Sleep apnea...

[audette]

Does anyone (or their partner) deal with this?

I was referred to a sleep specialist and had my first appointment with her today. She sounds about 95% sure that I have sleep apnea, and has put me in for a sleep study to check (and, if confirmed, start figuring out settings needed on a cpap to be able to sleep and breathe at the same time).

I kinda expected this, once we went the route of a referral to a sleep specialist. I'm not thrilled at the thought of potentially needing a cpap, but I'm focusing on the idea of being not tired...

Anyways, if anyone has any interesting anecdotes to share, I'd be all ears.

[pinkdutchtulips]

my dad has it. he was incorrectly dx'd as narcolepic until my stepmom got him into a sleep study and BAM !! it was sleep apnea (he's at risk being 6'8". they discovered in the sleep study that he was waking up something like 20-25x during the night bc of it so he never got any of that good REM sleep you need.

he's got his 'darth vadar' mask and has been doing fine since he got it about 10-15 years ago (he had been living w/ the wrong dx for like 10 years !!).

[audette]

Thanks, pinkdutchtulips!

They had some new cpap machines on display (I think to put minds to ease for folks like me). I suspect they're a lot smaller than they used to be - my office phone is about the same size as one of the machines, and the masks seem to vary a lot, too. (only one of the masks they showed me actually covered both the nose and mouth)


The sleep study will be a bit wacky, I think. Hopefully not as bizarre as my mental image of them is at the moment...

[crashgizmo]

My MIL has this and has used a CPAP for several years now. She says she feels so much better since getting the machine and she sleeps so well now that she never naps like she used to during the day.

I am convinced my DH has it as well, but he is still saying it's just allergies and he's fine.

[awkwardpenguin]

I have sleep apnea, Dx'd when I was 23. I've been using CPAP for 11 years now, and it has totally changed my life. I had daily headaches from the apnea that are gone, and I'm not exhausted all the time either. It also helped a lot with stabilizing my depression.

CPAP definitely takes some getting used to, but most people are able to tolerate it. There are several different styles of mask you can try to see what works best.

There are also surgical options and dental appliances, but you must be a good candidate for them to work. I've stuck with CPAP because it is the "gold standard" and has worked really well for me.

Good luck with your sleep study!

[juliabug]

My mom got a cpap machine after her sleep study revealed she stopped breathing something like 20 times per hour all night. She is feeling so much better now and isn't falling asleep at the wheel like she was before. You have to sleep in order to function during the day.

[audette]

awkwardpenguin - does your cpap machine make much noise? I've envisioned something vaguely white-noise-ish. I'm a bit worried about the noise potentially bothering DH. Although, I suspect just about anything would be better than my snoring... (seriously - he's taken to keeping earplugs on the bedside table, just in case he needs them)

[awkwardpenguin]

It's a lot like a white noise machine. My wife was worried it would keep her up when she first encountered it, but it's been fine.

I did initially have some problems with my mask leaking, which can be noisy, but we got that figured out within a few weeks.

[audette]

Good to hear. Thanks!

[sapphireblue]

My uncle has sleep apnea and uses a CPAP machine. My aunt says it saved their marriage. They are both thrilled about it--the machine. It's made a world of difference, apparently.

He had to have more than one sleep study before they determined that he really did have sleep apnea, not sure why.

[alleinesein]

XH had sleep apnea. The machine wasnt that noisy; it really is a white noise similar to a vacuum hose hissing noise. He had the nose mask- 2 tubes that rested in his nostrils. The only annoying aspect of it was that he was a side sleeper and if he rolled over in bed and was facing me that damn mask would blow in my face and wake me up.

Traveling with it is easy but finding a place to hook it up at a hotel can sometimes be a challenge if there isnt an outlet near the bed; if you get a machine you may want to pack an extension cord.

[audette]

Apr 16, 2015 19:23:46 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

XH had sleep apnea. The machine wasnt that noisy; it really is a white noise similar to a vacuum hose hissing noise. He had the nose mask- 2 tubes that rested in his nostrils. The only annoying aspect of it was that he was a side sleeper and if he rolled over in bed and was facing me that damn mask would blow in my face and wake me up.

Traveling with it is easy but finding a place to hook it up at a hotel can sometimes be a challenge if there isnt an outlet near the bed; if you get a machine you may want to pack an extension cord.

To the bold... the universe really is telling us to get a king sized bed, isn't it. (I'm assuming a bit of distance from the mask would help in this situation.)

One of the pamphlets they gave me did highly recommend bringing along an extension cord if travelling. Something for me to keep in mind. Thanks!

[alleinesein]

Apr 16, 2015 20:02:46 GMT -5 audette said:

Apr 16, 2015 19:23:46 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

XH had sleep apnea. The machine wasnt that noisy; it really is a white noise similar to a vacuum hose hissing noise. He had the nose mask- 2 tubes that rested in his nostrils. The only annoying aspect of it was that he was a side sleeper and if he rolled over in bed and was facing me that damn mask would blow in my face and wake me up.

Traveling with it is easy but finding a place to hook it up at a hotel can sometimes be a challenge if there isnt an outlet near the bed; if you get a machine you may want to pack an extension cord.

To the bold... the universe really is telling us to get a king sized bed, isn't it. (I'm assuming a bit of distance from the mask would help in this situation.)

One of the pamphlets they gave me did highly recommend bringing along an extension cord if travelling. Something for me to keep in mind. Thanks!

Yup it is!  Might as well get one!  

[magpie]

My H has it and has had surgery (which didn't fix it) and uses a CPAP. The CPAP really helps him feel better. When he doesn't use it, he says that he feels out of it and spacey. As his partner, I am a big fan of the CPAP. Not only does it make him feel better, but it stops his snoring and I sleep so much better. We both have bad nights when he takes it off (he sometimes will take if off in his sleep, especially if he has a cold/allergies and is congested). There are some other options too. He used to have a dental-type appliance that worked for a year or two, but eventually gave him such bad jaw pain that he went back to the CPAP. That thing was nice in that it didn't require any cords or anything though (great for camping and stuff!).

[drloretta]

My MIL has it. She had a sleep study a few years ago--she said they gave her a sleeping pill. She stopped breathing multiple times. She now uses her CPAP religiously. I don't know how much of a difference it's made, she has a lot of other health issues, but at least she's breathing at night.

[catinthehat]

My "fit" Dh was diagnosed with moderate to severe apnea. It's genetic in his family so we were expecting the DX. He has been using his cpap machine and has lowered his BP due to getting more REM. It's amazing and we can now sleep in the same bed again. Life changing for our family.

One piece of advice I can pass along is If you anticipate a dx, I suggest you make sure your life insurance is updated/adequate as it will increase your rate. We upped his before he did his sleep study knowing that he would get the dx.

[Pilsy]

My H has moderate or severe sleep apnea and is CPAP resistant, so he uses a special dental appliance that may have saved our marriage. I can't begin to tell you how much better we both sleep, now that he wears that thing. I regularly relocated to a spare bedroom before he got this, as he would rarely use the CPAP, and even when he did, the noise from that drove me nuts.

[StJess80]

I have to take so many meds to fall asleep at night...how is that handled in a sleep study? I've suspected that I need to have one done, but I fear I wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

[audette]

Apr 17, 2015 19:12:23 GMT -5 catinthehat said:

My "fit" Dh was diagnosed with moderate to severe apnea. It's genetic in his family so we were expecting the DX. He has been using his cpap machine and has lowered his BP due to getting more REM. It's amazing and we can now sleep in the same bed again. Life changing for our family.

One piece of advice I can pass along is If you anticipate a dx, I suggest you make sure your life insurance is updated/adequate as it will increase your rate. We upped his before he did his sleep study knowing that he would get the dx.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Unfortunately, I think I'm basically uninsurable already. We attempted to get some life insurance for me a while ago, when I weighed less than I do now, but with my family history, plus beingoverweight, I'm toast. You name it, it exists in my family within two degrees of separation (so, including grandparents and aunts and uncles...)

We got a quote that was insane, for coverage that was pitiful, and have decided our best bet is to just save up enough to be effectively self-insured. 

[audette]

Apr 17, 2015 20:18:25 GMT -5 StJess80 said:

I have to take so many meds to fall asleep at night...how is that handled in a sleep study? I've suspected that I need to have one done, but I fear I wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

I think they have a way to handle it. The doc who is sending me for the test did say she could prescribe some ambien if I thought I'd have trouble sleeping. I was also asked about any meds I took thru the day, too.

[kathybela]

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea about 7 years ago and the CPAP saved my sanity because I was so damn tired all the time, I noticed a difference almost right away.

If you do end up needing a CPAP make sure to get one that has a humidifier attached, it makes such a difference. And yes, an extension cord is good to have - I have one that keep in my luggage so I don't forget it.