For Sleep Apnea

August 12, 2024, 12:23 a.m., Delray Medical Center

I am attempting again the use of this contraption for sleep apnea. I tried it last night, but I was unable to negotiate with it because the air pressure was too high. This time, the pressure is less, therefore easier to negotiate.

Years ago, I had two sleep studies done, the first of which determined that in my sleep, I stopped breathing 65 times per hour. Yes, that's once every less-than-every minute. At that time, I tried a similar contraption at home, but it was unbearable because I couldn't ever breathe through my nose, and I couldn't set the timing correctly on the machine. I soon had surgery to remove eight polyps within my nasal cavity and sinuses, plus I had all eight of my sinuses cleaned and expanded. While I was now able to breathe through my nose, I never attempted again to use my contraption at home.

My attempt tonight seems to be somewhat successful with the lower pressure. However, it is uncomfortable, and I don't know if I can get through this. A tube is feeding oxygen into the mask, where it is mixed with regular air.

I have used similar contraptions several times over the last two or so years, but only when I was in the hospital for some of my six surgeries between March 2022 and April 2024. I did have mostly success during those times.

Note: This is different from the mask that I use during my medicated nebulizer treatments.