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Advice on options
#11
RE: Advice on options
Steroidal nasal sprays like Nasonex can help OSA, it helps mine and reduces my AHI, but it's up to your doctor as it's a prescription and I am sure it won't work for everyone. So I can see where it could be a "pseudo" treatment for mild OSA.

You're not out of options, if Sleep Apnea is affecting your life, tell your doctor. Get a sleep test and he will give you his diagnosis and treatment. Ask for your sleep study report. Sleep Apnea is not just a diagnosis you get after a "specialist" looks at you in one visit, at least none that I have read. You NEED to go get a sleep study done by a sleep doctor to get properly diagnosed, and then choose the treatment.

If you have not gotten a sleep study done recently, then it's all just speculative what your suffer from and what your treatment should be.
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#12
RE: Advice on options
Hi Visitor, welcome to the forum. If you had your last sleep test done a few years ago and you are feeling your life "is being seriously affected" by whatever symptoms you are having, please go to your Doctor and tell him you want another sleep test done. If need be go to another Doctor.
Obviously you have been doing some homework and reading up on the symptoms of sleep apnea and feel you have some of these.
Do you mind sharing your symptoms? Ok if you don't.
Anyway, that's what I think you should do, post haste!
Sleep Tight...
Gabby
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#13
RE: Advice on options
(02-21-2014, 02:40 PM)Visitor Wrote: I had a test a few years ago and was deemed to have mild sleep apnea. I received various prescriptions for nose sprays, but none were effective. The effects tapered off after a few weeks. My first specialist did not prescribe CPAP. I am now seeking a second opinion. My life has been seriously affected by this issue, and I am concerned that if the second opinion does not work out, my options have run out. Did others have similar experiences or advice to share?

Based on what you've told us, I'm going out on a limb and suggest your situation might mirror mine in some degrees.

My life was seriously affected by snoring. First I moved from the bedroom to the next room. Then to the back of the house. That was partially successful, but it did require my wife and I to send text messages to each other as a rather poor substitute for being intimate.

Then I had my sleep test. I did not sleep well, but for the portion I did sleep they found I had "mild" sleep apnea. Unless I was on my back which caused the scores to go through the roof.

The docs felt I could try to "manage" it by not sleeping on my back, but the problem of me waking up all the babies in a 3 square mile area would not be addressed.

So they gave me a cute little machine and suction cup.

I really am happy with the therapy. I have moved back into the bedroom with my wife, I can sleep on my back, and I don't cause the seismic detectors around the state to go off unnecessarily.

My "counsel" is that it is not "minor" if it has affected your life style in a negative way. Cpap is an easy fix when one applies themselves to adapting to the therapy. Go back to the docs. Tell them we said so....
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#14
RE: Advice on options
Thanks. Your situation does mirror mine. I have the same issue with sleeping on my back. I'll go back in soon and hopefully I'll finally get my life back on track regarding this issue.
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#15
RE: Advice on options
(02-22-2014, 06:14 AM)Visitor Wrote: I'll go back in soon and hopefully I'll finally get my life back on track regarding this issue.

Hi Visitor,

When the time comes that the doctor is going to prescribe CPAP, don't be shy about asking for a fully data-capable APAP machine (an auto-adjusting or "auto-titrating" CPAP machine) rather than a basic CPAP machine.

Often, merely requesting the doctor to write a prescription for an APAP machine is all that needs to be done to get a more capable machine.

Here is what to look for when getting a machine:
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ne_Choices

If they try to give you a machine which does not report full data, I suggest you simply refuse to accept it and appeal to the doctor, pointing out that without full data there will be no way to truly optimize your treatment.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies.  Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
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#16
RE: Advice on options
Hi, as a follow up of this post. I'll have a sleep test today. I read the brochure and it says that of your nose becomes blocked during the night it may be difficult to use a CPAP. This happens to me every night. One side is always blocked. If I get a CPAP prescribed, would this be an issue? I'll ask my specialist on the next meeting as well. I'm really hoping I'll get to a solution. These issues date back four years at least and most likely to 2006 (it took a long time to figure out what the issue was in the first place). So I'm keen to get it resolved.
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#17
RE: Advice on options
I had "mild" apnea according to my sleep test. As a matter of fact during the roughly 1 hour sleep test when sleeping on my side resulted in an ahi of 4.9 which would by definition exclude me from cpap treatment. Sleeping on my back was however completely out of the question.

The sleep doc looked at several things in making her evaluation: 1. My sleep test results were marginal, and perhaps not as complete as she would have liked. 2. I could no longer sleep with my wife because of the snoring. In fact even moving to as far a remote place in the house as I could, I still woke her up from time to time. 3. I could not count on myself to be able to safely drive my car without falling asleep behind the wheel. I would always try to "tough" it through, but sleepiness while driving is very much like any impaired driving. You are unable to make a rational decision such as pull off the road until you were awake enough to go again. I have no idea why I was able to drive as much and as far as I had without being involved in a major accident. I do know I came close more times than I like to think about.

So, for these reasons and more my sleep doc decided to put me on the S9 autoset. She wanted to use the autoset so that it could determine over time just what I needed for pressures and so forth.

Today, even if someone told me that my issues had somehow been forever cured, I would never go back to not using the machine.

If your experience is at all similar to mine, I would tell your doc that you really want to try a machine because of all the lifestyle issues if for no other reason. ...and there are a bunch of other reasons, even if not dramatically supported by the sleep test numbers.

ps. The sleepy behind the wheel thing has been an issue for my whole adult life, and that's been awhile. It's only been recently that I could fall asleep on very short drives however, so it is progressive. But it is no longer an issue for me! I do not get drowsy while driving anymore. In fact I'm planning a trip to Texas and I think I've decided to drive rather than fly just for the experience. Besides, then I'll have my car with me when I go take Herb out to dinner at Taco Bell.
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#18
RE: Advice on options
It is as if you are describing my situation. I am hopeful with this new specialist. He said that he would not let everything depend on the test, but would also take into consideration the symptoms. I have had a hard time living like this, even once nearly fell asleep at my work while talking to someone (and not from boredom). I very much need a clear head for my work, which I love. It is frustrating to realise the effect this has had on me and my family. I hope it will be water under the bridge soon.
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#19
RE: Advice on options
It will be, Visitor. Just know that you are right in your pursuit. You do not need "anti snore" drugs or nose sprays or anything else. You need a good nights sleep for once, and that can only happen when you get properly outfitted with a cpap machine and a comfortable mask.

I suggest you make notes as to exactly what you would like prescribed for you. There are basically two very highly recommended machines around here. One is the Resmed S9 Autoset, which is what I use. The other is a Phillips Resperonics? The other guys will help me out here, regretably I can never remember the right name.

Also I'm a big believer in the Resmed line of Air masks. In particular the P10 Pillows mask. That works extremely well for me, although I do have to use a chinstrap with it to keep my mouth shut. But we'll talk about all that later.

Good luck, hang in there and don't leave the docs office without a prescription.
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#20
RE: Advice on options
Thanks. I intend to do just that. This is such an insidious condition. If you have never heard of it/experienced it, it is hard to believe what it can cause.

PS if things work out I'll come back for advice on the brands etc. I have very good insurance, but the hospital documentation states that I most likely will have to buy it myself, or rent it (which has some advantages as there is a cap on medical expenses). I'll look into it, but even if I have to self fund, I don't mind if I just can move on from here.
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