I also wear a cpap mask. The testing was brutal. It took about four weeks to get used to wearing the mask and at six weeks it became my teddy bear. I can't wait to put it on at night because I know I'll be able to relax and be comfortable.
Before the cpap I was sleeping in my car during work breaks and lunch breaks. Sometimes I would oversleep and miss work. In the morning I was incomprehensible until about 9am. My wife refused to talk to me in the morning. After the cpap I wake up tired sometimes but I wake up with my full mental abilities and am ready to go. Very rarely do I take a nap during the day anymore. So that's a big bonus. No weight loss unfortunately.
The biggest problem I have run into is neck pain from the straps and leaks from the rubber seal of the mask. After a long time I learned the insurance will pay for new rubber seals every two weeks and this helps tremendously. So if you have leaks try replacing just the rubber. I also found out I have (had) a deviated septum. I had this corrected and my doctor said I should be able to lower the pressure on the cpap now. So that should help eliminate discomfort.
I did look into the available surgeries. What I learned is that they have about a 50-60% success rate right away but after a few years it drops to 25%. Fortunately my dad is in that 25% group but that's why I never pursued that solution. Obviously stats can be pulled out of the air but that's what my research turned up. Good for those who have had success with it though, I'm envious.
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