Help with VA rating

+1,000,000, granny!
For LIFE, because signing up, (and everything that implies)
means you offer up your life for your country.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 12:47 pm

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 11:06 am

Regardless of service connection or not, the fact remains that we OWE most of
our veterans decent medical care--without being forced to fight for every little thing.
They EARNED at least that, through their service and sacrifice.

If our government is going to send military members into places where they get physically or mentally harmed, they should provide excellent medical care for life.

They did to 58,000 of us in Viet Nam, names on the Wall! Jim

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 12:52 pm

+1,000,000, granny!
For LIFE, because signing up, (and everything that implies)
means you offer up your life for your country.

True, But Some Didn't Voluntary Sign Up, But They did What was Asked, Because it was Asked by Their Country. Jim

"As Long As You Have To Be One, Be A Big Red One" 1ST INF

Jim, I remember the draft.
My BIL was just about to get on the bus when his brother (the bullfrog)
handed him the letter saying, "Greetings: ~Disregard previous draft notice"
[[[The draft had just been retracted]]]
Voluntary or draft--it still should count. Serving is serving.

I doubt if anyones life would stay they same, everything we do builds who and what we are.

I've seen Viet Nam change a lot of people both directions, for me I'm glad I went, it helped make me who I am, for the ones it broke, I am sad. For the ones that gave it all, I wish them Peace, and their Families and friends.

A Terrible Price to pay for Tourism and Corporate Profit. Jim

ChicagoGranny,

Actually I should clarify this was without CPAP, this was back in June of 2017 when I recorded my sleep with my smartphone and noticed I didn’t snore as much or loud. I started using my CPAP again in December of 2017 when my psychiatrist asked me if I was using my CPAP, and I told her no. She said I needed to start using it. It’s never been about it being uncomfortable, I just thought after I lost all that weight that I lost my sleep apnea. I never did a lot of looking into it until the last year. I was afraid I’d lose my ratings because I thought I lost my sleep apnea because I was at a healthy weight and I’m single so nobody can tell me if I’m stop breathing until I started recording myself in June. I had a revaluation last year I was a little worried and I did lightly snore but most of what I caught was me gasping for air.

I kinda contributed my tiredness to a lack of sleep, but my mask fits perfect, I have the Resmed app on my phone. In my paperwork it says I have OSA, so that’s what I must have. I usually alternate between the nose and the mouth masks. But my pressure is set to a 9, I will have to fill out that medical profile. My teeth are evenly lined up and I have all 32, and thank you.

The VA sent me a Resmed Airsense 10 in 2016 and it’s directly connected to the VA doctors, so they can see all my data. When I do nap I don’t wear it because it’s very rare I’ll nap for 45 mins+, I’d say most of my naps are between 20 mins. Almost like closing my eyes and opening them. I do exercise usually run couple times a week and walk my dog twice daily for 30 mins.

I mean I do feel a little better when I do use it, it would probably work better if I could sleep 7-8+ hours but it’s really rare. I’m a pretty light sleeper now too, and awake pretty easily.

**Also no my sleep study was done by a civilian contractor while in the Army, not the VA. I was diagnosed in service

The connection between obesity and OSA is complex.
While obesity can aggravate the effects of OSA, losing weight rarely cures it.
Many people are overweight BECAUSE of apnea--not the other way around.
Any doctor who ASSumes weight loss will "cure" apnea--
probably CHEATED his way through med school.
For your own safety, you need to change doctors.

Yuyyyy

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 4:29 pm

The connection between obesity and OSA is complex.
While obesity can aggravate the effects of OSA, losing weight rarely cures it.
Many people are overweight BECAUSE of apnea--not the other way around.
Any doctor who ASSumes weight loss will "cure" apnea--
probably CHEATED his way through med school.
For your own safety, you need to change doctors.

My bad I should have explained it better, no doctor told me that. I got my CPAP from the VA and I did use it for awhile when I got my Resmed back in 2016(I needed a new machine). I myself assumed my sleep apnea was cured, because I lost about 50lbs since I’ve been out of the service. I didn’t have much of a great understanding of sleep apnea, and didn’t really understand the severity of it until recently, and still there’s much to learn.

I’ve been pretty compliant now with my CPAP since late 2017, and I assume all my settings are correct because I usually receive a call now from my sleep doctor from the VA who orders my supplies and looks over my data every couple of months.

It is completely understandable for a civilian to make such an assumption.
It does not help that some doctors ascribe to the same notion;
---and the media--the worst purveyors of lies in our society--they just don't care.

ChicagoGranny

Here is a report of my sleep study, I crossed out my name. But if you look close and zoom it, without C-PAP I had 138 OSA, 8 hypopneas, 0 CSA and 0 mixed apnea’s.

The findings with CPAP 1 OSA, 7 central sleep apnea, 0 mixed apnea, and 4 hypopneas. I’m pretty sure my CPAP is at the proper setting even at 170lbs because my apnea’s are well below the normal 5 events at night when I check my app. I did have one night where I had 10.2 events but my mask seal was leaking.

RedWarrior87 wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 7:55 pm

Here is a report of my sleep study

Clearly, you have severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and need to continue using your CPAP. It would be good if you can also use it for naps. If this is not possible, then make sure not to sleep on your back while napping. For most patients, apnea is more severe on the back because gravity is directly pulling the tongue and soft palate into the airway. You may get a bit of relief by napping on your sides or stomach.

Note on your sleep study there was no REM sleep in the first part. Then, with CPAP, there was 80 minutes of REM sleep. This is highly significant. Before using CPAP, you may have been a very sick puppy. You were suffering from sleep deprivation, oxygen desaturation (low of 62%, average of 83%, and lack of REM sleep.

Which model of ResMed AirSense 10 do you have? There are at least four models: CPAP; Elite; AutoSet; and AutoSet for Her.

RedWarrior87 wrote: ↑

Wed May 09, 2018 2:31 pm

My teeth are evenly lined up and I have all 32, and thank you.

I would not have predicted obstructive sleep apnea for you. Do you have any idea about the size of your tonsils?

A consultation with an ENT would be a very good thing. Talk to the ENT about your obstructive sleep apnea and use of CPAP. The ENT should do an examination including an office nasal endoscopy ( http://care.american-rhinologic.org/nasal_endoscopy ). This is very easy and quick. It's done on the first visit.

For CPAP patients, the examination sometimes reveals problems with enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids and enlarged nasal turbinates. I recommend this consultation and examination for all OSA patients.

I would not have predicted obstructive sleep apnea for you. Do you have any idea about the size of your tonsils?

No idea about my tonsil size, I do see the dentist twice a year and I am not sure whether or not they can tell if my tonsils are enlarged but it’s never been brought up to me.

Which model of ResMed AirSense 10 do you have? There are at least four models: CPAP; Elite; AutoSet; and AutoSet for Her.

I have the ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset(9 for pressure)and use two masks. I alternate between the AirFit 10 full face, and nasal mask. Mostly for comfort... sometimes I get sick of using the face mask so I switch to the nasal mask for awhile. I will have to look into the nasal endoscopy, I’m actually up soon for my supplies, The VA if I remember correctly has recently acknowledged other forms of treatmeant for OSA other than CPAP. I know they’ve overhauled sleep apnea rules for claims the past few years.

But it’s confusing to me as well. None of my siblings or parents suffered from OSA, or anyone I am aware of in my family. I suffer from insomnia too and that does not run in my family. Did my obesity cause my OSA? If it did, it would have been eliminated when I lost all that weight? So does that mean my obesity didn’t cause my OSA? When I got sent home from Afghanistan I had difficulty sleeping, and i attributed that to my broken heal and my back until it healed. I didn’t meet my girlfriend til later that year(Sept 2010)so at that time I was probably about 180lbs.

I’ve heard medications can cause snoring— I did for awhile take ambien for sleep until I was walking around the house, I had to take more and forget what happened to fall asleep, it caused a lot of friction between my gf and I at the time. I quit that, I was on trazodone for awhile too. It was effective but after a couple of months I couldn’t stay asleep again. After I separated from the service, I was on lunesta for awhile and that didn’t really keep me asleep or fall asleep. I don’t use any sleeping medications now, just 300mg bupropion, also have .2MG clonidine patches, and 0.1MG clonidine pills I take as needed, 10 MG IR adderall, and 20mg later in the afternoon XR adderall, is there any of those medicines I listed could be a cause?

But one more thing— I’ve never had problems breathing through my nose or sinuses. My fastest 2 mile time on my PT test was 12 mins and 46 seconds, and I would breathe through my nose to control my breathing. I was stationed in Colorado so pretty high elevation. So it’s really peaked my curiosity lately. I mean a 24 year old to get sleep apnea that has to be rare at that young of an age? Especially given my family history of no OSA.

RedWarrior87 wrote: ↑

Thu May 10, 2018 12:09 pm

No idea about my tonsil size, I do see the dentist twice a year and I am not sure whether or not they can tell if my tonsils are enlarged but it’s never been brought up to me.

The dentist may have an opinion, but tonsils are far from his area of expertise. ENTs are the right specialists.

RedWarrior87 wrote: ↑

Thu May 10, 2018 12:09 pm

I have the ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset(9 for pressure)and use two masks.

You have a very good auto machine. If you are using it at a fixed pressure of 9.0, the auto function is not being taken advantage of. Auto machines are very popular because so many people find they get more effective and more comfortable therapy with a range of pressures.

If you are interested to see if your CPAP therapy and sleep can be improved, the best place to start is with Pugsy's Pointers - Sleepyhead. The thread is the second one on the index page.