Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 Hey folks, I'm asking this question for my dear darling hubby. After years and years of nagging he finally agreed to let me talk to our doctor about his sleeping....or lack of. I asked for a sleep study for Bob and the doctor agreed. Surprise, surprise! Bob has obstructive sleep apnea, just as I've suspected. Now his study results weren't as bad as some......but bad enough for someone who is not MO and in relatively good health. The high points were... 31.1 arousals per hour O2 sat of 83% longest even 30 seconds Many of these arousals were central apneas, which the doctor said meant something like his brain didn't get the signal to breath? The doctor suggested putting him on CPAP first and if that didn't work to do surgery to remove his uvula and part of his soft palate. That sounds a little extreme to me! So DH agreed to try the CPAP, grudgingly...but he's been using it for about 3 weeks now. And here's my question. How long before he sees or feels a difference? Besides a humongous sore on the bridge of his nose (he just got a gel mask too, but it doesn't seem to help) the only difference we've seen is that he's more tired than he's ever been. He can drop off in a second lately. Sleeps through his lunch at work and must nap when he gets home. I can understand that a person's sleep is probably disturbed while you get used to the machine and mask, but should he be this tired? Any suggestions or words of encouragement I can give him? As always....thanks so much to you all. Sue in Las Vegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 Dear Sue, My darling also has sleep apnea and isn't MO and is in relatively good health. Your DH should be noticing a difference. He may need to try different cpap machines and masks. I hope you have a respiratory therapist that you can work closely with. It took almost a month before found a machine he liked as well as a mask. They just kept loaning him machines until we found the one he liked the best (that also didn't keep ME awake). You want to look for one that has auto veriations for altitude in case you travel. He might like a nose pillow instead of a mask or he might even want to try a whole face mask (it covers the mouth too). Just keep pestering the therapist, because what he is experiencing right now is not right. Debbie in Gig Harbor Dr. Weber for Original RNY (1/22/1999) and Revision (2/16/2001)transected stomach starting weight 320 lowest weight 200 current weight 213 (down from 267before revision) original by-pass 70cm revision to 170cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 I had 125 events per hour, Don had 25. I experienced immediate relief. Don didn't. We had to try 3 masks before he hit the right one. He has a moustache, so " the bubble " seemed to be the one that works well for those fellas, including our friends. Getting a good mask match will help a lot, otherwise the air escaping wakes you up more fully than the apneas did! LOL! I have known perhaps 10-12 people who've had the uvula removed and not ONE was helped by it. Apparently there are 3 types. Or thought to be 3. Obstructive is the saggy soft palate, which is usually helped by the airway pressure (device), and then some docs opt to cut their way through the saggy tissue. Apparently there is also a brain-trigger model, about which I know nothing, except that there is supposed to be a med for it. The person I knew who had this one, well, he wouldn't use his CPAP, wouldn't do the uvula thing and wouldn't take the meds, so I can't say that anything helped him, even after a positive diagnosis with all 3 forms. But who knows how accurate THAT was? Now, I had it critically, so soft pallet must've just laid right down. The CPAP helped hugely for me and now that my lungs don't have to fend off 100 lbs of chest, the soft pallet doesn't seem to be a problem. That makes NO sense to me at all. If it was saggy, it was. What's less wt on the chest got to do with it? Wait a darned minute. There is someone on another list who works at a sleep clinic. Hang on, I will attempt to fetch answers for all of us! Thanks, www.vitalady.com For info on PayPal, click this link: https://secure.paypal.com/affil/pal=vitalady%40bigfoot.com Sleep Apnea > Hey folks, > I'm asking this question for my dear darling hubby. After years and > years of nagging he finally agreed to let me talk to our doctor about his > sleeping....or lack of. I asked for a sleep study for Bob and the doctor > agreed. Surprise, surprise! Bob has obstructive sleep apnea, just as I've > suspected. Now his study results weren't as bad as some......but bad enough > for someone who is not MO and in relatively good health. > The high points were... > 31.1 arousals per hour > O2 sat of 83% > longest even 30 seconds > Many of these arousals were central apneas, which the doctor said meant > something like his brain didn't get the signal to breath? The doctor > suggested putting him on CPAP first and if that didn't work to do surgery to > remove his uvula and part of his soft palate. That sounds a little extreme > to me! > So DH agreed to try the CPAP, grudgingly...but he's been using it for > about 3 weeks now. And here's my question. How long before he sees or > feels a difference? Besides a humongous sore on the bridge of his nose (he > just got a gel mask too, but it doesn't seem to help) the only difference > we've seen is that he's more tired than he's ever been. He can drop off in > a second lately. Sleeps through his lunch at work and must nap when he gets > home. I can understand that a person's sleep is probably disturbed while > you get used to the machine and mask, but should he be this tired? Any > suggestions or words of encouragement I can give him? > As always....thanks so much to you all. > Sue in Las Vegas > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 29, 2001 Report Share Posted December 29, 2001 <> He needs to try other masks/machines. He should be feeling MUCH better by now! I'm surprised he's stuck with it with no results at all. My relief was immediate. I luckily got the right combination on the first try and was happily snoozing away the very first night. After being a 75 episode per hr. girl, the ability to get a good night's sleep was a real blessing. Get him in to see his pulmonologist....he should be able to improve the situation. A. in Indy _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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