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Central Apnea or Not?
#11
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
(10-17-2019, 01:59 PM)SarcasticDave94 Wrote: Maybe I'm missing some part involving what you're asking, if so I'm sorry. Can you elaborate a bit on previous experiences and/or weird things that happened? Is this maybe odd things happening during sleep or sleep attempts?

Hello Dave, I am talking about the symptoms that I experienced that led me to do a home sleep study test.  I do not have insurance, nor have I worked in nearly ten years.  In fact, I haven't had but a few jobs in my entire life, non lasted more than six months.  Alcoholism, depression anxiety and panic.  I've lived nearly my entire adult live in this room, rarely going out.  I figured, if maybe I'm to turn this around, then I need to start trying to put the pieces together.  So, I was hoping maybe I could tell a few symptoms that may or not be related to sleep apnea.  If here isn't the place, then that's okay too.

I'm new to this, and because I don't have any medical professional to ask, I was wondering if I could here.  I've been reading other people's post, but there are so very many that it feels impossible to read them all.
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#12
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
it's my understanding that it's not uncommon for some apneacs (and other sleep deprived folks) to experience self medication, depression, anxiety and panic, but there isn't a necessary relationship between these things and apnea; in other words, there are other reasons one might experience these conditions as well. are there other symptoms you haven't mentioned? btw, good that you are trying to put the pieces together. folks here can help with the apnea and cpap therapy part.
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#13
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
(10-17-2019, 02:25 PM)sheepless Wrote: it's my understanding that it's not uncommon for some apneacs (and other sleep deprived folks) to experience self medication, depression, anxiety and panic, but there isn't a necessary relationship between these things and apnea; in other words, there are other reasons one might experience these conditions as well.  are there other symptoms you haven't mentioned?  btw, good that you are trying to put the pieces together.  folks here can help with the apnea and cpap therapy part.

Thanks for the reply sheepless.  Regarding depression/anxiety/panic, I was diagnosed with those things before before I expected sleep apnea.  When I moved up to 275 pounds, I was waking up constantly from nightmares, as frequent as every 30 minutes.  Gasping for air, and weird heart rhythms up waking from said events.  It wasn't uncommon to wake up seven times to urinate, losing up to seven pounds in four of five days from fluids. 

Then there there was the drugged experience, where I'd wake up felling like I was absolutely drugged, little balance and feeling like death.  I would take about thirty minutes to an hour before feeling somewhere near acceptable.  The only way I can describe is if you were high out of your mind, but the high felt more like death than a pleasure.  Also, waking up gasping for air, in a room that's 68 to 72 degrees, but feeling so hot that I'd have to rip my clothes off.  I'd feel extremely hot, yet when I'd take my temp, it would be like 96.0 to 97.0 degrees.  I assumed the opposite, like I'd be running a fever. 

 
By the time I was 275 pounds, I felt like suicide because I didn't think I could handle anymore.  But it went on, and on and on.  I'd wake up gasping for air, with these weird heart rhythms, like fluttering, double beats, randomly speeding up and slowing down.  Many of nights, I'd wake up because my heart was fluttering, it would be happening in the dream and I'd wake up with it happening for real.  Then, I woke up from one of these events with skipping heart beats.  It lasted for about one month non stop, then went away for about a month, only to come for another month.  That went away for some time, then it came back and has never left.  For the past two or three years, I have have skipped beats all day long, happening right now as I type this.  The last time it came back, it never went away. 


One of the things that happened then, that happens now, and that has happened for many many years relates to actually getting to sleep.  One of the biggest challenges is actually falling asleep, because I'd just stop breathing as I was drifting off.  I'd have to remind myself to breath, like I'd just voluntarily stop breathing.  This can go on up to and hour and a half.  What I haven't said is that I did have a machine I used for one month before this new one, which was the DreamStation, and I broke it because I punched it.  I couldn't afford another one, and that's how I found the other forum and spent $100 for a new one. 

I got so tired of waking up constantly, as I was falling asleep, that I punched the machine.  When I lay down to go to sleep, my breathing can become very very shallow, like there is little effort in actually breathing.  And that starts the cycle that can last as long as two hours.  However, it doesn't happen all the time, which makes it even more strange to me.  Sometimes I'm fine when I go to sleep, but then there are days when it's like a plague trying to go to sleep because of that said above.

Usually, when it happens, I wake up over and over right as I'm drifting to sleep, with a buzzing sensation in my head, sometimes in my entire body.  It's the weirdest feeling ever, for me anyway.  Well, except derealiazation disorder, which is pretty close.


TLDR:  It's not worth reading, so skip please.
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#14
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
OK that's fine, it does help to get an idea where you're coming from. And yes sleep issues can compound, sometimes quickly, with sleep apnea being a part of that. I've been there myself. My own untreated sleep apnea had caused fear in falling asleep. It may take time for this to get corrected, but with your help we can dial in your CPAP machine to give optimal results, and I think it's going to help you feel quite a bit better.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#15
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
PS This probably was asked already, but how do you feel after any sleep period with the CPAP? If you feel like there's a need for more air, Sleeprider's suggestion for bumping your pressure from 4 to 8 has a lot of value in trying it. This won't do away with OSCAR data, but it may help out with better CPAP therapy.

Keep asking things about this and commenting on how things are going. We'll help where we can. Best towards your quick success.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#16
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
(10-17-2019, 03:47 PM)SarcasticDave94 Wrote: PS This probably was asked already, but how do you feel after any sleep period with the CPAP? If you feel like there's a need for more air, Sleeprider's suggestion for bumping your pressure from 4 to 8 has a lot of value in trying it. This won't do away with OSCAR data, but it may help out with better CPAP therapy.

Keep asking things about this and commenting on how things are going. We'll help where we can. Best towards your quick success.

One of the things I left out in my immediate message above is that I was taking several naps a day, sometimes I could only stay awake for an hour at a time before becoming so tired that I was falling asleep at the computer.  Sometimes I'd become so tired, within a short period of time, that I be crawling to my bed and not make it, falling asleep on the floor.  And my memory was horrible, I couldn't remember things people told me, nor could I remember things like where I had put something just a minute prior.  My grandma thought I was getting Alzheimer's disease because I couldn't remember anything, not even things she told me just moments before.  Since then, I've lost some pounds, I'm now at 250 and I took my home sleep test when I was 255. Well, I dropped to 230, but gained 20 back recently.  I was also super hungry all the time, I couldn't stop eating, that's how I got to 275.  Anytime I was tired, which was always, I was eating and eating.   

I had the DreamStation for one month before I punched it, and my average AHI was around 4 for the month.  The changes in that month were the lack of nightmares, in fact, I didn't remember most of my dreams which was strange for me.  Also, only occasionally was I actually tired during the day and that was a huge relieve.  Most of the days I was pretty refreshed, and depression was much relieved. One of the challenges I had was actually keeping the masking on, and it wasn't too uncommon that I'd wake up gasping for air while ripping the mask off. I'd also frequently remove the mask and not even remember it, so there were days I basically didn't register because I didn't have the mask on for long after falling asleep.

However, there were days when I'd struggle getting to sleep, right as I was drifting off I'd wake up gasping for air and I'd hit the button and see the pressure like 11 to 12.  So I asked myself, why didn't it work?  That's what led to punching the machine.  One the days it happens, it can go and on, just right as I was drifting of to sleep, waking up gasping for air with my head buzzing.  I asked the sleep people I done my test with why I was crazy.  They told my what I was describing wasn't sleep apnea, but something else.  So I asked them, if it wasn't sleep apnea, then why would the machine being putting out a pressure of around 11 to 12?  They even told me that was a good question, but hung up with me and never contacted me again about it.

I also found out that there is a correlation between neck circumference and sleep apnea, as I was told by those sleep people. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but at 255 mine was 19.25". I have no idea what it would have been at 275.
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#17
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
I don't know, yet, what I'm suppose to send regarding the OSCAR charts, but I took pictures of the 15th that corresponds to 15th data in the picture originally posted.


Attached Files Thumbnail(s)
               
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#18
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
a lot of what you describe sounds very familiar and a lot like the effects of apnea. did you have clear airway or central apnea events during your sleep test? central apnea can be temporarily triggered in new cpap users but I think you said you felt that you stopped breathing while falling asleep without cpap? if ca is an issue for you, that's probably the only time you would notice them. in any event, stick around and keep posting. the more-experienced members can help you get the best therapy from your machine.
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#19
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
(10-17-2019, 06:08 PM)sheepless Wrote: a lot of what you describe sounds very familiar and a lot like the effects of apnea.  did you have clear airway or central apnea events during your sleep test?  central apnea can be temporarily triggered in new cpap users but I think you said you felt that you stopped breathing while falling asleep without cpap?  if ca is an issue for you, that's probably the only time you would notice them.  in any event, stick around and keep posting.  the more-experienced members can help you get the best therapy from your machine.

I don't know if I did have CA events during my sleep test, I never actually saw the data, only the diagnosis which was for Obstructive Apnea at 18.7 per hour and an oxygen low of 82.  When I say I felt like I'd stop breathing as I was drifting of to sleep, I knew it was happening.  My breathing would become very shallow and I'd have to tell myself to breathing more deeply.  Maybe it was anxiety?  I know that when I have anxiety, I will stop breathing to focus more on my heart beat. 


And thanks sheepless, I'm looking forward to reading that I'm only crazy.  Because if I read that, I know I'd have a chance.  I'll stick around.
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#20
RE: Central Apnea or Not?
while falling asleep is likely the only time you'd notice. most of us are never aware of the apnea itself because we're asleep. I'm not saying your problem and solution is like mine (not enough info yet) but I will tell you that I had the same problem as I was falling asleep until I used an asv machine to nudge me to breathe when I stopped. because I have mixed apnea, I assume but don't know that this occurs all night long. I'm assuming your breathing pauses while drifting off are central but I suppose they could be obstructive as well. I defer to other more knowledgeable folks to help you further.
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