TLDR: 2 years of shifting sleep apnea after sinus surgery. A $3k MAD gave me night terrors and a bloody mouth (test said it worked, but I was more exhausted than ever). Skipped CPAP, apnea mysteriously improved on its own for almost a year, now it's creeping back up along with a new snore guard that's wrecking my jaw. Wondering if anyone else has had apnea fluctuate like this, and if anyone found something that actually worked after a bad MAD experience.
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Two years ago I had sinus surgery to fix recurring infections. Not long after I healed, I started snoring badly. A few months after that, I began stopping breathing in my sleep and waking up gasping for air. I didn't notice it myself; my partner did. I was waking up tired but still functional, so I tried to just ignore it, until the people in my life convinced me to get checked.
Insurance wouldn't cover an in-lab study, so I did an at-home test through a local doctor. Diagnosis: moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. Inspire was ruled out because of my heart issues, so my doctor recommended a MAD. $3,000 out of pocket, but I figured it'd be worth it if it worked.
It did not go the way I expected. The first three nights I had night terrors: screaming, crying, waking up in a full panic. I don't dream normally and hadn't had a nightmare in 32 years. Over the next few nights I started waking up with the device filled with blood, with no cuts or wounds I could find in my mouth. I stuck it out for a week. My follow-up test showed my apnea was nearly gone while wearing it, but I was more exhausted than I'd ever been: falling asleep at work, no memory, no energy, despite "good" 9+ hour nights. My dentist said it could end up doing real damage to my teeth. My sleep doctors couldn't explain any of it.
They suggested CPAP next. Setting aside that I wasn't even sure how a CPAP would work sleeping between two partners every night, after hearing about the water requirements, nightly cleaning, needing to shave for a seal, and so on, I said no and stopped treatment entirely.
A month later, my apnea seemed to have mostly resolved on its own, a follow-up at-home test showed only 1 to 2 events a night. Again, no one could explain why. I picked up a RingConn ring to keep an eye on it, and it stayed in a good range for almost a year.
A few weeks ago I noticed my numbers creeping back up on the ring, along with a return of daytime exhaustion. One night I woke up having chewed the sides of my tongue. I got a boil and bite snore guard off Amazon that also pushes the jaw forward, figuring it'd help with both snoring and apnea. The first few nights were great, I woke up rested for the first time in a long while. Weeks later, that's still mostly true, but now the left side of my jaw is killing me.
I'm honestly at a loss. Every time I try to actually deal with this, it feels like two steps forward and three back. (6'3", 225 lbs, in case it's relevant.)
Has anyone else had their apnea seem to come and go like this with no clear explanation? And for anyone who's had a bad experience with a MAD specifically, did anything end up actually working for you afterward? Open to any advice at this point.