Hi I to have severe sleep apnea 126.2 episodes an hour.  Anything over 30 is severe. And what it means is you "stopped" breathing 50 times an hour for at least 10 seconds.

I have UHC and they paid 100% for the CPAP and Mask. I guess it depends on your plan. The second sleep study is to see what your machine pressure needs to be set at to keep your airway from closing off while you sleep. Then the DR will call in an RX to a pharmacy that does DME equipment. Some policies I have heard rent the machine instead of buying them. I fortunately have a very good plan where they just paid out right for it. You would have to check your policy to see what they cover for DME equipment or the pharmacy will tell you.

As for the machine mine is silent. My husband doesn't hear it unless my mask shifts during sleep and air leaks, but that usually wakes me up too and I just adjust it. Some nights it is easier to sleep with then others. I am a mouth breather so have a full face mask. Some times I struggle to get comfortable with it and sometime have no trouble at all. It really depends how tired I am. People have suggested watching TV with it on while in bed and you will "forget" its on. I have slept comfortably on my sides almost on my stomach, but I don't think i could be fully on my stomach. Again not with the full mask. If your lucky and only have to have the nasal mask then you may be able to.

Good luck it is a love hate relationship with the CPAP

I think I started on a C-Pap machine obout 1990. At first it felt a little wierd, I remember waking up from a dead sleep hurling my C-Pap accross the room while still on my face. It was a little freaky, but things settled down after that, I sometimes had issues with faulty masks, but the insurance provided new ones to me.
Over the years I have graduated to using a Bi-Pap machine, I am at 22 over 19 on the settings, " Not Good as these things Go " One doctor suggested a while back that I have a permanent Trache and it would solve my Sleep Apnea " I have a new Doctor" I also have bone damage in the nose from birth that I never knew of before talking to that Doctor. In fact if I was'nt prone to severe infections I might someday have to go that route. So you can see that even using a full face mask and the irritation from the headgear is aggrivating, It is much more preferable to a Trache with a tube stuck out my throat.
I wish all the best and I would recomend the use of these machines when a professional prescribes it. It is better to fuss about a uncomfortable machine than to be in the ground complaining about nothing, and your loved ones have to deal with your death, It's That IMPORTANT.
Love to all
Gale

Usually the first test is when they just monitor you while you sleep normally.  The second test is when they put the cpap machine on you and have you sleep with it on.  During this time they fiddle with the machine to get the best pressure for you. 

When I did my sleep test, I slept (so they say) for about 3.5 hours with no cpap and then about 3.5 hours with the cpap on.  They said I stopped breathing about 31 times an hour without it.  They said I was asleep within 20 minutes of lights out but I felt like I barely fell asleep and was constantly waking up.  Once they put the machine on me I slept straight through until morning.

I was fitted for the little mask part right after they tacked and glued all the wires to me.  We tried a few different masks while I was settling in to see which felt best so that when they come in and wake the dead (me) we can just put it on.

I think the COOLEST part of having a cpap is that I have some wicked awesome dreams now!  I didn't believe my older sister when she said that once she started sleeping with her cpap her dreams got intense - but I do now!

I had a somewhat difficult time getting used to my CPAP.  I used to ramp mine when I first put it on because I had a hard time getting used to the pressure at first (I have a pressure of 8).

I am a side and stomach sleeper so I've learned that a lot of it is about pillow manuevering!  Some nights I have a really hard time and sleep half the night with it off.  Other nights I'm asleep almost immediately.

I have the comfort gel mask that goes only over my nose.  The problem is that I have a petite sized mask but my nose is smaller than what fits a petite mask.  Sometimes I feel like my face is swallowed up by the stupid thing.  

Make sure you wash your mask every week.  I've found that if I don't wa**** every week the oils from my face make it not fit as well.

Friday I went to see the doctor to go over the results. I stopped breathing 7 times in a 3 hour time. I rolled around (as he said it) a lot so I might have restless leg, which I knew for a long time. Anyway tomorrow night I have to go for my second sleep study to be fitted for a CPAP, what does that mean? How do you get fitted for a machine? Is the second test going to be any different from the first one?