Re: I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea for years now - anyone have any questions, I'd like to try to help!

I wish I could report the same, but having my Amalgams removed didn't make any noticeable difference for me. I'm glad that it helped you!

As far as the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) option goes, if you have a good sleep doctor, they will work with you to get you the correct equipment. I lucked out and was given the right CPAP mask at my sleep study. But, many of the people I have met have tried several before finding the one that worked the best for them. The stats that I heard from my doctor years ago were that the surgery to remove some of the structures in the back of your throat were effective for ~30% of patients, the mouthpiece that moves your jaw forward when you have it in is effective for ~60%, and the CPAP is effective for up to ~98% of those that use it. So, I chose the CPAP option based on that. It really made a HUGE difference in my life. I had been so sleep-deprived for so long that my health was just shot. I had no immune system (I actually managed to contract shingles and pneumonia at the same time - not fun) and I was starting to suffer from major anxiety attacks. As soon as I got the CPAP up and running, I actually had a dream for the first time in years. I started on CPAP when I was 32 and the doctor estimated that I hadn't had a full night of sleep since I was 20 or so. In about a year, my health was almost fully restored. And now at 38, the only sleep problem I have is not getting my lazy rear into bed at the proper time.

To make a long story short, CPAP was a great thing for me. The only complaint I had was that my first sleep doc was not at all into giving instructions or answering questions. So, it was very hard for me to figure out exactly how to differentiate critical from minor problems and how to correct them. I now have a different (and very excellent) doc and I have learned a lot from him and a lot of other sources. That is why I would like to help on this board if I can. If I had access to this bbs at the beginning, it would have made things a lot easier!

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