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Sleep Apnea


smokin5s

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People with Sleep Apnea. My wife tells me that i have it and it's getting considerably worse she says and I can say that I feel tired all the time, so I'd have to agree. I have a few questions that I'm hoping people who have it or have been through the process can help with.

 

- Has the machines come a long way? Last time I saw a machine it looked like Bane from Batman and I don't see how I could sleep with that thing on or not scare my children

 

- Do you have to still go to sleep study places? If so anyone have any experience with good ones on the north end of town?

 

- What all does the sleep study entail? just hook you up to gizmos and have you go to sleep? are the gizmos on wheels so you can get up to piss if needed?

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I'm about to do a sleep study myself in two weeks for sleep apnea. I was referred to a doctor who is with OhioHealth. I'm not an expert on it yet, but the machines and masks they use now are more compact and less intrusive than they have been. One of the machines was about a big as a Yellow Pages for Columbus.

 

For me, I get to do mine at home (thank god). Others have had to go into an office and do it there. See if you can get one done in-house.

 

I know several people who use them and they all swear by them and they all feel much better having been using them.

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the thing on your face is the size of the yellow pages or the machine that can sit on the floor? I don't really care about the machine on the floor as much as the thing on my face.

 

Do you have to be referred or can you just call and make an appointment?

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Had it, had the surgery, cured it, worst pain I have ever felt, but would do it over again because the results for me we're night and day.

 

My first suggestion is, lose weight, that is what your doctor would say. The machine sucked for me, so I had Tonsils, adenoids, and uvula removed as also had a deviated septum corrected. That shit hurt at the age of 31. I have since lost 50lbs of fat at least and gained some muscle mass. I sleep really good, and feel great during the day.

 

I saw Dr Clifton Hood (ENT) he did my surgery. My sleep studies were over by olengangy commons on the north side. One to diagnose the sleep apnea, second to set the Cpap, third after surgery to have it removed from my medical record. BTW they gave me Ambien to sleep during the study so I would sleep all the way through. I would have never fallen asleep with all the wires connected to my head and body without it.

 

My situation with the sleep study places is they only want to sell you the Cpap, when I came back and returned it 2 weeks later, they refused to refer to a surgeon, told me there is no surgery, only solution was a Cpap. So I said fuck off, went to my family physician and he referred to to Dr. Hood. I like him, he is a no bullshit, bold in your face kind of guy, tells you how it is. Told me I was fat and need to do something about it, but could do the surgery, and it might help. So I went through with it.

 

First thing is first though, not to be mean, but lose weight, it may be cheaper and have better benefits.

 

My .02

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yes, weight loss is something that is needed, no doubt about that. I won't take any kind of medication.. especially for sleep which worries me because well, I won't be able to sleep then.

 

I used to be in good shape and not over weight and I still had issues with snoring and waking up at night from either snoring or stopping breathing, so I'm sure weight is a contributor but there is more to it. I have also noticed as soon as I lay down at night my sinuses get constricted and breathing can be trying and I end up laying in the recliner.

 

Any experience with this nose thing? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/treating-sleep-apnea-without-the-mask/?_r=0

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I did the sleep study thing and apparently it is frowned upon to rub one out before bed to help you sleep. You may want to check local rules.

 

 

 

You are on camera being recorded....

 

That would make you a pornstar right?

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the thing on your face is the size of the yellow pages or the machine that can sit on the floor? I don't really care about the machine on the floor as much as the thing on my face.

 

Do you have to be referred or can you just call and make an appointment?

 

The machine itself. What I was shown when I was there were two things that went into, not up, the nostrils and there was a strap that goes around the head. It was nothing like what's pictured above.

 

I was referred by my physician. See yours first as they will probably want to test your oxygen levels while sleeping before taking further steps.

 

I agree about the weight. One of these days I won't be so lazy and maybe shed a few pounds. :lol:

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It's not that hard to sleep with. I had my uvula removed and that didn't help much if any. Of course, there are a couple of other things that need removed too. I also had my septum corrected. I can't sleep without the mask now.
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Celebrating a happy 13 years of marriage, I went in to my doc this past winter to recommend an ENT for my horrible snoring, which as indicated from everyone else in this thread will inevitably get worse and worse as you get 1) older, 2) drunker, and 3) fatter. I could stand to lose 25lbs (6'0" 220lbs) but healthy for my age.

 

Instead of the sleep study, I first did a home "bloodOx" test where they mail you one of those infra-red finger pulse thingies to keep score of your oxygen levels; makes sure you're still getting sufficient oxygen while you sleep. I wore it for 2 nights and it registered a 98% average for normal O2 saturation...no sleep apnea.

 

Next, the ENT looked in my sinuses and throat. My tongue "looked like hamburger" all the way down my throat so no surgery there. I COULD get a uvulectomy to remove part of the soft palate but he said it would only help marginally.

 

I ended up getting a Zyppah which holds my tongue from flapping down my throat, as well as locates my lower jaw while I sleep so it doesn't block my airway. I also lost 15 lbs from the winter which helps. When I drink a lot my wife says my snoring still comes in without the Zyppah but overall it's much better.

 

YMMV, but the CPAP is a last ditch option in my mind.

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First thing is first though, not to be mean, but lose weight, it may be cheaper and have better benefits.

 

This. Benefits more than just better sleep aswell.

 

My brother has sleep apnea, uses the machine and is also a good 50lbs overweight. He swears by the machine and says he cant sleep without it now but even he admits if he lost weight it probably wouldn't be neccessary. He did say that machine is really expensive and not all covered by insurance. The part of the CPAP that 'sits on the floor' is the resevoir for the water, the air being pumped in is humid to avoid drying out your sinuses. Of course this could be different in different models thats just what i've seen.

 

That being said, I have a friend who is a nurse at a sleep study center. She explained it that they basically monitor your status while you sleep, and more than likely give you ambien to get you to sleep.

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My wife just went through the whole process over the past two months. She was referred to a ENT doc who told her she needed a sleep study. She went through the first one, said it was hard to sleep since you are hooked up with a bunch of different wires. They told her to take no meds and wouldn't give her any since they wanted to see how many times she woke up during the night. They had to disconnect her if she needed to use the bathroom. After the test they told her she needed a Cpap machine and had to go get one fitted and spend another night at the sleep study.

 

She finally got one fitted and they placed an order for the machine. The machine is extremely quiet and small (about the size of a table top alarm clock). She had a mask that fit over her nose and mouth, she didn't like it, so they got her another one that fits over the nose. Overall she is still getting used to it but can't make it through the whole night wearing one. She does say it is helping. She feels more rested.

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Honestly the whole process blows. I went in for a sleep study and the told me I had moderate sleep apnea. Went back in for a test fit with a machine and could not get the mask to form a seal so it kept waking me up. After about the fifth time of falling asleep to get woken up by someone to fix it I said fuck it and left. Went back again and finally got a machine.

 

I've yet to make it through the night fully while wearing the mask. I can usually get about 4-6 hours with in on before ripping it off. I tend to breath through my mouth and occasionally the machine will fill my stomach with air. You want to talk about some awesome mid morning farting. Honestly I haven't worn it in months.

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