hypertension issue

[PaulaO2]

I need to sleep on my back due to shoulder, back, neck, hip, knee pain,.... You get the idea. I use a body pillow for shoulder and hip support when on my side or under my knees when on my back.

And I learned something new! Didn't know about the F12. Just used to print screen button.

[Crimson Nape]

Stick with me, kid and I'll show you the world!  

Boy!, you're no fun!  You seem to have physical limitations that are inducing your apnea problems.  I would speculate that as your limitations progress, so does your apnea events.  The only thing that comes to mind is trying to sleep elevated.  I had to do this after shoulder replacement surgery, and it wasn't initially any picnic.  After a few nights, I began to tolerate it to the point that I was reluctant to return to the prone sleeping position until quite some time had passed.  Is there an orientation or location (like a recliner) where you seem to doze off or feel more comfortable?

- Red

[PaulaO2]

There's my powerchair which has tilt. I've slept in it many times, especially after my neck surgery.

We need a new mattress and I am considering shelling out the big bucks for an adjustable bed.

I am a special snowflake, Red.

[PaulaO2]

I'm continuing to monitor my sleep data (APAP and SpO2) and haven't spotted any trends. Lowest drop in O2 is into mid 80s. But not for very long.

On the other end, my BP is sloooooowwwwwly going down. Emphasis on the slow. And at the same time I HR is increasing. Argh.

[TechieHippie]

That's a tough situation to be in. I don't have any specific knowledge to help, but I was very surprised when I realized how much space there is between 0 and 5 AHI. I think that's a good idea to try to find tune it down as much as you can. I think bi pap sounds worth pursuing too.

You probably know all of this already, but if you haven't, talk to your doctors or consider researching supplements, especially magnesium that doesn't have calcium with it. (My layman's understanding is that magnesium taken with calcium supports the bones but doesn't go other places it's needed; higher dose magnesium supports a wider range of needs).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8108907/ magnesium can be hard to get enough of, especially for women. My preference is magnesium glycinate or citrate. For citrate, some people dose to "bowel tolerance" (as much as doesn't give you the runs, increasing gradually) but of course check with your doctor.

I might be on the path towards cardiology in my future given my family history. My dad had some wonderful cardiologists. I hope you don't have to go there yet though.

Lisa

[PaulaO2]

I usually take magnesium glycinate for my PVCs. I've not in a while because I got tired of all those dang medications. I take 16 medications, with 4 of them being as needed. So add in the magnesium and the vit c, that would be 14 medications I would take daily. My depression can't handle it. Every 6 mos, my doc and I go through my meds to see if any of them can be lessened or removed. Anyway, that's where I am.

As for the data, I am leaking like mad with the nasal pillows so I am going to order more FFM cushions. I love my Nuance but with me sleeping on my back so much, I need to switch back to the Evora for a bit. After that, my data should be more accurate.

[TechieHippie]

I can see how that would be overwhelming. What a catch 22 since both magnesium and vitamin c help everything else work the way they are supposed to.

I don't take a lot of medications, but I take a lot of supplements (maybe 18 pills a day), curated over the years. I have a spreadsheet that lists all of my supplements and meds and how many go in which slots. My husband helps me fill my pill containers every 2 weeks and then I have reminders to take different ones at different times, but it's still a whole lot of effort. I get that. Hopefully you can find some things that make it a little more tolerable to work it into the routine.

[PaulaO2]

I saw my lung doc today for non-sleep apnea reasons. My BP was very high (181/95) and they freaked. I laughed.

After discussing the lung stuff, we discussed sleep apnea stuff. She doesn't do sleep apnea but others in the practice do. She knows what the data means. I told her about OSCAR and she was pleased. I will be sending her a report soon. She agrees that if the AHI is below 5 and the heart rate is within norms, that my OSA is not the cause here.

[TechieHippie]

You didn't happen to ask her about magnesium and how it plays in, did you? I'm curious about that for myself. I take a lot of magnesium for other reasons, and I think sometimes my blood pressure goes too low.

Lisa

[PaulaO2]

No, I did not. She always acts all rushed and I was surprised she discussed the OSA stuff. I think the high BP slowed her down a minute.