Hello, all.  I am a new member, 50 y.o. male who has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and am now on a mask.  Naturally, I am not thrilled, as the romance of going to bed is affected (few women are keen on sleeping with Darth Vader).

Anyhoo, I asked my doctor if I am to be a prisoner of The Mask for the rest of my life.  He was, I guess, trying to be kind.  He did not say "yes," but rather that there are promising treatments coming down the pike.  My question here is whether anyone knows of such promising treatments -- what are they and how far away are they?  Should I get my hopes up?

I can't answer the new treatment aspect but can make an off the wall statement about the romance part of dating with SA....there are plenty of women saying the same thing...there should be an SA dating site!


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BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

I haven't heard about anything to get your hopes up about.  If you have mild apnea an oral appliance might work.  Surgery is essentially worthless.  

There is a constant volume system that is being worked on, but it is probably still a long ways off; and in practice it may not be any better than a CPAP.

If you meet or have the right woman, the CPAP machine and mask will not be a problem.  You put them on AFTER the romance.  And if you snore or are always tired, the machine should cause a big improvement.

I can't see a thing without my glasses.  If someone did not want to be around me because of my glasses, well, their loss.   How about a hearing aid?  A cane?  Orthopedic shoe?  Diabetic with insulin?  Would there be no romance if you have to give yourself insulin injection?  If that's the case, again, their loss.  I wouldn't want such a person to be with me, personally.

How about sleeping with an eye mask?  Ear plugs?  A wool cap?  Long johns?  None of these are terribly sexy but usually they are not an issue when it comes to a meaningful relationship.

Right on Frances!  If you snore, then your snoring will DRIVE someone away.  There could have been a meaningful relationship, but they will have no choice except to go.  Use the CPAP and keep that relationship.

And, some fellas have reported additional "romance" even after they have put their mask on.  Let's not get into details here, keep it clean people  

Blessings,
--pseudonym

My husband and I both wear masks.  We are cute!!  LOL  I agree with one of the posters...if the ladies don't like it find one who does.  My husband joked that our RT probably laughs when she reads our smart card reports and sees that both masks were taken off for 30 minutes at a time!  LOL   Oh well...gotta keep the romance alive.

Davidlaw69-I understand how you feel-I am a 38-year-old woman!  Some of my friends tell me, "if a guy (person) has morale, they look at the person on the inside-they should not care if someone wears a mask!"  This is a sensitive subject, of which not much is spoken, but we must still consider.    Ask your wife or girlfriend to take a sewing class and get creative! I like what dimples said! Also, Make a list of all your attributes and tape it to the mirror and to your headboard.  Keep your chin up. Lantern4life.