Sleep Apnea

What is Sleep Apnea?

 

Do you wake up in the middle of the night gasping for

breath?, do you sleep all night and then wake up wondering

why you are still feeling tired and groggy most of your day?

 

These are only a couple of things that occur with sleep apnea...

It can be a serious disorder leading to many other situations,

like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack. 

If you'd like to know more about this disorder, please read

the following sites.  If you have sleep apnea, if you'd like to

share with us how you're doing with it, please let us know!

 

Teri

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/sleep_apnea/sleep_apnea.htm

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_WhatIs.html

Great information Teri. I read some of it to my husband. I was just diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea a couple days ago. (woohoo...just one more thing on my laundry list. <g>) Anyway, my pulmonologist said that while it's not causing my arrhythmias, it could certainly be contributing to the serverity of the problems I'm having related to them. Makes sense to me.

Lil

Vent?  Me?  Noooooo....never.  :) 

Still trying to get used to the idea of having sleep apnea.  Heck, I'm still trying to get used to the idea of having all the stuff I've found out about in the past two weeks.  Lots to digest and come to accept.

Oh cool!  It's a Smurf smiley!!     Teri, you didn't tell me y'all had Smurf smileys!

Lil

 

 

I've got to get a cpap machine now.  I spoke to my uncle who has one.  He said after a couple days, it changed his life.  He's had one for a while now and wouldn't live without it.  I'm hoping it has the same impact on my life.

I go for another sleep study on the 29th to sleep with a cpap for the first time and I'll get those results May 20.  After that, I should get my machine. 

 Lil

Well first step is for me to find a doctor that wants to take me on. I'm going to ask my cardio next week who he recommends because after a year he wants to give my care over mostly to my regular doc and then see me once a year if no problems occur. He is watching me very carefully the first year though. I think I'll ask the stomach doctor too when I go May 5th. I've been asking around to get ideas from other people. I think patients are the best ones to get reccomendations from. Well have to go get ready to go to a baby shower. Talk to you later. Barb

Well, this was my second sleep study that found this...and the only reason I had this one was to prove the first one wrong.  The first sleep study was ordered by my old cardio to see if I had sleep apnea.  (I'm 26 and really didn't think that could be my problem.)  He got the results and said I didn't have sleep apnea - but I wasn't reaching REM sleep which could be a big problem.  I told him the reason I didn't reach REM sleep was because the dang pulse ox monitor on my finger was malfunctioning and kept waking me up.  Once when it woke me up I looked on the monitor - said my pulse and oxygen were both zero...ummm...no!  Apparently though, the malfunctioning monitor wasn't mentioned in the report.

I left that cardio soon after and insisten to my pcp that I wanted another sleep study.  If I really wasn't reaching REM sleep (which I didn't believe) then that could be a problem.  I had the second one in March and got the results last week.  That found out I had sleep apnea.

I have forever been blaming me being tired on my job.  I'm a teacher - of course I'm tired!  I spend nine hours a day on my feet entertaining third graders!  Who wouldn't be exhausted after that.  I've tried getting more sleep...I've tried getting less sleep.  I only use my bed to sleep in.  If I can't fall asleep within thirty min, I get up and go to the other room...all that kind of stuff.  I'm so glad I told my primary that I wanted another study.  I can't wait to get a good night's sleep.  When I do, Teri - you'll be one of the first to know.  :)

 Lil

Hi Teri, good thing I had my hubby check the time on that invitation because it is not until next week. That's good though because now I can finish making the baby blanket. I have until next Sunday to do it. I already started on it so that should be easy to do. The reason I got the date wrong is this is the date that your supposed to RSVP by is today. Oh well it's too nice to be inside today. I sure hope I can handle a walk today. Talk to you later. Barb

It's for one of my cousins. I have alot of them on my moms side. There were 12 kids in her family. My son called yesterday and is doing ok. He hates these things called dirt devils that are like tornados with sand. They have to throw on goggles and crawl under the trucks. They end up with sand in their ears. He said they had a small one come right into the shop yesterday. He doesn't like the heat either. He said the temps reach into the hundreds during the day. Bad news I got was when him and his wife are done with the Marines they want to move to Monatana. I don't want to move there. That's colder than Wisconsin. I sure hope they change their mind about that one. Oh well that's over a year away from now. I took it easy on my walk and made it all the way to Shopko yesterday. That's over a mile from my house. I'll have to measure it sometime when I go in the car. I'd sure like to ride my bike to work but am afraid to try that at this time until they figure out my health issues. Have a great day. Talk to you later. Barb