hi new to this........ but i was diagnosed with sleep apnea 3 years ago....... back then they removed tonsils and uvula................. but just kept that didnt help i had CPAP but just kept kicking it off my face.........so they did the tongue shrinking thing with the heat....(not sure what that was called)it seemed to be ok for a while....a few months ago i started feeling real sleepy and having nightmares..... really bad where i would wake up trembling.... went back to doc and he says to take another sleep study feels apnea had gotten much worse and is talking about different surgeries and i will admit i am scared....... been researching online the different treatments online.........and none look good....... i am a single mom, and work for the post office so i need to be alert at all times and it gets harder and harder and lately been getting extreme headaches..........
any suggestions on how to get through the day????
i feel so alone...........
thanks
Sometimes removing the mask while sleeping can be remedied by the use of Bilevel PAP instead of CPAP. Bilevel PAP lets you breathe easier on exhalation and keeps the blood CO2 level lower (a good thing.) Respironics has a new pseudo-Bilevel CPAP machine out now called CPAP with C-Flex technology. It is really CPAP with a variable exhalation pressure let-down setting you can adjust for comfort. However it is not quite Bilevel PAP.
ResMed has a great Bilevel PAP machine named the "VPAP II." It has clinician adjustable settings for inspiratory rise time, IPAP max and IPAP min. All those technical terms really mean the machine can be adjusted for maximum comfort and effectiveness, helping to prevent you from arousing during slow-wave sleep and removing the interface.
Another reason for removing the interface at night is if the pressure setting is incorrect. Studies done by incompetent staff and/or interpreted by non ABSM Diplomates can easily result in a prescription for an incorrect and ineffective pressure that cannot be tolerated. (Not every physician who interprets sleep studies has studied sleep medicine!)
Autotitrating CPAP machines are not the answer either. They cannot detect nor understand your internal physiological response to air pressure which is something highly trained sleep medicine personnel routinely do during an attended sleep study.
You might speak with a real sleep physician because even if treated for OSA, there might be an additional medical issue needing to be treated. There is more than one sleep disorder and many people have several at once.
I have used a BiPap machine for four years with varying success with different masks. If the apnea is severe, the BiPap is probably needed. Interesing that the sleep center must provide data to support the use of BiPap to the insurance company, as it is more expensive than CPap It is difficult to use a mask when one tends to sleep on their stomach. It is a constant, but worthwhile struggle.
As an alternative to bi-pap, for patients who can't medically justify it to their insurance companies, the new c-flex is sometimes an option, as it is priced similar to standard cpap. However, the pressure spread is limited to only one, two or three points.
I personally prefer to sleep with nasal pillows and an autopap with heated humidifier.
I do stomach sleep almost entirely and am very comfortable with a custom cpap bedpillow
that doesn't push against my mask.
gotten worse........ 
Linear Mode
