When UARS Is Lung Disease? Lung experts?

[Apnea23]

I think I could have done with some oxygen yesterday while I was awake. I've only just seen this 4 hour snapshot.



Hopefully as my chest infection is better it won't so bad today.

The Dr asked what o2 measurements I get normally during the day. I said actually, I haven't ever worn it during the day as I bought the o2ring primarily to investigate sleep.

I will experiment wearing it during the day.

The Dr referred me to a respiratory physician (he only had a peak flow metre which I did well on) and prescribed me a 12 hour broncodilator to use in the meantime.

I'll use CPAP tonight and see if my Oscar data is improved at all with the broncodilator, but I'm now leading towards the idea I may need supplemental oxygen with or without CPAP.

Last nights sleep without CPAP:



A typical night when I use CPAP:
(Much improved but.. o2 seems to dance around a lot during certain phases, causes of arousals perhaps, just guessing).

[Apnea23]

I feel much better today, I decided to wear my o2 ring to walk the kids to school and back, with a coffee break inbetween, as I have never wore it during the day except to monitor things yesterday in bed.

Fascinating stuff. I guess I've been like this my whole life without knowing, primarily because my heart kicks up to keep oxygen levels up.

No wonder Dexedrine/D-Amphetamine reduces my heart rate which no Doctor can explain. I think my assumption is right that because it's stimulating my respiratory system (which it's proven to do) my heart has to work less to keep my oxygen levels up.

I will take my Dexedrine tomorrow morning and repeat the same school walk, and post it here to compare.

[Apnea23]

I wore the o2ring for a solid 8 hours from this morning until it died.



I purchased an oxygen unit that arrived today and a plug for my CPAP. I may trial it tonight with or without CPAP if I can settle on a happy level of oxygen and I can prove it's helping.

[Apnea23]

And here we go.

3L oxygen overnight without any CPAP.



UARS - solved.

I'll increase tonight slightly to iron out the remaining slight dippyness.

[Sleeprider]

I don't think eliminating the "dippyness" is the objective, and that is likely just interface error. Stick with 3 L or less. This seems to have resolved your concerns.

[Apnea23]

From what I have read regarding REM sleep and respiratory disorders, this was the exact problem CPAP could not solve. CPAP helped me get enough stable oxygen during non REM, but during REM it just couldn't do it. With no obstructions, my lungs could not take up enough o2.

Now I don't need any pressure, just o2.

I don't think it's a surprise I always woke up regular during these periods wide awake, due to blood gas protective arousal systems after they were getting out of wack due to lack of stable o2 supply.

I would see 3 pronounced dippy stages each night on CPAP with Oscar, each increasing in intensity and severity. I think I can now put this purely down to lack of o2 due to diaphragm only breathing during REM etc.

Off CPAP the dippyness was continual all night long.

This explains it well -

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2707801/

When I say dippy, these stages were like clockwork and o2 would rapidly cycle up and down up and down, with no stability, until eventually arousal. I can see them in Oscar including the arousals and see the dippy stages on my o2ring. It all correlates.

I don't expect I'll need much more o2 to stop this happening in the latter part of my sleep, I'll go careful and cautiously anyway.

Finally I am happy and confident this issue is resolved. Now I just need daytime treatment sorted, because the desats are much worse and effect me greatly during the day.

My ADHD is my body continually reacting to lack of o2 through my impaired lungs, firing up my nervous system and respiratory system continually. For the last 40 years of my life.

There is no wonder I couldn't concentrate or listen at school or EVER to present day. My nervous system was too busy and focused on oxygenation. It had other important stuff to do. When moving around or "suffering" with deeper breathing, slight dizzyness etc - this was when my symptoms were there worst.

My damned preterm lungs.

It all makes complete sense.

Including the bed wetting until I was 12. Same nocturnal hypoxemia related stuff.

The same reason I had a puddle full of drool on my pillow as a child from mouth breathing. Not from obstruction, but from arousal to mouth breath to intake more o2.

I just hope my story helps others.

I chased upper airway obstruction for a good while until I exhausted all possibilities. My lungs were the last things left to rule out before I was going to give up trying to resolve my sleep issues/arousals/facial flushing/blood pressure.

I'm happy albeit slightly miffed I have lived this way all of my life when I could have lived all 40 years with a well oxygenated system that didn't require an overactive nervous system effecting every expect of my life.... if only someone would have picked up on it earlier.

For the first time ever last night I didn't wake up sweating numerous times with a beating heart without CPAP. Without my throbbing left vein in my head on the pillow.. it was such a strange feeling being laid in bed and my system not being jazzed up.

I'm looking forward to what stable o2 feels like during the day, being around people etc. My systems being relaxed for once.

I'm babbling again, sorry. I just find it all fascinating.

I'm very lucky I have found the answer to all of my health problems and this forum played its part in that. The only downside is the long term prognosis, but that is yet to be determined.

Now I shall stop.