Thank you! I hate that 99% of posts claim obesity as “cause” of apnea. The CPAP machine did NOTHING for me. Went to local pulmonologist who billed himself as a sleep specialist. After a couple of breathing tests, he prescribed a CPAP and referred me to CPAP EQUIPMENT COMPANY. I kept trying different CPAP machines—to no avail. The supplier had me try every single one. Finally, I went to a UCLA physician DR. YUAN with actual Sleep Medicine CERTIFICATION. He examined me and took a photo of the inside of my mouth. He projected photo onscreen to reveal something startling: my airway was completely occluded! No uvula was seen. I had been a teeny premature baby more than 70 years ago when “neonatal care” was basically a hot light bulb. No CPAP would ever open it! The CAUSE of my apnea was my ANATOMY; not OBESITY! So, he ordered a customized MOUTH GUARD to wear every night. Pricey, but insurance covered it (due to this doc’s prescription). After a month, a follow-up home study showed my events down from 25 per hour to FOUR or less! Dr. YUAN considers this a CURE! I now wear it every single night. You must be your own advocate and find the best care. I believe that some pulmonologists who pose as sleep specialists are simply in a favorable economic loop with CPAP equipment companies. But that’s a topic for another day.
I’m surprised there aren’t more comments here! I’ve been using a CPAP machine since 2017. I, too, did my best to avoid it. And I had been sleeping alone for years, so there was nobody to tell me that I was snoring, until I shared a hotel suite with my sisters. I don’t think I had been a snorer when I was married for 18 years. My husband, though, did have symptoms of sleep apnea. He didn’t live in a large body, and my body was not as large then as it is now. So, first thing I did was to get a sleep app on my phone which recorded snoring. Once I could hear it for myself, I knew I needed help. I tried using a sort of retainer prescribed by a dentist, but it didn’t help. I inquired about the device that could be surgically implanted, but the ENT doc that I consulted about it said I was not a good candidate. I just hated the idea of wearing that ugly elephant mask, in case someday I did find someone I wanted to sleep with. It’s such an unsexy thing. But finally, after a sleep study in a lab that was required by Kaiser, I conceded that I needed to use a CPAP. I never had trouble with sleepy days, but I needed the reassurance of knowing I was breathing well when I was sleeping. Lately I do sometimes fall asleep before I put on my mask, or wake up, take it off, and fall back asleep again without being completely aware of what happened. I do take a sleeping med, and now, after being hospitalized for pneumonia back in 2023, I also use oxygen at night. My mother needed oxygen at night when she got older. Plus, I live at a pretty high altitude. The need for oxygen makes sleeping away from home more complicated. I’m 71 now. So that’s my story!
Thank you! I hate that 99% of posts claim obesity as “cause” of apnea. The CPAP machine did NOTHING for me. Went to local pulmonologist who billed himself as a sleep specialist. After a couple of breathing tests, he prescribed a CPAP and referred me to CPAP EQUIPMENT COMPANY. I kept trying different CPAP machines—to no avail. The supplier had me try every single one. Finally, I went to a UCLA physician DR. YUAN with actual Sleep Medicine CERTIFICATION. He examined me and took a photo of the inside of my mouth. He projected photo onscreen to reveal something startling: my airway was completely occluded! No uvula was seen. I had been a teeny premature baby more than 70 years ago when “neonatal care” was basically a hot light bulb. No CPAP would ever open it! The CAUSE of my apnea was my ANATOMY; not OBESITY! So, he ordered a customized MOUTH GUARD to wear every night. Pricey, but insurance covered it (due to this doc’s prescription). After a month, a follow-up home study showed my events down from 25 per hour to FOUR or less! Dr. YUAN considers this a CURE! I now wear it every single night. You must be your own advocate and find the best care. I believe that some pulmonologists who pose as sleep specialists are simply in a favorable economic loop with CPAP equipment companies. But that’s a topic for another day.
Thank you so much for posting this. I, too, put off getting diagnosed with sleep apnea for so many years because of the ill begotten
association with being fat. I'm so glad I finally broke through the shame and got on Team CPAP. It literally saved my life.
I’m surprised there aren’t more comments here! I’ve been using a CPAP machine since 2017. I, too, did my best to avoid it. And I had been sleeping alone for years, so there was nobody to tell me that I was snoring, until I shared a hotel suite with my sisters. I don’t think I had been a snorer when I was married for 18 years. My husband, though, did have symptoms of sleep apnea. He didn’t live in a large body, and my body was not as large then as it is now. So, first thing I did was to get a sleep app on my phone which recorded snoring. Once I could hear it for myself, I knew I needed help. I tried using a sort of retainer prescribed by a dentist, but it didn’t help. I inquired about the device that could be surgically implanted, but the ENT doc that I consulted about it said I was not a good candidate. I just hated the idea of wearing that ugly elephant mask, in case someday I did find someone I wanted to sleep with. It’s such an unsexy thing. But finally, after a sleep study in a lab that was required by Kaiser, I conceded that I needed to use a CPAP. I never had trouble with sleepy days, but I needed the reassurance of knowing I was breathing well when I was sleeping. Lately I do sometimes fall asleep before I put on my mask, or wake up, take it off, and fall back asleep again without being completely aware of what happened. I do take a sleeping med, and now, after being hospitalized for pneumonia back in 2023, I also use oxygen at night. My mother needed oxygen at night when she got older. Plus, I live at a pretty high altitude. The need for oxygen makes sleeping away from home more complicated. I’m 71 now. So that’s my story!