Sleep apnea ... anyone else have it?

[sparkofcreation 0]

I thought I'd post here because honestly, everyone on the apnea forums I've read seems to do nothing but complain about how unsupportive their doctors/DMEs are and how the treatments don't work and stuff. My doctor (both PCP and sleep doctor) have been fabulous and my insurance has been great so far and I'd really like to hear from people who have positive attitudes.

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea, despite being young, female, and a non-snorer. I'd been having symptoms since middle school (supposedly having braces on your teeth can cause it by altering the shape of your jaw), was falling asleep in class by the time I started high school and taking 3-4 hour naps several times a week by the time I was in college. I've been told I sleep too little, sleep too much, drink too much caffeine, need a new bed, need a new pillow, and have dysthymia, and none of those things turned out to help. Many doctors have asked me if I snore, but most seem to take a "no" answer as meaning that it can't be sleep apnea. Finally the new one here in ABQ listened to my "no," then wrote down the phone number of the sleep center here and said "I think you have sleep apnea anyway. I want you to call these people. Call them today. Don't wait and don't forget. I don't even want to talk about any of your other issues until after you find out if you have it or not. Come see me again after your sleep study."

I had my first sleep study last week and need to go back for another one (probably in early March) to get started on CPAP treatment. (CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure = mask/machine pressurizing the air you breathe so your throat doesn't close up and cut off your breathing.)

Current estimates are that 1 in 5 adults has sleep apnea ... 2/3 are men, 3/4 are over 65, half are overweight, and 95% snore. The main symptoms are daytime sleepiness, snoring [specifically, snoring with pauses], and high blood pressure. Other possible symptoms/effects are insulin insensitivity (leading to weight gain), fatigue especially after getting "enough" sleep, low "good" cholesterol levels, waking up with a headache and/or dry mouth, decreased sex drive, teeth grinding, irritability especially in the morning, anxiety, and most of the same symptoms of depression. And it's supposedly way under-diagnosed ... probably because most of those things can be caused by just about anything!

I keep telling people I have it and they keep saying "Oh, no!" I keep telling them, "No, it's great! Now I know that the reason I'm tired all the time isn't that I'm a lazy sponge, it's that I have a medical condition." Seriously, I haven't even started treatment yet and I've lost five pounds already (in a month), just from not stressing all the time about how tired I am and how little I get done.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I thought I had sleep apena at one point, but I went in for testing (I slept at a center and they continually monitored me while I slept, with all sorts of wire attachments on my skin and face) and it turns out that I don't have it -- I just don't allow for enough sleep day-to-day. That's why I'm tired a lot. I guess getting five to six hours of sleep a night isn't enough...

[Cassie 8]

One of my best friends was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year. She started sleeping with a breathing machine, lost 80 pounds, and feels amazing now. Glad you were able to get to the root of your problems.

[cbd2cai 0]

I got diagnosed with sleep apnea back in October. It sounds like getting it taken care of will solve all my problems. The problem?? I've tried 2 different masks and I am still having problems getting adjusted . It is making me even more tired!! What sucks is that I had a car accident after Xmas which totally disrupted me and I have had some business trips . . . there is no way I can even sleep when I am on the road, much less lug around a bunch of other equipment along with my laptop!!

I am not sure what to do!! I want it to work so bad because there are good reasons to be using it. The hubster complained about my snoring the last time I visited !! Of course, once he gets here he'll probably have to get used to me looking like an "alien" when I go to bed . . . all these tubes and weird head gear, hehe!!

I've heard from other ppl who swear that it is the best thing they have ever done . . . and they finally can get sleep!! Why am I having such a hard time??

[sparkofcreation 0]

I got diagnosed with sleep apnea back in October. It sounds like getting it taken care of will solve all my problems. The problem?? I've tried 2 different masks and I am still having problems getting adjusted . It is making me even more tired!! What sucks is that I had a car accident after Xmas which totally disrupted me and I have had some business trips . . . there is no way I can even sleep when I am on the road, much less lug around a bunch of other equipment along with my laptop!!

I am not sure what to do!! I want it to work so bad because there are good reasons to be using it. The hubster complained about my snoring the last time I visited !! Of course, once he gets here he'll probably have to get used to me looking like an "alien" when I go to bed . . . all these tubes and weird head gear, hehe!!

I've heard from other ppl who swear that it is the best thing they have ever done . . . and they finally can get sleep!! Why am I having such a hard time??

Tell him it's either the tubes or the snoring. That should fix him. I wish I could use that argument--I don't snore, so the machine and the tubes and the mask (especially the exhaust) are going to be a major disruption. And any info I found on helping a bed partner adjust basically say "tell him it's either the tubes or the snoring" or "usually the bed partner has already moved out because the snoring is so loud, so having the machine actually brings them back to bed." Which is not helpful if there wasn't any snoring to start with.

Some people are supposedly just hard to fit. I was lucky in that the first mask they fitted me with, fit perfectly, but I haven't even tried actually sleeping with it yet, because I didn't sleep enough at my sleep study for them to split it and so I'll have to go back.

Can you really not carry your machine around? All the ones I've seen look like they would fit easily in a backpack, besides which airlines are required by law (ADA) to let you carry on medical equipment and not count it against your luggage requirement. I'm not looking forward to having three carry-on items, but it beats not sleeping.

[sparkofcreation 0]

One of my best friends was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year. She started sleeping with a breathing machine, lost 80 pounds, and feels amazing now. Glad you were able to get to the root of your problems.

That's what I'm hoping for—I don't have 80 pounds to lose, but could certainly stand 50 or so. It's a vicious circle, weight gain can cause or worsen sleep apnea (because extra tissue builds up in the throat and narrows it), and sleep apnea causes weight gain (by making you too tired to exercise, sometimes by making you eat in an effort to stay awake, and by causing insulin insensitivity).

[Chiroman 0]

Hope you already have life insurance! It is a red flag to have sleep apnea, coverage will be denied or jacked up, sorry. Good luck and good health to you.....

[sparkofcreation 0]

Hope you already have life insurance! It is a red flag to have sleep apnea, coverage will be denied or jacked up, sorry. Good luck and good health to you.....

I work for the government, they provide life insurance based entirely on your age and salary. I guess I'd better go sign up for disability insurance before my final results from the sleep study come in, though.

A little silly, really, when you consider that so many people have it. I mean, nearly everyone over the age of 65, according to one study ...

Edited February 12, 2007 by sparkofcreation

[cbd2cai 0]

Hope you already have life insurance! It is a red flag to have sleep apnea, coverage will be denied or jacked up, sorry. Good luck and good health to you.....

I work for the government, they provide life insurance based entirely on your age and salary. I guess I'd better go sign up for disability insurance before my final results from the sleep study come in, though.

A little silly, really, when you consider that so many people have it. I mean, nearly everyone over the age of 65, according to one study ...

I've been carrying disability insurance for years because I have lower back problems and thought I'd end up having huge problems as I got older. That part has settled down because some of the exercising that I do has strengthened my core muscles.

RE: carrying my equipment around with me . . . same problem . . . all the weight to lug when rushing for planes . . .really makes my body get out of alighment. The laptop is in my backpack . . . I already I feel like I have 20 lbs up there with the power adaptor, etc. And being a short woman, blah, blah, pushing stuff into the over head bins is hard.

Sheeeeesh, I feel like a walking disaster zone sometimes!!