Solo, what a great idea. Truthfully, requesting a video of my sleep study never occurred to me. LOL. I did ask for a copy of my results, which I got.

I've seen other people video's....during TV shows featuring sleep disorders. Not a pretty sight. Not sure I'd want to see what I've been doing - like scratching my butt or my nose LOL Sorry to be graphic! I just want a mask that doesn't hurt my face and a machine that's quiet. Hope you enjoy your video! Will you show it to family and friends??

Thanks Liz. I'm rather anxious to see them. I have a copy of my written results, which my doctor has gone over with me. and I was astounded to see the figures. I can't help but wonder how long I've had this condition. I've been a solo sleeper for a couple of years now and my sleep partner never mentioned anything. Do any of you know if there could be something that can triggers this problem? I have a number of health issues that have come to light just recently, all about the same time... and I'm trying to find some link. I suppose it doesn't matter much...I'm going to have to deal with all of them regardless but it seems so strange. I have learned a couple of interesting things in the last couple of weeks....did you know that when you gain weight that even your tongue can get fat? Who the heck thinks about that? And I have wanted to have ALL my hormone levels tested and measured but this new Loyala doctor I'm seeing tells me I'd be wasting a thousand bucks to find out that I don't have ANY hormones left. If a woman goes through menopause...no hysterectomy...no HRT...by the time we're my age, 69, we don't have any hormones in our bodies. Hell.,no wonder we've got all this stuff going on. Anyway, thanks for your kind words, Liz. It's good to know I'm not totally crazy.

Thanks Rascal. Not sure about sharing them. I guess that partly depends upon how weird they are....I think the medical community is doing a fairly decent job educating people about the condition now but it might be educational to show them to friends/family if they want to see them. A few years back, I don't think most people had ever heard of sleep apnea. At least now they're familiar with the term. But if you don't sleep with anyone you're not likely to catch it quickly yourself. I went to see a doctor about my thyroid and getting a new prescription. She's the one who suspected the apnea. At first I thought she was just trying to drum up business for her other specialty since she's part owner of this sleep study facility. And in all honesty, I think I need to see the video to convince myself that that wasn't the case. She also told me that I'm not going to have much success getting my weight under control unless I address the sleep apnea. Soooo. Here we go. I have tried two masks so far..in the CPAP study...a nasal pillow and one called a Comfort Classic. Of the two, i prefer the Comfort Classic They have told me that that is the one most chosen by patients. I was searching online and I found about 20 or 25 others. If you wanted to try all of them you'd be having a lot of CPAP appointments, wouldn't you? I haven't even seen my Medicare and BC/BS statements yet. This has got to be costing some big bucks.

My mother has sleep apnea, so I figure it was all in the family lol I've been told that I have a lot of fat in my throat and nothing is going to take that away. I haven't lost any weight since I've been sleeping with the CPAP which is very unusual so I've been told. My mother lost some weight. I hope to find out what's going on this Thur when I go for another sleep study

I had a follow-up appointment today with the doctor who is treating my sleep apnea. We went over a lot of results and data from the sleep studies..two of them... and I asked several questions, the one most important to me being "is this a forever thing?" When she answered, "no, it doesn't have to be" and explained that with weight loss and use of a CPAP device I could kiss sleep apnea goodbye in, maybe, two years. My femaleness kicked in and I actually got teary eyed. I think I really needed to know that I could beat this. I needed the motivation. Once I know that something's not a losing battle the fight hormones kick in. So now I'm off to get an EKG and a doctor's note to get into a fitness program. I'm going to start with a water aerobics class for senior in a nice warm pool. sauna, whirlpool, and maybe a zumba program. My primary care has recommended Weight Watchers so I'm getting going on that too. It was good news. I'm ready for the equipment.

Solo, I do Zumba and love it! I don't belong to a class but me and some of the women I work with get together on our lunch break, pop in a Zumba DVD and have a blast for a half an hour. It kicks my butt, and we all work up a serious sweat, and I have lost 30 lbs since last October.
Your doctor is certainly more encouraging then mine was. Mine said that I could and should lose weight but that that didn't mean I could get off the CPAP. If I can lose another 25 lbs I'd like to have another sleep study to see if my apnea is a least improved.
Your positive outlook is going to go a long way towards 1) adjusting well to the CPAP and 2) getting your weight down. Go for it! You can do it!