How did you start therapy

[Tired Linda]

Anyone who has been near me while sleeping-- for the last 10 years or so-- has made some comment about my snoring. Sometimes it's been downright embarrasing.

Last fall, my mother was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. On Christmas Eve, she developed complications and wound up in the hosptial. Two days later, I was standing at the foot of her hospital bed while she was sleeping and noticed her breathing was sounding funny. Her nurse and an RT came busting into the room because her monitor showed severe bradycardia. They called a code and the shit hit the fan. 35 minutes later, they told me she was gone.

For weeks, I kept having the overwhelming feeling that there was a reason I was supposed to be standing there but could never figure out why. Then, as crazy as it sounds, I suddenly became obsessed with my snoring. On some level, I believe I was realizing that I could go to sleep and not wake up. At my physical in April, I finally mentioned it to my primary doc, who told me he was referring me for a sleep study. 10 minutes later, on my way to work, the sleep center called my cellphone to set up the intital appointment.

The rest is history. I am determined to make this work, no matter how hard it gets or how long it takes. It's taken me years (literally) of a good therapist and medication but, thank God, I finally learned to listen to my body and what it tells me.

[Emma47]

I had a pulmonary embolism and the pulmonologist in the hospital recommended a sleep study. So glad he did since I thought I was fine and had few of the obvious symptoms.

[TheDuke]

I owe Television for my start. Many years ago ( maybe 22) I was watching a TV "Magazine" program that did a feature on sleep disorders at one of the big California Centers-Stanford, I believe. One of the doctors interviewed started talking about a condition he called "Sleep Apnea". As he described the condition, headaches, nightmares, excessive sleepiness, etc. I realized that he was describing ME. Back then there werent so many testing centers as now and I live in a relatively small town. After a phone call or so I got a self-referred appointment to see a sleep medicine doctor at Washington University Center in St Louis. He diagnosed my by my symptoms and ordered an overnight study a couple of weeks later. I improved immediately after I got my machine, a plain CPAP with no displays of any kind. I am now on my third machine a Respironics BiPAP and continuing to do well.

TheDuke

[thewetlizard]

I think I started with sleep apenea years ago. With no money, no insurance=no doctor. I finally got my V.A. benefits went to the doctor, she ordered the sleep study.

[Catnapper]

I was having an ultrasound of my thyroid by an endocrinologist when she told me I have sleep apnea. I was wide awake, mind you. She told me to have my pcp consider sending me for a sleep study. (Apparently I had difficulty breathing or made suspicious sounds while lying on my back to do the ultrasound.) The pcp doctor, a doctor of internal medicine, told me that every person she had sent to have a sleep study had sleep apnea. She interpreted that to mean that she should send more people. I interpreted it to mean that maybe more people were confirmed to have OSA than actually did. However, I was convinced that, at least for me, it was an accurate study when I saw that my pulse ox went to 71 and my AHI was in the severe range. I could not deny the other symptoms, either. Some people do have OSA.

That endo doc told me that thyroid nodules, sleep apnea and diabetes all went together. Sure enough, she was able to prove that I was diabetic, too. She had to do several tests, but there it was. Who knew? Here I am, 4+ years later. I wish I had known years earlier. I was always glad the treatment was only air. No side effects from drugs. I like that part. The mask and machine turned out to be another story. It took a while for me to find the right combination.

Catnapper - Joanie

[Zeke351]

Went to PCP for yearly physical. EKG had a blip in one part so he sent me to the Cardiologist.
At the Cardiologists after all the tests,(echo, ekg, stess, etc.), all he noticed was a slight thickening of the heart wall everything else was perfect. Asked if I had high blood pressure, looked at my chart and saw I did not. He told me only 2 things cause what I had, high blood pressure and sleep apnea.
Off to the sleep dr. Turns out my Cardiologist was right: Severe OSA!

I thank God for my very attentive, thorough, observant caring cardiologist everyday!

Zeke351

[auntlala]

i had a tough time answering cause when i knew i needed the sleep study i brought it to my PCP but did not have to "demand" it. knew for a long time BEFORE i knew a lot about OSA that i could not sleep on my back without waking up "not breathing" was an issue. had an ENT tell me about 3 yrs ago i had "a lot of characteristics that would indicate sleep apnea" but did not go into it and by that point in the visit he had me so pissed off by his supposed bedside manner that i did not ask any questions. then one night i woke 3 times in short succession unable to breathe, the last time bad enough that i did not sleep again that night.

i called the doc for an appointment the next day, saw her 2 days later and had the appointment set up on that visit.

and a year later when i was having some issues that i did not think was related to the apnea my PCP convinced me they likely were and sent me for another sleep study - she was right.

and just wanted to say - in response to the ? of whether the high # of diagnosed sleep apnea cases after sleep studies meant there was more sleep apnea than we realized or if it was a case of a lot of "false positives" - i suspect the former - and have known folks who thought they had apnea, went for studies and were found not to have it. it is kind of scary to read articles about the # of undiagnosed cases they think are out there - especially with all the possible negative health effects.

[Duckie]

I was refered to a sleep study by my allergist. My FP MD refused to do a sleep study for me because no one saw me stop breathing. He said my tiredness was related to my other cronic conditons and that my mother, brothers and sister have OSA was no reason for a sleep study. Yhat if I need to see any one it would be an allergist. Will my allergist on the first visit hint towards a sleep study but wanted my allergies under controll. One month later I was having a sleep study IHR 45 on side 120 during rem. I am not the charterest OSA. I have a skinny neck, My anotomy of the throat looks good (My ENT was surprised that I have OSA). So I have been on auto CPAP for 3 1/2 week. I am having improvement but they are slow. I also have restless legs and PLMS. I still need to get the legs treated. My titration studie could not find a pressure that was good for me so I am on an auto pap. See the sleep Dr. today (1st time) so we will see where she will take me.

[Sablerose]

I've been in therapy for grief and anxiety (and subsequently depression) after losing my mother suddenly, about two years ago. We had made a move to take me off my anxiety medication and I was following up with my psych doctor. She asked me if I was having anxiety symptoms -- heart racing, couldn't sleep, wound up -- and I said I was actually having the 100% opposite. That I was tired all the time, sleepy, dozing off mid-day, am putting on weight.

She referred me immediately for a sleep study.