A personal story

[Guest guest]

My name is . I started the " Dwarfsinamindmaze " Group. Here is my own

story, possibly it may help someone else. This is a piece I recently posted

there.

As some of you know, I have been on anti-depressants, sleeping pills

and Valium for over 10 years. I have never been " fixed " and over the

past week with the help and support of a special person (and Mr.

Shakespere) I am starting to doubt my diagnoses. A few days ago I was

diagnosed with Asthma and put on treatment. In the past the weeziness

was interpreted as anxiety and sometimes I would take way too many

Valium which did no good. I have never been a good sleeper. There

again the sleeping pills I was put on still did no good, I still woke

up! I am an Achon. and a bad snorer. Sometimes, I have been told, it

is like I stop breathing all together!! My G.P. knew nothing about

the sleep thing and the connection with me being an Achon. as I know

all the Psycs. I have seen in the past did not! Oh, Miss. Stuntz

let's just up the Meds.!! I have now been referred for a sleep study,

and taken off the Valium and sleeping tabs. Coming off the anti-

depressants will take a while. Although I have not had the sleep

thing yet, I just know it is right. If I am fighting to breathe no

wonder I am tired , lethargic, down etc during the day (classic

Depression symptoms).This is just my personal discovery, read the

following piece from LPAonline it may be of some interest.

A while back when I started this Group I was in kind of a Euphoric

state for a while. I just stopped my pills . I was on a " high " for a

couple of weeks then I came down with a thump!! This was dum,

although the Diagnosis was probably wrong my body still was used to

the stuff. I hit " rock bottom " . They say you have to be there to get

back up, that is true!! Do not ever do this please!! Things are

changing, I know I am not " weird " . I see myself more positively and I

know I am going to be ok. (I just wish I had done this 15 years ago,

but there you go!). This is my own personal journey, maybe it will

help someone else. (P.S. Thx Tony)

Sleep Apnea, Special Concern for Little People

by Kate Feibusch

Registered PolysomnographicTechnologist

Are you sleepy during the day? Do you have trouble staying awake to

watch TV or read in the evening, despite a " full eight hours " of

sleep? Do you snore, or know someone who does? Being sleepy during

the day doesn't mean you are lazy, and snoring is not necessarily

just an annoying habit. These things can be signs of very real, and

very treatable medical problems.

While sleeping and breathing seem like fairly straightforward tasks,

there are a great number of people who have trouble doing both

simultaneously. These individuals have sleep apnea, a disorder

characterized by periodic stoppage of breathing during sleep. The

medical profession is now becoming aware of the fact that people with

certain types of short stature, especially achondroplasia, may be

more likely to develop sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is by far the most common type of apnea. It

is caused by a blockage in the upper airway that is only present

during sleep. A partial blockage of the upper airway is also what

causes snoring, so many individuals with obstructive sleep apnea

started out as snorers. When a person with obstructive sleep apnea

drifts off to sleep, the muscles in his airway relax, allowing the

soft tissues in the throat to obstruct the airway. Despite the

blockage, the person will still go through the motions of breathing,

yet no air passes in or out. After a period of time, which can last

up to minute or two, the persons's body realizes that it is not

receiving oxygen. The person wakes up enough to regain muscle tone in

the upper airway, removing the blockage, and allowing air to come in.

A person with severe sleep apnea remains aroused only long enough to

gasp some air, then drifts back to sleep, allowing the blockage to

form again. This cycle can repeat itself hundreds of times during the

night. In the morning, the person with sleep apnea will be sleepy,

because although he is in bed for eight or more hours, he is actually

waking up to breath every minute or so.

An additional complication of sleep apnea relates to oxygen loss.

Each time a person stops breathing for more than a few seconds, the

oxygen level in his blood decreases. When he wakes up to breathe, the

oxygen level goes back up to normal. This loss of oxygen during the

night can severely affect the organs in the body. For example, the

heart may develop irregular beats, and lack of oxygen in the brain

may produce a gradual memory loss.

Children with sleep apnea, especially those with short stature, face

an additional risk. According to Dr. German Nino-Murcia of the

Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic in Stanford, California, short

statured children who have untreated sleep apnea may not develop to

their full potential height because of a lack of oxygen during

crucial growing periods.

So why do people with achondroplasia have a higher incidence of sleep

apnea? Dr. Ampuero Jr. of the Miami Children's Hospital says, " A

short neck is the main problem, but people with achondroplasia may

also have micronapthia (a small chin) and microfacia (a small face).

Their bones fuse prematurely, but their soft tissues keep growing. " A

normal amount of soft tissue (including the tongue, palate, the

tonsils and other tissues) contained in a smaller than normal space

increases the risk of an obstruction occurring. Dr. Ampuero points

out that, " A combination of these factors may cause sleep apnea. An

average achondroplasic, without each of these structural

irregularities, may not have a problem. " There are other factors not

related to short stature which will increase the likelihood that an

individual will have sleep apnea. Obesity is a major factor. Even a

little excess weight can increase the severity of sleep apnea

dramatically, because there is more tissue in the throat to create a

blockage. Other breathing disorders, such as asthma and obstructive

pulmonary disease, can play a part as well. If you have apnea,

alcohol and other sedating drugs can make it much worse. Alcohol can

even cause a " normal " snorer to develop apnea.

Sleep apnea is often easily diagnosed and readily treated. If you

snore, then it is quite possible that you have a mild form of apnea

now. If you don't have any other symptoms, such as sleepiness, loss

of memory, morning headaches, or high blood pressure, then you

probably don't have to do much of anything. It would be a good idea

for you to keep your weight down and avoid alcohol at bedtime. If you

have developed some of these symptoms already, check with your

doctor. If he or she is knowledgeable about sleep disorders medicine,

you may be referred to a sleep disorder clinic (there are more than

700 in the United States) for an overnight sleep study. This study

will allow your doctor to diagnose the presence and severity of any

sleep disorders.

Once you've been diagnosed, there are a number of options for

treatment of sleep apnea. Dr. Jon Magee, Ph.D., director of the Sleep

Disorders Center at the research Medical Center in Kansas City,

Missouri, says that all the standard treatment methods can be used on

achondroplasic individuals with sleep apnea. " The specific treatment

would depend on the construction of the individual's upper airway. "

The use of a breathing machine, called a nasal CPAP because it

provides Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a common treatment.

The advantage of CPAC is that it is immediately effective and doesn't

involve surgery. The disadvantage of CPAC is that it's a treatment,

not a cure. Many people use the CPAC machine to help them feel better

while they work on losing weight. If weight is not a problem for you,

then surgery may be a better option. There are a variety of surgeries

available, depending on the cause of the blockage. Surgeries range

from removing some soft tissue to moving the jaw forward to create

more space in the back of the throat.

Chronic sleepiness can be terribly frustrating. It can affect the

quality of your life by affecting your work, your relationships and

your level of activity. Sleep apnea is only one of the sleep

disorders that can trouble an individual. If you, or someone you know

has a problem with sleep, you should see a sleep disorders

specialist. Although it may sound a bit trite, it really can change

your life.

LPA TODAY / JULY - SEPTEMBER, 1989