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Reminder of how serious sleep apnea can be
The brother of one of my daughter's best friends passed away last week. He had severe sleep apnea and was sleeping without his equipment. He went without oxygen to his brain for almost 30 minutes. The EMTs did all they could and the ER put him on a respirator, but the family finally called it on Friday. He was 45 years old.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by matthew march on
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What do you mean shake ? I wake up gasping for air. I gulp down a lot of air but it gos to my stomache them after a while
I start breatheing it sounds someone haveing an asthma attack them when its back to normal I die from the air ive swallowed an every musle in my body aches from trying to get air. I just thought someone would know how to get air faster.
Mary Z said:Does your wife shake you or wipe your face with a cold wash cloth. Don't understand why shaking you wouldn't get you started again.
matthew march said:Just last night I woke up not breatheing the wife said it was about 2-3 min. till I started breathing. seemed like an hour to me . What is the best way to get your air back anyone know? Ive done this since I was a child everyone would joke about me not breatheing they said the devil was trying to take me. it sure felt like it last nite the wife always asks me if she should call an ambulance like I could answer her It would take at least half an hour anyway. Any one who knows the best way to get breatheing pls. e-mail me matthewmarch@ymail.com thks!
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I guess iam not being real clear its like my throat is totally closed. I cant get any air at all. Ill go back an forth thru the house several times I beat on my chest my throat . It just takes a while to get air its pretty scarey
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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I hope you have seen a doctor about this. It does sound very serious. I have no idea what could be causing such extreme symptoms.
matthew march said:I guess iam not being real clear its like my throat is totally closed. I cant get any air at all. Ill go back an forth thru the house several times I beat on my chest my throat . It just takes a while to get air its pretty scarey
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VERY SERIOUS... my son ( who died from sleep apnea at age 22)...was having some similar things happening to him. He fell asleep sitting up on my couch in the living room and I could NOT seem to wake him up.. I called his name.. I YELLED his name.. I patted his face.. I slapped his cheeks ( not too hard but hard enough to try and wake him).. I couldn't . It scared me to death. When he did wake up.. he was just all groggy..and didn't realize anything had happened. He didn't struggle once awake like you do..His weight doubled in about 6 months time..I sent him to the ER ..they sent him home w/ antiobiotic rx's. Within a week or so he died during the night face down in his pillow and we awoke to his wife screaming. IF PEOPLE TELL YOU that you SNORE... or EVER stop breathing during the night OR day when you are asleep.. GET HELP !! IF IS most definately a matter of LIFE or DEATH. A lot of weight gained along with the sleeping problems and you better get to and ER and a sleep clinic as fast as your legs will carry you. I use my CPAP every time I even ~ think~ I might fall asleep day or night. IF the power went off.. I simply would NOT fall asleep....I suggest you get to a Dr or an ER and find out what is happening to you.. it sounds extremely serious!
Mary Z said:
I hope you have seen a doctor about this. It does sound very serious. I have no idea what could be causing such extreme symptoms.
matthew march said:I guess iam not being real clear its like my throat is totally closed. I cant get any air at all. Ill go back an forth thru the house several times I beat on my chest my throat . It just takes a while to get air its pretty scarey
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I am so sorry to hear this - but I along with others have a terrible time with pressure and leakage that I sometimes throw the mask off during my sleep! Has anyone on this forum used the "no mask" device. If so, how do you like it? Also, has it been approved yet for Medicare patients, as its pretty expensive and I wondered if it will some day be part of the cpap gear??
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My God!! Thank you for the reminder. When that damn mask feels like it ways 100 pounds on my face I will remember that. How terrible that he was only 45!!!
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Why don't these fancy expensive machines have some sort of alarm that would wake a person up if they stopped breathing? While wearing the mask of course!!
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Permalink Reply by Bex on
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I am so sorry to hear that. Last night I decided that I was done with the CPAP. I have been going to bed with the mask on and falling asleep, but then waking up multiple times and just listening to the whistling of my breath or feeling like I can't breath freely. It is not improving my quality of life because I can never have a full nights sleep. Since I am unable to keep it on, I see no reason to KEEP it at all.
Alternatives anyone? I do plan to lose weight, after that I would consider jaw reconstruction.
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i do not know if i have sleep apena , i do know that i have a sleep problem, i cannot fall asleep for hours even after taking a ambein sleep aid, even when i do fall asleep i dream and it seems so real i wake up and am afraid to go back to sleep so i try to stay awake. i don't go into a deep sleep much at all so i don't get much sleep. have not been to a sleep clinic to have a sleep study done. i had a brother that had it so bad he almost died from it. he was rushed to the hospital and they called the family in saying he would not make it thru the night but he did that time , the next time he was not so lucky , he did not make it thru the night that time. i just will lay in bed for hours sometimes til 3 or 4 am before i fall asleep and am awake at daylight, some nights i do not sleep but an hour even with that i dream those crazy scary dreams even after taking the sleep aid. would love to get a good nights sleep , been years since i have got a good nights sleep
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Bex....I don't know if this will help you or not..but a LOT of the time I feel like...even with ALL the air blowing into my mouth and nose that there is NO air in there once the suction takes place..so I lay on my left side and place my left hand on my pillow just above where the air is venting out of it. This way I feel the air blowing on my hand..and instantly I can feel all the air inside the mask and somehow it reassures me that there IS all that air blowing in there and I can breath better and deeper. If I don't feel the air on my hand tho' I feel like I am a bit claustrophobic and that there is NO air anywhere for me to breath. I don't know if it is a psychological thing or what..but THAT is what works with me. I then start to relax..enjoy the air blowing, breath better and deeper through my nose AND my mouth.. and I am asleep before I know it. I have a full face mask.
Bex said:
I am so sorry to hear that. Last night I decided that I was done with the CPAP. I have been going to bed with the mask on and falling asleep, but then waking up multiple times and just listening to the whistling of my breath or feeling like I can't breath freely. It is not improving my quality of life because I can never have a full nights sleep. Since I am unable to keep it on, I see no reason to KEEP it at all.
Alternatives anyone? I do plan to lose weight, after that I would consider jaw reconstruction.
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Permalink Reply by Heather Dent on
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As you are probably aware, the link between depression and sleep apnea is well established. This is not to say EVERYONE with depression has sleep apnea or vice versa. But there is definitely a strong link between the two. I was on a low level trycyclic anti-depressant for many years, simply to help me sleep. About 8 or 9 months ago I failed to realize I was slipping into a very deep depression......knew I was depressed but unaware of how badly, even though I had suffered a couple of bouts of clinical depression before, and knew that there had remained some residual depression from these. I wasn't suicidal at all, but I did pray each night that I wouldn't wake up the next morning ! (Kind of like asking the Lord to intervene !) Finally I clued in to the severity of the depression and got myself to the doctor in November. She gave me a new drug named Pristiq which seemed tailor made for me........everyone is different (chemically) and so it may not be the best one for eveyone else. But it is the improved version of a previous drug (most side effects eradicated or greatly reduced). It took a couple of weeks to take effect and required one dosage increase........and I am literally another person. My GP says I should be the "poster girl for Pristiq" ! My point is you owe it to yourself to get to your family physician and let him/her know how bad your depression is.........once you have looked after that, you will feel motivated to look after the rest of your health by using your CPAP regularly (every night and for naps). So get thee to thy doctor ! Hope you start feeling better soon.
eugene flowers said:I understand. Im not using mine. im so depressed i dont care. If i had a purpose and a reason for living i might think otherwise.
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Ernestine, I don't know if you have sleep apnea either. Do you snore, does anyone wake you up in the night and say you stopped breathing for a short while. You may just need to review "sleep Hygiene". A google of the terms whould bring up lots of information. Insomnia is a terrible thing.
Mary Z.
Ernestine Webster said:i do not know if i have sleep apena , i do know that i have a sleep problem, i cannot fall asleep for hours even after taking a ambein sleep aid, even when i do fall asleep i dream and it seems so real i wake up and am afraid to go back to sleep so i try to stay awake. i don't go into a deep sleep much at all so i don't get much sleep. have not been to a sleep clinic to have a sleep study done. i had a brother that had it so bad he almost died from it. he was rushed to the hospital and they called the family in saying he would not make it thru the night but he did that time , the next time he was not so lucky , he did not make it thru the night that time. i just will lay in bed for hours sometimes til 3 or 4 am before i fall asleep and am awake at daylight, some nights i do not sleep but an hour even with that i dream those crazy scary dreams even after taking the sleep aid. would love to get a good nights sleep , been years since i have got a good nights sleep
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