I'm a fit 43 y.o. guy, 5'11", 190lbs. I am in very good health. I don't drink. I quit smoking 5 years ago. I have lost 25 lbs and am around my ideal weight. I eat very healthy and I exercise every weekday afternoon, after work.
I don't have daytime sleepiness, headaches. I am productive and busy. I sleep 8 hrs a night from 10:30pm to 6:30am, like clockwork. I wake up a little groggy, but always on my own.
I get up to use the restroom once or twice at night, that's it. I have a cup of coffee and I'm on my way.
This all started when my partner complained about my snoring, about 3 mos ago. We are together only about 8 mos. I gladly agreed to investigate, try anything. Sometime he wears earplugs which helps.
This is the first meaningful, healthy and happy relationship I have gotten to experience in my life.
And the first time sharing a bed and sleep-time with someone else has meant something significant to me. We are plannig on him moving in, in March.
I know that I snore. He recorded me once, and when I heard it, I was actually surprised at how soft and gentle it sounded. He has never observed me gasping or stopping breathing. But I know that none of what I have just said means anything.
In to doctor for a regular checkup. Doctor arranges for a sleep study. I finally went in last night, really just wanting to get it out of the way.
Today I feel like my whole life has changed, or is about to. I am totally freak-out.

I took some Benadryl before the study because I was convinced I wasn't going to be able to sleep. Was this a mistake?
I fell asleep, me and the wires, at around 11pm, and woke up at 2am to use the restroom. When I came back, the tech said: "So while you're up, we need to fit you with the CPAP".
My blood turned to ice. Then I was thinking: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So I'm actually getting the dreaded CPAP? I just stared at him thinking "Are you just trying to sell me one of these contraptions???"
I felt like a door-to-door solicitor had made his way into my house with a vacuum cleaner I didn't want to buy, and that I had to find a way to just say "no", and get him out. I didn't know what to say, still quite convinced that this was all some kind of racket.
He said, "The good news is that I've seen it alot more severe."
WHAT???
He tried to get me to wear three different masks, like three different vacuum cleaner attachments. All three FREAKED ME OUT. I couldn't (well, refused) to wear them, and now I'm thinking: "I'm just not buying this." The tech said that since I refused, the study was over. I was free to go.
He undid me. I signed a release, titled: "Unusual occurence". I padded off in the middle of the night to the hospital parking structure in my PJs, with my pillow. I drove home sullen. I awoke the next morning thinking: this is crazy: no, this SUCKS.
I immediately found this site and have not been able to do much else today. Talked to a close friend with SA, with a CPAP. I remember feeling sorry for him once, when he first told me, thinking: he'll never have a partner with one of those. Now I'm thinking, is the universe that cruel?
Called the lab to get the results.
They said it would take three days.
I have done a quick crash course in "OSA", "arousal", "AHI %" etc, etc, and I don't even know what mine are.
I am preparing for the worst.

My partner would have no problem I'm sure with the CPAP. It is me who is already feeling like I am going to be Darth Vader if I have to wear one. I have been working on acceptance in my life. I have accepted alot. This is something I am not feeling in so much acceptance about... I feel really...like this makes me the space alien, all over again.
Sorry for sounding ridiculous, dramatic. I feel really sad. I am scared.
Writing helps.
I would really appreciate anyone's candid thoughts, encouragement. This feels surreal and bad.
Thanks,
Patrick

Hi Patrick,

AYUP, it STINKS! My husband recently had a study just to 'shut' me up and prove me wrong....he too ended up with a CPAP. He fought it, cried, said he is defective, said he would prefer to put a gun to his head then wear one of those things...said that I was in cahoots with the sleep techs and that I wanted him to wear a mask just because I do.... plus said much more. He now sleeps happily with his CPAP and mask. He is a fairly fit guy, claims to not be tired during the day etc. But what he has found is that he concentrates better, he is more on his game. He was having symptoms of ADHD..that were getting worse and worse...they have subsided ALOT!

Patrick, your partner is with you because he cares for you. You are experiencing something that many strive all their lives to have...a meaningful relationship with love, caring, understanding. You need to accept that you have a condition that needs treatment. You do not have to use a wheel chair, you do not have to stick an insulin needle in you nor prick your fingers all day to test...you do not need a pacemaker. ALl you need is to wear a mask at night while sleeping...and remember...it is only while sleeping...not while laying in bed talking, reading etc. It is while you sleep.

If your Dr did not order a split study...meaning test the first half of the night to diagnose SA and the second half with the mask if you tested positive...then your SA was probably severe enough for the tech to feel you needed to get started right away. Most sleep studies aare done in 2 parts...2 different nights. First the baseline or dx study..the 2nd night is the titration to get you at the proper pressure level..on the proper machine. By walking out of the split study there is one positive to that...a full night at the titration study is more conclusive.

BTW, My husband...his SA is not all obstructive...he also ha Central Apneas...this is when your brain forgets to tell your body to breathe. Being physically fit or not, is not an indicator of SA... we come in all shapes, ages, sizes and backgrounds. Look at the pedi forum here...tiny children have SA. Read up on not jus the SA terms but the metabolic affect it has on you. It is one of the leading contributors to diabetes, heart problems and much much more. Get yourself on therapy so you do not have to deal with any of these problems in the future...your partner wants you to be around for a long time...and so do I.

Request a complete summary report of your baseline study and the titration study...learn it..learn your condition...but most of all and quickly...make an appointment for that titration study...you are worth it...and hey, Darth Vador is kinda cute in his own way LOL! My husband use to call me Seven of 9 .

Tami

Patrick,

I did a sleep study to at my husband's request on August 1. He'd been nagging me for a couple of years. It's not that I snored loudly. But he had sometimes noticed that I would quit snoring and stop breathing until he would jab me. I would never remember anything about it the next morning. No daytime symptoms to speak of.

I'm 5'1'' and weigh 105 lbs. And 52. And female. Not at all the sterotype of a OSA patient. We both expected me to be diagnosed with MILD apnea and maybe have an OPTION of something other than CPAP. We met with the sleep doctor in late August. Diagnosis: I'm smack in the middle of moderate. And the doctor insisted that CPAP was needed. And the titration study needed to be scheduled ASAP. So the titration study was scheduled that Sunday night, August 29. Not fun. Won't go into the details here. And the phone calls from the doctor's office started that week about where I wanted the prescription faxed to. [I had declined to sign up with the DME the sleep doctor tried to direct me to since it shared office space with his office and to this day I believe he has a financial stake in it and he did not immediately respond positively to my request for a full data machine at our meeting prior to the titration study.]

For a number of reasons, it took me a while to get started. I was determined to NOT be rushed into accepting a non-data capable machine. I'd already done enough reading here and on another cpap forum to know that much. So I had started doing serious shopping around to locate a cooperative DME. I figured I'd lived this long with apnea and that a few more weeks to make sure that I got the RIGHT equipment from the RIGHT DME was worth it because that would MAXIMIZE my chances of sticking with this therapy for the long run. It took me three weeks to be ready to accept the fact that I was ready to face starting CPAP and tofind a DME that I was comfortable with and that took my insurance. I called the sleep doctor's office and told them where to fax the prescription. Somewhere along the way, I also told the sleep doctor's office to send me a copy of my prescription and copies of the reports of my sleep studies. I picked up the S9 AutoSet on September 23.

It has not been an easy time since then. Even now I won't claim that I am now completely adjusted. But my case is an outlier: Due to uncommon problems adjustment, the PA in my sleep doctor's office made several efforts to adjust therapy and I still was having trouble. By the end of November, she and the sleep doctor recommended that I have a second titration study, and they changed me to a BiPAP in December, which has helped quite a bit. But still I'm fighting a nasty insomnia monster. Through it all, though, I have stuck with therapy. Why? Well, primarily it is because I do believe that if left untreated, sleep apnea is a silent killer: Like high blood pressure (which sleep apnea can induce), sleep apnea creates strain of all sorts on all your body's systems. While I felt healthy last summer, who's to say what kind of a toll the apnea would have taken on my body in the next 10-20 years if I chose not to treat it?

One of my coping devices in my long (and incomplete) adjustment period has been writing about it---warts and all. I have felt like a freak. I've yelled that I feel like a freak to my husband way too many times this fall. But as a couple, we will get through this. We've even started to find some humor at times. My BiPAP's name is Kaa---after the snake in the Jungle Book. In reference to how I wish that it would hypnotize me to sleep at night when the insomnia is acting up.

As you can tell (if you've read this far), back in August, I was a lot like you. If you'd like to know more about my long and on-going story, feel free to pm me and I'll let you know where I've done most of my posting. And I don't mean for this to be a gloomy, dark post: But I also remember that when I was in your shoes, I really didn't want to read post after post from the folks who took to CPAP like fish to water. They are out there though---bless their hearts. And knock on wood, you may be lucky enough to be one of them. But right now, you're still in the angry "why does this have to happen to me stage?" And you do need the time to work through that stage: Take the time to address your feelings and talk to your partner about them. Let him assure you that your are NOT a freak (and that even if you are, you are his freak).


And here are some things to keep in mind as you start learning about OSA and making decisions about where you will chose to go from here:

Some 40% of OSA patients are NORMAL weight (or even underweight).

OSA is NOT a lifestyle disease: It is most commonly caused by physical differences in the structures in the upper airway that allow it to collapse when the smooth muscles relax (or over relax) during sleep. These are muscles that we have no conscious control over and they are not ones that we can "exercise" in the same way we can our arms and legs.

Untreated OSA can lead to changes in the metabolism that make it very easy to put on excess weight and once excess weight is put on, untreated OSA can make it much more difficult to lose that excess weight even with appropriate dieting and exercise.

Untreated OSA can increase the risks (and complications) of high blood pressure, type two diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Untreated OSA can complicate other chronic medical conditions in many insidious ways---most notably by denying you a decent night's sleep every single night.

Best of luck to you,
robysue

Thank you both so much for your support. I really appreciate it. I went over to my friend Kevin's yesterday and he let me try his Resmed with the swift FX nose pillow mask and I gotta say it was not too horrific. He was diagnosed at age 40 and has been on the CPAP for 8 years. He says he likes it and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

I will let you know when the results are in...

Please keep me in your thoughts.

Patrick

Well, that is good and encouraging news, Patrick. Resmed produces a great PAP. You might want to ask for a Resmed for yourself. But - you do NOT want one w/Escape in the name. You want either an Elite or an Autoset.

Or - if they offer you a PR (Respironics) PAP and that is okay w/you you do NOT want one w/Plus in the name. You will want the Pro or the Auto.

Both are good brands of PAPs but you do have to watch and be savvy or the local DME provider will most likely try to pass off an entry level PAP capable of producing nothing by compliance data. You are going to want full data capability. Maybe not now when you don't know what we are talking about - by trust me - you will in no time at all and will really regret if you let them pawn off an entry level PAP on you.

Most all insurances pay by HCPCS (insurance) code and all 4 models I mentioned above are the exact same HCPCS code: e0601. Also you would do well to call your insurance company and ask them what local DME CPAP providers they are contracted with. Hopefully you will have the option of more than one. If you do be sure to "shop" each one BEFORE you agree to accept any equipment!!!

Let me just say, I *WISH* I could get a CPAP. I would give anything. I had a sleep study done almost 2 years ago, & I slept about 10 minutes. Clearly they were not able to diagnose me. I know I have apnea ---I am soooo tired from the minute I wake up until I go to bed --lots of headaches --I don't know if I snore but I know I would be delighted to at least try the CPAP. I am getting cranky, I am so tired!! I envy you & everyone else who was actually able to sleep all hooked up!

Good Patrick...Gooooood. High 5 to you. Read what CrohnieToo has to say...her advice on machines (well, on everything) is valuable. She is a machine guru ...and advised me back in the day on machines..and how to navigate/work with the insurance, DME's, labs etc.

To Patrick,

Now is the time to start seriously comparing DMEs. Start with your insurance company. Find out exactly what they will cover and whether they have a list of providers. Don't assume, however, that they will give you the entire list of providers if they work with lots and lots of DMEs. If you are in a reasonably large metro area, you might also want to look in the phone book (or on the web) for DMEs that specialize in CPAP equipment. That's actually how I found the DME I now use.

I had found the web page after doing a search for CPAP Buffalo NY or some such thing and noticed that all the machines they listed in their "inventory" were full data machines. It was NOT on the list my insurance company provided me. I kept calling the more generic DMEs that were on the list provided by my insurance and every one of them wanted to provide me with a compliance-only machine and every one of them said the same old song-and-dance, "to get a full data machine will require a special prescription" which I knew would not be forthcoming from my doctor. I finally got so frustrated that I stopped by CPAPXpress on my way to work one day and asked them some questions about what machines I would get to chose from if I were to get my equipment from them and my prescription simply said "CPAP at 9cm" (This was before I asked about insurance). They showed me the S9 AutoSet and the PR System One Auto and said that they'd soon also have a new Fisher & Paykel IKON as well, but that while it would be full data capable, it would not be an APAP. This is a small chain of shops founded by an RT and most of its employees use CPAPs/APAPs themselves. That first day, the fellow who was helping me told me that he thought it was a shame that any DME would set up a new OSA patient with a compliance-only machine. I thanked him for his time and went on my way. And continued to make calls and get more frustrated. And went back to CPAPXpress a second time to ask more questions. And by the third time I stopped by CPAPXpress, I finally asked the burning question: Do you take my insurance? One look at the card, and the answer was YES. They gave me a WRITTEN estimate of costs that was identical to the verbal estimates the other DMEs on the list from the insurance company had given me---with the important difference that theirs included the full data machine. I think I made the decision to go ahead with them and start CPAP therapy within 24 or 48 hours of finding out that they took my insurance card. And called the doctor's office and had them fax the prescription over. I am absolutely thrilled that I found this DME instead of simply settling on going to the first place that my doctor pushed me towards or any of the DMEs on the insurance company's list since none of those would have given me a full data machine.

My point? Don't rely on the sleep lab, the sleep doctor's office, or your insurance company to find your DME. They are NOT the ones who will be working with the DME---you will. Make sure you are comfortable with your DME. Make sure the DME knows what it is doing as far as CPAP equipment is concerned. Also make sure it will treat you with respect and NOT just try to make a fast buck off of you. In addition to making sure that the DME will provide you with a full data machine, be sure you fully understand their mask return policy and that it is sufficiently generous. Make sure that they have a reasonably large collection of masks---in terms of styles, models, and sizes for you to try on. Make sure the RT knows how to properly fit the masks. Run from a DME that insists that the answer to all leak problems is to simply tighten the mask even further than you already have it. Remember that you will be doing business with the DME for many years to come; so interview several and make them earn the right to be your DME.

MilwaukeeMommy wrote:Let me just say, I *WISH* I could get a CPAP. I would give anything. I had a sleep study done almost 2 years ago, & I slept about 10 minutes. Clearly they were not able to diagnose me. I know I have apnea ---I am soooo tired from the minute I wake up until I go to bed --lots of headaches --I don't know if I snore but I know I would be delighted to at least try the CPAP. I am getting cranky, I am so tired!! I envy you & everyone else who was actually able to sleep all hooked up!

MilwaukeeMommy,

Talk to your PCP as soon as you can. You need to try to get another sleep study done. You need a referral to a lab that is experienced in dealing with patients who have had trouble sleeping in past studies. Ask if they can prescribe something to help you fall asleep the night of the study. Ask if there is any way that you can be allowed to see the facilities and the equipment before the night of the study. They only need to get a bare minimum of 120 minutes of sleep out of the entire test. And if all else fails, ask if there is any way at all if you could be scheduled for a home sleep study---there are such things. They are not all that common, but they do exist.

Milwaukee Mommy, my partner got a home sleep study from our GP. It was a self-contained unit, much simpler than the in-facility sleep study I had. But it worked well & determined she has SA & now she has a CPAP machine just like mine!

Patrick, when you try it, you might (eventually) like it. I was in no way liking the idea of using CPAP & it took a couple of weeks getting used to. But after switching to Swift FX, I hardly notice it. And with it on I really like the filtered, humidified air. If I am a little congested or sniffly from an allergen, the CPAP clears it right up. And before CPAP my night blood O2 levels would dip to 60s to 80s percent. With my machine, my blood O2 hovers in the 94 to 98 range. If you have similar results, think about the potential improvement in health from which you could benefit. Give it a good go. Best wishes, Scott.

robysue wrote:
MilwaukeeMommy,

Talk to your PCP as soon as you can. You need to try to get another sleep study done. You need a referral to a lab that is experienced in dealing with patients who have had trouble sleeping in past studies. Ask if they can prescribe something to help you fall asleep the night of the study. Ask if there is any way that you can be allowed to see the facilities and the equipment before the night of the study. They only need to get a bare minimum of 120 minutes of sleep out of the entire test. And if all else fails, ask if there is any way at all if you could be scheduled for a home sleep study---there are such things. They are not all that common, but they do exist.

Oh she knows, I've seen her quite a few times since. I even had a CT scan done to see if something else was causing my sleep loss. They did find something & now I need an MRI --but we just switched insurance & I don't know about my coverage. I've been taking Ambien since I saw the sleep dr 2 weeks after my (non) sleep study --that was his recommendation. Ambien. Needless to say I don't go to him anymore.

Hey robysue:

I just read your response to Patrick and you have convinced me that I need to do something about my snoring. I was told I was holding my breath while sleeping for years now but originally thought I was doing it because my own snoring was waking me up and this was my mechanism to go back to sleep. Now I realize how detrimental it is to my health but I still put off the sleep study - the idea of hooking myself up to what looks like a dehumidifier with a gas mask every night is appalling to me. Last summer I was diagnosed with type II diabetes and consider that the final straw. Until I read your message, today, I didn't realize that sleep apnea was a also such a significant contributing factor to my high blood preasure and weight problems. I have been dieting and exercising more but I haven't lost any weight. Looks like I may need to add a CPAP to my daily (er nightly) regimen as well. I am calling my doctor as soon as hit the submit button below.

I'll keep you posted.

robysue wrote:Patrick,

I did a sleep study to at my husband's request on August 1. He'd been nagging me for a couple of years. It's not that I snored loudly. But he had sometimes noticed that I would quit snoring and stop breathing until he would jab me. I would never remember anything about it the next morning. No daytime symptoms to speak of.

I'm 5'1'' and weigh 105 lbs. And 52. And female. Not at all the sterotype of a OSA patient. We both expected me to be diagnosed with MILD apnea and maybe have an OPTION of something other than CPAP. We met with the sleep doctor in late August. Diagnosis: I'm smack in the middle of moderate. And the doctor insisted that CPAP was needed. And the titration study needed to be scheduled ASAP. So the titration study was scheduled that Sunday night, August 29. Not fun. Won't go into the details here. And the phone calls from the doctor's office started that week about where I wanted the prescription faxed to. [I had declined to sign up with the DME the sleep doctor tried to direct me to since it shared office space with his office and to this day I believe he has a financial stake in it and he did not immediately respond positively to my request for a full data machine at our meeting prior to the titration study.]

For a number of reasons, it took me a while to get started. I was determined to NOT be rushed into accepting a non-data capable machine. I'd already done enough reading here and on another cpap forum to know that much. So I had started doing serious shopping around to locate a cooperative DME. I figured I'd lived this long with apnea and that a few more weeks to make sure that I got the RIGHT equipment from the RIGHT DME was worth it because that would MAXIMIZE my chances of sticking with this therapy for the long run. It took me three weeks to be ready to accept the fact that I was ready to face starting CPAP and tofind a DME that I was comfortable with and that took my insurance. I called the sleep doctor's office and told them where to fax the prescription. Somewhere along the way, I also told the sleep doctor's office to send me a copy of my prescription and copies of the reports of my sleep studies. I picked up the S9 AutoSet on September 23.

It has not been an easy time since then. Even now I won't claim that I am now completely adjusted. But my case is an outlier: Due to uncommon problems adjustment, the PA in my sleep doctor's office made several efforts to adjust therapy and I still was having trouble. By the end of November, she and the sleep doctor recommended that I have a second titration study, and they changed me to a BiPAP in December, which has helped quite a bit. But still I'm fighting a nasty insomnia monster. Through it all, though, I have stuck with therapy. Why? Well, primarily it is because I do believe that if left untreated, sleep apnea is a silent killer: Like high blood pressure (which sleep apnea can induce), sleep apnea creates strain of all sorts on all your body's systems. While I felt healthy last summer, who's to say what kind of a toll the apnea would have taken on my body in the next 10-20 years if I chose not to treat it?

One of my coping devices in my long (and incomplete) adjustment period has been writing about it---warts and all. I have felt like a freak. I've yelled that I feel like a freak to my husband way too many times this fall. But as a couple, we will get through this. We've even started to find some humor at times. My BiPAP's name is Kaa---after the snake in the Jungle Book. In reference to how I wish that it would hypnotize me to sleep at night when the insomnia is acting up.

As you can tell (if you've read this far), back in August, I was a lot like you. If you'd like to know more about my long and on-going story, feel free to pm me and I'll let you know where I've done most of my posting. And I don't mean for this to be a gloomy, dark post: But I also remember that when I was in your shoes, I really didn't want to read post after post from the folks who took to CPAP like fish to water. They are out there though---bless their hearts. And knock on wood, you may be lucky enough to be one of them. But right now, you're still in the angry "why does this have to happen to me stage?" And you do need the time to work through that stage: Take the time to address your feelings and talk to your partner about them. Let him assure you that your are NOT a freak (and that even if you are, you are his freak).


And here are some things to keep in mind as you start learning about OSA and making decisions about where you will chose to go from here:

Some 40% of OSA patients are NORMAL weight (or even underweight).

OSA is NOT a lifestyle disease: It is most commonly caused by physical differences in the structures in the upper airway that allow it to collapse when the smooth muscles relax (or over relax) during sleep. These are muscles that we have no conscious control over and they are not ones that we can "exercise" in the same way we can our arms and legs.

Untreated OSA can lead to changes in the metabolism that make it very easy to put on excess weight and once excess weight is put on, untreated OSA can make it much more difficult to lose that excess weight even with appropriate dieting and exercise.

Untreated OSA can increase the risks (and complications) of high blood pressure, type two diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Untreated OSA can complicate other chronic medical conditions in many insidious ways---most notably by denying you a decent night's sleep every single night.

Best of luck to you,
robysue

tbuckley,

I am glad that my post to patrick has motivated you to get tested for OSA. Your snoring and "holding your breath" in your sleep sound significant to me.

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, may you have an easy adjustment period to CPAP therapy and a happy long life of being a hose head!

Keep us posted

Hi everyone.
I have my results:
Mild to moderate OSA
AHI: 8
RDI:16
No central or mixed apneas recorded.
Of the 16 recorded events, one was a "true" OSA and 15 were hypopneas.
The most telling data though, was that my SaO2 dropped to as low as 83%.
Since the study only lasted 3 hours I am guessing the indexes are skewed and probably painting a milder picture.
Or not.
I am now going in for my all-night titration study on Monday the 24th of this month.
My doctor prescribed some Atavan.

I am still feeling depressed about all this, and scared about the study. Especially that I will not be able to tolerate the mask.
I tried a friend's full-face mask and it totally freaked me out. I could not wear it, felt like I was suffocating and the sound was overwhelming.
I was able to handle the Swift FX of another friend's, but I do not believe they have this type at the study...
Any advice or thoughts?

Other issue: I have been experiencing morning-long headaches and a pronounced, almost continuous tinnitus which sounds like a loud, high pitched hissing.
I have never had tiinnitus or hearing problems. My doctor treated me with antibiotics for ear infection but the tinnitus has not improved. I am perhaps hyper-aware of things given my recent dx. Does anyone else recall these symptoms before they were treated for their SA?

My partner suggests it could be stress related since my work situation (and other big things in my life) have recently changed and I am also worried about the apnea. Thank you all for your support and suggestions over the past weeks.
Patrick

I am still feeling depressed about all this, and scared about the study. Especially that I will not be able to tolerate the mask.
I tried a friend's full-face mask and it totally freaked me out. I could not wear it, felt like I was suffocating and the sound was overwhelming.
I was able to handle the Swift FX of another friend's, but I do not believe they have this type at the study...
Any advice or thoughts?

Some depression is not unreasonable. Sleep apnea is a serious, life changing diagnosis. It takes a while to process it emotionally as well as cognitively.

As for the mask issue: At my titration study I could not tolerate a nasal mask at all. I started sneezing every time the tech tried to put it on my nose. After several unsuccessful attempts, she said she had a different type of mask she could try---one that fit under the nose directly against the nostrils. It wasn't the Swift FX that I now use, but it was a nasal pillows mask. I gratefully accepted the chance to try it and completed the study without much more difficulty than I had at my original diagnostic study. Not that either study went well, mind you. But since you are worried about the mask, call the center where the titration will be done and ask up front whether they have a nasal pillows style mask for you to use. If not, ask if you could bring a mask of your own choosing and see if you could borrow your friend's FX---if you know the pillow size really is right.

Other issue: I have been experiencing morning-long headaches and a pronounced, almost continuous tinnitus which sounds like a loud, high pitched hissing.
I have never had tiinnitus or hearing problems. My doctor treated me with antibiotics for ear infection but the tinnitus has not improved. I am perhaps hyper-aware of things given my recent dx. Does anyone else recall these symptoms before they were treated for their SA?

The morning headaches could be stress or could be you finally noticing an apnea-related morning headache that's been there all along. As for tinnitus. Well, I've had high pitched hissing tinnitus off and on my whole life, but I don't think it has anything to do with my apnea. Most of the time it doesn't even bother me. Sometimes it sounds like crickets or cicadas and I can even use it to *ahem* calm myself down in stressful situations. More likely my tinnitus is inner ear damage from reccurring ear infections as a kid in my case combined with migraines. Stress, however, tends to make tinnitus worse. Or rather, stress tends to make people notice the tinnitus that almost everybody has much more noticeable and bothersome. There have been studies that show if you take people who have never reported tinnitus and put them in super quiet environments and tell them something is going to happen (but don't tell them what), then they start stressing out and start hearing tinnitus. Best thing to do about tinnitus? Try quiet, white noise in the background all the time. Not loud enough to actually drown out the tinnitus. Just loud enough to give it a wee bit of competition. In other words, avoid completely quiet situations. Always try to have a quiet fan running in the back ground somewhere. Or an FM radio that is NOT tuned to a station. Or a nature noise cd with rain noises. But keep the decibel level on the white noise really really low---well below the level of your tinnitus. The white noise should be so quiet that you really don't even notice it if you're doing anything at all---even if what you are doing doesn't take any concentration.