The Verdict is in....

I sent a post asking if I had sleep apnea since I  wasn't  hooked up to the cpap machine during 

the sleep study. I called the doctor's office just to find out the verdict. I have mild sleep apnea. The nurse said I will need 

some type of machine but I don't think it is the cpap machine. I go next week to hear my results and get set up on something. Have no

idea what machine it will be. And what does "mild" sleep apnea mean? Hoping this is a quick fix. ??

Mild sleep apnea means you had between 5-15 incidents per hour. Moderate sleep apnea mean between 15-30 incidents, and severe is over 30 incidents. Since you already had your study and are getting a machine, I would guess that you are getting an APAP machine which will automatically sense how much positive pressure you will need and provide that. Even my CPAP machine is somewhat variable but withing certain limits so I don't really understand what the difference is between the two.

Your pulmonologist and your insurance company will want you to demonstrate a certain amount of compliance with using the machine, which for me was between 5-6 hours a night so I was bound and determined to wear the mask every day for at least 5 hours for 30 days to get my clearance. But the mask does take some getting used to.

I have to add that the machine definitely does work. I still don't bounce out of bed every morning, but I am definitely less tired than I used to be. And I would rather use the machine than take yet another pill

Thank you! That was very informative! I sure hope things move smoothly so I can have my surgery before the year is up. Looking forward to waking up refreshed with the Apap! 

When I had my test, I was in a similar spot-- at the end of the first test, no CPAP, but "mild apnea" because the number of times I stopped breathing was on the low end of the scale. I ended up having to come back for a second overnight study where they tried me on different pressure settings over the course of the night to find what worked the best. Once they found it, the sleep lab sent a prescription to the respiratory therapy company and I had my machine within the week.

If you don't get a CPAP, maybe you'd get a BIPAP? It does the same thing, but it adjusts pressure for inhalations and exhalations, while a CPAP is the same pressure level all the time.

Thanks!!! I never knew there were so many kind of sleep apnea machines! Hope I can sleep with the thing! LOL