Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea
[Diagnosis] Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - Printable Version

+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: [Diagnosis] Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea (/Thread-Diagnosis-Not-sure-diagnosed-but-thought-to-have-sleep-apnea)



Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - jvone747 - 05-07-2021

about me: 29, male, 5'11, 244lbs, narrow nasal passages, overweight, long history of gastrointestinal problems including four colonoscopies, gastroparesis (though a doctor later said that yes i was delayed but she didnt believe it was gastroparesis), IBS, GERD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, ive had an abnormal EKG, abnormal glucose, high inflammation markers, etc. 

A few weeks ago I realized I'd been waking up with a dry mouth, sore throat, migraine and (not always but frequently) feel like my mind is in a fog (this had been going on for months, I just didnt think about it). I've also had an occasional cough for the past year but that seems to be related to acid. 
All of my "health issues" started at around 21 (up to that point i had to try to keep weight on. I was 130lbs, 244lbs now and eat little, low carb, whole plant diet but never lose weight). 
I realize none of this may be related but the dry mouth and all that made me think about all of my "issues" and realize they all came about around the same time...so maybe?
I stopped all medications and havent seen a doctor since January 2020, I just got frustrated that no one could give answers and had just had my fourth colonoscopy and they were referring me to another prescriber a couple hours away. then I lost my insurance a few months later. 

But I became concerned when i started thinking I could have sleep apnea and contacted my pcp who has a referral to sleep med waiting (my health insurance should be active again in the next three weeks)

my paternal grandmother has sleep apnea, im not sure what kind but i do remember she used a cpap in the past. im concerned about her as well, shes had high blood pressure and an acute stroke recently

Any thoughts, theories or advice would be helpful. Thank you!


RE: Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - sheepless - 05-07-2021

your symptom list looks like apnea may be an issue but there are other possible causes as well. weight gain may be an indicator; it can be both cause and effect of apnea. no good way to tell short of a polysomnogram. meanwhile, witnesses may be able to tell you what your sleep is like, you can use a phone sleep app with a noise activated audio recorder &/or video to help determine what's going on.


RE: Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - Sleeprider - 05-07-2021

What's your plan? Are you asking for a sleep test, or planning to self-treat? If you are under-insured, I would recommend the latter and use the CPAP data to decide if therapy is worthwhile, and if so, optimize. If your insurance covers testing, go for it.


RE: Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - jvone747 - 05-08-2021

@Sheepless 
do you happen to know any apps that would be good? I didn’t know this was an option.

@Sleeprider 
Yes I am asking for a sleep test but am waiting for my insurance to become active to pursue it, I didn’t realize there were other options but definitely want to try and pursue professional help but am not opposed to anything I might be able to do myself to help.

Thank you!


RE: Not sure/diagnosed but thought to have sleep apnea - sheepless - 05-08-2021

I used to use sleep as android. idk if it's available for iphone.