Sleep apnea anyone?

[Tailgate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whittonm I used to fall asleep driving and in meetings. Feel much better after sleep apnea diagnosis and Cpap therapy. Have used Cpap for 16 years. Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Thanks .. Need the encouragement!

[robertf57]

I know this may not apply to you, but the majority of obstructive sleep apnea sufferers are overweight. A good proportion will correct their OSA with weight loss. My twin brother used the Darth Vader mask for years but finally decided he wasn't happy with his appearance and lost 40 lbs. No more snoring and a good sleep study so he is off the machine.

[Teacher Terry]

I had 72 events per hour. I actually like the mask better then nose ones. The doc said that the worse you have it the quicker you adapt because you feel so much better. It has really changed my life. If you wear it 5 hours a night you are in full compliance according to insurance/medical guidelines. Sometimes I can wear it longer & sometimes 5 is the max. I have learned not to fight with it. If I am at 5 hours & can't fall back to sleep I remove it.

[Tailgate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertf57 I know this may not apply to you, but the majority of obstructive sleep apnea sufferers are overweight.

I do fall in that group..have lost a few pounds but could certainly stand to lose a few more.

[Tailgate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I had 72 events per hour. I actually like the mask better then nose ones. The doc said that the worse you have it the quicker you adapt because you feel so much better. It has really changed my life. If you wear it 5 hours a night you are in full compliance according to insurance/medical guidelines. Sometimes I can wear it longer & sometimes 5 is the max. I have learned not to fight with it. If I am at 5 hours & can't fall back to sleep I remove it.

I wanted the least invasive possible and that seems to be the nose pillows. I'll certainly know more after a couple of nights.
How long did it take for you to feel better? I've heard that some people feel the difference after the first night.

[Teacher Terry]

I felt better within a week. We went camping & I did not have it for 2 nites & felt terrible. I have used it for about 3 years now.

[Kaufmanrider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tailgate I wanted the least invasive possible and that seems to be the nose pillows. I'll certainly know more after a couple of nights. How long did it take for you to feel better? I've heard that some people feel the difference after the first night.

I have used my machine for 4-5 months, nose pillows. They tended to aggravate one of my nostrils, causing redness and a sore spot. After playing with the device, or maybe my nose toughened up it is not as sore. I think the tightness (head strap didn't hold it tight enough) allowed the pillow to move around when I moved, and I stopped using moisture. I use mine nightly, all night, for 8 hours on average.

Never really had a pow moment where I realized it was working. It was more gradual. I did take a MC trip a few months back and didn't have my machine. Slept like crap for those two days and received comments on my facebook selfies that I looked like I hadn't slept.

Weight had nothing to do with my sleep apnea.

[Tailgate]

I'm 6 nights in with the machine and here are my numbers according to the free Sleepyhead software..

AHI untreated = 16.9 (moderate apnea according to standards)
AHI average after 6 nights is 6.5 (low of 4.97, high of 9.24)

so, it's working well for me. I'm averaging over 7 hours using the mask/nose pillows. Feel more rested... I know it's a marathon and not a sprint..

[Amethyst]

That's interesting - I work out 4 days a week, and have noticed certain men who seemingly work out 7 days a week (since no matter what day I go, they are always there). These are the ones with no body fat, who do the funky push-ups that wander all over the floor, repeatedly slam a medicine ball on the floor as hard and loud as possible, hang upside down on the pullup bars, wear triathlete T-shirts, etc. To a man, they look angry and grim, unlike the rest of us who crack a smile now and then. They are ferociously healthy and strong, yet I wonder how well they feel.

One particularly personality-challenged fellow wears a T-shirt saying "Train like it's your last day" with a picture of the Grim Reaper on it. If it really was your last day, what exactly would you be training for? Running away from Satan?

Amethyst

Quote:

Originally Posted by razztazz Better upshot: My apnea ... was being cause by... wait for it..... excessive exercise. .

[BTravlin]

I had sleep apnea and was diagnosed in early 2010. After doing a lot of research and talking with my two older brothers who also suffered from sleep apnea, I elected to have UPPP surgery that December. So it's now been 3 1/2 years since the surgery and I sleep great with no snoring. (insert DW happy dance here - ) I was somewhat overweight at 186 lbs on a 5'11" frame and, according to my ENT, had an abundance of excess tissue in my throat. The UPPP involved the removal of my tonsils, adenoids, uvula and a small portion of the soft palate. I also had nasal surgery at the same time to correct a deviated septum and had the nasal turbinates reduced. The two week recovery was awful but the results so far have been great. Regularly sleep soundly for 7-8 hours now and wake up refreshed. No more nodding off sporadically during the day. I've also kept off the excess weight and weighed in at 175.4 lbs this morning.

If you're still overweight, I highly recommend getting rid of that before going any further. That alone often resolves the issue for many people. If that doesn't work you can then decide between CPAP, surgery or other possible remedies. The surgery is not to be taken lightly as the recovery process is extremely painful and not effective for everyone.

For info and support I suggest a visit to apneasupport.org.

Hope you're able to get this resolved since the lack of quality sleep is a serious quality of life issue.

[razztazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst That's interesting - I work out 4 days a week, and have noticed certain men who seemingly work out 7 days a week (since no matter what day I go, they are always there). These are the ones with no body fat, who do the funky push-ups that wander all over the floor, repeatedly slam a medicine ball on the floor as hard and loud as possible, hang upside down on the pullup bars, wear triathlete T-shirts, etc. To a man, they look angry and grim, unlike the rest of us who crack a smile now and then. They are ferociously healthy and strong, yet I wonder how well they feel. One particularly personality-challenged fellow wears a T-shirt saying "Train like it's your last day" with a picture of the Grim Reaper on it. If it really was your last day, what exactly would you be training for? Running away from Satan? Amethyst

A guy I know who likes to work out with all the modern stuff at a gym was next to one of those guys once. The guy was pumping iron furiously and lifting tremendous amounts of weight. My friend said to him: "Some day I hope to be able to do that." The other guy said: "Some day I hope I won't have to."

I suppose there are worse addictions that exercise.

[Amethyst]

I don't get it. Did the guy think he was investing his heavy workouts to sustain him through a long retirement as a couch potato? (If only!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by razztazz The guy was pumping iron furiously and lifting tremendous amounts of weight. My friend said to him: "Some day I hope to be able to do that." The other guy said: "Some day I hope I won't have to."

[Teacher Terry]

I know someone that had the surgery & after a few years still had to use the CPAP machine. My doc said that I could have the surgery but would still need the machine. I think it really varies but have heard that after the surgery it is really painful for a long time.

[Van-Guard23]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ls99 Some years ago doc suggested I may have sleep apnea. Went for a sleep lab. A horrible experience. The various gizmos put on me were really annoying to my senses ans sensibilities. I tried to sleep, the place was noisy. Smelled bad, like to much cleaning fluids in everything. I kept pushing the pulse monitor off my finger as it was pinching annoyingly. The nurse kept coming in to put it back on. Then they turned on the air pump. The awful racket it made sure made it impossible to fall asleep. After an hour or so of this garbage, i got up took off all the crap, called DW to come get me. My guess is that anyone who can go to sleep in a miserable environment like that is either fully exhausted or is a real deep sleeper. I was outta there.

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea last year and was prescribed a machine (not quite CPAP as air pressure is variable and there is no continuous air pressure). I have tried to sleep with that thing (with nose mask) for months and can't seem to get any sleep at all...so I haven't been using it and able to at least get some sleep.
Incidentally, while my experience with my Sleep Study wasn't as terrible as yours (actually quite comfortable in the room but the wires hooked up to you as well as the mask made it impossible for me to sleep), but I didn't sleep a wink at all and told the doctor that they should rename the test...as Sleep Study assumes you actually got some sleep.

[BTravlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I know someone that had the surgery & after a few years still had to use the CPAP machine. My doc said that I could have the surgery but would still need the machine. I think it really varies but have heard that after the surgery it is really painful for a long time.

The recovery was quite painful and it took two weeks to get back to normal. Lost 12 lbs during that time due to the pain and difficulty of eating while healing. My doctor said many people do end up having to use the mask 5-10 years after the surgery but that many of those people put a good deal of weight back on. I'm still 10 lbs lighter than before my surgery. And even if I do eventually end up having to use the CPAP mask, several years of not having to deal with it were a good trade for the two week painful recovery.

[Teacher Terry]

I am glad that it worked for you. My friend where it did not is not heavy. Like many things it probably just depends. Where I had my sleep study they give you a sleeping pill so there was no worry about not sleeping. Otherwise I don't know how anyone would ever fall asleep during the study.

[ggbutcher]

I hate the idea I have to use a CPAP, but it has significantly improved my sleep.

In both the sleep studies I've done, the distractions of the mask and wires was more than compensated by the positive pressure that let me sleep, slept like the proverbial baby.

[Tailgate]

Mixed results with machine so far.. 16.5 two nights ago, 1.9 last night... (AHI)



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[My Dream]

I snored as far back as I could remember whether I was overweight or underweight. I did three overnight sleep clinics but the third time I followed through and returned to the specialist.

Conclusion, I was told I have severe sleep apnea in that the tests showed I stopped breathing an average of 85 times per hour which I didn't believe until I saw the results myself. My wife would tell me that sometimes I'd gasp for air after not breathing for 30 seconds which I now believe.

I have never gone without my cpap machine in the last 6 years and my setting is at 14.5. Even though I'm retired, I'm still tired during the day but it's most likely because I'm only getting between 6-7 hours sleep a night as there simply isn't enough time in a day to work on my "to do list". I do feel much more rested than before and the cpap has changed my life for the better.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

DW drove me to getting a test. My snoring was keeping her awake. I was also not getting good rest.

Even though it was in the basement of the clinic in a quiet part of town, the clinic bedroom was terribly noisy. High air movement noise in the ducts. It was like a motel on the highway. I think it was designed to make it hard to sleep.

When the doc reviewed my test, my number was about 56 as I recall--OSA. He called the medical supply house immediately to keep them from closing and sent me right over to get my first CPAP machine. I got the best night's sleep in years. I use them every night and everybody's happy!

I have three machines now: one at home, one here in Baku and a nifty little portable one I can travel with. I prefer nose pillows, but they bite into my nose after a while and I switch to a small mask.

I could stand to lose 100 pounds. I am sure that would help a lot.

Alternative medicine: I saw 'Penn and Teller Tell a Lie' where a Brit in Australia is teaching people to blow a digery-doo. The practice of training one's breathing and nose so that one can make this thing drone continuously apparently can cure snoring (and OSA?). I don't think that will go over big in my neighborhood, kind of like the guy who practiced bagpipes a few streets down.

We were surprised to learn that many people we know have CPAP machines and have for years. Not something that comes up in conversation very often, I guess.