I am so scared. With sev...

I am so scared. With severe sleep apnea, DM, HTN and morbid obesity my life is in danger but I cannot wear the CPAP. I've tried both types and throw it off within half an hour. Surgery is my only option but the medical doctors have said I need to wear it two months. I have had about six people tell me they did not wear it, didn't tell the doctors and had successful surgery. Yet I read post recently about a woman who died. Its a catch 22. My surgery is scheduled for August 25th and I am to scared to lie to the doctors even though many people said they did. Also I'm 67 which means I am at a higher risk. My BMI is only 45 so I am morbid but not super morbid obese. If anybody has any ideas I sure would appreciate it.

What kind of masks have you tried. I have tried the full face mask,and the kind that just covers your nose. They didn't work for me because I get claustrophobic. I just tried a mask called the "nasalair". It resembles the oxygen line you wear in the hospital, with it looping around your ears with two small canulas that fit into your nostrils. It comes in different sizes too. The nice thing with this one is that there is no head gear that you have to wear. I can lay in bed and read with my glasses on. The headgear really sucked. Talk to you Doc about it.

I had a very hard time wearing a mask when I first started on one almost 3 years ago. My doctor added a humidifier to my machine and that made a world of difference. It does take some getting use to and its not always comfortable, but I have found with this surgery you need to do as the doctors say. Also you might check on the other types of things you can use instead of the actual mask. Good luck

Hi Ginger, First off, you can't lie to your doctor. He needs to know everything about you before surgery. Second, I also have severe apnea. During my sleep study, I stopped breathing 83 times in an hour. SCAREY!!! I now sleep with my buddy CPAP. I use a nose mask. It took some getting used to, and I don't like it, but I sleep so much better with it that I never go to bed without it. I am unaware of the nasal kind, but that sounds interesting to me. I hate that I can't read til I fall asleep...I can only read til I get sleepy and then put my mask on. The thing is, if you give it enough time, you will get used to it. There are still times now when I wake up and I have thrown the damn thing off.....but I wake up because I don't sleep well without it, and I find myself frantically looking for it. I have had it since May 6th. I am a much more rested person now. My eyes are brighter, I don't fall asleep in the car so fast....and not at all when I'm driving , I don't need a nap everyday, though I still love them, and I have more energy. And guess what? If I take a nap, I use the CPAP. I'm addicted. Good luck getting used to it. You can do it. And no dishonesty with the doc!!! Sleep well...... Marsha

Thanks so much to Tim. I talked to Kaiser and they ordered one for me. It just may be the ticket. I've been so worked up over this whole thing one minute deciding not to do the operation knowing what will happen if I don't.

Glad to be of help! I was in talking to the home medical people today. I was going to get the next size larger nasalair to try and cut down on on some minor leaking. There is a new mask out called the "Spiritus", It is similar to the nasalair except that it doesn't loop around your ears, it comes down in front of your throat and is secured in place with a stretchy velcro strap around your neck, although not to tight. I am going to give this one a try as they would have to order the next size nasalair... Thank Heavens for great insurance !!! Good luck... keep me posted on your progress!

Shows how much the home medical people read the literature provided. The paperwork for the Spiritus shows the strap going around your head, just above your ears... I think I will try it around the neck first !!!