Acid Reflux
subclinical hyperthyroidism (right on the borderline in the TSH test)
OSA (healthy normal weight)

I am borderline hypothyroid, anxiety, depression, forgetfulness,a fib (which is almost gone since C-PAP) periodontal disease, one of my heart valves is a little faulty, I get slight back-flow.

OSA is a definite precursor to Atrial Fibrillation and you need to have it attended to immediately.
They say that aFib begets aFib... it is like a spiral dive. You want to get checked out while the aFib is new and before your heart begins to remodel.
Thyroid, diabetes, BP are all additional causitives to aFib. And let me tell you in no uncertain terms, if you think OSA is in any way a pain in the butt.... you have no clue until you have experienced full blown aFib that has creeped from occasional to permanent/chronic and has caused your left atrium to enlarge. OSA is a cake walk by comparison. Come and walk in MY shoes for a while and you will get the idea.

I am fortunate in that I was able to start TIKOSYN in December and have been in Normal Sinus Rhythm since then with minor breakthroughs of aFib. But sometimes it is only mildly or totally asymptomatic - only an ECG and other tests, done and read by a pro (at least a Cardiologist and preferably an Electrophysiologist) will give you the word on aFib.

An "incident of aFib" just does not happen. If you have it, you have it. And it may be your good fortune to have the opportunity to nip it in the bud. I, for one, would take that opportunity understanding that time is of the essence when dealing with aFib and other heart arrhythmias.

Let it go because it is not a bother right now and it will become a bother eventually. And make no mistake, aFib combined with OSA will kill you deader than a doornail before you know what hit you. "He died peacefully in his sleep" is what they will etch on your tombstone.

I have diabetes, thyroid, BP issues (waning now that I am in NSR) and AFIB! Once you have aFib you are always looking over your shoulder. For starters, you want to make sure your electrolytes are okay and you want to avoid triggers like caffeine, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, MSG, salt, etc. http://www.afibbers.org

Do yourself and your family a favour.

nightranger wrote:I am wondering what other health related issues members have?

I have both stomach (IBS) and Thyroid issues.

I also have had an incidence of Atrial Fibrilation.

Do you feel that OSA is a precursor, or a result of your other condition(s)?

MaxDarkside wrote:

avi123 wrote: My mom has CMT and she's gone deaf from it. I fortunately do not have balance, veritgo, tinnitus, or hearing issues [yet]. One of the indicators of CMT is hammer toes, but I don't have that, but there's enough genetic mutations associated with CMT that people can manifest diversely. Mom having it and having numb spots developing on my feet, left foot mostly, is enough to diagnose, but hopefully my case will be mild. Now, whether CMT can cause an issue with obstructions during sleep, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not, in my opinion.

Max, I checked on CMT and I don't think that my Peripheral Neuropathy is the same as CMT.
It could be close to it. PN is described here:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/periph ... hy/DS00131

I remember when I had the soles of my feet being treated with infrared light, there were persons there using the same light to treat numb spots on their limbs, chest,face, etc.

History of basal cell (skin) cancer which I read is related to OSA! (oxygen to the skin immune response?)

Also, liver enlargement of unknown origin, again I think will be normal when I have the labs rechecked. OSA is associated with fatty liver disease or a general inflammatory response due to the poorly oxyenated blood. I complained for years that I felt "liver pain at night such that my husband could not cuddle". This complaint has resolved about four months into therapy. Finally, I'm able to gain a few pounds to a more normal weight.

Kitatonic wrote:History of basal cell (skin) cancer which I read is related to OSA! (oxygen to the skin immune response?)

Oh ya, I forgot that in my maladies list above. I do have basal skin cancer, a tumor on my nose under the skin. Pretty big, but you don't know it's there really until it is pointed out. I'll have about 1/4th my nose hacked off later this year. (Grrr...)

chunkyfrog: “I've also been accused of being a bit of a flake. ”
BlackSpinner: “Old age.”
avi123: “I was 6' 2" but now 6" 1/2" 220 lbs. Almost like Clint Eastwood except my weight should be lower.”

You are all Too Funny!

MaxDarkside: “I'm 6' 1", 170 (see profile pic) so not overweight by any means.”

I am also 6' 1 &1/2" but weight 216lbs, I recently dropped about 12 lbs and wonder if this is due to using the machine more regularly or due to some other issue. My Endocrinologist lowered my dosage of Thyroid meds, but I go in to see my other Drs this month to ensure that there isn’t something else going on. I also have a Cardiologist and now a Pulmonologist. I am only 40 and feel like I am already tired of dealing with health issues.
The reason that I recently joined this site was to commiserate and also to find info on how to not only manage my issues, but dominate them ensuring that I am in as much control of my body as possible.
I suppose that like torontoCPAPguy said, “Once you have AFib you are always looking over your shoulder.” I have been doing this for the past two years since my AFib incident and am committed to never being cardioverted again. I have had slight skips of my heartbeat every so often (once every few months) since I was about 19, which I was told by friends and family was normal. Hrt monitors showed nothing. This all left me with the idea that I was simply anxious and needed to snap out of it.

Right now I need to find out if weight loss is common simply with usage of a sleep apnea machine. Anyone lose weight through sleeping?

PST wrote:

nightranger wrote:Right now I need to find out if weight loss is common simply with usage of a sleep apnea machine. Anyone lose weight through sleeping?

I don't think simply using CPAP leads to weight loss very often. That's just an opinion; I don't have real data. However, for many people getting their sleep apnea under control is a necessary first step in taking care of other problems that they didn't have the energy to attack. Obesity is one of those problems, and so weight loss often follows CPAP, but with an effort, not automatically.

I agree with you! In spite of CPAP, I was not able to lose weight until I had a gastric bypass. I don't recommend that step unless you are desperate and highly motivated!!! However, it worked for me. Unfortunately, my throat diameter is quite small so I still need CPAP. I don't really mind, though because that is far less nasty than the other things I was diagnosed as having plus the likelihood of having *maybe* five years to live if nothing changed!

Mindy

OSA
HTN
Diabetes
Osteoarthritis
Glaucoma
Interstitial Lung Disease
Restless Legs Syndrome
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
Arrythmia (PVC's & PAC's, not AFib)

That's all I can remember right now, but then again, my memory isn't very reliable. MUCH better than it once was, but still not "normal". The degree of normalcy fluctuates daily based on sleep. A week's stretch of bad sleep can render me nearly unsafe to be alone again. Recently went with my daughter to a grandparent's event at my 9yo granddaughter's school. Keep in mind I have lived with them for most of the last 5 years. My daughter dropped me off at the door while she went to park, and I went to the library as instructed. I didn't see my granddaughter there, so I asked a teacher if we were supposed to pick up our grandchildren at their classrooms. She said if they weren't already there, yes. Told her I didn't know the room number. She said maybe she would know and asked what her name is - - - - - - - - - for the life of me I couldn't tell her my granddaughter's name. In a desparate attempt to say SOMETHING, after an awkward pause I said a first name, then quickly took it back - it was the name of an older granddaughter who lives far away. She asked what grade she was in - I drew another blank. I did remember the teacher's name though, and she was able to direct me to the classroom. Remembering the teacher's name sparked remembrance of my granddaughter's first name, so I blurted it out as I left. Took a couple minutes before her last name resurfaced from murky mire. I was really suprised at this, although I'd seen some signs of little glitches, but this was a BIG event in my eyes. May need to have TIA's added to that list.

My memory has also been an issue for a while now.

As a teenager and into my twenties, my memory was pretty sharp.

as I got older, and now as I have reached 40, my short term memory has really taken a hit.

I am wondering if OSA is related. your story definitely sounds familiar.

Do most OSA patients have memory issues?

Kitatonic wrote:History of basal cell (skin) cancer which I read is related to OSA! (oxygen to the skin immune response?)

Also, liver enlargement of unknown origin, again I think will be normal when I have the labs rechecked. OSA is associated with fatty liver disease or a general inflammatory response due to the poorly oxyenated blood. I complained for years that I felt "liver pain at night such that my husband could not cuddle". This complaint has resolved about four months into therapy. Finally, I'm able to gain a few pounds to a more normal weight.

Oh I forgot I had two basal cell carcinoma's removed years ago. Both on my neck area. One in back of neck and one just below my jaw on my right. Never knew they were related to OSA.

Ah yes - lousy memory! At 67 I'm definitely seeing much more of slowing of memory retrieval time. Sometimes it can take quite awhile to remember a name, a place, something I'm supposed to do, etc. For me that's one of the more difficult aspects of aging.

Mindy

High cholesterol,high blood pressure,asthma,I am taking co plavix as I had 3 stents in my heart 2 years ago.
Its interesting,noone seems to know how long I need to keep taking this co plavix. When it first came out they said 3 months. Then they started noticing people having blockages after they ceased taking the plavix. Then they made it one year and the same thing started to happen. Now its unclear. Probably forever. The big problem is if I want to have any elective surgery I would have to stop taking the plavix and that is a problem.

I have afib/aflutter and believe it was a result on not being on CPAP earlier in life.