Sleep apnea. Anyone here?

[Holladay]

The wife says I quit breathing whilst asleep. Yes, I snore but give a crap. We all do.

I just noticed this today when I was trying to take a nap. I kept waking up with a snort and out of breath!

I am 51 aged, 5'8", 180 lbs. I try and eat healthy. I don't get enough exercise, I have high bp and am taking cholestoral crap meds, drink too much et. al.

I did a sleep test 10 yrs ago with no bad results. I am thinking with age, things have changed. I seem to be tried all the time. I put it down as age, work etc.

I don't want to do the "C-Pap" machine, or cut out my uvula (not vulva). I was going to look into the mouth piece thingie that holds out your lower jaw?

I will probably do another sleep test, but think this time they will say I have a problem. Again, don't want to be hooked up to a machine at night (C-Pap).

Has anyone been through this and what was the best solution.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Fish

Umm..... does it really need the "L", "R"? .....

Yes, actually. It doesn't sit or feel right if you put it on the other way. So really, the label is just telling you which is front.

[tooge]

you could hook that nasal pillow up to the wifes as and vag, crank up the air, and rock and roll. Sayin.....
yeah, I'm sick like that

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Yes, actually. It doesn't sit or feel right if you put it on the other way. So really, the label is just telling you which is front.

Well yeah... that was the joke. I thought that to be too obvious. Never mind....

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Fish

Well yeah... that was the joke. I thought that to be too obvious. Never mind....

No, I get what you're saying, but both sides look alike. Without a label, you can put it on backwards, then it doesn't fit right.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I have a full beard and mustache, so the full masks don't make a good seal for me. I don't have a problem with my mouth falling open, so I didn't need one with a chin strap, but I know they make them.

Brand new, mine will make my nose sore for a few days while the band loosens a bit (just elastic, no straps).

Yeah, it seems like all the full face masks want to sit right on my lower lip, which is really annoying and causes leaks if you move your mouth at all.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I don't know what kind of mask I have. Here it is, though. Only goes in my nostrils. I like it.

nasal pillows.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I was a Respiratory Therapist for 9 years. I use to work in a sleep lab and score sleep studies. There is a thread with all the information in it.

Stopping breathing is a big deal. It's at least at a minimum a threat to your health in the long term. In the short term you are not getting and staying in REM III sleep.

Wait a minute, edave said you are a secret agent?!

[Holladay]

Thanks for ideas.

This:
[QUOTEI dealt with sleep apnea for a long time. Then I quit smoking, lost some weight, and quit drinking like an alcoholic every night, and I don't have problems with it anymore.][/QUOTE]

That has been my goal. Not achieved yet.

Not liking the idea of being hooked up to a machine will sleeping. I also heard that if you don't keep it clean, it will make you sick. That happened to my dad.

Are any of these things covered by insurance? It sounds like they aren't.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by tooge

Yes. Basically, central apnea, no. Obstructive apnea, yes. Also, there must be 2x more apnic episodes when supine as opposed to not supine. There are a few other things, but those are the big ones.

when I was reading and doing sleep studies, it was 5% Dental issues, 10% anatomy issues you were born with, 20% you are to damn fat and 65% were central apnea issues.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Holladay

That has been my goal. Not achieved yet.

Not liking the idea of being hooked up to a machine will sleeping. I also heard that if you don't keep it clean, it will make you sick. That happened to my dad.

Are any of these things covered by insurance? It sounds like they aren't.

It's pretty hard to get sick off of the new machines. Just make sure you use distilled water in them and clean the mask itself sometimes. The hose and straps are replaced every three months and the masks every six (at least that's how my insurance is).

The sleep study, CPAP machine and various masks and hoses are all covered by my insurance. I just have to stick to the above schedule. I also went through a month at the beginning where I had to prove I was on the machine 70% of the night before the insurance company would pay for the machine.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Wait a minute, edave said you are a secret agent?!

I was an RT before then. Dealt with life and death every day. Worked at the level 1 Truman ER and ICU downtown in KC. You can't unsee some things. Started bringing the work home with me. Went into the more mudane sleep studies part of RT.

Hospital switched over to computer records from paper. Found out I had a talent for I.T. Was able to get into it on the ground floor. Sold out and left the field for more money in I.T.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

when I was reading and doing sleep studies, it was 5% Dental issues, 10% anatomy issues you were born with, 20% you are to damn fat and 65% were central apnea issues.

The being fat and apnea thing form a stupid Catch-22 situation. The apnea comes (partly) because you are too fat and it's extremely hard to lose weight because you are too damn tired from the apnea.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Frosty

It's pretty hard to get sick off of the new machines. Just make sure you use distilled water in them and clean the mask itself sometimes. The hose and straps are replaced every three months and the masks every six (at least that's how my insurance is).



The sleep study, CPAP machine and various masks and hoses are all covered by my insurance. I just have to stick to the above schedule. I also went through a month at the beginning where I had to prove I was on the machine 70% of the night before the insurance company would pay for the machine.

Mine only replaced any of it every 9 months. I just clean everything once a week with a 3:1 water:vinegar solution.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Holladay

I don't want to do the "C-Pap" machine, or cut out my uvula (not vulva).

I probably mentioned this in related thread but I've snored all of my life. I also felt just fine until 2007, when my wife mentioned it to a doctor friend of ours and she gave a recommendation of a Head & Neck specialist. He checked me out and couldn't see anything visibly wrong, so he ordered a CT scan of my nose and sinuses. He found nothing and sent me to an allergist.

After undergoing various tests, I was told that I was misdiagnosed as a child and had asthma. I was only using 38% of my lung capacity and the doctor felt that this was the root of my problem. He also performed rhinoscopy, in which I found out I had acid reflux that had burned my esophagus (and I about jumped out of the chair when he touched it).

So, after 8 months of treatment, I was still snoring. The allergist sent me to a different Head & Neck specialist and I did a sleep study in which they found that I stopped breathing a ridiculous number of times per hour (like 52 or something). He recommended surgery over a CPAP, so I had my tonsils and adenoids removed along with excess tissue folded over. It was a disaster. My throat was inflamed for weeks on end and the swelling was inducing my gag reflex 3-4 times a day. I went in for a followup and told him about it, so he cut out my uvula in his office (and forgot to give me a numbing shot!. Good times!). Still, the swelling was awful and I've been dealing with it since 2008.

Fast forward to 2015 and I finally visit a doctor again since 2009. He immediately said "I can tell you have sleep apnea, just by looking at you", so he ordered a sleep study. It was awful. I had to be there at 9pm, couldn't fall asleep and tossed and turned all night, so they couldn't get a reading. I had to go back about a month later but this time, I had a few cocktails before and Uber'd over to the study. It was fine and they knew where to set my CPAP levels.

I finally received the machine in October (Phillips) and while it took about a month and 5 different masks before I got comfortable, I haven't had any issues since with sleeping or snoring. I can get 7 hours a sleep and feel great the next day, with no periods of sleepiness or tiredness. It's really amazing.

Bottom line: Avoid surgery at all costs. The CPAP is far less expensive and way more effective.

[ptlyon]

Same thing happened to a friend of mine Dane. What a goat rope.