Does anyone have Sleep Apnea

[Captain America]

First of all I am not fat I just have it. I think most of it comes from an accident I was in years ago where I got my throat messed up but I was to dumb to get it looked at so it got better but possibly healed wrong. Plus I did a lot of boxing for years.
Anyway I am in my 5th week of wearing the mask and becoming normal. Nothing happened for the first five days and then on the 6th day it was like a new person got out of bed. I could think, I wasn't falling asleep as soon as I sat down, and the dreaming while awake stopped.
It sure is a PIA to try to go to sleep with an Albatross strapped to your head and a twenty mile and hour wind going straight up your nose but it works.

[mikld]

Exwife had sleep apnea. For some reason she didn't use the machine (been 22 years ago and I can't remember why), so doctors did a tracheotomy (sp? cut a hole in her throat). Well, to make a long story short, the fog lifted and she divorced me! Yep, a good night's sleep can really change things!

[dr walker]

Glad to here it is working for you. I would love the opportunity to try out one of the new C-PAP's. For suferers, I believe the health benifits are substantial.

[Captain America]

Glad to here it is working for you. I would love the opportunity to try out one of the new C-PAP's. For suferers, I believe the health benifits are substantial.

It was for me, I think that a lot of people get so used to the craziness that it becomes normal. My wake up call came when I woke up headed for a big concrete post under an overpass. I also couldn't believe you could have an extremely long sleep debt but I am a believer and I know all the research says it ain't so but all I know is it took me about 5 days to become normal.

[dave in maine]

i'll be darned if i could adjust to the masks, i tried everything the va had and in the end i just gave up.it woke me up more than it helped me sleep. if you need any extras let me know and if i have it it's yours.
dave

[kimwcook]

Just went through the whole ball game, informal sleep study, formal sleep study, fitting and now I have a CPAP, I haven't had it that long and it definitely takes some time to get used to. But, my wife says I don't snore at all. My O2 levels were seriously low in both the informal and formal studies. I'm just getting to the point that I can wear the thing all night long so I haven't worn it long enough to have a real eval. I have noticed that I have a little more energy. Hopefully when I get used to the routine of it all I'll have a lot more energy.

[Sixgun]

Exwife had sleep apnea. For some reason she didn't use the machine (been 22 years ago and I can't remember why), so doctors did a tracheotomy (sp? cut a hole in her throat). Well, to make a long story short, the fog lifted and she divorced me! Yep, a good night's sleep can really change things!

Oh man, that made me laugh ------Sixgun

[Blaine]

Question: Can't you tell if you are "doing" it while your asleep? It's not waking you up? VA is bugging me to death to do this thing......

[Sixgun]

Braggin rights a comin'-------Not me. When my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep in five minutes and don't know nothin' till my alarm goes off 8 hours later. In fact, I have to have two alarm clocks. On my days off, I can (but don't) sleep 10 hours straight.----------Sixgun

[Blaine]

Braggin rights a comin'-------Not me. When my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep in five minutes and don't know nothin' till my alarm goes off 8 hours later. In fact, I have to have two alarm clocks. On my days off, I can (but don't) sleep 10 hours straight.----------Sixgun

Kind of what I was saying.......That's me, too......But Nurse Wratchett at VA sez I have it......

[Captain America]

Just went through the whole ball game, informal sleep study, formal sleep study, fitting and now I have a CPAP, I haven't had it that long and it definitely takes some time to get used to. But, my wife says I don't snore at all. My O2 levels were seriously low in both the informal and formal studies. I'm just getting to the point that I can wear the thing all night long so I haven't worn it long enough to have a real eval. I have noticed that I have a little more energy. Hopefully when I get used to the routine of it all I'll have a lot more energy.

I think it will happen, like I said it took me a few days and then bang but I have read posts by people that said it took longer.
If you are doing alcohol cut that out hours before bed.

[Bear 45/70]

I've been on a C-PAP every night for sleep apnea for almost 10 years. I would stop breathing for up to a minute and a half and my SPo2 (oxygen in the blood) would drop as low as 60% instead of the upper 90s which is normal for me. With an SPo2 that low it can kill brain cells. I even have a battery hook up for mine that's lets me camp out and still use it. I even sleep clear thru the night now. Well, if I don't wake up having to pee.

Oh and it normally has nothing to do with being fat or injuries. It is related to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) where your system just forgets to breath in.

[Captain America]

Question: Can't you tell if you are "doing" it while your asleep? It's not waking you up? VA is bugging me to death to do this thing......

Go to your doctor and have her send you to one of those places that sells equipment and have them do a free study on you.
All I did was have little a thing around my chest, and a thing on my finger. That gave them enough info to send me for a real test. Even though I consider myself a vet I have never used them so I don't know about that.

[Captain America]

I've been on a C-PAP every night for sleep apnea for almost 10 years. I would stop breathing for up to a minute and a half and my SPo2 (oxygen in the blood) would drop as low as 60% instead of the upper 90s which is normal for me. With an SPo2 that low it can kill brain cells. I even have a battery hook up for mine that's lets me camp out and still use it. I even sleep clear thru the night now. Well, if I don't wake up having to pee.

Oh and it normally has nothing to do with being fat or injuries. It is related to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) where your system just forgets to breath in.

Your figures sound a lot like mine, and they gave me an 02 collector because for some goofy reason my O2 gets so low about 3am that I start to veg out...No telling how smart I would be if I wern't losing hundreds of brain cells a night.

[Bear 45/70]

Question: Can't you tell if you are "doing" it while your asleep? It's not waking you up? VA is bugging me to death to do this thing......

Go to your doctor and have her send you to one of those places that sells equipment and have them do a free study on you.
All I did was have little a thing around my chest, and a thing on my finger. That gave them enough info to send me for a real test. Even though I consider myself a vet I have never used them so I don't know about that.

He just needs his primary care doc at the VA to request a sleep study. The study will determine if he needs a C-PAP and the VA will supply the testing and C-PAP for the same price as they did for me, FREE. We lowly disabled veterans deserve it.

[Captain America]

Question: Can't you tell if you are "doing" it while your asleep? It's not waking you up? VA is bugging me to death to do this thing......

Go to your doctor and have her send you to one of those places that sells equipment and have them do a free study on you.
All I did was have little a thing around my chest, and a thing on my finger. That gave them enough info to send me for a real test. Even though I consider myself a vet I have never used them so I don't know about that.

He just needs his primary care doc at the VA to request a sleep study. The study will determine if he needs a C-PAP and the VA will supply the testing and C-PAP for the same price as they did for me, FREE. We lowly disabled veterans deserve it.

Total agreement, the way the vets in this country are treated is sickening.

[Travis Morgan]

Exwife had sleep apnea. For some reason she didn't use the machine (been 22 years ago and I can't remember why), so doctors did a tracheotomy (sp? cut a hole in her throat). Well, to make a long story short, the fog lifted and she divorced me! Yep, a good night's sleep can really change things!

Were you trying to get freaky with her stoma, or was she just a bitch? Yup, I went there.

[Warhawk]

Yep, I have sleep apnea. Went through the sleep study and eneded up with a CPAP. Used it for a year or so, then started ingesting air. Went back to the Doc who did the UPPP surgery (VERY painful recovery). That was about 4 years ago, it worked for a while but now I'm back to having sleep apnea. Nowhere near as bad as before, but it's come back.

The Doc down here in Texas wants me to get a $600 mouthpiece, but I tried a cheapie and can't tolerate it.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I'm in year 15 and my third machine. The oxygen and the constant drone put me to sleep quickly and I typically sleep like a rock with it. In fact, I get terrified if I think I'm going to be without it. Finding a good mask and getting a proper fit with the right sized headgear makes a big difference for me.

[Rusty]

I've had my CPAP for about 6 or 7 years now. Don't leave home without it. In fact when the power goes off here at the house which it does quite a lot, I'm the first one to know about it. It makes all the difference in the world in how I sleep. It's nothing to play with if you have it. It can lead to high blood pressure as well as other problems.

I'd say if you even snore you should ask your doctor for a sleep study.

[20cows]

My dad is on his third or fourth machine in about 20 years.

I was beginning to show signs, but losing 150 pounds made that go away. Losing weight is good for a lot of things.

[Modoc ED]

First of all I am not fat I just have it.

Well, I'm a 65-year old fat man and I don't have it.

Watch how you make insinuations about us fat guys in the future.

[Ray Newman]

About 12 years ago, the VA diagnosed me w/ very severe sleep apnea! In fact the Saw Bones who looked @ my test results wondered how I was able to function & said I was lucky to have not had a stroke or a really life threatening heart attack.

I went home w/ a C-PAP & never looked back. Since I had no alternative, I told myself I will sleep w/ the mask & it was a dramatic improvement from night one!

About 3 years ago, the VA -American Lake upgraded my C-Pap to a newer unit, but I still wear the older style mask. I just could not become accustomed to the new & improved masks.

Trust me guys, sleep apnea is nothing to fool around w/. When I was growing up in the 1950’s & 60’s, I knew several men who just died in their sleep. & it seems that everyone mentioned that they snored very deeply & loudly & never felt like they slept well. My SWAG (Scientific Wild Arsed Guess) is that sleep apnea killed them w/ a massive heart attack.

[Hobie]

My dad had emphysema and so wore the CPAP. He said it was a bit of an adjustment but slept better than he had in years. Obvious why. I know several who use them, none are less than thankful for the option. I have a friend that works in a sleep "clinic" at a local hospital.

[Captain America]

Thanks for the replies and I think that the number of responses that I got from this forums small sample shows that this is a silent epidemic and it shouldn't be.

[Captain America]

First of all I am not fat I just have it.

Well, I'm a 65-year old fat man and I don't have it.

Watch how you make insinuations about us fat guys in the future.

Sorry, I meant that in a medical way. Part of the way they diagnose you for the problem is to measure the neck and if it is beyond a certain girth there is a good chance you have it. I didn't so at first they were skeptical until the got the results of the test and it was like darn you need help.
I was trying to show anyone can get it.

[Modoc ED]

First of all I am not fat I just have it.

Well, I'm a 65-year old fat man and I don't have it.

Watch how you make insinuations about us fat guys in the future.

Sorry, I meant that in a medical way. Part of the way they diagnose you for the problem is to measure the neck and if it is beyond a certain girth there is a good chance you have it. I didn't so at first they were skeptical until the got the results of the test and it was like darn you need help.
I was trying to show anyone can get it.

No sweat. I was just funnin with ya. Thought a little levity in such a serious thread would give a bit of relief. It is a serious condition and I feel for those that have it.

[Marc]

I had surgery last November for sleep apnea. According to the Doc my uvula was the size of a large finger. My tonsils were somewhat enlarged too. Both are gone now. I had my nose straightened and opened up while I was at it. It made a world of difference. I don't wake up choking and gasping for air like I used to. My wife says I don't snore as much or as loud as I used to either. I can sleep on my back now too. I used to wake up and feel like I had been run over and dragged by a truck and was groggy and foggy all day. Now I feel rested when I get up. What a treat!

[Twinsfan]

I've been a member of the CPAP club for about five years. What a big difference it makes. I had no idea what a good night's sleep really felt like until I got "the mask". Looking back, I probably had sleep apnea for several years but didn't understand what it was. In my case, I woke up gasping for air and soaked with sweat one night and thought I was having a heart attack. That night led to the sleep study and eventually the CPAP. Shortly before this happened I had heard about a former game warden from our county that suffered brain damage and died several days later from a severe case of apnea. It's nothing to mess with. If you snore a lot, wake up more tired than when you went to bed, or wake up so sweaty the blankets are wet, get a sleep study. At least a dozen of my friends now have a CPAP after getting themselves checked out.

[TNBigBore]

I have had a CPAP since 2004. I went through the formal sleep study thing. They told me that I was getting about the equivalent of 2-3 hours of sleep a night if I was in bed for 8 hours. It took me several months to get used to the mask and airflow, but boy have I slept better since. I wake up feeling refreshed instead of more tired.

I have heard that Reggie White had severe sleep apnia and that it contributed to his untimely death. There is no telling how many men this kills.

[Old Shatterhand]

Slow heart pace at night can give similar symptoms as apnoea, and should be considered as well. A friend was in the sleep clinic for diagnosis but the doctors didn't find any signs of apnoea. However, as he later had some attacks of heart arytmia and got a pacemaker, it became clear that the arythmia had been the root of his tiredness. Slow pace and heart block at night destroyed his sleep. Today he is more alert than ever with his little electric device.

Old Sh.

[kaschi]

I have it bad but have been sleeping with cpap for 8 years. My life is so much better now! It pays to do a sleep study. My doctor told me I had one of the worst cased he had ever seen with a sleep interruption averaging once a minute! One thing to keep in mind: If you ever travel overseas, get a transformer to convert the power since most places use 220 volts instead of our 110. Take an extension cord and one of those little gray plug adaptors that converts a 2 pronger to a 3 pronger. That way if you bed is too far from an outlet, you can use the extension to plug into your transformer. My cpap has a 3 pronged cord so it's a good thing I had a gray adaptor to plug into that. Of course this all is not a problem if you take an extension that can accept a three pronged cord to begin with.
Just thinking ahead for you since I ran into such a problem on my 1st trip overseas.

[20cows]

My dad said the doctor told him that left untreated as far as what it did to your alertness, it was like being on a three beer buzz all the time .

[brucew44guns]

There is nothing I ever did that helped me more than do the study, and get a c-Pap about 5 years ago. From the first night, I had no problems adjusting to the head gear. I know this----that if I were to go on a long trip, and accidenatlly forgot my machine, I'd most likely cancel the trip and return home. My opinion is, that even if you don't have apnea, the machine would help you sleep more soundly and make possible better rest. I'm convinced it saved my life.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

There is nothing I ever did that helped me more than do the study, and get a c-Pap about 5 years ago. From the first night, I had no problems adjusting to the head gear. I know this----that if I were to go on a long trip, and accidenatlly forgot my machine, I'd most likely cancel the trip and return home. My opinion is, that even if you don't have apnea, the machine would help you sleep more soundly and make possible better rest. I'm convinced it saved my life.

Amen to that.

I remember my sleep study from 15 years ago ... back in the dark ages of sleep apnea. It was supposed to be a two day study. The first day they would monitor only, and the second day they would apply a mask with pressure if it was warranted from the first day. I went in about 8pm and they started to wire me with the harness. Most of the sensors were on my legs and the harness was pretty heavy and unwieldy ... remember, 15 years ago. I laid down in the bed and they killed the lights and shut the door. It was absolutely pitch black and the bed and pillow were amazingly comfortable. I suppose that the sleep department of a hospital gets to buy the most premium of matress and pillow ... versus the rest of the hospital. Anyway, I went out within minutes ... even though they make you sleep on your back. They woke me about 45 minutes later. I was having so many "events" that they were moving straight to the day two stuff ... the mask. They put the mask on me and adjusted the headgear and put some pressure into it. I was out like a light again. About 30 minutes later, I woke up as they adjusted the pressure down to find my lower limit. They got below what I needed and I stopped my breathing and woke up somewhat ... like I had been doing for many years. So they found a setting and hung with it and let me sleep. It was probably the hardest I've ever slept in my life. I slept through the end of their shift but they couldn't wake me because they had a policy about not waking people in the REM state. I had been in REM for 6-1/2 hours according to their readings and so they had to stay past the end of their shift to complete the study. Normally, one goes into REM for 15 to 20 minutes twice a night ... I was in non-stop for 6-1/2 hours, no wonder it was the best sleep ever.

They sent a guy to my house that afternoon to hook me up with a Remstar CPAP ... one of the old circular tower ones with the slanted top. I was told later that I was on a pace for 54 events per hour when they woke me. That's not the worst they had seen but it was pretty bad.

People with apnea just don't realize how bad they are getting because it can be such a slow proression over time. I had reached a point where I was having trouble driving because I would nod off at stop lights. After about a week of that, I realized that I had a serious problem and sought help. I probably had already had bad apnea for 3 years or more by that point.

[Bogie35]

First of all I am not fat I just have it.

Well, I'm a 65-year old fat man and I don't have it.

Watch how you make insinuations about us fat guys in the future.

That made my day!

bogie

[Hillbilly]

Been on a Cpap for about 3 years now... I was a lot like Sixgun... I could fall asleep anyplace and was out when I hit the pillow.

That is part of the symptoms. I just thought falling asleep quickly was just from working hard and being outside alot. I had to take a nap through the 6 pm news every night to make it to 10:30 PM... and usually slept through a big part of the evening if I wasnt on my feet.

For me it was my bodies way of saying that I was not sleeping quality sleep at night. By the time I was in my 40's I could sleep 8 or 10 hours and wake up tired.

The wife noted that sometimes when I stopped snoring ( I come from a world class line of snore-ers.. I was 3rd in Snoring at the '77 Pan Am games )... the snoring stopped because I was not breathing... she sent me for a sleep study.

My study was a one night session... you show up about 9PM... the techs take vitals and wire you up. About 10 they put you to bed ...you can read or whatever for a bit... but obviously, you need to fall asleep.

I laid down, turned off the light and went to see the sand man. About an hour and a half later... they woke me up and put me on a machine. The Tech told me I would stop breathing for nearly 2 minutes at a time and my O2 levels were way too low. I guess I was one of the worst O2 levels he's seen in a while and he hooked me up earlier in the study than any patient he could think of in a long time.

Of course... they wake you up at 5 am... they have to change shifts.... Even with the probes, wires, strange bed , machine, and early wake up... I felt like I had actally been ASLEEP for the first time in years.

Before Cpap... always tired and cronic sore throats and sinus issues. I dont take naps during the day anymore and get well rested as long as my mask seals and headgear are in good shape... I need to order some stuff now... getting some blow by and it affects the efficiency of the equipment.

[Travis Morgan]

My wife's Dr. is sending her for a sleep study..... at 2 p.m.! Who THE HELL goes to sleep at 2 p.m.?

[Hillbilly]

Seems a little odd to me... sleep study at 2PM.

I've found that Doctors and insurance companies have ways of doing thing we dont understand. Maybe she is going for a screening test or some "informal" study work to see if she needs the 'full monte" testing? Some of the measurments they get from testing could be taken while a person takes a "nap".

I was on a HMO_PPO insurance when I went on my study. After the test results were back, my Doctor FINALLY got around to sending me to get fitted for the machine and mask (that had to be ordered and shipped). For as "bad" as my results were it still took over a month to actually start using a Cpap at home.