[Diagnosis] Questions regarding test results

[davegurney]

Hello all,

29M, 89kg on diet, located in EU. 

I'm a chronic sinusitis and physical anxiety symptoms sufferer last 15 months which began couple of months after moving into a new apartment with floor heating. Due to anxiety I had/have many symptoms like muscle stiffness, grinding and moderately painful neck/shoulder/back, dry heaving, paresthesia in hands and feet and now muscle aches these days. But I don't have sleep apnea symptoms like snoring, fatigue, weakness, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and high blood pressure. In the beginning I had some catching breathe in the bed (not during sleep but right the moment when snoozing out, so it was like Sleep-onset Central Sleep Apnea) and considering the chronic muscle stiffness family doctor and ENT doctor wanted me to have a sleep study disregarding the chronic sinusitis after Indoor/Outdoor allergies were eliminated through blood test.

So I had a home sleep apnea test with nasal cannula and oximetry for 4 days in early December and results are in the attachment. (AHI 6.9, 15.0, 17.9)
Since they suspected sleep apnea due to results, right before Christmas they gave me CPAP machine with nasal pillows (now changed to full-faced masked) until February but since then I could only sleep for 7 hour with them because I can't even breathe normally throughout the day and I feel like masks even inflames/blocks my nostrils even more in couple of minutes wearing them which didn't happen with nasal cannula (I tried low humidify and high humidify, pressure starting ramp closed and open, none of them helped). When I put the mask on and use it for hours while I'm awake in bed trying to sleep, AHI becomes almost 10 every time. They promised setting a date for CT scan on nostrils but only after completing this CPAP test.

My questions are:

• Does anyone else went through or are going through the same stuff, what actions did/do you take?
  
• Should I be worried about critical health problems like heart diseases and strokes even if I don't have apnea symptoms? (In case of asymptomatic sleep apnea)
  
• Can someone tell me how the results look? (Lowest desaturation durations were only for 3 seconds, so sleep nurse said I have no problem with oxygen even though it shows lowest desaturation values are %79, %88 and %89)
  

Thank you so much for your time.

[Deborah K.]

 Lots of us did not feel symptoms of apnea, but when tested, sure enough, we found that we had it.  As it seems you know, apnea can lead to many health issues, so you really do need to treat it.  Most people find adapting to the use of a pap machine a bit difficult.  It makes sense.  Suddenly you have a foreign object attached to your face and blowing air up your nose.  That part just requires the passage of time to get comfortable with it.  We can help you achieve more comfortable and better treatment if you download Oscar and send reports with some of your messages.  Oscar is free and is enormously helpful in helping us help you.

[davegurney]

Hello, thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately CPAP they provided to me is Löwenstein which OSCAR doesn't support yet.

Since symptoms started when I moved into new apartment and I can't breathe through my nose which affects sleep studies, getting treated for chronic sinusitis must be my priority. I just came here to ask if heart/brain diseases are related to severity of apnea and symptoms, also how do the results uploaded look like, e.g. hypopnea 17 is less severe than OSA/CSA 17 so I shouldn't be worried that much, etc.?

Best

[OpalRose]

Which model do you have?  Check this list of supported machines:

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...F_Weinmann

[davegurney]

Hmm, mine seems to be PrismaSmart so it does support according to this page. I will check how to use it now, thanks.

[Deborah K.]

By the way, I have had chronic sinusitis including terrible and debilitating infections since the 1980s.  I had surgery for it way back then, but my sinuses will never be normal.  It does not interfere with my use of my pap machine, so I just don't worry about it.  I used it through bad COVID with no problem.  I breathe a remarkably small amount through my left nostril, but it has not mattered with my treatment.  My doctor explained that I have tiny child-sized sinuses and that I never even developed the ones we have in our foreheads.  He said that for me that was actually better, as they would be full of infection too.  My point is that bad sinuses do not mean that you cannot do well on pap.  You can and will if you stick with it. It is so worth it!