Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 16, 2011 at 9:32pm

i will keep you up on things, my brother died from this problem so i know how serious it can be. glad you did get a sleep study done. i guess i have been afraid to go to have one done because i thought i did not sleep long enough for them to be sucessful in diagnosing it. do not get but maybe 2 to 3 hours of sleep on a good night.on several nights i have not slept at all. i am laid off right now so i do not have to get up early. do you wear a cpak ? have heard so many people talk about how miserable the mask are. kind of scary.   

Rooster said:

Reply by Ernestine Webster 6 minutes ago

do you have sleep apena ?

When I had my first sleep study I asked the technician in the morning if I had apneas during the night. Her answer was, "Oh boy, did you ever!"

 

This was excellence news to me. Eight @#$%^&$ doctors had told me I could not have sleep apnea because I was too slim and athletic! News that I indeed did have sleep apnea meant I could be treated and pull that one foot out of the grave.

 

Reply by Ernestine Webster 7 minutes ago

have emailed the sleep center in Burlington, NC and asked them if they have a sleep specilaist onsite and if so i would like to set up an appointment with one. they are accredited by the AASM.

 

I think you are on the right track now! Let us know how things proceed.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rooster on February 16, 2011 at 10:08pm

Grandfather - No CPAP. Dead of stroke at 67.

 

Grandmother - No CPAP. Major stroke at 65. Goony wheelchair invalid for 17 years.

 

Father - No CPAP. Dead at 41.

 

Mother - No CPAP. Signs of dementia at 65. Severe dementia at 80.

 

Me - Inconvenient CPAP. Having fun and plan to be having fun at 85, God and Respironics willing.

 

You make your choices.

 

Life is not for wimps. CPAP is not for wimps.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 17, 2011 at 12:24am

no life is not for wimps and i know this is what i need to do.

know my brother had it but i think my mother did but she died of a stroke about 40 years ago.  
does this disease run in families ?
Rooster said:

Grandfather - No CPAP. Dead of stroke at 67.

 

Grandmother - No CPAP. Major stroke at 65. Goony wheelchair invalid for 17 years.

 

Father - No CPAP. Dead at 41.

 

Mother - No CPAP. Signs of dementia at 65. Severe dementia at 80.

 

Me - Inconvenient CPAP. Having fun and plan to be having fun at 85, God and Respironics willing.

 

You make your choices.

 

Life is not for wimps. CPAP is not for wimps.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Rooster on February 17, 2011 at 8:20am

Yes, sleep apnea does run in families - the human family.

 

Everyone is susceptible to it if their diet as a child was foods that required little chewing. That is the way most people eat today.

Without sufficient exercise from chewing, the jaw will fail to develop fully and a narrow jaw leaves insufficient room for the airway. Lack of breastfeeding is also a factor.

It is not the genes. It is the underdeveloped jaw. Look around you and see how many friends, family, and associates fit this description:

Look at the person’s facial features. Look for narrow and/or recessed jaws, flat cheekbones, narrow nasal width, mouth breathing, or forward head lean. Inside the mouth, the classic findings would be multiple missing teeth, dental crowding, a high arched high palate, narrow and crowded dental arches, tongue scalloping, and a relatively large tongue that prevents you from seeing the uvula. Tongue scalloping alone has been found to predict apneas in 89%, oxygen desaturation in 89%, and abnormal AHI is 67%. http://doctorstevenpark.com/dog-sniffing-sleep-apnea-facial-profiling

This condition is highly prevalent in the human family. The genes are OK, but the jaws are not.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 17, 2011 at 3:23pm

i found this to be very interesting, i have also heard anyone that has diabtese has a chance to have sleep disorders. i too have diabestes  

the sleep center in burlington has asked for my insurance info so they are working on seeing if it will pay for the testing and the consultation.

thanks for your incouragement  

Rooster said:

Yes, sleep apnea does run in families - the human family.

 

Everyone is susceptible to it if their diet as a child was foods that required little chewing. That is the way most people eat today.

Without sufficient exercise from chewing, the jaw will fail to develop fully and a narrow jaw leaves insufficient room for the airway. Lack of breastfeeding is also a factor.

It is not the genes. It is the underdeveloped jaw. Look around you and see how many friends, family, and associates fit this description:

Look at the person’s facial features. Look for narrow and/or recessed jaws, flat cheekbones, narrow nasal width, mouth breathing, or forward head lean. Inside the mouth, the classic findings would be multiple missing teeth, dental crowding, a high arched high palate, narrow and crowded dental arches, tongue scalloping, and a relatively large tongue that prevents you from seeing the uvula. Tongue scalloping alone has been found to predict apneas in 89%, oxygen desaturation in 89%, and abnormal AHI is 67%. http://doctorstevenpark.com/dog-sniffing-sleep-apnea-facial-profiling

This condition is highly prevalent in the human family. The genes are OK, but the jaws are not.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Callahan on February 17, 2011 at 4:52pm

I have been using acupuncture especially for insomnia since April of 2010. But so many other issues have come up that each session (only 1x a week) might be used for those other issues. So cannot say how good it is. The insomnia is not much better. But I have had it for over 40 years and is very treatment resistant. Homeopathy seems to work better for me. I have been doing that for 3 years and at least I see improvements. Where I could not fall asleep, at least now I can fall asleep. I still have trouble staying asleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 17, 2011 at 5:54pm

what are you doing, do not know much about homeopathy, have decided against acupuncture and am trying to get in to a sleep specialist, they are checking to see if my insurance will pay for the consultation and sleep study if needed.   

everyone is so nice on this website but i have seen people even in my family, husband for one just do not undestand how i cannot  just lay down and fall to sleep. believe me i wish i could. i have even thought maybe i had a problem with depression but really do not think so.  
been having problems with sleep for several years but since i had got a prescripton for ambien it has got worse. it does not help anymore
Mary Callahan said:

I have been using acupuncture especially for insomnia since April of 2010. But so many other issues have come up that each session (only 1x a week) might be used for those other issues. So cannot say how good it is. The insomnia is not much better. But I have had it for over 40 years and is very treatment resistant. Homeopathy seems to work better for me. I have been doing that for 3 years and at least I see improvements. Where I could not fall asleep, at least now I can fall asleep. I still have trouble staying asleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Callahan on February 18, 2011 at 1:23pm

Not sleeping can easily cause depression, so keep an eye on it. Not sleeping will also cause pain problems as well. 

I see a classical homeopathist. They generally only use one remedy at a time. They treat the whole person, not just the symptom. But they do treat according to the worst symptom. Would probably not be covered by insurance either. Most everything that works, at least for me, is out of pocket. You could start here to see what homeopathy is about:  http://homeopathic-md-do.com/History.html  Then you could go from there.

And you are right, if someone does not have a problem with insomnia, they just don't seem to understand how hard it is to fall asleep. For me it is a very complicated issue, especially when you add in the CPAP machine and all its annoyance.

But at least now I have finally found a really really good sleep doctor who has been very patient with me and treating my insomnia. We have tried 5 different medications since December, none of which worked, or gave me side effects I wasn't willing to live with. But just recently I have discovered that by mixing 2 of them at very, very small doses, I seem to be doing okay. But it has only been 3 nights. I have my fingers crossed that I won't get side effects from the combo.

Good luck getting to a sleep doctor who can hopefully help you out.

Ernestine Webster said:

what are you doing, do not know much about homeopathy, have decided against acupuncture and am trying to get in to a sleep specialist, they are checking to see if my insurance will pay for the consultation and sleep study if needed.   

everyone is so nice on this website but i have seen people even in my family, husband for one just do not undestand how i cannot  just lay down and fall to sleep. believe me i wish i could. i have even thought maybe i had a problem with depression but really do not think so.  
been having problems with sleep for several years but since i had got a prescripton for ambien it has got worse. it does not help anymore
Mary Callahan said:

I have been using acupuncture especially for insomnia since April of 2010. But so many other issues have come up that each session (only 1x a week) might be used for those other issues. So cannot say how good it is. The insomnia is not much better. But I have had it for over 40 years and is very treatment resistant. Homeopathy seems to work better for me. I have been doing that for 3 years and at least I see improvements. Where I could not fall asleep, at least now I can fall asleep. I still have trouble staying asleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 18, 2011 at 9:33pm

i have had sleep problems for several years so it is nothing new, just got worse since i have lost my job a year ago sp that is why i thought maybe it could possibly be depression but really do not think so. i think what caused it to get worse is taking ambien and it started not working and i saw on the internet after taking sleep meds for awhile may cause it to be worse after the affects wore off. we have a sleep lab close to me and i have contacted them and they called me back tonight and told me right now they do not have a sleep specialist here onsite but it is in the works to have one onsite in about a month so i told her to call me back when they started taking patients so i am looking forward to at least finding out why i have problems with sleeping, falling asleep and staying asleep. even when i am able to sleep i have such vivid dreams at times i wake up scared and afraid to even try to go back to sleep. i have 2 grown children and a husband that can fall asleep anytime they get still but me it is a whole nother story, i lay for hours trying to get to sleep and i finally come back into the living room and watch tv or read and after a couple of hours i try again and lay there for another couple of hours and by 3 or 4 am i finally fall asleep but am awke by 6:30 or 7 am and i try at times to lay down during the day and most days i cannot fall asleep some nights i do not sleep but maybe 30 mins. and some nights not at all. 

    
Mary Callahan said:

Not sleeping can easily cause depression, so keep an eye on it. Not sleeping will also cause pain problems as well. 

I see a classical homeopathist. They generally only use one remedy at a time. They treat the whole person, not just the symptom. But they do treat according to the worst symptom. Would probably not be covered by insurance either. Most everything that works, at least for me, is out of pocket. You could start here to see what homeopathy is about:  http://homeopathic-md-do.com/History.html  Then you could go from there.

And you are right, if someone does not have a problem with insomnia, they just don't seem to understand how hard it is to fall asleep. For me it is a very complicated issue, especially when you add in the CPAP machine and all its annoyance.

But at least now I have finally found a really really good sleep doctor who has been very patient with me and treating my insomnia. We have tried 5 different medications since December, none of which worked, or gave me side effects I wasn't willing to live with. But just recently I have discovered that by mixing 2 of them at very, very small doses, I seem to be doing okay. But it has only been 3 nights. I have my fingers crossed that I won't get side effects from the combo.

Good luck getting to a sleep doctor who can hopefully help you out.

Ernestine Webster said:

what are you doing, do not know much about homeopathy, have decided against acupuncture and am trying to get in to a sleep specialist, they are checking to see if my insurance will pay for the consultation and sleep study if needed.   

everyone is so nice on this website but i have seen people even in my family, husband for one just do not undestand how i cannot  just lay down and fall to sleep. believe me i wish i could. i have even thought maybe i had a problem with depression but really do not think so.  
been having problems with sleep for several years but since i had got a prescripton for ambien it has got worse. it does not help anymore
Mary Callahan said:

I have been using acupuncture especially for insomnia since April of 2010. But so many other issues have come up that each session (only 1x a week) might be used for those other issues. So cannot say how good it is. The insomnia is not much better. But I have had it for over 40 years and is very treatment resistant. Homeopathy seems to work better for me. I have been doing that for 3 years and at least I see improvements. Where I could not fall asleep, at least now I can fall asleep. I still have trouble staying asleep.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 19, 2011 at 1:07am

hi , just wanted to let you know the sleep lab called me back today and told me they were about a month away from having a sleep specialist onsite at the sleep lab in burlington so they are supposed to call me when they are ready to start seeing patients, very hopeful about that.

also saw on the sleep foundation website one of the meds i am on for my blood pressure has a side effect to cause insomina so that was very interesting to me so i guess my next move is to call my doctor and talk to her about changing my meds for my blood pressure. she had not too long ago increased it.

hope things are going well with you      

Ernestine Webster said:

i found this to be very interesting, i have also heard anyone that has diabtese has a chance to have sleep disorders. i too have diabestes  

the sleep center in burlington has asked for my insurance info so they are working on seeing if it will pay for the testing and the consultation.

thanks for your incouragement  

Rooster said:

Yes, sleep apnea does run in families - the human family.

 

Everyone is susceptible to it if their diet as a child was foods that required little chewing. That is the way most people eat today.

Without sufficient exercise from chewing, the jaw will fail to develop fully and a narrow jaw leaves insufficient room for the airway. Lack of breastfeeding is also a factor.

It is not the genes. It is the underdeveloped jaw. Look around you and see how many friends, family, and associates fit this description:

Look at the person’s facial features. Look for narrow and/or recessed jaws, flat cheekbones, narrow nasal width, mouth breathing, or forward head lean. Inside the mouth, the classic findings would be multiple missing teeth, dental crowding, a high arched high palate, narrow and crowded dental arches, tongue scalloping, and a relatively large tongue that prevents you from seeing the uvula. Tongue scalloping alone has been found to predict apneas in 89%, oxygen desaturation in 89%, and abnormal AHI is 67%. http://doctorstevenpark.com/dog-sniffing-sleep-apnea-facial-profiling

This condition is highly prevalent in the human family. The genes are OK, but the jaws are not.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mary Callahan on February 19, 2011 at 1:45pm

Glad to hear you are that much closer to finding out what is truly going on. But keep on eye on them. Sometimes when they see sleep apnea (even among other issues), they think that by treating the sleep apnea, they can 'fix' your sleep. That was the case with me. In all honesty, the insomnia was the worse part, and now that I have changed doctors and found one who is treating the insomnia, my sleep is finally getting better. A little, but at least it is in the right direction. Also after about a month's time, I also brought up the issue of my leg movements, and now finally that is also being addressed. Was just another part of the puzzle.

So remember to keep after them if all they are treating is the sleep apnea. Keep asking questions about the insomnia, and any other issue you might think is keeping you from sleeping. And before you go for the sleep study, read all you can so you can be informed before you go.

Then read up on sleep machines and masks also, so you can be ready if and when that issue may present itself. There is much info on this website, as well as others.

Good luck! Hope it is soon for your sake!

Ernestine Webster said:

hi , just wanted to let you know the sleep lab called me back today and told me they were about a month away from having a sleep specialist onsite at the sleep lab in burlington so they are supposed to call me when they are ready to start seeing patients, very hopeful about that.

also saw on the sleep foundation website one of the meds i am on for my blood pressure has a side effect to cause insomina so that was very interesting to me so i guess my next move is to call my doctor and talk to her about changing my meds for my blood pressure. she had not too long ago increased it.

hope things are going well with you      

Ernestine Webster said:

i found this to be very interesting, i have also heard anyone that has diabtese has a chance to have sleep disorders. i too have diabestes  

the sleep center in burlington has asked for my insurance info so they are working on seeing if it will pay for the testing and the consultation.

thanks for your incouragement  

Rooster said:

Yes, sleep apnea does run in families - the human family.

 

Everyone is susceptible to it if their diet as a child was foods that required little chewing. That is the way most people eat today.

Without sufficient exercise from chewing, the jaw will fail to develop fully and a narrow jaw leaves insufficient room for the airway. Lack of breastfeeding is also a factor.

It is not the genes. It is the underdeveloped jaw. Look around you and see how many friends, family, and associates fit this description:

Look at the person’s facial features. Look for narrow and/or recessed jaws, flat cheekbones, narrow nasal width, mouth breathing, or forward head lean. Inside the mouth, the classic findings would be multiple missing teeth, dental crowding, a high arched high palate, narrow and crowded dental arches, tongue scalloping, and a relatively large tongue that prevents you from seeing the uvula. Tongue scalloping alone has been found to predict apneas in 89%, oxygen desaturation in 89%, and abnormal AHI is 67%. http://doctorstevenpark.com/dog-sniffing-sleep-apnea-facial-profiling

This condition is highly prevalent in the human family. The genes are OK, but the jaws are not.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on February 19, 2011 at 6:28pm

thanks for the advice, my biggest complaint is insomina so that is what i am wanting to be addressed, do not know for sure if i do have sleep apena, all i know is i had a brother that passed away from sleep apena and i have major problems falling asleep and staying asleep. for sure will do some research on the sleep study. that is why i would like to see a sleep specialist instead of going thru my doctor to have a sleep study done because i want to discuss the insomina as well as sleep apena .really do not know what the problem is.       

Mary Callahan said:

Glad to hear you are that much closer to finding out what is truly going on. But keep on eye on them. Sometimes when they see sleep apnea (even among other issues), they think that by treating the sleep apnea, they can 'fix' your sleep. That was the case with me. In all honesty, the insomnia was the worse part, and now that I have changed doctors and found one who is treating the insomnia, my sleep is finally getting better. A little, but at least it is in the right direction. Also after about a month's time, I also brought up the issue of my leg movements, and now finally that is also being addressed. Was just another part of the puzzle.

So remember to keep after them if all they are treating is the sleep apnea. Keep asking questions about the insomnia, and any other issue you might think is keeping you from sleeping. And before you go for the sleep study, read all you can so you can be informed before you go.

Then read up on sleep machines and masks also, so you can be ready if and when that issue may present itself. There is much info on this website, as well as others.

Good luck! Hope it is soon for your sake!

Ernestine Webster said:

hi , just wanted to let you know the sleep lab called me back today and told me they were about a month away from having a sleep specialist onsite at the sleep lab in burlington so they are supposed to call me when they are ready to start seeing patients, very hopeful about that.

also saw on the sleep foundation website one of the meds i am on for my blood pressure has a side effect to cause insomina so that was very interesting to me so i guess my next move is to call my doctor and talk to her about changing my meds for my blood pressure. she had not too long ago increased it.

hope things are going well with you      

Ernestine Webster said:

i found this to be very interesting, i have also heard anyone that has diabtese has a chance to have sleep disorders. i too have diabestes  

the sleep center in burlington has asked for my insurance info so they are working on seeing if it will pay for the testing and the consultation.

thanks for your incouragement  

Rooster said:

Yes, sleep apnea does run in families - the human family.

 

Everyone is susceptible to it if their diet as a child was foods that required little chewing. That is the way most people eat today.

Without sufficient exercise from chewing, the jaw will fail to develop fully and a narrow jaw leaves insufficient room for the airway. Lack of breastfeeding is also a factor.

It is not the genes. It is the underdeveloped jaw. Look around you and see how many friends, family, and associates fit this description:

Look at the person’s facial features. Look for narrow and/or recessed jaws, flat cheekbones, narrow nasal width, mouth breathing, or forward head lean. Inside the mouth, the classic findings would be multiple missing teeth, dental crowding, a high arched high palate, narrow and crowded dental arches, tongue scalloping, and a relatively large tongue that prevents you from seeing the uvula. Tongue scalloping alone has been found to predict apneas in 89%, oxygen desaturation in 89%, and abnormal AHI is 67%. http://doctorstevenpark.com/dog-sniffing-sleep-apnea-facial-profiling

This condition is highly prevalent in the human family. The genes are OK, but the jaws are not.

 

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