[Symptoms] Daily Decline in Cognitive Function

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Hey all, I wanted to bring this up because I've been noticing a daily decline in my cognitive function for the past few weeks. I mean daily. I live in a constant fog and can't focus on anything for more than a few minutes without having to take a break. Also, I'm forgetting things I did even earlier in the day. I'm very concerned and can't imagine living like this much longer. 

I've been living with very mild brain fog for some time now (since September 2019). It hasn't been debilitating until I started my BiPAP treatment on June 27th of this year. I'm 31 years old and can't imagine my brain should be as impaired as it is just from starting treatment. I have been having issues with fragmented sleep for a couple weeks (noted on another thread), and my AHI isn't where it should be yet but it doesn't seem like it should cause this much of a problem.

Can anyone offer any insight or advice please? Is this normal with treatment? Very concerned...

[G. Szabo]

Can anyone offer any insight or advice please? Is this normal with treatment? Very concerned...

What about your oxygen saturation data overnight?

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Hey there. I don't have the oximetry module for my machine, so I'm not sure. The thing is, my AHI hasn't been that high lately. Last night was 9, and the night before was 5.5.

[Cape67]

I went through something similar, my AHI looked good according to my BiPAP. However, it wasn't until I invested in an O2 Ring (Wellvue) to get any workable insight. Turned out I had to make some dietary changes and lose weight, along with try and increase my activity. I was slugging out pretty bad for a while there lol.

I really hope you find some answers though. And I know I'm just some random person on the internet, but there is an answer out there for you.

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Thank you for your reply, friend. Did your cognitive function return after you made your changes? I fear that I will not be able to return to work at this rate.

[SarcasticDave94]

You can buy a recording pulse oximeter that can load data info on OSCAR. Wellue brand comes to mind. It's not $1,000 like the ResMed oximeter module.

[Cape67]

It did, at least to the degree that I was able to work a desk job. Everyone's story is different, no two patients are the same to be sure. For me, I sustained central nervous system damage from extreme heat stroke on a thirty mile bike ride. The heat index shot up to 107, and I ran out of water, and basically collapsed into a heap right there on the road. 

Since then, I wasn't able to bike, gained weight, became depressed, lost my active job which I did for years and years, a huge hit of course. But the reason I mention all this hot mess is that sometimes you need to look at things holistically, or whole-body. It's easy to get tunnel vision, focusing on one modality such as respiration. 

As a very good friend once told me, who works as a respiratory therapist nearby, ventilators and BiPAP (and by association, CPAPs) are not magic boxes that can fix everything. Additionally, Albuterol is not a "fix everything" medication, although some practitioners seem to think it is, apparently.

Anyway, if you have sleep issues, the solution may require more than simply strapping a pressurized mask to your face every night. While it will certainly help with obstructive apnea, the machine will not counter-correct a bad diet, crushing depression, or other unhealthy habits, to offer some random examples.  Perhaps you have recently gone through a major stressful event, and this is contributing to not sleeping well or cognitive decline. Maybe your daily stress level is too high. Then there is loneliness and lack of an adequate support structure.  Dwelling on a steady stream of bad news is an ongoing problem that many are going through.

So I would start with thinking about pinning down whatever it may very well be in your life that is possibly contributing to your brain fog. How is your immune system? Can you get a consult with a neurologist?  Do you need to look at other things besides relying solely on CPAP?  Will supplements or vitamins help? Who knows, but these are all questions I would ask myself. 

We are complex creatures, and sometimes the answer may elude us.  Hopefully, you will find a way.

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Just purchased one online - EMAY SleepO2. Should be arriving Thursday. Thanks!

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Thank you for your reply. I have considered other factors that may contribute to my issues. I am focusing on my sleep health because I have had a noticeable change in symptoms that have been mostly static for many years which correlates to my treatment. 

I am certainly going to follow up with a neurologist soon. I will be meeting with my GP on Thursday for this reason in fact. In the meantime I have made a change in my diet. Exercising is hard as these issues leave me quite debilitated and depressed, but I will make an effort. Thanks for your advice!

[TheFuzziestPickles]

Hey all, just wanted to follow up on this. I received my recording pulse oximeter yesterday and wore it for the first time last night. The software only allows data to be extracted in a .csv format so I can't upload it directly to OSCAR, but I am able to generate a report and match it to my OSCAR data. I've included both reports here. There was a brief dip in my spO2 down to 83 for a few minutes, and one moment it even went down to 78. Not sure if this is an error in measurement as I cannot correlate it to an apnea event. Please feel free to take a look and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you!