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17 year old wont wear CPAP
I have a 17 year old son who has been diagnosed with sleep apnea since he was about 13. Has has not been able to adjust to it. We have tried several different masks with no help. I had heard about dentists making mouth guards to connect to the machine. Has anyone else heard of this? Is so, where would I find out about ?. Thanks in advance for your help.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Banyon on
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Has he been scoped by a good ENT familiar with obstructive sleep apnea? They should examine his adenoids, tonsils, nasal airway including turbinates, larynx, tongue and soft palate.
If I were his age and knew what I know today, I would undergo an evaluation for MMA surgery, http://www.sleepapneasurgery.com/maxillomandibular_advancement.html. Assuming the evaluation was suitable, I would endure the surgery and enjoy the next 60 to 80 years of life.
Of course we don't know all the details about your son's conditions, therefore you need to take our suggestions and seek out professional medical advice.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Great advice Banyon. LMAO of about the "Erectile dysfunction" comment. I have been following this post trying to think of how I would handle this young man as a pt. I would definately look into the surgery options at this age. Carefully research the MMA options though. This surgery can carry some big drawbacks if not done correctly. A well made dental device may help as well.
I often compare my current health status to other family members that have come before me. Some that I do not want to immitate, and others that I want to be more like. If this were my son I would point out the health problems that other family members are having. More than likely someone else in the family has apnea.
Banyon said:Has he been scoped by a good ENT familiar with obstructive sleep apnea? They should examine his adenoids, tonsils, nasal airway including turbinates, larynx, tongue and soft palate.
If I were his age and knew what I know today, I would undergo an evaluation for MMA surgery, http://www.sleepapneasurgery.com/maxillomandibular_advancement.html. Assuming the evaluation was suitable, I would endure the surgery and enjoy the next 60 to 80 years of life.
Of course we don't know all the details about your son's conditions, therefore you need to take our suggestions and seek out professional medical advice.
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Permalink Reply by Carl on
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Has anyone ever done a night at a sleep lab and NOT been diagnosed with apnea?
Is apnea something that EVERYONE has?
I think it would be interesting to take a number of people at random and have them do a night at a sleep lap and see how many are told they do have some type of apnea and how many are told they do NOT have apnea. Oh - do NOT tell the sleep lab tech or anyone else involved 'downstream' that some of these people have NO history of apnea. I wonder how many "false positives" there would be...
Carl
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How about video taping him when he sleeps? 17 year old boys learn visually. Review the tape with him, when he wakes up.
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I believe that everyone has apnea to some extent. Over 85% of all pts that walk into my lab present some sort of sleep related breathing problem. People do come to sleep labs because they feel that they have a problem with their sleep. It is only natural that we are going to find problems in a high percentage of these people. I do get to send some people home with a clean bill of health though. At least as far as their sleep is concerned.
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Carl said:Has anyone ever done a night at a sleep lab and NOT been diagnosed with apnea?
Is apnea something that EVERYONE has?
I think it would be interesting to take a number of people at random and have them do a night at a sleep lap and see how many are told they do have some type of apnea and how many are told they do NOT have apnea. Oh - do NOT tell the sleep lab tech or anyone else involved 'downstream' that some of these people have NO history of apnea. I wonder how many "false positives" there would be...
Carl
False negatives is a bigger problem than false positives.
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False negatives is a bigger problem than false positives.
I do not believe that to be true. I could count the number of patients that did not have at least an AHI 1 on one hand. I do not believe that I have ever had a an adult pt that did not have at least one event during their study. Most people would benefit from some type of sleep therapy.
Don't you support home testing Banyon? The odds of receiving a false positive almost double with these units.
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Permalink Reply by amott1973 on
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As for the 17 year old, would he maybe benefit from attending a support group for those with sleep apnea? Or AWAKE meetings? For me, hearing other people talk first hand about their experiences with cpap and how much better they feel is the strongest incentive to keep trying.
Best of luck!
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Thanks for all of the great responses! There several other things that I should mention. First, my son is actually underweight. Always has been. Second, he had his tonsils and adenoids out when he was 2 years old. 3rd, he was dx with sleep apnea by a pediatric pulmonologist. He does have a very narrow mouth and I think that is part of his problem. As far as the settings on his CPAP, they have been adjusted down to the lowest settings and when he is sleeping, he pulls off the mask. I will definitely look at all of the information that everyone has provided. Hopefully, we will be able to find some way to help my son. It is sad to see someone who is soo tired all the time. He doesn't have much energy to do all of the normal teenager stuff. And believe me, I have had him to so many drs to try and figure out why he is so tired.And it all comes back to the sleep apena.
Thanks again for all of your help.
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Can someone please explain to me why it is necessary to have an "interface" between an oral appliance and CPAP? I am very confused about this. Why can't I simply wear my oral appliance, as I always do, and add CPAP in to the mix? Why do they have to connect with each other?
dr. martin bassiur said:There are appliances that can attach to certain types of CPAP and nasal pillow delivery systems- my first thought is to have a thorough oro-pharyngeal examination by an ENT physician, Pulmonologist, and/or a qualified dentist who is knowledgible about oro-pharyngeal anatomy. Your son's skeletal anatomy must be evaluated as well as his soft tissue anatomy- oft times there are underlying circumstances that may lead adolescents to have clinical symptoms of sleep apnea.
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The oral appliance does not connect to CPAP. It is professionally molded and titrated by a dentist. Try to consult with a dentist that is certified in sleep. They are not always 100% in my experience and are certainly not for everyone, but any treatment is better than no treatment.
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I KNOW the oral appliance doesn't connect to CPAP. But it can be used in conjunction with CPAP. I have one that was custom made by a dentist who specializes in sleep medicine and I am 100% compliant. However, it simply hasn't delivered on its promise. Therefore, I am considering giving CPAP another trial. The advantage of using both the oral appliance and the CPAP, as I understand it, is that you may not need such a high pressure. So again, I repeat, does anyone know whether it is necessary to have an interface?
Katrina Levine said:The oral appliance does not connect to CPAP. It is professionally molded and titrated by a dentist. Try to consult with a dentist that is certified in sleep. They are not always 100% in my experience and are certainly not for everyone, but any treatment is better than no treatment.
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