Sleep Apnea

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 8:37 am

Anyone been diagnosed with this condition??

http://www.sleepapnea.org/


 
ken
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Post by ken » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 8:49 am

Sorry to hear this John. :( Your gonna have to be extra careful doing some things.

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 9:12 am

I didn't say I had it, Ken. :D Just posted about it. :?: :!:

Actually I had a sleep study last night. No results yet, I have to wait for the doctor's appointment. The tech let me try the CPAP before I left and sent me home with the mask, I guess that means I have it. :shock:

I don't want to turn the forum into a place where I can whine about ailments. With that in mind I'm just wondering about any other members that may have this condition.

I intentionally haven't visited Sleep Apnea forums for this reason.

Excuse me but I'm falling asleeeeeeeeeeeeee
e
e
e

 
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Rick 386
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Post by Rick 386 » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 10:44 am

John,

My dad was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago. It was right after we had gone to Canada fishing and he and I slept in the same room. After 1 bad night where I had thrown every pair of shoes and boots that I had brought with me at him to stop his snoring, that he finally went and had a sleep study taken.

BEST DAMN THING THAT HE HAD EVER DONE, he had told me. He never realized how much he was never getting the complete rest that he needed. Almost overnight he was more energized in the morning, feeling fully refreshed.

He does use the snorkel machine. In fact he has 2 of them. He keeps one at our summer place so he doesn't have to lug it back and forth. He has gone through several masks as they do wear from time to time. When he went in for double knee replacement 3 years ago, he had us bring his machine to the hospital so he could sleep better. Damn hospital wanted us to wait until a respiratory therapist showed up to set up the machine. He had already been using it for years and knew how to do it himself.

The snorkel machine will take a little getting used to, but well worth it.

According to the wife, I probably have it too but I have not gone and been tested. I'm still in the denial phase.

One bit of advise, don't feed the dog anything bad and let it sleep on the floor near the machine.........it concentrates the results and guess where it goes ??

-----------------------------------------------

Rick

 
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Post by JafaDog » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 11:12 am

I had my sleep study in February. The wife got tried of me not breathing for 20-30 seconds at a clip and then gasping for air. The study showed that I was having an "episode" (waking up) every two minutes on average. I've been using a CPAP ever since, and I never slept better. In fact, if I forget to put it on and fall asleep without it, I feel like crap when I wake up. The slight hissing from the CPAP was hard for the wife to get used to at first, but it was much better than the gasping and snoring. She's used to it at this point.

 
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Post by ken » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 11:36 am

Sorry John , I hope it comes back negitive.

 
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Post by av8r » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 2:05 pm

OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) is a lot more common that most people realize. You don't have to snore to have OSA. The stats are that more than 50% of American men have it and don't realize it. If you have a 16" or larger neck size chances are 80% you have it. If you are more than 30 pounds overweight, you probably have it. If you have OSA the treatment is really pretty simple. CPAP. I've been on it for 3 years and have never felt better. I sleep 7-8 hour now without ever waking up, don't ever wake up now during the night and don't get sleepy in the afternoons anymore, I've lost 40 pounds and my BP is way down from what it was 3 years ago (it was never high, but it's low now)

The things that OSA does to your body are terrible and will cause you to die much sooner than you might if you were being treated. Brain cell death, HBP, Heart arrhythmia, GERD, eyesight problems, the list is long and systemic. If you have central sleep apnea, that's a bit harder to deal with, but can be treated effectively with BIPAP.

CPAP is easy to use, not bothersome and 90% of people comply without issue. The big thing is finding a mask that works for the person. Using something like a Swift nasal pillow device makes it a lot easier.

My machine and mask are silent...no hissing, no mechanical noises, nothing...the newer stuff is very good. I download my data from the machine and self treat now. No need to go back to the doc. The APAP machines make it a lot easier as they automatically adjust the pressure needed to keep your AHI down under 5 (5 episodes per sleep cycle of 4 hours) They measure and record lots of data and it's all there to review so you can see how you're doing.

http://www.cpaptalk.com is a forum with HUGE amounts of information and some very knowledgeable people.

Lemme know if I can help.
Last edited by av8r on Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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Post by Devil505 » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 2:13 pm

I may have it too John. (being tested soon) If so, there are much worse things to get. More of a pain in the neck than anything else, having to put on a CPAP each night like my father-in-law does....but, compared to other things people here are dealing with....I'll take it! :gee:

 
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Post by gambler » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 3:39 pm

Devil505 wrote:I may have it too John. (being tested soon) If so, there are much worse things to get. More of a pain in the neck than anything else, having to put on a CPAP each night like my father-in-law does....but, compared to other things people here are dealing with....I'll take it! :gee:
I hear ya Devil. :(
I have cured my sleep apnea, I only sleep about 2 hours a night.

 
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Post by av8r » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 4:09 pm

Devil505 wrote:I may have it too John. (being tested soon) If so, there are much worse things to get. More of a pain in the neck than anything else, having to put on a CPAP each night like my father-in-law does....but, compared to other things people here are dealing with....I'll take it! :gee:
I'll tell ya what...because the CPAP machines use HEPA filters as well as heat and humidify the air you breathe, I've found that I haven't had a sinus infection or cold since I started using CPAP.

 
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Post by Tamecrow » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 4:58 pm

As a Respiratory Therapist, I used to interpret sleep studies for the Respirologists. Any questions just ask.

Terry

 
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Post by CoaLen » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 5:12 pm

I had no idea what CPAP is so I'll add this in case I'm not the only one...
Positive airway pressure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A typical CPAP machine houses the air pump in a case lined with sound-absorbing material for quieter operation. A hose carries the pressurized air to a face mask or nasal pillow.

CPAP therapy breaks the cycle of OSAPositive airway pressure (PAP) is a method of respiratory ventilation used primarily in the treatment of sleep apnea, for which it was first developed.

 
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Post by Linc » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 5:30 pm

I have it and been using the CPAP for over a year. I had a sleep disorder for about 7 yrs before going to a sleep clinic. The CPAP helps but I'm still tired when I get up in the mornings.

You will probably have to go for a 2nd sleep over so they can study your sleep with the CPAP on and also find out how much pressure your condition needs.

 
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Post by WNY » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 5:57 pm

Me too, I think? I haven't got tested (yet), but I snore horribly and drives the wife crazy. I (or her) end up sleeping in the spare bedroom more often than not, just to get a good nights sleep.

I know a lot of people I work with have it too...geesh, you start discussing this and you are not the only one.

A girl I work with is the same, but can't stand the machine and uses the mouth piece and said it works great.

 
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Post by Rob R. » Tue. Dec. 09, 2008 8:08 pm

A friend of mine was diagnosed with it. He now sleeps with the mask and said he feels better than he has in years.


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