Sleep Apnea Support/Questions Thread

And certainly the surgical options shouldn't be the first option, by any means.

There is a spectrum of treatments. If the plan systematically moves through and evaluates the individual benefits of each option in the plan, then you are bound to reap the full benefits. Thus, surgical consideration has its place in any plan regarding OSA. But, what I commonly say is: "Surgery is a non-reversible treatment though...Once changed, the anatomy can never change back (not entirely true)", so certainly explore all other reversible therapies first.

Explore all options when the time is right. But exploring them doesn't mean committing to them. Each person will find their optimum therapy if they keep looking.

Cheers


John

[azherfer]

Hi, my name is David, and I had sleep apnea.

It nearly cost me my life and my mind. I gained a significant amount of weight and at one point was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. I could barely function on my job and nearly lost it. I suffered mini-seizures which caused ruptures on my right cornea.

Sleep apnea is not a joke. During my sleep study, I scored one of the worst results tested at that facility. For many years I knew I had a problem, and I let it go. One night, I woke up unable to breathe and went into a severe panic because my brain wasn't telling my lungs to function. That was the final straw.

14 months ago I underwent Gastric-bypass surgery and as of today, I've lost 200 pounds. My sleep apnea is cured, my hypertension is cured, and my memory and cognitive skills are back to where they were at the age of 25. I am in top physical shape and weigh less than I did when I graduated high-school.

Congrats to you David and thanks for sharing.

[G G]

Hi my name is Greg and my doctor said I don't have sleep apnea, not sure how he knows without any testing. I used to wake up in the the night gasping for breath. It was almost like I was dreaming and in the dream I would know I needed to breathe, and finally wake up and just be gasping for breath. I haven't had that happen in a long time now. Not sure just thought I would share.

You need to have an overnight sleep study done to be sure.




Made the appointment yet?

[Smokin Gator]

Does anyone else run their CPAP dry. I have from the very beginning. I keep a glass of water by the bed and most nights I will wake up around 3:00 and get a sip of water.

Congrats David, that is a scary story with an apparently happy ending.

Originally Posted by Smokin Gator

Does anyone else run their CPAP dry. I have from the very beginning. I keep a glass of water by the bed and most nights I will wake up around 3:00 and get a sip of water.

I have a humidification device on mine. Can't imagine not having it.

[G G]

Originally Posted by ahc4353

You need to have an overnight sleep study done to be sure.




Made the appointment yet?

Nope. Like I said it's not happened in a couple years now.

[azherfer]

What's truly sad is that sleep apnea is the most un-diagnosed illness and yet is causes so many others. My father suffered with Parkinson's disease for many years before his death and I've lost other family members who've suffered from Alzheimer's. All snored like freight trains. Had they known then what I know now, they might be alive today.

The short and sweet is, sleep apnea ultimately results in the loss of oxygen flow to the brain. Repeat that enough times and I think you get the picture.

[Smokin Gator]

Originally Posted by ahc4353

I have a humidification device on mine. Can't imagine not having it.

Mine has the humidification chamber... I just don't put any water in it.

The guy who did my sleep study has been doing them for a long time. He told me to try it right from the start without water. He said if I didn't mind it that way it was good. He said there are more problems with cleaning and lung infections when you used humidity.

Maybe it is easier in Florida since our humidity is high most of the time anyway.

Originally Posted by ggainey

Nope. Like I said it's not happened in a couple years now.

Does not matter. You don't have to be woken up to have it. Most times your brain wakes you up just enough to get started again and you never know it.

Schedule the test please.

[Emjaysmash]

Hi, I'm MJ and I probably have/will have apnea.
My father has it, both my Grandpa and Grandma have/had it, as I'm sure a few other in my family I may not know about. I'm 19, and I dont really know about what the usual age it is for having sleep apnea...I'm thinking about getting tested in the summer.

Originally Posted by Smokin Gator

Mine has the humidification chamber... I just don't put any water in it.

The guy who did my sleep study has been doing them for a long time. He told me to try it right from the start without water. He said if I didn't mind it that way it was good. He said there are more problems with cleaning and lung infections when you used humidity.

Maybe it is easier in Florida since our humidity is high most of the time anyway.

I started out that way but moved to the humi as I got very dried out.

[azherfer]

One other thing I like to mention to people is another angle that may actually be the cause of sleep apnea in men, and that is low testosterone levels. I had my checked just prior to my bypass surgery and I didn't even register on the chart. The side affects of low testosterone and sleep apnea are eerily similar. My PC physician warned me years ago that it was low and stupidly I ignored him and my sleep apnea, weight gain, and other issues may have come from that.

I now take testosterone injections weekly and my physical being has changed completely. I sleep well, I have boundless energy, my metabolism is perfect, and my sex life has improved dramatically.

I would offer to anyone the suggestion that at your next appointment, have the doctor order a T-panel and see what your level is. After the age of 30, your T-count starts dropping rapidly as the body starts producing less.

[G G]

Originally Posted by ahc4353

Does not matter. You don't have to be woken up to have it. Most times your brain wakes you up just enough to get started again and you never know it.

Schedule the test please.

I gotta go in soon and I will talk to my Doc about it Al.

[PeteSB75]

Originally Posted by azherfer

One other thing I like to mention to people is another angle that may actually be the cause of sleep apnea in men, and that is low testosterone levels. I had my checked just prior to my bypass surgery and I didn't even register on the chart. The side affects of low testosterone and sleep apnea are eerily similar. My PC physician warned me years ago that it was low and stupidly I ignored him and my sleep apnea, weight gain, and other issues may have come from that.

I now take testosterone injections weekly and my physical being has changed completely. I sleep well, I have boundless energy, my metabolism is perfect, and my sex life has improved dramatically.

I would offer to anyone the suggestion that at your next appointment, have the doctor order a T-panel and see what your level is. After the age of 30, your T-count starts dropping rapidly as the body starts producing less.

I didn't have my testosterone tested, but I will say without any hesitation that my sex drive is monumentally higher than it was before I started on the CPAP. It wasn't quite driven home to me until I woke up one morning after starting the CPAP and was surprised when I realized how long it had been since my last morning wood. That was before I started exercising and lost the weight, leading me to attribute it to the treatment rather than anything else.

[Smokin Gator]

Originally Posted by PeteSB75

I didn't have my testosterone tested, but I will say without any hesitation that my sex drive is monumentally higher than it was before I started on the CPAP.

I'll second that

[BigCat]

I have sleep apnea. I'm 27 and probably need to drop 30 pounds, but noting too major. My wife bugged me to get tested not long after we got married. I have been using it for almost two years now and it is going very well. The mask is not attractive, but I definitely feel better and once I got used to it, it became almost pavlovian for me - I put it on and I go out quickly. I use a hybrid mask that has nasal pillows and covers my mouth. I tend to be claustrophobic, but this doesn't give me any trouble. Also, if I position my pillow just right, I can actually sleep on my stomach with this mask, which is how I always preferred to sleep pre-apnea. This is a relatively recent discovery for me and I love it. I was doing ok sleeping on my sides, but my shoulders started to hurt.

I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who has symptoms and has not been tested to get tested, and those that have been diagnosed to find a way to make the CPAP work for you. It is an extremely serious disorder that is relatively easy to manage once you get past those couple weeks of discomfort with the mask. I bet you will even sleep better during those few weeks than you do on any night when you don't wear the mask.

[BigCat]

Originally Posted by Smokin Gator

Does anyone else run their CPAP dry. I have from the very beginning. I keep a glass of water by the bed and most nights I will wake up around 3:00 and get a sip of water.

I have used it dry for a period of time and did fine with it, but decided I liked it a little better with water. The nasal pillows I use stay a little more moist with the water and don't irritate my nose as much. I had some irritation when it was just dry air.