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Permalink Reply by Kristen on January 20, 2009 at 3:28pm

Donna - please, please go. At least try it, you may find that it's the best night's sleep you've had in years. If nothing else, you will know that wearing it will improve your health. I understand what you mean when you say that you feel you sleep well, and don't feel you have any difficulty sleeping. While working in the sleep lab, I heard that same comment almost every night. However, it is very rare for a person to know that they stop breathing at night, let alone how many times. You're sleeping, and have no idea what you are doing. You probably don't realize that you're snoring, drooling :), moving, or have an itch on your nose, either.
In fact, I had a patient who came in who felt he slept great, and the only reason that he came in for the study - despite his wife complaining for years that he snored and stopped breathing - was because his deer camp buddies wouldn't let him back in to the cabin unless he got something done about it. He denied ever having difficulty sleeping, his only issue was waking up to go to the bathroom 4-5 times a night (another indication of OSA, by the way). His apnea was probably the worst I had ever seen. He stopped breathing 500 times during that 6 hour study, and his oxygen level went down in to the 40-60% range. 500 TIMES, and he, like you, felt he slept great. He came back in to the lab 1 year later, and had lost 40 lbs (without dieting! - ask your doctor how untreated OSA and lack of proper sleep affects your metabolism), and said that he never realized how good he could actually feel. He said he hadn't felt that good since he was a teenager. He had accepted that the way he was feeling (depressed, tired, out of breath, and basically impotent) while suffering from untreated OSA was "normal", and he saw no problem with that. You need to talk to people like this man, who successfully overcame the hurdles of adjusting to CPAP, and not talk to people who are not compliant with their treatment. They are just giving you another excuse to not get treatment - "Well, if it didn't work for them, it certainly won't work for me!". And this is just plain WRONG.
Please, please investigate a little further. I would hate to see another person (you) suffer the dire consequences.

donnalyn said:

i still have not gone for the second treatment to see if the cpap works. actually, i have copd from yrs of smoking., (quit now 8 months) and i have gained over 65lbs., in the past 3 yrs! of course i will be out of breath and tired! also., i have been on the prescription med., klonopin, and zoloft for over 13 yrs for panic attacts and depression., this too has atributed to my being tired all the time.
i do not understand why my sleep study came back saying i stopped breathing over 100 times while i am sleeping? i do not really have any problems with sleeping., i sleep good., i don't wake up often or gasp., ect..
i just happen to mention to my lung dr., that i felt tired and breathless., after many breathing tests., it showed i did in fact have copd, chronic bronchitis,and my lung funtion test was not all that good.,
i use the inhalents now and have a nebulizer.
for some reason., many people that i have talked to told me that they were also told they had sleep apnea.. and it just seems kind of strange to me that all these people suffer from the same thing?
they all told me that they tried the mask and it really did nothing.
so i don't know if i should put myself through another treatment ...
my dr., is insisiting that i go. i have looked up on the internet the pros and cons., and still....not sure.
i will let you know if i go. still confused about the whole thing., thanks. donna

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Permalink Reply by donnalyn on January 20, 2009 at 6:27pm

thanks kristen., i am not one that turns "help" down... for the most part i normally would have gone already., something is just telling me that this is not the problem? for that matter my bf snores all night really loud and then stops breathing and then starts up snoring again., he must have it too! my x husband also.... my brother has it., and many famous people were told they had it. oprah for one.
i wonder if she uses or used the cpap., or rosie odonnell?
i would like to get some people who have what i have tell me it works. i went for another type of testing with my heart dr., it was a machine that you get hooked up to laying down, and it does exericise for you., they put straps around with velcro and put the machine on for one hour a day for 30 days., this also was supposed to help me have more energy... and did not.
maybe that is why i feel this way.my main ailment is the fact that i get heaviness in my chest on any exersion. i feel like i have climbed mountains when i am just picking up a few things off the floor., while i am trying to clean....
like i said., i weigh almost 250 and 5'3., age 50.,
all my life i always weighted in the 160 range., and that was find for me., i have to lose the weight., this i know.,
as for the cpap.., i will think on it ., and find out more info.,
thank you for your concern., donna

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