you are not going to believe this!

i went to the doctor today and go all the rest of the results of my sleep study. when he told me i had stopped breathing 303 times in 6 hours i could hardly say anything. my 02 level dropped to 50%. i have been on the cpap machine 4 days now and i can already tell a difference. when you think about this it means out of 60 minutes i was breathing only 10 minutes. unreal isn't it. I got a different mask today to try because the other one kept falling off. thank you all so much for all your support about this.
anyone who has fatigue constantly and depression and all and snores should really have this test done. i would never have believed this until i did it. the dr, says that in about 4 weeks i will really see the difference. yesterday i worked 6 hrs in the yard. the first time in quite some time. i stopped because it got cold and dark. for the first time in years i have not took a nap in the afternoon. i feel so much better already.

I love my machine. My 02 level dropped to similar levels and I stopped breathing between 60 and 80 times an hour! I have had it since October and it has been a life changing thing for me.

Being sleep deprived from Sleep apnea is not healthy. It can cause strokes, high blood pressure, heart disease, bad temper and a host of other problems. I too encourage all of you who snore or wake frequently during the night or are fatigued during the day or wake with frequent morning headaches to go get yourselves checked.

Life is good. Live it to the fullest.

Thank you both for posting this information and sharing what you have learned! I know it will promote health and save lives. Thank God that you are both so much better -- what a heavenly blessing that machine is! And thank God for doctors who recognize the problem and order those sleep studies.

My Dad goes in the end of this month for the sleep study. We already know he is stopping breathing at night so this is just formalizing it so he can get the machine. I think it will help him so much, he has been very depressed lately (my Mom passed away earlier this year and he is just so tired all the time). I will tell him that once he gets the machine he will start feeling better right away. The bad part is that it has taken 3 months to get the sleep test even though when he was in the hospital earlier this year the nurses all said he wasn't breathing all the time. (It's all the paperwork and government steps)

Kathy, am praying for your father's sleep studies to reveal the exact extent and measure of his difficulties, so that he will be able to get all the treatment and equipment that he needs to be restored to health on all levels; praying, too, for his grief to ease, for his will to be established in strength and wholeness, and for your entire family to move forward through this difficult time.

Wow, I had no idea! I'm so glad you've been enlightened and have a course of action now, all of you!

im with Kim-wow i had no idea! i think my dh should have this done, he never gets good sleep!

I am not surprised at all - this is a very common problem, and unfortunately, it does take 'forever' to get it diagnosed. Once it is, however, it's usually a quick remedy.

As I mentioned in the other forum, once you have the machine, and get the correct mask, and have been "stablilized" (i.e., breathing/sleeping normally for a couple of months), try to get your doctor to encourage your insurance company to BUY the machine for you rather than to just rent it. Here in NJ the machines run for around 2 grand....but they rent for around $50.00 a month, so it's more cost effective for the insurance company to buy it in the long run. You actually need a dr's prescription to have it removed from your home (!), and if you lose your insurance, (like we did when my DH got laid off in Feb 02), we ended up footing the bill for it!

This truly is a life-saving machine - helps tremendously in getting restful sleep. I wish all that have it (or are getting it) wonderful results!

Sometimes,i wake up choking,like i have
stopped breathing,gasping for air. Well,
i do stop breathing. I was told once long
ago it was sleep apnea?

Boy, Bitty, it sounds to me as if you would benefit from having the sleep study -- at least then you'd know for sure what the problem is, and could have help dealing with it!

bitty and any others this fits, if there is any question whether you have sleep apnea or not you need to ask for a study. It really is wonderful that this technology exists and it is saving lives and making lots of us healthier and happier. Even the spouse and children suffer from the apnea because your temper is somewhat controlled by your sleep patterns. Good luck and let us know how you are doing later.

What does waking up with a headache have to do with sleep apnea? I'm curious as you've all got me thinking about this.

I know that headaches can be caused by the constriction of blood vessels in the head; I wonder if oxygen deprivation causes the blood vessels to constrict.

That is how my Doc told me it happens. Your body never has time to relax during the night because you are basically being strangled many many times during the night so your blood vessels are constricted.

More symptoms of sleep apnea can be weight gain depression, memory loss, irritability, poor judgment, lack of concentration, frequent bathroom trips at night, excessive sleepiness or fatigue during the day, large neck size (greater than 17" in men:greater than 16" in women) gasping or choking during sleep, restless sleep and even sexual dysfunction.

The machine is called a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or a VPAP (Variable Positive Airway Pressure), pronounced see-pap or vee-pap. They basically push filtered room air past the soft tissue obstruction, through a mask which fits over your nose. All of which allows you to sleep since you will not be basically strangled all night every few seconds or minutes. With the use of the machine your breathing becomes regular, snoring stops, restful sleep is restored, quality of life is improved, risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and motor vehicle and work accidents are reduced.

Aproximately 4 in 100 middle-aged men and 2 in 100 middle-aged women have obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is thus as common as adult asthma!

Hope this helps you to understand this problem that some of us have. This information is from a fact sheet put out by www.respironics.com

ponditis is correct is her expl;anation. i never realized that all of those symptoms i was having was from sleep apnea. i hated that headache. the lack of o2 can cause many health problems. my doctor told me that this is why my skin has become so tough. last time they took blood it was almost imposible to get the needle to puncture the skin.
i have only had the machine for one week but i already know i wioll never be without it again. it is great.

I have been trying to get my hubby to go for this test for months. He wakes me up at night with his loud snoring and I turn him over dozens of times during the night. I am as sleep deprived as he is!! LOL Maybe I will print this out and give it to him. He won't even try those nose clips.
I am so glad I found this thread.
Ruth

Ruth, the partner being sleep deprived is another problem with apnea. It can also affect your health and well-being. Print out this thread and give it to him with a date for his sleep study. When he realizes how much better he feels he will be thankful to you for your help. Good luck and let us know what happens with him. Lani