Help! Just Diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea

[Evpraxia]

Greetings Esvee,

While other things can cause heart problems, high blood pressure, etc. Sleep Apnea (SA) most DEFINITELY can cause these problems and more. SO glad you are getting tested and getting treatment under way.

It is SO important to get a good, data capable machine. Without the SD Card that can be pulled out of the machine and put into a computer there is no way to download the data into a program, such as SleepyHead, that will let YOU know how YOU are doing.

I do understand about confusion with the diagnosis you have just received; it is a lot to digest all at once.

Some info from my personal/family history on Sleep Apnea:
My father REFUSED to use any and all APAP/CPAP,BiPAP and any and all masks; he ended up having a heart valve replaced and, about 3 yrs after that, fell asleep over his dessert and died in his sleep. He had extremely severe SA with Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (he looked like he was trying to race in the Tour de France) and, by the time his SA was diagnosed, had already given himself dementia - lost his drivers license and was declared legally incompetent, I became his Legal Conservator.

So, please, read and digest all the info you can - if you don't "get it" the first read through that is OK! Keep at it and stay with this forum.

[PaulaO2]

Wayne, I moved your post, and Trish's response, to your own thread. That way you get your specific help and Esvee gets hers.

You can find your new post here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-diagnosed

[kfujioka]

You have been through a lot in a short time. You must be scared. After you start using the machine you will feel better. I have severe apnea too. 88 per hour before using the machine. My obstructive apneas now are 1 per hour.
I agree with the others:
1. Sleep on your side or stomache while waiting for the machine.
2. Get a data capable machine(it has a small card that goes in the back). When you pull the card out, you can read your own sleep data. You need a card reader (very small device that plugs into your computers USB outlet.) The data shows how you are breathing at night.
3. Get a sleep doctor, if you don't have one already, who can manage your apnea care.
4. Ask for a heated humidifier and heated hose to go with your machine. The slightly warmer, moist air makes it easier to learn to breathe with the machine as you are learning it. In addition, if you get a cold, the moist heat opens up your nose at night while sleeping.
Good luck!
We are here to help you.
Kim

[saltydawg2]

Esvee, reading your initial post was like looking in the mirror for me. I have many of same issues you have, minus pacemaker. Learn all you can, as fast as you can from this group of well informed, and well intentioned people. If you view your Doc as the best source of info, you will be disappointed. The meter starts when you walk into his office, and he will be seeing his next patient before you hit the door. For him, the quicker the better. If you cannot get him to sit down, and give you some quality time, and answer questions generated from this site, you might shop around for someone else. He does work for you, you know...

[Ghost1958]

My own experience with sleep docs is that they know about sleep apnea and what it can do. But know little about cpap machines or have any interest in finding out. They go with a one night sleep lab titration pressure and call it good.

You have to be your own doc in many ways because alot of things can and will change pressure wise etc once you have a months worth of data to work with instead of night. All the docs and DMEs look at are compliance numbers for the most part to see if they can keep billing insurance or not.

Wanted to edit. Honestly there is nothing to afraid of with this. SA probably caused all of the rest. As I said it did me. Cardiologist was pushing hard the last time I was in the cardiac unit with HR of 35 beats per minute to put in a pacemaker. I wouldnt go for it and it turned out to be a heart med that had set up its own heart rate that wouldnt break for 5 days.

The Ablation surgery I did go for and as I said got my heart punctured for the trouble. Nobody was mentioning sleep apnea though with all the monitors I dont see how they couldnt see I was stopping breathing. Just put in a pacemaker was the push and the push was hard to get me to do it.
I wouldnt. Now with cpap afib is gone, BP is good, energy is good, very rare PVCs caused by gastric pressure "I have a hylatial hernia though i know I mispelled it I do have it LOL.

Your onto the best thing that could be done for you. Had it been done earlier you may have avoided the pacemaker and may not need one after cpap. I fell into using the machine easily because I was used to using masks in some of my work and pressurized air.

Wife had a harder time of it but the difference in your health and the way you feel made her stick with it.

Start it, monitor yourself, stick with it. Its worth it and theres a ton of folk here that will help you along the way that know what they are talking about.