Hi from a Newbie

[wintermute]

Hi everyone,

I'm 37, always exhausted, father had sleep apnea which was treated by my mother using "elbow-to-the-rib" method. I'm not overweight, I'm active. Over the last year or two, I've definitely caught myself waking up gasping for breath. Over the last six months or so, it's gotten progressively worse, with the last month or so being absolutely horrible (can it get worse that quickly, or is this partially psychosomatic now that I'm seeing a doctor and in the process of being diagnosed). I never intended to go to a sleep specialist because I thought I was two young to have OSA and a general fear to admit to my own mortality. My horrible snoring has been driving my wife crazy. Luckily a co-worker got fitted with a CPAP in the last year and he said it's a life-changer, so I met with a specialist and had a sleep study done. He called me to schedule a follow-up. When I asked "I'm pretty bad, huh?", he laughed (not impolitely) and said "Oh yeah, you're pretty bad".

So here I am. Waiting for the follow-up and looking forward to the next study when I get fitted for a CPAP (my co-worker said that night was his first decent night in decades - I'm looking forward to it.

Another issue I have is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - I've been reading some anecdotal evidence that people who suffer from both OSA and IBS, when treated for OSA, their IBS gets alot better. Definitely looking forward to that.

[trish6hundred]

Hi wintermute,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
It's GREAT that you have such a positive attitude, that will go along way toward helping you on your CPAP journey.
This will sure beat an elbow to the rib, HUH? (Ha-Ha,) Hang in there for more responses to your post, best of luck to you and feel free to ask any questions you have as you go along.

[cbramsey]

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

Best of luck to you as you begin your journey with XPAP. You might benefit from an APAP that automatically determines the best pressure as opposed to a standard CPAP which is set to a pressure.

The biggest thing you will probably deal with is coming up with the right mask for you. Be sure to try several different types of masks because what works for me might not work as well for you.

You might want to check out this Wiki page that shows different types of masks.

[jgjones1972]

(can it get worse that quickly, or is this partially psychosomatic now that I'm seeing a doctor and in the process of being diagnosed).

I think it can get dramatically worse in a relatively short period of time. It seems to me (just from personal experience) that there is a breaking point at which untreated apnea is no longer just making it difficult to get enough restorative sleep and when it completely deprives you of restorative sleep. When it gets to that breaking point everything just seems to crash and burn. It took me just a few months to go from what I thought was OK (other than high blood pressure, fatigue etc.) to being a complete mess and losing my ability to function both mentally and physically.

Another issue I have is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - I've been reading some anecdotal evidence that people who suffer from both OSA and IBS, when treated for OSA, their IBS gets alot better. Definitely looking forward to that.

It wouldn't surprise me. Lack of restorative sleep, periodic O2 desaturation and the after-effects of the substances your nervous system uses to jolt you awake in order to get you to breath again can really throw your whole body out of whack. PAP therapy has completely eliminated my acid reflux and edema, just to name a couple of things that I never would have guessed were being caused by OSA.

[Shastzi]

Hi wintermute,



Everyone is different but yes, the onset can occur with some speed.
Perhaps the folks who do exhibit the slow onset are the unlucky ones because they can have
symptoms mistaken for something else or the individual just puts off doing anything about it by
round about methods. "Well, honey, why dont you buy some ear plugs?"
Even worse are the folks who do not make horrendous snoring noises but just quietly stop breathing
without much fuss. Unless someone is awake and notices what is going on the patient may be
so late in getting treatment that chronic permanent damage has been done.
In short wintermute, you are probably one of the lucky ones to notice, take heed and take action.

Adapting to the therapy may take time too, again, your mileage may vary.

Cheers and =>

[big_dave]

(can it get worse that quickly, or is this partially psychosomatic now that I'm seeing a doctor and in the process of being diagnosed).

I think it can get dramatically worse in a relatively short period of time. It seems to me (just from personal experience) that there is a breaking point at which untreated apnea is no longer just making it difficult to get enough restorative sleep and when it completely deprives you of restorative sleep. When it gets to that breaking point everything just seems to crash and burn. It took me just a few months to go from what I thought was OK (other than high blood pressure, fatigue etc.) to being a complete mess and losing my ability to function both mentally and physically.

I went through the same thing. I should have gotten a sleep study 10 or 15 years ago but I kept putting it off. Then in 2011 and early 2012 it became increasingly difficult to remain alert, and I struggled through the day, every day. I was dealing with dental problems at the same time and I had a difficult recovery in early 2012 when I had an infected tooth pulled and I caught a sore throat from it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I took 3 weeks of FMLA leave for exhaustion in March 2012, but 2 weeks after returning to work in April, I felt just as awful as I did before taking the leave of absence. I started on CPAP at the end of April but I quit my job because I was unable to continue working. It took 3 months on CPAP before I felt well enough to start looking for work. (The job I left wasn't worth going back to, because I was stuck on a difficult work schedule that contributed to my exhaustion, and for other reasons that I won't go into.)

[SPOUSE]

Dear Wintermute, welcome to the forum from the spouse of a CPAP user who used to be driven crazy but who could not be more thrilled with the results of just six months of CPAP use. You sound a lot like my husband, only you are a lot younger and it is great that you are taking care of this issue in your 30's. I am confident you will feel much better and your wife will get more sleep as well.

Once you have your follow-up study, be sure to ask if the CPAP machine they recommend is data capable, meaning that it keeps track of your AHI levels, leak levels, etc., so that you and/or your doctor can actually monitor the effectiveness of your therapy. If the answer is not clear (or if they refuse for any reason to act as if this is any of your business), just pop in here and tell us which one is being recommended and someone will be able to tell you if the machine stores data or not. Don't buy or rent a machine that is not data capable. Search this forum to see many posts on the subject of "bricks" as they are called.

Good luck with your follow up study.

Hi everyone,

I never intended to go to a sleep specialist because I thought I was two young to have OSA and a general fear to admit to my own mortality. My horrible snoring has been driving my wife crazy.

[wintermute]

Thanks for the support everyone! I'll reply to the lot of you here, but not add quotes, hope that doesn't offend.

I don't think I have a positive attitude about it, just a realistic one. I think part of the problem that causes people to push off seeking a diagnosis is the mythology that OSA is a condition of the old and the large (sorry, not sure how to make that sound nice). The other issue is the whole acceptance of mortality thing, coupled with a concern of being dependent on a piece of machinery for a long span of your life. Positive encouragement from a friend with the same issue, coupled with rapidly decreasing functionality at home and work due to this thing is what's finally pushed me into action. It's at the point now where it is impossible for me to watch my favorite TV show or movie without falling asleep. I'm dead on my feet after 9PM so weekends stink, there's certain things I should be doing outside work to further my career that keep getting pushed back due to lack of effective "wake time" and now I've caught myself nodding at the wheel once or twice.

I'll make sure to discuss the possibility of a "smart brick" with my doctor. My only concern with this is that this is likely at cross purpose to my want for a brick that I can take camping. I'm assuming the smarter the brick, the more of a power hog it becomes.

Sorry for the rambling, it's nice to find a place where I believe it to be acceptable to get some of the weight off my chest.

I have my follow-up tomorrow!

[OMyMyOHellYes]

the mythology that OSA is a condition of the old and the large (sorry, not sure how to make that sound nice).

Just say "fat". Those of us that are already know it.

OMyMyOHellYes

[Anne Franziska]

Am just got diagnosed with sleep apnea.. Any ideas what Cpap is easy to use and flexible in use?