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[Diagnosis] New to Forum and feeling worried
#11
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Happy to hear of your lifestyle change....stop smoking and weight loss.  Neither is easy, but you seem to have the right attitude to achieve your goals.

With that said, take seriously the recommendation from the sleep study to use a BiPap machine.  This may have been recommended because of your the diagnosis of hypoxemia.  This condition may improve once treated with Cpap, but you should try to see a Pulmonologist if you are worried about your lungs.  He/she can evaluate and run the necessary tests to be sure your lungs are healthy.  

From your study:

Treatment Recommendations:
·    Auto-BPAP and follow-up pulse oximetry on therapy
·    Evaluation for underlying medical etiologies of hypoxemia


An auto bipap is more expensive, but deals can be found. When your ready for that, check back with us, as we can guide you where and what to look for.

Good luck!
OpalRose
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#12
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Hi Momtotwins,
I vote getting your friends cpap machine and start using it asap. Then you are being treated while looking for the perfect machine...takes a little pressure off. And later the cpap can be your backup machine.
Good luck,
JD
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#13
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Mom, go look at that second table image you posted....the one showing all the hypoxias and their durations.  Note specifically the highest saturation figure....97%.  I don't see how that result and serious lung problems are congruous.  If your sat were constantly under 90%, with a high of 90%, I could see that there might be something to investigate over and above your apnea.

You are very young, and possibly very lucky that your body gave you signs that it is in some sort of trouble.  You have heard the proverbial hoof-beats.  Let's bring to mind the image of horses, not of zebras.  My advice is to not look to the exotic or worst that can be....but deal constructively with the obvious and newly diagnosed sleep apnea.  Deal constructively with your weight problem...and the apnea may take care of itself.  Get your lungs clear of tar and tissue damage, which your youth should permit, and your apnea may clear. At least your hypoxaemia should look better at any one time of reading it.

You are now aware.  It's plain that you need to make changes.  Please try to be hopeful, even thankful, that you have this opportunity to put things right.  With a strong constitution, which you will need, and the images of your children swimming often in front of you (not to mention your future grandkids...), you should do okay.

As the others have cautioned, none of this will be easy.  Almost none of us have had an easy time getting used to PAP therapy.  But we all have...to a person.  It's a bumpy road, surely, but eventually you step out of the car and you're 'there'.

Welcome to the Board.  I wish you great and gratifying success.
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#14
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Hi Momtotwins,
When diagnosed with OSA about 15 months ago I had hypoxemia.
My AHI was close to 20 but my oxygen saturation was below 90% for 97% of the time on the original sleep study. It was below 90% for the vast majority of the time I was sleeping. I  was also told that my OSA did not account for that level of hypoxemia.
I purchased an oximeter almost right away to check the levels for myself. I got an APAP right away as well. When not using my APAP my oxygen stayed around 89% most of the time when I  was sleeping, with dips for the apenas. When using my APAP it stayed around 90 to 91%, and without the dips. So it improved, but not a lot.
What made a big difference for me was losing weight. I  dropped my BMI from approx 30 to about 24 in 5 months. My average SpO2 went up to 94% without my APAP, and of course slightly better with my machine.
I was never told why my oxygen was so poor, and it improved before they had time to fully check it out so the doctors lost interest in my case.
I am not saying that you do not need a BPAP, but losing weight may also prove to be very important.
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#15
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Some moral support for quitting tobacco:

Quitting that evil crap more than ten years ago saved my life. If I hadn't done that, I'd be ashes now. You have tons of time to recover from the worst effects of tobacco if you quit it 100% ASAP. There's never any guarantee, and it'll take a long time and some scans & stuff (whatever the doctors recommend at those future dates) before you can be confident, but take heart (heh) that at your age, your chances of recovery & survival are very good. Don't waste the opportunity.

Quitting is a royal PITA. It's a minor kind of hell. That stuff is, and I mean this literally, worse than heroin. It's not just any old bad habit; it has its talons into you. I quit tobacco three times over a period of twenty years. It can take all the willpower that you've got.

So hang in there, and resist the urge to smoke, which will get less intense only gradually. It'll be weeks and months before you're free of it. Definitely join a local quit-smoking support group, with weekly meetings, if you need to! And look for Innertubes communities, boards, etc. that can help you with that also day to day, if you need to. Try different things and do whatever works.

P.S. More reason to quit: It really is a disgusting habit, semi-objectively, even if you ignore just for the moment what it does to your health. For instance, I had no idea how bad the stale-tobacco and stale-smoke stench was until months after I quit, when I started to get my sense of smell back.

P.P.S.: I didn't get off 100% free. I have a very minor case of COPD left over from all that smoking all those years ago. Very fortunately for me, I have evaded the bladder cancer so far. Yep, that can happen from tobacco smoking too, and even many years later.
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#16
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
(05-23-2018, 09:54 AM)Momtotwins Wrote: Just added the attachments of the sleep study, hopefully that will help and it will post. Smile

I think CPAP will be a great improvement for you, but an auto machine or auto bilevel would be much better.  If you will share what city you live, near, we can keep you posted on what might be available nearby.  Craigslist is often a good source.
Sleeprider
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#17
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
I agree with all the advice given so far. I'll add that I quit smoking last year and it has made a huge difference in my health. My oxygen levels have returned to normal and I have more energy which helps in losing weight. Using a APAP was also a big factor in the improvements. By spending money on a APAP machine instead of cigarettes will change your life forever.
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#18
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
Hi, Momtotwins, I can feel your joy!  Welcome to the family forum and thanks for sharing your story and challenges.  We all learn from folks like you, and when we can contribute to your improvement it really makes our day.

You've gotten lots of great suggestions and recommendations.  I'd like to share my experience with low O² and sleep studies. I'd been on a CPAP since 2012 (second time to be treated) and used it religiously until the mask dissolved. I was on a different healthcare provider so had to take another sleep study instead of just getting a new mask.  Found out that my pressure needed to be increased a little, but that I needed additional help because my O² saturation was below 72 for over 100 minutes during the test.  I was given another test with a BiPAP in hopes that the additional pressure would improve my O² sat.  Didn't happen.  Wound up with an oxygen concentrator to supply the needed oxy.  Funny thing is that my daytime sat is always over 90, usually ~98.  Howcome the BiPAP didn't do it for me? <shrug>

So what I hope you take away from these comments is that it's important to try a BiPAP if you can, and hopefully it will work.  Wait, wait: try the CPAP and HOPEFULLY THAT WILL WORK!  But it usually doesn't for the folks I've read about who also had low O² sat.  And I know that BiPAP often doesn't provide the necessary relief/support.

Do you have an oxy monitor?  That's something you really ought to get -- the ones we see most often in this forum are modestly priced ($50 to $80) and although pretty crappy devices, their recordings are verified accurate by our docs and RTs.

Best wishes for your continued health gains.
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#19
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
(05-23-2018, 05:57 PM)ShaunBlake Wrote:  And I know that BiPAP often doesn't provide the necessary relief/support.

Shaun, 

I know what you meant to say here I believe, but BiPAP can provide more pressure support over exhale pressure relief (EPR). APAP or CPAP may not provide the necessary relief/support.

Respectfully. Smile
Jesse


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#20
RE: New to Forum and feeling worried
(05-23-2018, 06:41 PM)JesseLee Wrote:
(05-23-2018, 05:57 PM)ShaunBlake Wrote:  And I know that BiPAP often doesn't provide the necessary relief/support.

Shaun, 

I know what you meant to say here I believe, but BiPAP can provide more pressure support over exhale pressure relief (EPR). APAP may not provide the necessary relief/support.

Respectfully. Smile

Thanks for helping!
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