50 year old male who has had 2 open heart surgeries (OHS) to replace mitral valve. The first replacement was a tissue valve that was supposed to last for approx. 10 years at a minimum. It lasted 1 year before it failed. Had a mechanical valve put in 1 year ago & am on Warfarin for life. I actually developed pneumonia post surgery & almost didn't make it out.
The first surgery was minimally invasive through the ribs. However, I developed a lung hernia that I lived with until 7 months ago when they repaired it. But, suffice it to say that the lung slipped through the ribs after my last OHS so that I was simultaneously dealing w. the pain from not only my sternotomy, but the hernia as well. Nightmare - to put it mildly .
During post-op. of my first OHS the oxygen kept going off when sleeping. They set me up w. a sleep clinic who determined that I had moderate apnea, hence the CPAP. They also determined that I have chronic insomnia & I take 10mg of Ambien each night. I have seen many times that I have taken 10mg ambien, 10mg melatonin & benadryl...& still stayed awake for hours ! My usual sleep time is from 4:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
My query (sorry for lengthy post): I have read that a CPAP actually causes the lungs to become dependent on the forced air leading to shortness of breath & weakening of the lungs (?). This may be completely fallacious, which is why I am presenting it to those w. far more knowledge & experience in this area than myself (which doesn't take much).
I ask this because I am noticing much-much more shortness of breath when I engage in things like running & tussling w. my puppy. Crazy thing is that I work out on stair master & can jog okay, but when I perform spontaneous physical exercise I am gasping for air in no time!
When I go to the Dr. my oxygen saturation is usually around 98% (which is not perfect if I understand right?). But, I do get the sense that my body is not getting the oxygen it needs. Oddly, really deep breathing seems to help, which, again, infers to me that my body is not getting the oxygen it needs. Simply, I fear that I will have to be on oxygen soon. (Note: I also pastor a church which is highly stressful & I am wondering if could contribute to my shortness of breath?)
This is not due to any heart-related issues since I just had an echocardiogram done a month ago & it looked okay. My cardiologist said my heart actually seems to be getting a little better. I am wondering if the CPAP is indeed weakening my lungs & the issue is potentially pulmonological. Or, if it's possible that I have developed scarring on my lungs from all of the surgeries or pneumonia (?).
I have a Drs. appointment tomorrow & will inquire about these issues, but I'm thinking I should see a pulmonologist. I am also going to schedule w. my sleep Dr. to see about getting another sleep test done.
Finally, it may take me a day or 2 to respond & I can almost never respond until late at night for reasons stated above. This place seems like a wealth of knowledge & I am looking forward to reading & learning all I can from you. Thank you in advance!