Seeking advice OSA

[TheWishyOne]

I posted this on reddit and was directed here.

A number of months back, I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. I decided to go get tested because I (27M) have had sleep issues for as long as I can remember. Those issues include, but are not limited to, restless sleep, daytime fatigue/tiredness, inability to reliably wake up on my own (which has made working early hours as a mechanic really tough) and I think it's one of the causes of my mild depression. 

I weigh about 220, 6ft. My sleep doc verified I have a deviated septum which could be corrected if I decided to pursue that. I have seen two different doctors, one being ENT, the other being a somnologist (I did not have a good experience with the latter, mainly due to the language barrier in this US office and in part due to having never actually met the doctor himself) and the somnologist recommended a cpap (can't remember my number of interruptions per hour, but I think it was around 20). 

I explained to each of these specialists that I believe my issue stems from my inability to breathe effectively through my nose when I lay down. A sinus pressure intense enough that I default to breathing through my mouth when I'm unconscious and does include some obnoxious snoring (according to the wife ?). 

I have tried many solutions before consulting with a specialist because I have something of minor medical background prior to my current career.

Those solutions include different ways of sleeping, breathing strips, allergy medications none of which helped in the slightest. I have recently tried Afrin, which has given me some of the best sleep I've had in years. Within minutes of taking it, my nasal passages open like yall wouldn't believe. I understand it is not to be used regularly, so I space out my pre-bedtime usage of it as something of a treat to myself every couple weeks. 

*There are other GI related issues that may be contributing to my sleep issues including chronic heartburn which I believe causes excess mucus in my throat and possibly also a post nasal drip (comment below if I should expand on this part).*

I have a very basic understanding of how a cpap works and as such, I do not believe it would be as useful in my case due to the airway resistance created by sinus pressure that may cause me to end up breathing through my mouth anyway. Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

I put a pause on visiting the ENT specialist until I can get my GI issue under control, unfortunately that GI doctor has instructed me to continue my use of prilosec 40mg daily which I have been doing for a few years now (which I don't think is good, because I believe it's only covering symptoms of a larger issue that the GI doc is not willing to pursue at this time) so I have not been back to ENT yet. Negative test for h-pylori. I have also been diagnosed by my PCP with hashimoto's disease but that is under control now with use of synthroid daily. 

While I will continue to consult with the professionals, I am truly desperate for a solution. If anybody here has a similar case, or if any professionals on here have come across a similar case, please enlighten me in the comments. 

Sorry for the long read, and thanks in advance.

[Narcil]

i believe a lot of people with deviated septums use cpap, it's just harder for them to use nasal masks. you might need a full face mask but people make it work until they get their nose sorted. but no personal experience hopefully someone else comments.

few years of omeprazole is not fun, i took it for a year after i stopped eating for 6 months, thankfully esophagitis mostly went away.. was also negative for hp.

can you find the copy of the sleep study data somewhere? if you had 20 events an hour it would be well worth pursuing cpap in my opinion. did they give you any kind of prescription after it? how long ago was it?

[Deborah K.]

Since you are in the US your doctor is required by law to give you a copy of your sleep study if you request it.  Once you get that post a copy of it here and folks will be happy to help you determine what you need to do.