![Idea Idea](images/icons/added-post-icons/idea.gif)
TLDR: Just saying hello for now, thanking you lot. No OSCAR postings yet as still gathering some days.
I was told about this forum from a very, very nice person called RippingLegos from the SA Reddit. I'm unsure of their username here but wanted to shout them out as they said they were an advisor here and it showed from the help they gave me back on Reddit but seeing all the help that is provided here I wanted to move here and hopefully slay my SA dragon fully in the future with your help.
![Smile Smile](https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
Some context: I'm from the UK, will be 39 soon, overweight at 132KG (I was 155KG end of Feb!) and diagnosed with severe SA at 44 AHI. I won't go into why I was overweight too much but suffice to say I used to suffer with depression but kicked that dragon to the curb without any medication but my vice was comfort eating to the extreme ^^; However, in late Feb of this year I started to take my health seriously and I've been trying ever since to fix as many problems with my body as I can. I'm currently working closely with my doctor and undergoing various tests such as an echocardiogram that I'm due to get next month and others that aren't relevant here but suffice to say I'm doing my very best now to make life worth living.
![Smile Smile](https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
I recently got my CPAP machine after waiting from April (when I was diagnosed) and I've had it 7 days now. The NHS is an amazing organisation but sadly has many issues I wish I could fix but nonetheless I'm glad to have the machine now and thankful for their support with accessories and the like. Sadly though, when I spoke to the NHS worker who issued me my machine they openly admitted they only care about the AHI number and so long as that's low they don't really bother beyond that... He also went the 'lazy sleep doc' route as RippingLegos put it leaving it with APAP 4-20CM ramp on etc, lol. The default settings vs the first batch I got from RippingLegos was a night and day difference as I couldn't sleep at all with the default on the first day but the 2nd night I got 3 hours of use in and now I can comfortably keep the mask on for as long as I want.
Settings I'm currently using as per RippingLegos:
RedMed AirSense 10 Autoset
APAP mode
Max Pressure: 15.4cm
Min Pressure: 7.4cm
EPR on @ level 3 and EPR type is fulltime
Full face F20 mask (I normally get one side of my nose blocked which alternates so I went for full face) and climateline heated tube. Currently looking into nasal sprays that can be used long-term to deal with this.
Right now my AHI is good according to MyAir app but I know that's not the full story as I'm still waking up a few times a night. With my SA I've never really felt overly tired once 2-3 hours have passed and decent enough energy to go about my day so it's a little difficult to judge how much of an effect I'm getting at the moment but it's still very extremely early days for me having only had the machine for 7 days! I feel comfortable with the mask on and the sensation of air being forced in, thankfully.
I intend to gather a bit more data before looking at OSCAR but I've had an SD card in for a few days now. I've also got a Wellue Checkme O2 Max to monitor my O2 levels to make sure they are okay as I've been a bit worried about them as my Samsung watch has noted a few drops below 90% when I've forgot to use my nasal spray before bed.
I'll leave it there now but I'll be back once I've got a bit more data. If I've missed anything important I'll add it then but for now thanks for reading <3