I have severe sleep apnea and have to have the maxillomandibular advancement surgery. CPAP doesn't work...I wake up and I have pulled it off during the night without knowing it. I am terrified to have the surgery and I also have no one that can look after me after the surgery. I also look after my elderly husband and my elderly father and have no one to look after them. I can't afford to hire someone to come and live in with us. I have asked friends and relatives for help but no one will do it. What do I do????
Welcome to Apnea Board, Tired.
I'm an OSA sufferer, not a doctor. With that said, I'd like to offer the observation that, insofar as I am aware, maxillomandibular advancement is just one step in the Stanford Protocol for the Surgical Correction of Sleep Disordered Breathing.
I've never heard of a doctor telling an OSA sufferer that they "have to have" MMA.
This is probably a case where a second opinion would be helpful.
How lengthy was your CPAP trial?
Carl
ConnCarl, I had the CPAP machine for a few weeks.
If you used the machine every night for two or three weeks, that's a pretty reasonable trial period. Perhaps you need to try a different machine or mask. I had a great deal of trouble with CPAP until I found the right combination. Your doctor, sleep lab, and DME provider should be willing to work with you to try various pieces of equipment in order to get you comfortable, effective therapy.
Waking up and finding that you've pulled off your mask during the night is a common experience while adjusting to CPAP. It happened to me often enough.
On the other hand, if you mean that you physically had the machine for a few weeks but only used it for three or four nights, you haven't given yourself a chance to become desensitized to it. Here too, your best bet is to make sure you get a comfortable, well-fitted mask, and a machine that doesn't give you any more pressure than you need, and give CPAP another try.
And getting an opinion from another board-certified sleep specialist is probably a good idea.
Good luck! Carl