What began with a suggestion from my wife that my snoring may be a problem culminated a year later with a nurse remarking that I’ve reached graduation day.
  I apparently passed my 1-year CPAP follow-up with flying colors as I was told during my five-minute appointment to come back in a year. In my first year, I visited several times, with increasing timespans between appointments.
  They ran the numbers from my little disc that I brought in from my machine. I’m proud of the fact that of 203 days since my last appointment, I used my machine during all of them, vacations included.  
  My doctor's reaction showed that is somewhat unusual.
  Also, my hourly average of episodes where my breathing was interrupted was 1.1. Regular readers of this blog will recall that during my pre-mask sleep test, that number was around 40.
  Yet, it’s not graduation in a sense that I’m moving on. While some people reach a point where they no longer need CPAP, I’ve accepted that it will be part of my life indefinitely, perhaps forever.
  And that’s OK. I know there are people out there with much worse afflictions that are much more difficult to manage. Sleep apnea isn’t something to play around with but it can be kept under control with CPAP and various other ways I’ve written about.
  It’s as much a part of my daily life as brushing my teeth. I don’t dread putting the mask on. It’s simply the last thing I do before my head hits the pillow.
  I do have the occasional uncomfortable night where the mask needs adjusting. I tend to obsess over the numbers and it stresses me out a bit when the episodes are up a tad and hours of sleep are down.
  Sleeping with CPAP (shameless insertion of blog title) has improved my life by ensuring quality sleep with minimal interruptions. If you’re suffering from sleep apnea, I sincerely wish the same for you.

  A simple Google search for ‘CPAP supplies’ resulted in 3.6 million hits.
  That’s a lot to sift through for someone seeking vital medical equipment online.
  Some CPAP patients are lucky enough to be referred via their doctor to a medical supply company that will provide their machine, mask, hose, filters, etc. at little to no out-of-pocket cost.
  Others are not so fortunate for a variety of reasons.
  I’m hesitant to make statements on which websites are reputable and which aren’t but I’d like to point out one that came through for a friend.
  iONMySleep matches customers with providers in an effort to help them save money. It works with insurance companies and Medicare, and even handles the paperwork.
  My friend reports the pre-qualifying took a few days to complete but he received the welcome news that his CPAP replacement parts would be provided at no cost to him. He's also receiving new headgear, nasal pillows, hoses and a water tank for the humidifer. All will be replaced on a regular schedule, free of cost.
  Check it out by clicking here.