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Anyone here have sleep apnea?

M

Mon Rominee

Inactive
Oct 24, 2003
8,315
17
55
Central Southern Massachusetts
www.curtainsociety.com
#1
It was suggested to me recently by a recovery room doctor, that during monitoring, I showed signs of sleep apnea. What it is is your body essentially forgetting to breathe while you're asleep, and you're constantly awoken by your brain in effort to start breathing again. Oy veh.

Anyway, in the recovery room My O2 levels kept dropping, and mixed with coming out of being put under anesthesia, I kept passing out when they would raise the bed.

Needless to say I am incredibly freaked out after researching it, and I am scheduling a polysomnogram soon. This would be a real good explanation for my constant tiredness, and morning headaches...

Just wondering if anyone else had this disorder, and how you are dealing with it.
 
#3
Yeah, I NEVER feel refreshed lately. Even when I do have opportunity to sleep "late", my head just kills and I AM EVEN more sluggish and the day is essentially toast as a result.

Oh man, I don't like surgery. What did they do, if you don't mind me asking.

What has me freaked out is the potential for congenital heart failure as a result of the strain this disorder can potentially put on the heart over time...so tho I hate the thought of another surgery, it far outweighs waiting too long.
 
#4
Yes, I do. I have spent some time being observed in a sleep study clinic. I'm not sure how it works in the U.S., but buying a CPAP mask or even one of the jaw repositioning devices is rather spendy. I have had good luck just taking some melatonin supplements in the late evening, before I retire. If sufficiently relaxed, I seem to sleep better. Stress is a major factor for me. My wife has commented that when I am under much stress, I will stop breathing for up to 10 seconds at a time during the night. Not good. But as above, the melatonin seems to help alot. I've been feeling much more rested and experiencing less headaches, irritated nasal and oral cavities, etc. Good luck.
 
#7
Yep.

Finally did the sleep test thing about a year ago and now use a CPAP machine every night. Blue Cross ins. paid for most of it. Cost me about $400 out of pocket.

I now sleep deeply all night like a baby. Should'a done it years ago.

Thought I'd have a hard time getting used to the nasal pillow system, but I sleep so well now I actually look forward to using it and put it on even when I'm napping the day after a late gig.

Just do it, man. It'll change your life (both waking and when asleep).

Here's a link to the best nasal pillow system:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#8
I have it and use a CPAP machine (set at 14.) I had 2 seperate sleep evaluations. I stopped breathing for extended periods an average of 80 times per hour. Learning to sleep with the machine was a huge struggle (similar to drinking from a fire hose.) It has made tremendous change in quality of life.
 
#9
Stinsok said:
I have it and use a CPAP machine (set at 14.) I had 2 seperate sleep evaluations. I stopped breathing for extended periods an average of 80 times per hour. Learning to sleep with the machine was a huge struggle (similar to drinking from a fire hose.) It has made tremendous change in quality of life.
Click to expand...

I guess I got lucky and only had to have one adjustment made to the air pressure.

After that one adjustment it took less than a week to get used to the machine.

I also got the heated humidifier CPAP when is super comfortable since my nose and throat don't get dry or sore.
 
#14
I also know a guy that had it BAD and had an operation to fix it. He was so sleep deprived that he would fall asleep on his feet at work, no kidding. He was talking on the payphone once, got put on hold and he fell out right on the floor!!! It got to the point where it was actually dangerous. His wife had to drive him everywhere because he would fall asleep at the wheel. I have NEVER heard a human make the kinds of noises he would make while he slept in his office. People would gather around the door just to watch, LOL!!! He would snore and make choking noises so LOUD that he would startle himself, yell and wake up about every 20 seconds!!! He's fine now, had the operation, lost weight and takes some meds. :)
 
#15
I was about your age when I was diagnosed with a "moderate" case of sleep apnea. They recommended the CPAP machine -- they basically recommend that for every case -- but since I was relatively young I decided to try other options first. I didn't want to think about being tied to that machine for several decades. By the way, for the people who are saying it's an "oxygen" machine, it's not. It simply blows a stream of fresh air into your airway, which keeps the airway from closing. No oxygen tank required.

I tried the surgery route first, but it made only a small difference for me. PM me if you want details on that. What ended up working much better for me is a special mouthpiece that I wear at night. When you wear it, it pulls the lower jaw slighly forward, which keeps the airway from being blocked by your tongue. It's more convenient than CPAP, and it's been a great solution for me. Looks like this:
http://www.pmpositioner.com/tech1.html

But if you can get rid of it by dropping some weight, that's even better. Also, if you're sleeping on your back, learn to sleep on your side, that often helps.
 
#17
Earlier this year I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. While I never fell asleep driving I'd come dangerously close at times. I felt run down and tired all the time. No matter how much sleep I got it was never enough.

When I got my sleep study done they discovered that I stopped breathing 170+ times in two hours. The oxygen level in my blood was about 67% and the therapist told me they would call him into the hospital when a patients was 75%.

My insurance paid 100% of the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. So no surgery for me. Yeah, I'm a horribly fat man and need to get my weight down.

As far as getting used to the machine, I did not experience the "drinking water from a fire hose" and I'm set for 16.x (very high I was told). I use the nasal mask and not the pillows.

Link Removed

Get the study done and stick with the treatment. It's worth it. I should have done it years ago.
 
#20
I was diagnosed with apnea last year and have been trying to get used to a CPAP machine for almsot a year now. I just cannot seem to stick with it. I've tried about 4 different kinds of masks, but I never last more than about an hour in one. I'm a bit claustrophobic and I usually wake up in a panic to remove the mask. I really don't know what to do. My condition was judged to be severe, though I've lost some weight since then and believe it is now somewhat better.

A side note about CPAP equipment: WHAT A CROCK OF ****!!! These machines are not much more complicated than an aquarium pump, yet they charge close to $2000 for them. ...and they come down hard on people who try to resell them. It's a racket. They shouldn't cost more $50. Then a mask costs $150 or so and the vendor calls every 3 months to encourage you to replace the mask and all tubes.

I tried shopping around for better prices and it seems everyone is colluding to keep the prices up. ...and we wonder why our medical costs go up so much.

sorry for the rant.
 

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