Sleep apnea

[tmonkey]

I posted about it in Keltrons post and got several pm's but my box is usually full and I never really bother to empty it. So I figured I would start a thread here about it. Maybe this should be in the regular o35 idk?

Any way I am going tomorrow for a sleep study and really have no Idea what to expect so maybe some people can share their experience with it.


I can say I have been exhausted and feel like total ****. I hate to say that I hope I have this and they fix me up because I am sick of feeling like **** and being so tired all the time. I also have a lot of neck pain.

So tell be about it and what to expect.

[dungeonmistress]

Neck pain can be a sign of a heart attack. People I know with apnea don't usually complain of neck pain. If you have it you are snoring loudly and perhaps your wife isn't even sleeping with you. You feel tired all the time, are gaining weight too. Sometimes you'll have to go to a sleep lab, other times they can send you home with a monitor that you place on your finger at bedtime. You may get a CPAP machine if you have sleep apnea or if you have large tonsils, adenoids and the like they may want to remove them or any soft tissues around your throat, sometimes they do surgery to shore up a loose palate too, I think.

good luck.

[paolo59]

Sorry for the struggle with sleep. Lord, that's got to be one royal pain in the *%&! Being tired and run down all of the time is not fun in the least. I've never had sleep apnea, but I went through a period of raging insomnia some years back. Panic attacks, feeling like I couldn't breath. I went almost 7 days with little or no sleep. It can freek you out brother!

[tmonkey]

Neck pain can be a sign of a heart attack. People I know with apnea don't usually complain of neck pain. If you have it you are snoring loudly and perhaps your wife isn't even sleeping with you. You feel tired all the time, are gaining weight too. Sometimes you'll have to go to a sleep lab, other times they can send you home with a monitor that you place on your finger at bedtime. You may get a CPAP machine if you have sleep apnea or if you have large tonsils, adenoids and the like they may want to remove them or any soft tissues around your throat, sometimes they do surgery to shore up a loose palate too, I think.

good luck.

My heart is ok - just had a ton of tests.

I also just had a upper endoscopy. The doc told me I should get the sleep study done. Going to the 'sleep lab' tomorrow. My heart doctor and family guy told me to do it as well. I don't really snore much - i don't think.

IDK seem weird really but i feel terrible and have for a while now.

[dungeonmistress]

My heart is ok - just had a ton of tests.

I also just had a upper endoscopy. The doc told me I should get the sleep study done. Going to the 'sleep lab' tomorrow. My heart doctor and family guy told me to do it as well. I don't really snore much - i don't think.

IDK seem weird really but i feel terrible and have for a while now.

sleep apnea is dangerous because you stop breathing all throughout the night.

[Free Weight Friedel]

I posted about it in Keltrons post and got several pm's but my box is usually full and I never really bother to empty it. So I figured I would start a thread here about it. Maybe this should be in the regular o35 idk?

Any way I am going tomorrow for a sleep study and really have no Idea what to expect so maybe some people can share their experience with it.


I can say I have been exhausted and feel like total ****. I hate to say that I hope I have this and they fix me up because I am sick of feeling like **** and being so tired all the time. I also have a lot of neck pain.

So tell be about it and what to expect.

I had a sleep study done a couple years ago. Most likely, it will be 2 visits, if you end up having sleep apnea.

The sleep study will involve you being hook up to a machine that tracks your breathing, heart rate, and other things. You will also, most likely, be video taped while your sleeping.

Once your study is over, they will discuss the results with you and tell you if you will need a CPAP Machine.

During my study, I stop breathing 37 times and the longest was for 21 seconds.

My brother had the test done too and he stop breathing 90 times in the first hour. They woke him up and put the CPAP Machine on him during the study. They told him that he was lucky that he did not have a heart attack.

[frozensparky]

Good info on what to expect already. They sent the machine home with me for my test and it was just a thing I clipped on my finger that measures oxygen saturation. My apnea was so severe that I would wake up in the morning after 8 hrs of crap sleep and I would fall asleep at the kitchen table, at a stop sign, in my morning meetings, pretty much anywhere. I would routinely fall asleep at the wheel. They gave me a CPPAP machine and within 2 nights I felt like a new man. I can relate to hoping that it is apnea because by the time I got the test done I was heading for a serious emotional breakdown. Good luck OP

[powernpain]

Had the cpap back 14 years ago. ( used it for 2 years...lost weigh,t things got better ) was tested and I would stop breathing 63 times a hour. Got so bad that I would start choking in my sleep and my wife would have to wake me. At times it was more than a min. Then it actually progressed so far I started vomiting in my sleep (that was scary sh*t)Always tired, never had a good night sleep, no REM ever.

I remember having the cpap, thinking my 3 year old daughter would be scared seeing me with it on,
the first morning she came in and said I looked liked Darth Vader..LOL

[StressMonkey]

Good info on what to expect already. They sent the machine home with me for my test and it was just a thing I clipped on my finger that measures oxygen saturation. My apnea was so severe that I would wake up in the morning after 8 hrs of crap sleep and I would fall asleep at the kitchen table, at a stop sign, in my morning meetings, pretty much anywhere. I would routinely fall asleep at the wheel. They gave me a CPPAP machine and within 2 nights I felt like a new man. I can relate to hoping that it is apnea because by the time I got the test done I was heading for a serious emotional breakdown. Good luck OP

That sounds like a conversation my uncle and I had a few months ago. He said he always felt exhausted. He put a safety pin in his baseball cap and he would use it to stick himself at stop signs to keep himself awake. I had no idea it was that bad. He was given a CPAP machine and was hesitant to use it at first, but now he swears by it. He said it made an unbelievable difference in his life. He and I are trying to talk my dad into getting a sleep study done but he is not having it.

[boogerface]

are you going to a center to do the sleep study overnight?

if so, bring warm clothing as it will be cold as fck in there and melatonin.

[DubfromGA]

Been using a CPAP for ten years or more.

On my 3rd machine at the moment.

Best thing since sliced bread. It changed my life for the better in many ways.

Hit the gym hard the day of your study. You'll want to be exhausted going into it.

[mike419]

I agree with Dub, It has changed my life in so many ways. My wife said I didnt move the first night when I first got the machine. She thought I was dead After about 10 years I went back for the second study and they raised the pressure. It is now at 10.5. The only issue I had with either study is I had a hard time going to sleep with all of the wires etc. They had to give me something to help me fall asleep. I reccommend the nasal pillow type mask. I hated the full mask, but the nasal pillow is great! Good Luck. Let us know how it goes

[V-240]

Yep, I've had a CPAP for over a decade now. A lot of times, sleep apnea has a hereditary component. My mom and my brother were both diagnosed before I was.

The two sleep studies I had done were both overnight stays in a lab. Prepare to have wires and hoses connected to you, and it is a little uncomfortable. I also recommend some nasal spray in case your sinuses lock up, making any CPAP they may use on you to be useless.

Some people don't take well to a CPAP machine, but I took to it right away and it travels with me on airplanes.

I think I might have been dead by now from increasing stress and strain on my whole body from lack of sleep if it weren't for the science of sleep disorders. Better sleep, better nutrition and exercise has made a big difference.

[Smelly bull]

Going in on the 19th for my sleep study. A full night of sleep is uh-heard of for me. Wake up gasping, etc. scares the heck it of wife. My older brother has a CPAP and swear this was the best thing he ever did.

This is the 1st time I am looking forward to a medical test, I want to sleep!

[tmonkey]

I am really surprised by how many people are affected by this.

I go tonight and I am a bit anxious about the whole thing which I know is just stupid. I have to be there at 8.30 - which is crazy since I usually go to bed close to midnight at home. I am also worried I will not be able to sleep at all with the crap hooked up, I have a hard enough time when I am as comfortable as possible. And I know it is crazy but I worry there is nothing wrong or nothing they can do to help.

Thanks to everyone that posted, it has helped me to know what to expect.

[beachguy498]

Been a CPAP user (aka hose head...) for 4 years now. I use those nasal pillows mask which is a lot less "in your face" mask. Look them up. They'll probably set you up on a full-face mask or nasal mask for starters, actually you start out with nothing at all and they slap a mask on you after a while of taking data and laughing their asses off watching you.

I've had 6 sleep studies from 2000 to early 2008. I resisted it like hell and had some scary nights waking myself up and not being able to breathe. I use the CPAP religiously every night, no day time drowsiness, I can drive long distances again and definitely am better-rested.

Rob

[beachguy498]

I am really surprised by how many people are affected by this.

I go tonight and I am a bit anxious about the whole thing which I know is just stupid. I have to be there at 8.30 - which is crazy since I usually go to bed close to midnight at home. I am also worried I will not be able to sleep at all with the crap hooked up, I have a hard enough time when I am as comfortable as possible. And I know it is crazy but I worry there is nothing wrong or nothing they can do to help.

Thanks to everyone that posted, it has helped me to know what to expect.

They always get you there earlier and the lab usually has a few studies going on at once. You get set up in your own room (maybe even cable TV...), you fill out questionaires and forms to get some history going. Then you get wired up, which takes a while. They'll let you go to take a whiz before you hit the sack.. do not look in the mirror! You will not sleep, period.

Then you get into bed and they hook the wires up to whatever they got there and you watch TV or they let you read if that's what you do every night. I tried to get them to sandwich me in between two 400 lb ladies, but they said my HMO didn't cover it.

Like I said, you start out with no mask and at some point they wake you up for a mask, which of course will be as tight as a mofo. The study is over 6 AMish, they unhook you and you may have the option to shower there, there will be gel in your hair where they stuck the electrodes on your head and chest.

Rob

[Whiskeyjack]

I have terrible sleep apnea periodically. Some weeks no apnea, no snoring. Others major apnea, like now. Exhausted, pulse racing all the time, dizziness. I note that when I drink more it's worse. Tonsils out when I was a kid.

I'd like to do the CPAP thing but don't want to go through the tests.

[hammerfelt]

Expect a lot mode nodes than an EKG. They will be all over the place.

When they tell you how many arousals you have in an hour, they are not referring to erections. They caught me off guard when they said it originally. Arousal in this case means almost waking up.

Been on CPAP since 2006. Very hard to get used to at first. I would rip the mask off in the middle of the night. The air pressure was very immense and hard to adjust to. I had the ramp up set to as long as possible. Now, I have ramp up on zero and get impatient for the machine to ramp up. Also at first I had to wear a chin strap to get my mouth shut. Even with the machine I would breath through my mouth. Have not worn the chin strap for several years now.

One of the best things I have ever done is get on CPAP. I never ever take naps. Wide awake all day unless I am sick, which is very rare.

If you get one make sure it has a humidifier on it. Breathing high pressure dry air is not fun.

[beachguy498]

I have terrible sleep apnea periodically. Some weeks no apnea, no snoring. Others major apnea, like now. Exhausted, pulse racing all the time, dizziness. I note that when I drink more it's worse. Tonsils out when I was a kid.

I'd like to do the CPAP thing but don't want to go through the tests.

Ohhhhh yeah... ya gots to do the test, period. The tests determine what type of mask you have and the CPAP (or APAP) settings, no way around it.

Rob

[tmonkey]

just got home from work and i have to leave in a little while

[Whiskeyjack]

Ohhhhh yeah... ya gots to do the test, period. The tests determine what type of mask you have and the CPAP (or APAP) settings, no way around it.

Rob

Well there are other issues at play - a pending separation after 21 years, etc. It's not just apnea but intense stress; each exacerbates the other.

[Corbi]

Dr has been after me for over a yr to go in and have the sleep study done. My wife says I used to stop breathing all the time but says it has gotten better in the past yr or 2. I don't sleep through out a night ever, wouldn't know 8 hrs of sleep if it bit me in the ass.

[djflex]

ITT....monkey gets filmed sleeping and sees tape of him fondling himself as he is asleep.





Good luck i know this can be very srs. My friend had it and is now a new man since they fixed him up.

[tmonkey]

well so much for that.

I set it up over the phone. Got the packet in the mail that said is was set up and approved. my wife called them as I was getting ready to leave and they said it was not approved in time by my insurance so do not come until they double check as it is a 20 minute ride.

They just called and said unless I will sign a form and pay out of pocket to stay home. fuk i am pissed off now. They were going to let me drive there and then tell me!?!?!?

fuking insurance sucks. They pulled this same **** with my nuclear stress test.

[tmonkey]

ITT....monkey gets filmed sleeping and sees tape of him fondling himself as he is asleep.



Good luck i know this can be very srs. My friend had it and is now a new man since they fixed him up.

I have plenty of those with the lights on

[Smelly bull]

Oh ****, I just read your post..Sorry about the insurance...

[djflex]

well so much for that.

I set it up over the phone. Got the packet in the mail that said is was set up and approved. my wife called them as I was getting ready to leave and they said it was not approved in time by my insurance so do not come until they double check as it is a 20 minute ride.

They just called and said unless I will sign a form and pay out of pocket to stay home. fuk i am pissed off now. They were going to let me drive there and then tell me!?!?!?


fuking insurance sucks. They pulled this same **** with my nuclear stress test.

I would call your insurance and bitch. Srs.

[tmonkey]

Oh ****, I just read your post..Sorry about the insurance...

I would call your insurance and bitch. Srs.

I will probably talk to my doctor and probably have him call - they won't give a fuk what i say. My heart doc had to call on the stress test - crazy fuks.
What sucks is I am busy now and won't even have time to call my doc for a for more then a week now.


What is so funny is three different doctors told me I need to get this done not knowing that the others had told me - yeah I have been putting it off.

I am really glad I did not drive down. It is really odd my wife even called them, I didn't even ask her to. I would have gone ape **** if i drove there and was told to go home.

[djflex]

Well, look on the bright side. You can stay up all nite and reread some threads on here