I'm done.

[Sleeprider]

Earlsgirl, your problem sounds mostly like an upper airway resistance syndrome UARS. You can search that and learn a lot about treatment, or read this article in our Wiki: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...AP#/search With UARS, the auto CPAP does not work well because flow limitations cause the pressure to rise beyond therapeutic levels to the maximum allowed pressure on the machine. A pressure difference between inhale and exhale can help as it makes breathing seem easier and more comfortable.

If you can find a Resmed Airsense 10 CPAP, they have a feature called EPR (exhale pressure relief), so we can probably set you up at a pressure of 8.0 cm and use EPR to give you an exhale pressure of 5.0, and with a nasal pillows mask I think you would find that comfortable, and amazingly effective at relieving your sinus conditions. I don't know where you are in Arizona, but the Phoenix Craigslist has several Resmed S9 CPAPs and even an Autoset with low hours that would do a great job. The asking prices are around $300 and you can probably offer a bit less and get it if you want. For nasal pillows I think you would be most comfortable with the Resmed Airfit P10 nasal pillows mask. It is the most minimal mask on the market and only contacts the bottom of your nose. There are sellers on Amazon offering the complete Airfit P10 for $62. If you want to give it another try, this will get you on the right track at fairly low cost.

[Earlsgirl]

With the high pressure, my teeth were drying out and cracking. I made my complaints that the pressure was too high and sustained, but they wouldn't listen to me... I thought my issue was only the aerophagia nightmares. It wasn't until a couple months in that I realized I was in trouble with my teeth. And I noticed how bad my skin had become. I don't know why I didn't notice sooner, but I wasn't sleeping much at all in those first months. I was maybe getting four or five interrupted hours of sleep during the night and then napping during the day. THEN, I decided to beat the system by using the machine four hours while awake. From 5-10 (with a few breaks). And THEN I would sleep. Every 10-15 minutes I would knock the ramp back down to 4. Doing it that way, I could moisten my mouth and drink some water. But the damage was done. And although I've had cavities filled in my front teeth, I have more damage to deal with. I'm having to look at our finances, though, too...

[michael9346]

Of course he blamed Cpap. Now he will try to sell you a Dental"Appliance" ( I guess they call it "appliance" because it costs more than a refrigerator)

[Earlsgirl]

Sleeprider, that makes the most sense of anything anyone has said to me thus far. You would not believe how many different doors I've banged on and how many tears I've shed until I finally threw up my hands and said "I'm done!" I haven't felt entirely good about that decision. BUT all the stress I've been through in the past six months isn't good, either! I sent your post over to my hubby for his thoughts. Thank you so much for your time and involvement. It makes sense, yep.

[trance]

I'm sure you are finding that SleepRider and others here are very knowledgeable, unselfish, kind and respectful. Whether or not you return to apnea treatment, you may wish to research Magnesium. I began supplementing with Magnesium lactate over 15 years ago and among other things, it completely took care of my irregular heartbeats.

[mpoirier57]

Hi Earlsgirl.
You need to determine if you suffer from apnea thru a sleep test.
If you do, sinus troubles aggravates the treatment a lot, but perseverance will get you to a good nite sleep. It personally took me almost 2 years to get humming along.
A full face is a must then, and the right model is a trial and error approach. The ResMed AirFit F20 works great for me.
Find help, ask questions and question every answer, specially from professionals who are not well versed in the matter.
Good luck!

[Earlsgirl]

Thank you about the magnesium idea. I'm taking magnesium citrate daily. My sis has arrhythmia, as well; and Mayo said it was neurological. So, it may have nothing to do with the breathing issue. The cardiologist thought it worth trying... Thank you.

[Earlsgirl]

mpoirier, I've never had an issue with the mask fitting. It always was at 100 percent over the six months except I think twice when I knocked it off, I think it was. I had two sleep studies. The first one, I didn't sleep but maybe an hour. I just couldn't sleep--too much noise in the halls and other rooms. Second study, I was given an Ambien. I don't know if that skewed the results or not. I don't plan EVER to take another Ambien in my life, though. I became really ill with it. And I basically was unconscious. But even so, I was told by the therapist that I didn't have apnea but hypopnea. And it was at a low level. She didn't understand why the pulmonologist--three months before I got to see him in person--refused to lower the high level. When I saw him, he dropped it from 18 to 16. But 16 was still too high for me. And that's about when I decided to use it while awake. Most of my AHI's while on the machine were under five.