I was fortunate to be provided with a fine machine because I had no idea what a myriad of options there are. Even with close. & caring hands-on DME (Sleep Data, San Diego) and 3 timely visits with real sleep doc MD, it took five (5) masks over six (6) months to get the right fit. Don't give up, read...

Goes to show: no two heads, including faces, respond exactly the same to the same machine, machine settings, masks ABD headgear. Keep on keep in' on! Don

Great news! May it always be so, but don't be discouraged if over time your machine needs adjusting or you need a mask change. It really amazed me how my brain had forgotten what it was like to wake up refreshed.

Keep on keeping on. Don

I concur with previous posters. At its most basic level, human earth-life is really one breath at a time, anyway. While you are inhaling there isn't much you can do about exhaling, and vice versa. We just have the added challenge of obstructive sleep apnea suffocating us slowly one non- breath at a ...

YES! It will get better as long as you keep asking for help from your care team [see other threads / topics] and keep adjusting the machine and searching for the right face or nose mask. As you will see in other postings here: only YOU can truly take charge of your treatment program. All the other p...

The San Diego Veterans Health Administration uses take home initial testing. Removes the artifact of odd room & bed, no "midnight snack," familiar sounds, etc. Still bit odd sleeping with nasal cannula connected to a monitor belted to your chest and an oxygen meter on your finger. Seems to me their ...

Welcome! My sleep doc looked at first 3 months of data and reduced my max pressure since AHI went up over 14 cm H2O. She also raised my minimum to 10 cm H2O so I don't feel suffocation if automatic adjustments or me hitting "ramp" reduce pressure too far. You will notice some in this group who are r...

Welcome to the sub-culture of oxygenated sleepers! I've been on an Auto-PAP machine 7 months. Remember: only YOU can push the so-called healthcare "system" to improving your health. Here is the sum-total if my journey, so far: 1. Do not accept masks & machine settings that bug you, wake you up suffo...

Thank you for sharing! So important to become own advocate & keep trying different machine settings & masks. Never give up! Don

Make sure your doc also checks other issues that may be causing excessive thirst and frequent urination, like diabetes. I am very fortunate to have medical care through the Veterans Administration, and had a sleep study kit issued to me and did the overnight at home. When diagnosed with "Severe Obst...

BRAVO! Well done. Amazing what a well oxygenated and rested brain can create. Don

Since getting my APAP adjusted. & finding the right mask for me, I only look at AHI, PERIODIC % and 90% pressure metrics. For 6 months monitoring by sleep doc she is happy with my stats and I am sleeping very well. Perhaps your husband won't be a data hound and do fine without micromanaging the proc...

Davebd6: I hope you also are keeping track on other occupational hazards, like higher carbon monoxide levels, early pulmonary & cardiac disease, and PTS (I leave off the "D"). Shift work messes with sleep & interrupted sleep multiplies the complications. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Don (former EMT)

I think the key ingredient to starting well with CPAP, Bi-PAP or whatever-PAP is to keep on open mind, keep GOID communication with your physician & suppliers, and become your own advocate. If one machine setting is too high & pushing air where it doesn't belong tell someone! If your mask leaks and ...

F&P Simplus fits me much better than Quatro or AMARA Gel. I no longer have rubbed raw nose bridge and I get good cheek seal with much less strap pressure. I think the nose design does work. I also agree that it is much easier to clean. But, each combination of machine pressures, facial features and ...