Sleep apnea??

[mistercrash]

I went for consultation about my snoring a few years ago because my wife couldn't take it anymore. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea also and ended up with a CPAP machine. It is set at 10. I weighed 265 pounds at the time. It took me 5 or 6 months to get used to having this mask on my face. The most frustrating thing I found in using the equipment was when I moved a little and the mask would shift and some air would exhaust from the side of the mask and make an annoying ''ssssssssss'' sound. Sometimes that leak would shoot air in my eye. Anyway, I tried everything I could think of to make the mask stay in place. Then I went on a diet and lost 65 pounds. The more weight I lost, the harder it was to use the CPAP machine. One day I just gave up on it after using it every night for two years. My wife said I still snored but it was much less noisy and she didn't notice me stopping breathing anymore. So I haven't used it in a couple years now but I let myself go and gained back 25 pounds. I am now 225 and I think I will have to either use the machine again or loose that weight to go back to 200 pounds like before. My problem seems to be excess weight. But loosing the fat doesn't make the snoring disappear completely, it just makes it bareable for the wife

The dentist I go to has this thing he makes, I think he's got a patent on it I'd have to check about that. It's some kind of thing that goes in your upper pallet and gently clips on your teeth and it goes to the back of the mouth to keep the tongue and soft pallet from collapsing keeping the air way open thus preventing snoring. I would have to ask for a consultation to have more details about it to find out if it controls sleep apnea also. The thing is that it's not covered by my insurance and it's 1500 bucks. In my case, it's cheaper to just loose the weight.

On a side note, has anyone ever tried to speak with the frikkin' mask on your face and the machine on? I can't do it.

Once you get used to it and you get in a routine that works, the CPAP machine is a life saver. You will be amazed at what getting a good night sleep every night does to your life. I started using the CPAP when I was around 40 years old. I would wake up in the morning after a good night sleep feeling like I was 20 again, not 200.