Family support

[ezdrifler]

Ok so after talking to the doctor about my sudden midnight jumps gasping for air and following the loooong period between testing at the sleep clinic, to find out my AHI was 24.5 , and getting diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, and getting prescribed an apap machine with humidifier and 5-10 pressure settings.

And looking at my drastic drop of AHI in the sleepyhead program using my apap properly.

And feeling like a new man..

The family (wife and daughter):

1) I still think you dont have that apnea, you should get further tests, you probably got misdiagnosed.

2) You should check your thyroid for Hypothyroidsm, your sister had it, maybe thats the real problem.

3) What if the machine causes you harm instead of good?

4) How can so many people sleep fine without it? specially countries that dont even have access to this equipment?

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Have you guys had similar issues with your loved ones?

I just tell them " look, I was tested, diagnosed and prescribed, my sleep is improving drastically, im using my machine and thats all there is to it, im no longer picking up my kid from school and worry about falling asleep at the wheel!"

[PoolQ]

Ok so after talking to the doctor about my sudden midnight jumps gasping for air and following the loooong period between testing at the sleep clinic, to find out my AHI was 24.5 , and getting diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, and getting prescribed an apap machine with humidifier and 5-10 pressure settings.

And looking at my drastic drop of AHI in the sleepyhead program using my apap properly.

And feeling like a new man..

The family (wife and daughter): Cause they love you, nice huh

1) I still think you dont have that apnea, you should get further tests, you probably got misdiagnosed. Absolutely, but you want to give this a good try first and keep an eye on it.

2) You should check your thyroid for Hypothyroidsm, your sister had it, maybe thats the real problem. righto as soon as I finish this good try

3) What if the machine causes you harm instead of good? Lots of people use them so given the above I would be more concerned that it does nothing. I will keep an eye on it

4) How can so many people sleep fine without it? specially countries that dont even have access to this equipment? Truth is that they don't. It is just starting to get there, a little. They deal with it the same we used to before CPAP-not very well

------
Have you guys had similar issues with your loved ones?

I just tell them " look, I was tested, diagnosed and prescribed, my sleep is improving drastically, im using my machine and thats all there is to it, im no longer picking up my kid from school and worry about falling asleep at the wheel!"

[SideSleeper]

My doctor suggested a few years ago that I probably should get tested for sleep apnea--I had a couple of near-sleep incidents while driving, but luckily woke up before anything happened. I blew him off--no I don't have that--I don't snore, I sleep well, etc. Turn the page to April 2015--I fell asleep in the middle of a small town and rear-ended a car at the only crosswalk in town--he was stopped for some kids crossing. Apparently the kids saw me coming and ran. Not certain how fast I was going--it was a 30 mph zone--hit him square on, license plate to license plate. No injuries just sore and bruised on my part. That scared me straight. Called my doctor the next day. Lost my license for 6 months until I got a sleep test--it was postponed because I had rotator cuff surgery a month after the accident. My sleep test AHI was 30.8. I had my equipment within 10 days. No problem with spouse--he's been on a CPAP for a year but it took me 5 years of nagging to get him to get tested. Get your spouse to read some of the threads on this forum about what can happen if you don't use a CPAP! After seeing my Sleepyhead charts I'm afraid to go to sleep without my machine on!

[OpalRose]

ezdrifler,

Yes, it is hard to get family and friends to understand what you are going through.
It's a denial thing! They probably don't want to admit when someone they love has an illness or disease. Don't get discouraged, they will come around.

I have a couple family members that completely ignore me if I start taking about my apnea.

I also have hypothyroidism, but I still have sleep apnea.

Just keep up the good work, they may start to notice the difference in you. And at least you have this forum community to talk to.

[I_will_never_sleep_again]

My wife has begged me for years to get a sleep study done. Now she says she can finally sleep without worrying about me dying in my sleep. She has been my best support team.

[Sleeprider]

For those of us formerly banished to another bedroom, sleeping with CPAP was the readmission ticket to the master bedroom. No issues as long as the machine quietly works.

Your family situation really surprises me. Most spouses are keenly aware of the problem before the apnea patient. This is the first case of denial I have ever heard of.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I'm relatively young, 39. My father (who I am pretty sure has sleep apnea himself, but is probably too stubborn to get tested, love him as I do) asked me if the machine might strangle me in the my sleep. Had to explain to him that I was prescribed the machine by a doctor.

Wife was wonderful and 100% behind me. She knew I had sleep apnea before me or my doctor. She also pushed and pushed me to keep pestering my doctor's office and DME who would not contact me for months after my OSA diagnosis. I don't understand why didn't want my money?

[SideSleeper]

I was surprised also at his spouse's reaction. I had to wear earplugs to sleep for several years before my husband finally got tired of me nagging and his fishing and hunting buddies lecturing him about his snoring and gasping for breath. I think his overnight home test showed an AHI of over 70. He's hard of hearing so if I snored or gasped he didn't hear me.

[Possum]

I'm also surprised by the reaction. Why would your bed partner not want you to sleep more soundly, and QUIETLY, and thus not disturb her? Perhaps they never noticed anything before? My wife couldn't wait for me to get my machine because now I'm quieter than she is while sleeping.

It might be simply fear of the unknown. They probably had never heard of sleep apnea or CPAP therapy prior to your diagnosis, because there really isn't enough public awareness of this health issue yet, so it seems foreign and strange to them. They might also be worried that something else is wrong and want assurance that you don't have any other underlying health problems that haven't been diagnosed yet.

In any case, perhaps try to find out exactly why they're concerned and point them to the many information sources available that prove sleep apnea's imminent danger if left untreated, and CPAP therapy's safety and efficacy.

[archangle]

4) How can so many people sleep fine without it? specially countries that dont even have access to this equipment?

Q: How can so many people sleep fine without it?
A1: How can so many people get by without insulin? Or blood pressure medicine?
A2: They die quietly in their sleep without anyone blaming apnea.
A3: Ask them what medicines they take. Why can so many people get by without that medicine?

Q: What did people do before they had CPAP?
A: They died quietly in their sleep.

Q: What do people do if they don't use their CPAP?
A: They die quietly in their sleep.

- Note: They actually probably died noisily in their sleep. With their loved ones listening to their snoring and labored breathing.

1) I still think you dont have that apnea, you should get further tests, you probably got misdiagnosed.

The way the tests work, if they say you've got apnea, you've got apnea. The test detects when you stop breathing. "Normal" people don't stop breathing for more than 10 seconds during their sleep. If anything, the test will miss apnea, not find it where it doesn't exist. AHI of 24 means you stop breathing 200 times in an 8 hour night. At best these episodes probably disturb your sleep.

Does your machine adjust your pressure up above 5 during the night? If so, that's confirmation that you have apnea and need the pressure. If you don't have apnea, the machine should leave the pressure at 5.

3) What if the machine causes you harm instead of good?

What if the insulin does more harm than good? Or blood pressure medicine? Or acid reflux meds? Or aspirin? What if you get some sort of infection from your eyeglasses? Or contacts?

2) You should check your thyroid for Hypothyroidsm, your sister had it, maybe thats the real problem.

That's actually a good idea. I believe thyroid problems are correlated with sleep apnea, but even if you have thyroid problems, fixing your thyroid levels probably won't fix your apnea.

Ask your doctor if he's done a blood test for thyroid. I think that's pretty common these days, and the test is pretty cheap. There's probably a good chance he's done it already. If not, ask for one the next time you're seeing him, especially if you're already having a blood draw. Mention the family history.

The family (wife and daughter):

Q: blah blah blah
A: I'm sleeping and feeling better. Get lost.
A2: Sleep apnea kills. If not directly through heart attack, stroke, etc., from falling asleep at the wheel.