question on sleep apnea

I was diagnosed with sevear (sp?)Obstructed sleep apnea, what is the difference between sleep apnea and Obstructed sleep apnea?? or is there a difference? thanks Paula

apnea is the name for the stoppage of breathing...obstructed is the why. In my case, excess tissues, maybe looser (hate that aging) "collapse" and narrow the airway when sleeping. The positive air pressure created by a cpap machine keeps the airway open and makes it easier for you to breathe... When I was first diagnosed, I was pizzed that the cpap was prescribed...I thought surgery was the answer. BUT I LOVE my cpap and can't...and WONT sleep without it. I literally felt 10 years younger within a week, and I got most of my short term memory back. Having said all that...my daughter (adopted, so no geneological tie) had obstructive apnea diag at age 7. Hers was found to be enlarged tonsills and adenoids, had surgery, problem gone! Bottom line, ask the doc again for answers, and maybe a second opinion too. (I'm pre-op, so I don't know if my apnea will go away with weight loss...but I don't really care, the cpap has been THAT great) Best of luck!

Kinda late ont his post but hope it helps. Sleep apnea can be contributed to 3 different factors. There is obstructive sleep apnea where the soft tissues in your throat and neck become relaxed and block air passages during sleep. There is Central sleep apnea where there is no effort to breath for short periods during sleep, and there is a combination of both. With obstructive sleep apnea a cpap machine that uses a constant positive pressure kind of holds open that soft tissue that normally relaxes so you can breath. With central apnea studies show minimal advantages with the use of bipap, which is like cpap but the pressure goes even higher during inhalation. I'm a respiratory therapist, so if you have any more questions, just ask away, if i don't know the answer, i know somebody who will.

I did get the cpap last week because i have obstructed sleep apnea and ive been using it, but i wake up in the midle of the night and get scared (claustriphobic using the nasal botton) so i take it off. there was one night i did keep it on all night and that was during the cpap sleep study and the tech saw that it was hard for me to get back to sleep so she turned it down and said that i was in REM in a matter of seconds, but the presure had to be up to 18, what does that mean?? thank you for all your advice Paula

by the pressure being 18, that's the number that keeps you from having apneic events. Some machines have what's called a ramp option where it starts lower for more comfort and then increases to the set pressure. This may make for more comfort while falling asleep. As for the mask making you claustorphobic, there are other options such as nasal pillows that may be more comfortable for you. Hope this helps.

What other mask options are there, in addition to a nasal pillow? what is that?

There's nasal mask whch just covers your nose. And nasal pillows are nice cuz they kind of work like an oxygen nasal cannula, they come up over your ears and tuck into your nose but have a small band that comes up over your head to hold them snug in your nose. Ask your home medical company if they offer these.

Breath easier, you might be talking about this interface www.innomedinc.com I wore this mask for 2 years. This one looks and works just like a nasal cannula.