Guest guest Posted April 16, 2004 Report Share Posted April 16, 2004 Krystia, Thank you very much for this information. I will let my doctor know and see if this is an option for us. Kristy Krystia wrote: Kristy, My ex-husband's father had severe sleep apnea. He would even fall asleep standing up, sometimes in the middle of a crowd. He would fall asleep at the kitchen table smoking a cigarette, drop it in his lap or on the floor - either burning himself or the floor. I know he had that flooring replaced at least twice. A few times, he was known to fall asleep standing in the living room in front of the window, pull his pants and boxers down to his ankles, then immediately back up. While we laughed hysterically, I know this can be a serious condition. For this reason, everytime I hear something about it on television it catches my attention. I saw something a few weeks ago that might help. There are doctors - maybe dentists that make a mold of your teeth and make an apparatus for you (looked like a 2 clear mouthpieces connected together) to wear while you sleep that pulls one of your jaws forward. It's actually targeting people who snore, but they said it helps people with sleep apnea, also. Apparently, people who snore have a smaller opening for air for whatever reason, and people with sleep apnea aren't getting enough air, causing them not to sleep well. The people who use it say it's quite comfortable. So, when looking for information... you might want to follow the " stop snoring " route. Hope that helps. Krystia Sparks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2004 Report Share Posted April 16, 2004 Kristy, My husband has severe sleep apnea. He has been labeled by his doctor as " grossly overweight " and smokes 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day which aggravates the situation. He was tested for sleep apnea and it was confirmed by I didn't need the tests - I've been living with it! His snoring is loud enough to be heard through a closed door and a different floor. He frequently stops breathing and then gasps and coughs while trying to regain his breath. He never makes it through an entire day awake. He was given a sleep apnea machine. There is a mouth/nose piece which is attached to a hose which is attached to a machine which gently blows air to keep the airways open (got that?). This keeps the larynx from closing during sleep so he can sleep. Unfortunate, he refuses to use it but a friend of mine has a husband who does use his and says he feels so much better. He stays awake all day, has energy and more stamina than he can remember having. The discomfort of the machine, according to my friend's husband, is worth getting use to. Hope things work out for you and your family. Maureen, mother to Tyler, 10 and , 6 (MDS) Sleep apnea Hi everyone, Today I took Tim to the doctor for his annual thyroid check and while we were there I told the doctor that we have a HUGE problem with Tim falling asleep at inappropriate times. He falls asleep in class, he falls asleep in church, he falls asleep in the middle of a party!, he can fall asleep any where at any time! And, when he is asleep, he is SOUND asleep! This has been an ongoing problem for several years that I just never really addressed with the doctor. The doctor and I talked about it and he thinks that Tim has sleep apnea. He said that people with sleep apnea do not get enough sleep during the night and always feel tired in the day because of it. When Tim was born (8 weeks premature) he stayed in the hospital for 4 weeks BECAUSE of apnea attacks.(10-30 a day) After 3 weeks old, he never really had them again. When I began going through the hospital records, I read that my oldest son Arron had apnea when he was born. (something they failed to tell me!) Arron has always had sleep apnea and I am pretty sure that I have it too. Next Saturday, we have to do a sleep study at the hospital. We will have to stay overnight at the hospital and I guess they will watch us sleep! LOL I am NOT looking forward to this at all! Has anyone else ever dealt with sleep apnea with their kids or even someone that doesn't have disabilities? If you have any info on this, I would greatly appreciate it. This is just one more stress I don't need right now!!!!! Thanks, Kristy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 Maureen, Thank you for the information. I do worry that he will have trouble getting used to the machine. My grandson used one for most of this past year after he had his trache put in and he always was rolling over in his sleep and it would come off. This of course is a little different, since it goes on his trache, but it is about the same thing. I am beginning to wonder if one would help me. I know I have sleep apnea and I am constantly tired. If I stop for even a moment, I begin getting very sleepy. I will let you know what our results are once we have the test. Thanks, Kristy maureen ferris wrote: Kristy, My husband has severe sleep apnea. He has been labeled by his doctor as " grossly overweight " and smokes 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day which aggravates the situation. He was tested for sleep apnea and it was confirmed by I didn't need the tests - I've been living with it! His snoring is loud enough to be heard through a closed door and a different floor. He frequently stops breathing and then gasps and coughs while trying to regain his breath. He never makes it through an entire day awake. He was given a sleep apnea machine. There is a mouth/nose piece which is attached to a hose which is attached to a machine which gently blows air to keep the airways open (got that?). This keeps the larynx from closing during sleep so he can sleep. Unfortunate, he refuses to use it but a friend of mine has a husband who does use his and says he feels so much better. He stays awake all day, has energy and more stamina than he can remember having. The discomfort of the machine, according to my friend's husband, is worth getting use to. Hope things work out for you and your family. Maureen, mother to Tyler, 10 and , 6 (MDS) Sleep apnea Hi everyone, Today I took Tim to the doctor for his annual thyroid check and while we were there I told the doctor that we have a HUGE problem with Tim falling asleep at inappropriate times. He falls asleep in class, he falls asleep in church, he falls asleep in the middle of a party!, he can fall asleep any where at any time! And, when he is asleep, he is SOUND asleep! This has been an ongoing problem for several years that I just never really addressed with the doctor. The doctor and I talked about it and he thinks that Tim has sleep apnea. He said that people with sleep apnea do not get enough sleep during the night and always feel tired in the day because of it. When Tim was born (8 weeks premature) he stayed in the hospital for 4 weeks BECAUSE of apnea attacks.(10-30 a day) After 3 weeks old, he never really had them again. When I began going through the hospital records, I read that my oldest son Arron had apnea when he was born. (something they failed to tell me!) Arron has always had sleep apnea and I am pretty sure that I have it too. Next Saturday, we have to do a sleep study at the hospital. We will have to stay overnight at the hospital and I guess they will watch us sleep! LOL I am NOT looking forward to this at all! Has anyone else ever dealt with sleep apnea with their kids or even someone that doesn't have disabilities? If you have any info on this, I would greatly appreciate it. This is just one more stress I don't need right now!!!!! Thanks, Kristy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 Sleep apnea > Hi everyone, > Today I took Tim to the doctor for his annual thyroid check and while we were there I told the doctor that we have a HUGE problem with Tim falling asleep at inappropriate times. He falls asleep in class, he falls asleep in church, he falls asleep in the middle of a party!, he can fall asleep any where at any time! And, when he is asleep, he is SOUND asleep! This has been an ongoing problem for several years that I just never really addressed with the doctor. > The doctor and I talked about it and he thinks that Tim has sleep apnea. He said that people with sleep apnea do not get enough sleep during the night and always feel tired in the day because of it. > When Tim was born (8 weeks premature) he stayed in the hospital for 4 weeks BECAUSE of apnea attacks.(10-30 a day) After 3 weeks old, he never really had them again. When I began going through the hospital records, I read that my oldest son Arron had apnea when he was born. (something they failed to tell me!) Arron has always had sleep apnea and I am pretty sure that I have it too. > Next Saturday, we have to do a sleep study at the hospital. We will have to stay overnight at the hospital and I guess they will watch us sleep! LOL I am NOT looking forward to this at all! > Has anyone else ever dealt with sleep apnea with their kids or even someone that doesn't have disabilities? If you have any info on this, I would greatly appreciate it. This is just one more stress I don't need right now!!!!! > Thanks, > Kristy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2004 Report Share Posted April 17, 2004 Hi, Kristy, I took my son, Craig, who is 15, to a Sleep Disorders Center for an overnight on March 31st for the same types of issues you experience with Tim. There were two beds and only the one he was in was " watched " . I was only on camera when he first went t o sleep and needed to be calmed and once when he awoke during the night. They affixed 23 electrodes to him (mostly to his head, but also to his chest abdomen and legs to monitor his brain waves, breathing pattern, heart for seven hours. It took awhile to put the electrodes on and I wish they had given me more information about affixing them so that my son could have been better prepared for the procedure but he dealt with it very well. Also, had we had a bit more information we would have been better prepared for showering the gunk off in the morning (it took some scrubbing). Anyway, they hooked all the wires at the top of his head " like a ponytail " and plugged them into a box that was placed behind the pillow and plugged into the monitor beside the bed. They said he should have something comfortable to sleep in but said that a t-shirt and gym shorts worked best. He watched a video while they set him up and we tried to pretty much follow his usual bedtime routine. He is afraid of the dark and they had a nightlight for his use. They said it would take 2 -3 weeeks for the results so I am expecting to get some answers this coming week. I had begun recording his sleep last fall and discovered that we get 7 nights each of undisturbed sleep each month. Hope this information is helpful to you. Incidentally, I am the same Mom who had looked for information abaout gas problems with mds folks last November and this is something else we are currently working on. We are beginning to see results - Out gastrointerologist has him avoiding high fructose corn syrup (it is in a tremendous amount of processed foods) and he takes lactobicillus every morning. For him, this is helping. Even school has remarked about the improvement. I didn't want to report back until we were seeing something positive. Terry, Mom to Craig, 15mds Sleep apnea > Hi everyone, > Today I took Tim to the doctor for his annual thyroid check and while we were there I told the doctor that we have a HUGE problem with Tim falling asleep at inappropriate times. He falls asleep in class, he falls asleep in church, he falls asleep in the middle of a party!, he can fall asleep any where at any time! And, when he is asleep, he is SOUND asleep! This has been an ongoing problem for several years that I just never really addressed with the doctor. > The doctor and I talked about it and he thinks that Tim has sleep apnea. He said that people with sleep apnea do not get enough sleep during the night and always feel tired in the day because of it. > When Tim was born (8 weeks premature) he stayed in the hospital for 4 weeks BECAUSE of apnea attacks.(10-30 a day) After 3 weeks old, he never really had them again. When I began going through the hospital records, I read that my oldest son Arron had apnea when he was born. (something they failed to tell me!) Arron has always had sleep apnea and I am pretty sure that I have it too. > Next Saturday, we have to do a sleep study at the hospital. We will have to stay overnight at the hospital and I guess they will watch us sleep! LOL I am NOT looking forward to this at all! > Has anyone else ever dealt with sleep apnea with their kids or even someone that doesn't have disabilities? If you have any info on this, I would greatly appreciate it. This is just one more stress I don't need right now!!!!! > Thanks, > Kristy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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