just talking about her in general, well HE was talking mostly!, and he said, "I just love her pooh", and that it makes him so happy every time he sees her "pooh". I can't stand it--he's so sweet and so proud. Said Melinda's doing much better every day.

I haven't asked him about putting up that they're home--he may want to do it himself. He's starting to worry that he owes so many people emails. I told him he doesn't owe anyone ANYTHING. He hasn't even had a chance to read all his congratulation messages yet, so he's gonna be busy. 'Ya know, the excitement around a new baby coming home just never gets old--it's always just as thrilling after all these years......I don't know why you're my grandma-of-choice, but you are!!! I guess 'cause of the way you talk about your kids and grandkids......

Fondly, Susan :-)

Uh-oh, dammit, I meant to send this PM. Is there any way to erase it after you read it?? It's WAY too personal to have on open comment....

Jeez, I can't believe I did that.........

Will you see if you can erase it?????

Thank you for your comment in september when i joined SG and for your encoaragement to better discipled as to compliant use of my S8 recently

thanks for replying im hoping to learn all i can from the discussions here

Thank you for the welcome comment you left :)

thank you sleepycarol for the information....i will use it....

Thank you for welcoming me to the site. I hope you are not sleepy anymore Carol.

Hello. Thanks for the welcome. Jennifer

Thanks for the welcome

Do you go by Sleepy or Carol?

Please excuse me, I'm cold!

Thanks for the warm greeting!

Thanks. I'll have to check out those pages. Is there a search function on this site?

Thanks Carol, I've been using my CPAP for 9 years..... I really like this site...

Thanks Carol, I left this message on my Wall rather than yours here, sorry I have that same problem on face book.

Responding to your message...

Thanks for your kind welcomes. I've been struggling with xPAP for more than a year. Troubles? Looking at having to have a tracheostomy, because my chin drops posteriorly (rearward) and I don't have enough teeth that an oral appliance can prevent it, even the SomnoDent which is designed to. Hoping to talk with Dr. Steven Park, but my brain is so foggy I'm having trouble putting thoughts into words... argh! Thanks again, I'll be back! Matt

Did I mention having broke my neck in 1990 rendering me a quadriplegic C5/6 injury, rather complicating the sleep apnea issue.

Thanks again.

Thank you, Carol. I will study this, and Dr. Park gave me his e-mail address, so I'm hoping to be able to figure out what to do soon. You all are too kind, thanks!

Thank you for the warm welcome.
I was curious if any information on the "NoMask" has been used by anybody and what the results are.
I still have to find my way around the site since I'm not that experienced with all the technology today. But I'm learning, a little slow since I'm 70 but I refuse to be left behind.
MaryAnne

Hi Carol,
100 miles East, that would be close to Columbia. Both of our kids went to MU so we knew that stretch of I-70 well some 20 years ago. Where do you go for your medical treatment.
Yes, thank you, I am getting wonderful help and comments and this will help me so much as I try to figure out what is wrong.
Take Care! Irma

Hey SleepyCarol,

Thanks for the welcome. I've known there was something wrong with my sleep patterns for several years, but didn't know what. I was getting so tired that it was pretty darned hard to get up in the morning and go to work. I'm 61 and with what's happened to the stock market, I'll probably work until I'm 83.

My wife finally looked up sleep apnea on the Internet and we found the symptoms very similar to mine. I got tested and have moderate SA and Hypoxia. I've been on the CPAP machine for about three weeks and it's becoming more familiar. I have some problems with my mask not sealing on the nose pieces. I don't have that big of a snozzola, but moisture gets them to pop out. I'll be looking for similar stories in the forum and posts.

Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome and I hope I can contribute, either with articles or comments.

If you don't mind, I'll put you down as a friend. We all need friends to share our challenges with!

Steve Benedict