I went thru some old records and I was wrong about the six years. I think it's 4, which is still a long time. And yes, it has not been an easy journey for me. It is again very difficult these past few weeks. I had hoped that I would have been able to just pop on the mask, go to sleep and everything wd be fine and that didn't happen. I have insomnia along with other maladies. Just after my sosa(severe obstructive sleep apnea) diagnosis, I had surgery for a septal deviation and I don't think that was a rousing success, but I cannot recall the level of breathing difficulty I had, but it ain't perfect now. A nose spray helps occasionally. My sleep dr. calls it or me.....complex. (sounds polite, wouldn't you say?) Lars, interesting that the sleep dr. feels that the mask is not the cause of your anxiety and of course that's true, but anxiety is still a common reaction to the mask. And this kind of leads into what I was thinking in my earlier posts-about it being a young science, and believing in your own gut, and "sleep dr., just fix me-in the current imperfect state that I'm in. Yes, I have a few warts, anxiety being the one wart in the forefront now, but ..." Otoh, maybe these newly diagnosed sleep problems bring every big and little complaint, imperfection, trouble, symptom to the front and center of our worlds,--I cannot clearly articulate what I'm thinking--Is this the case that, finally, someone is paying attention and we have to spill our guts with each malady plaguing us? or should I just speak for myself, in this instance? Lars, why do you think your body is not in balance? Unless you have lab results that tell you of this imbalance? There's a lot of 'good health' in your activities, such as your wonderful hikes, and your gardening, and cooking, and jack of all around your house,--and certainly your artistic abilities to see art wherever you look, and I'm not referring to your professional work capabilities but your vision as a layperson/human -altho that's mental rather than physical. I just think you have a lot of good health showing, too. Perhaps there is a component to these sleep issues where the patient becomes more aware or somehow feels a need to discuss/ address each big and little thing? Does a sleep dx open a can of worms? And then does the sleep dr. adequately respond? or kick it to a colleague? Is it just because a forum for complaints opens up? I dunno. I don't even remember everything, The headgear used to pull my longish hair out. After sleeping with a satin shmattie over my hair, under the headgear, I finally cut my hair. I had nasal deviation surgery. I did finally start losing weight, about 40 lbs. so far and I'm eating the same! (Getting your attention, now?lol) I addressed my pulmonary problems and now take a boatload of pricey drugs. Lotta babbling on my part, here.

Hi coolmama! I just got my cpap machine a couple days ago! (And you're right......the whole process is NOT cheap! Just the first sleep study was something like $1,200. The machine is close to that. I'm starting to wonder why so many people seem to have sleep apnea????? I certainly hope they've done studies that show that there actually ARE some people who sleep well, even though they snore. I'd hate to think all of this was "normal", but we're treating it like some awful affliction. Maybe its our livestyles??......too many carbs or food in general, too little activity, not paying attention to day/night???? Now that I am treating my apnea, I'm discovering there are thousands (at least) who use these machines. I just don't get it. Why????? Anyhow.......In talking with some people on sleep forums, I think a fair number of them are of normal weight. There are 2 different types of apnea.......obstructive, and central (in the brain). I think some people just have really floppy skin in the back of their throats and noses. Yes, I think big tonsils and adenoids can cause snoring. But mine were removed when I was 5, and I still snore. Alot just depends on the tone of your skin in the back of your nose/throat. Some people get their uvula removed, but I don't think that helps much. They say to never eat much before bed, and never drink alcohol then either. I did have the sleep study, which showed I had apnea (along with a few other problems), but I just couldn't go through with the next sleep study, to determine what cpap settings I needed. I found a doctor who was more flexible, and allowed me to use an "auto" PAP machine, which adjusts to each breath, rather than needed to be pre-set, and I didn't have to have the second study.......so keep that in mind if you don't have money for everything. But the whole process is definately not cheap. Also......I was told that even if I fix my snoring, I might still be exhausted all day, because of other problems (fibromyalgia, etc.). Is your husband on meds that might make him sleep deeper or relax more than usual? I always like to try to understand human behavior in terms of evolution. (I hope I'm not offending anyone). But when you think about it, its probably good to snore loudly, to ward off any animals that might be coming too close to the cave at night!! Maybe we're making the wrong connections here, and our daily fatigue has more to do with the rest of our lifestyles??? Sorry for rambling!

At least a couple of you sound a bit harsh in your replies....Please remember this, it isn't necessarily about the test and please factor in the equation that she is tired...she is sick and tired or being sick and tired...She is sick and tired of having no energy, she is sick and tired of not being able to do the things that she wants to do, she is sick and tired of living half a life and not enjoying her family, friends and loved ones, she is sick and tired of living the life of an invalid, she is sick and tired of running back and forth to the doctors and to the hospitals. She is sick and tired of the expense and she is sick and tired of every day wondering if it's all worth it...Of course it is but sometimes it's hard to keep your eye on the prize. I know exactly how she feels...It's hard to justify another test when you have spent most of the last year in the doctors office...and you have had every inch of your body imaged, poked., prodded, medicated, injected..lubricated...etc etc Keep in mind that it's all very depressing as well...It's hard some days just to put one foot in front of the other...In the end, we all do what we have to to catch the ring....I know that there are others on this board that understand... I am sorry Bulldinkie that you are having to live this nightmare. I hope and pray that it is over and done with soon and that you are back to health quickly. You and your doctor will have to make the decision that is right for you...

My husband has sleep apnea. For waaay too many years, I was constantly saying to him during the night, "you're not breathing..." I finally made an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist because I wanted him to go through a sleep study. I made an appointment for myself at the same time, because I knew I had a sinus infection. Color me surprised when the doctor said that *I* was going to have to have a sleep study done, too! See, when you go in to the ENT, you have to fill out a questionnaire and by my answers, the doctor knew that I wasn't getting a good night's sleep... Anyway, we had the sleep studies done on the same night (no, they don't let you be in the same room). The results showed that Hubs most definitely has sleep apena, and that although I don't have true apnea, I have an upper airway obstruction and I don't go into REM sleep. (Doc said to me, "you are seriously sleep deprived!") We were both given CPAPs and they have made a world of difference.