Hi everybody,

I am new to the forum and I feel kind of disheartened from the use of my APAP machine.

I started my therapy a few days ago and although the AHI has lowered a lot (from 62 it went down to 23), apparently I cannot improve any further.

I know this is only the beginning, and I know I should be patient, but I am kind of assailed by doubts now.

What if the CPAP is not the right therapy?

What if the machine is defective (I live in a place where OSA is not covered by any insurance, so I have to pay for the therapy tools all out of my pocket and full price)?

What if I am doing something wrong?

Because getting ahold of a sleep doctor is more difficult than finding an available plumber on the 4th of July, I know I have to educate myself and improve little by little.

Thank you in advance to all those who will want to share their own experience with me.

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Thank you diamaunt.

I uploaded a couple of files in the relevant forum board for analysis and feedback.

Thank you again for your nice words.

Hi -- you've already made substantial progress. My sleep doc says it takes a while, and that's already a huge drop in AHI. What everyone above said: keep positive.

I had a very difficult time getting used to my mask, mostly because I didn't get enough good help from my DME (who assigned me a "sleep coach" who basically knows nothing) and who also mis-sized my mask. And my sleep doctor didn't listen to my concerns and sent me back to my GP!! Read on, though --

BUT. BUT! through this forum, LankyLefty's videos, and two friends who use CPAP, I found the help I needed and feel so much better now. I got used to the mask, learned how to adjust things on my own, and am finally having consistently lower AHIs.

I'm sure you're exhausted and it's so difficult! But you'll get great advice here, and hang in there.

HotHand6

You have already made a very positive move by contacting this forum. The next most important thing to do is "listen". Diamaunt has given very good advise and he is the one that can help you along with others here. One of the most important things he said is "Doing your best to maintain a positive attitude will increase your chances of success." Think positively! Instead of "what if", replace it with "It will."

The other very important thing Diamaunt said is "Educating yourself is the *best* way to handle the problem, you'll care more about your health, and your sleep than any doctor ever will."

I started with the forum about 8 months ago and by listening and a very positive attitude my AHI's are usually under <2.00. It doesn't happen overnight as we didn't get Apnea overnight. I fully expect you to get the help you need and maybe soon, I will see you giving out words of encouragement to others needing that assurance.

First of all, be patient. Going from 62 to 23 is already a big improvement, you've solved 2/3rds of the apnea events already! Next I would suggest as others have to take your daily numbers and graph them in Excel. Sleepyhead is a great tool too for getting down to the details of your sleep. These will show you the trends over time. Finally, get familiar with your hardware. There are YouTube videos that will show how to adjust the settings on your machine. Be patient at it though, and, again, keep track of your progress. Too much pressure can be as bad as not enough. You may be able to find a "sweet spot" that is ideal for you. Mine turns out to be 11. It's taken about a year and a half, but I've actually had several nights in a row, the record of sequential nights being three, so far, with a perfect AHI score of 0. First time that happened I thought there was something wrong with the machine! We're a good bunch here, so feel free to reach out and keep asking questions. Keep at it, it's worth it in the long run.