What took you so long....

...to see your doctor about this?

That was the response from my "sleep doctor" when I told him I had been overly sleepy and fatigued for at least five years (the truth being probably eight years!)

My answer to his question was that I was simply ignorant about the problem. I attributed my tiredness to getting older (I am now 59), and a change in job/lifestyle. I previously worked as a supervisor in plant operations, and was very active physically. About 10 years ago, i moved into the IT (computers) field, and began sitting on me arse for a living...

I was fortunate and got my CPAP machine the day of my visit to the sleep doctor. (I had an overnight study about two weeks previous.)

I used the machine that night, and got the best night's sleep in 8 years! I was absolutely full of energy the next day. I used to take a long nap every night after dinner. now I cannot take a nap even if I try. I have too much energy to stay still that long!

Now I FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT!

I am extremely annoyed with myself for not doing this so much sooner. EIGHT YEARS of fatigue, falling asleep in front of my computer, while waiting for "red lights", etc.

I wish I had searched for "excessive sleepiness" years ago. That simple Google search led to to this group and all the wonderful information contained herein.

THANKS TO ALL for your participation in this forum, and contributions to my enlightenment.

To any "guests" lurking here, if you believe you may have sleep apnea, "Get thee to your doctor as soon as possible!" Don't end up like me, regretting that I did do this so much sooner!

For me the feeling bad crept up gradually over the years, although I did seek a diagnosis repeatedly and was finally diagnosed on about the 4th sleep study over several years. I feel pretty salty about all the lost years too, but so glad to have not lost another or my life.

Glad you joined the better-late-than-never club, and hope you soon feel you've regained some of the old you back, even if not the time.

Kathy

It took me my whole life to realize something was wrong. This isnt something that suddenly snuck up on me....it is something that has always been there. Since childhood. I was the only teenager I knew that went home after school for a nap and never seemed to get "enough" sleep. I have been tired my whole life. I just thought it was normal. How do you know what "excessive" is if you have never felt normal? What finally got me in to the doctor wasnt sleep related, it was the fact that I had been doing south beach diet for 3 months and had managed to gain 17 pounds. Also the fact that I have a child who is now 2, I couldnt keep up with her and felt like I was failing. I finally relized I couldnt be normal. That for my whole life something had been wrong, and I couldnt take it anymore. I really never knew life could be better. I have learned very well how to manage my time. I knew that I could give my daughter a bath and read to her in bed....but that meant no energy to take a shower myself. I could take a shower and cook dinner, but that meant that it was going to be moving in mommies bed night....because I wouldnt have the energy to sit and read a book.

I, too, had attributed my sleepiness to my schedule until finally my wife said you should see a doctor about this. She had been putting up with my snoring for almost 18 years and also noticed I would stop breathing at night. When I think back to before we were married I still liked to sleep a lot. It would not be uncommon for me on the weekends to get up, shower, have breakfast, and lay on the couch for a 2 or 3 hour nap. My roommates always said I snored like crazy. I have probably had sleep apnea for at least 20 years.

My father died of complications brought on by repeated bouts of congestive heart failure. He snored like a freight train for as long as I can remember. His brother died in his sleep of a stroke. My original RT said that in his observation he noticed a high percentage of people with central apnea were of German descent indicating that he thought it was partially hereditary.

I am just glad my wife persisted. I did not really resist, I was just kind of lackadaisical about it.

Dave

I didn't go to a doctor about sleep apnea. I went to an endocrinologist about nodules in my thyroid which were found by an ultrasound after I complained about hoarseness and feeling like there was something tight in my throat. The doc was doing her own ultrasound (yes, the endocrinologist does her own to see what she wants to see, not what the tech and doc at the hospital saw) when she listened to the sounds of my breathing while lying on my back to do the procedure. She told me to go to my PCP and ask for a sleep study.

It turned out that she believes from the results she has seen in her practice that people who have these nodules in the thyroid typically have sleep apnea and diabetes as well. They all go together. Sooner or later she was testing me for diabetes also, and found that my fasting blood sugar is higher than normal, although the rest of the time it is quite normal.

The hoarseness and choking sensations that sent me to the doctor were not from the thyroid at all, but instead from silent GERD as diagnosed by the ENT she also sent me to see. The ENT doc put the scope in my nose and down my throat to have a look. Now that was weird, but not at all painful.

I must have had sleep apnea for over 20 years, right about when my health started to suffer. I did talk to doctors for years about the sleepiness and lack of energy, but no one ever suggested OSA. It was a thyroid nodule that started the diagnosis. Go figure!

This question would have been more appropriately asked to my doctor, my insurance company, and my husbande, not to me. I knew something was wrong, and it took me over a year to convince everyone else that no, I don't just need to go to bed earlier to not be so tired during the day! When I finally did, and my sleep study showed moderate OSA, I was actually happy. Vindication! I don't need MORE sleep, I need BETTER sleep! Been a hosehead about three weeks now, and while I do still have bouts of fatigue during the day, the improvement is amazing. My husband no longer has to fear that he's going to get a phone call that I fell asleep driving during my 1.5 hr commute.

It took complete respiratory failure and a very close call to get my attention. Well done LukeIamYourFather and welcome. Regards

I can truly say that I have had quite an experience. My symptoms go back as far as 1990. Fatigue getting up all night to go to the bathroom etc. etc. My GP at he time said I had prostate problems took meds but little or no help. On next visit prostate exam showed no problems but still had symptoms. About a 1991 I was referred to a neurologist who did all kinds of tests MRI, nerve conduction study etc. He said I probably had MS. I did all I was told and no help. Was told by doc that there was nothing further that could be done. In 1997 was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and put on meds for this. I had not slept for more than two hrs. At a time at night since all of this started. Based on previous diagnoses I assumed I had a chronic prostate problem and did nothing more about it. I knew that I snored but did not think anything of it. My old GP retired and I had to find a new doc for my diabetes last year, I am so glad this happened. In April of this year my grandson, whom I live with told me “Poppop you scare me because you stop breathing when you sleep and you snore really loud”. At my next appointment I told new doc about this and all that had gone before. He immediately said he thought I had a problem with sleep apnea and referred me for a sleep study. I was only supposed to have a diagnostic study, but my apnea was so severe 76DBEs hr that I had a split study. I am now a happy hosehead; CPAP set at 16, and am sleeping through the night for the first time in 17 years. Started on CPAP on 5 June 2007. I am gradually seeing my energy return and have begun to lose some weight, something I was not able to do previously. It scares me to think about what might have happened if I had gone on like I was going. I am so glad I have a GP that knew something about OSA and a grandson who cared enough to say something that I’m sure was hard for him to say. Wow I really rambled, but that is my story. Hope maybe it can help someone else to be diagnosed.

darthlucy wrote:This question would have been more appropriately asked to my doctor, my insurance company, and my husbande, not to me.

That's putting it nicely. While a lot of good can come from members of a support group asking that question, it can be condescending coming from a doctor.

I can only see value in a doctor knowing that, if the question is in the context of discussing the patient's medical history. On its surface, though, if the doctor already knows that info, the only thing a doctor asking a patient, "What took you so long," does is reinforce the doctor-as-god relationship.

Doug.

I got re-married 3 years ago. Toa light sleeper of all things!!! Initially I must not have snored much at all because on a rare occasion he would just nudge me I'd roll over and stop. Then it got where he complained everyday that he was losing sleep because of my snoring. I used breath right strips and it helped some. I also have allergies and sinus so that contributed to my making noise. After some real tension between us, I saw the MD about it. Was told I have a very narrow air way but , none of the typical apnea complaints such as falling asleep etc. Well they did a sleep study and my AHI was 15. Although considered mild to moderate I as set up with a machine and the rest is history. I am still working out the mask bugs and I convinced the MD to order me a machine that is data capable so that I can get some solid feedback. Now the fiddling with the mask at night and the air blows in his face if I sleep facing him, sooooooooooooo for now I am trial and erring the cpap world in the guest room. I have offered conjugal visits

I'm another who has had sleep problems all my life. I used to snore monsterously as a child, went to sleep in school, barely had enough energy to get through the day. Started drinking lots of coffee at an early age, just to remain somewhat functional.

I've always wondered how people could have enough energy at the end of a work day to go to a movie, go to the gym, or do anything besides sleep.

Once I realized that this was a treatable problem, I put off doing anything about it because I was worried about how much the machine would bother my partner, who is a light sleeper. I haven't snored at all since getting the machine, and my partner is sleeping better than he has in years, so that turned out to be a completely bogus excuse.

On the flip side, I spent 17 years telling doctors I was tired all the time and I was sure normal people didn't feel like this before someone sent me for a sleep study.

I honestly didn't know squat about sleep apnea until scheduled for a sleep study. My wife had been complaining about my snoring so in January during my annual physical I mentioned this to my GP. He said that he'd order a sleep study to see how bad my snoring really was. I don't know if I mentioned that I'd been having headaches in the morning and in mid afternoon I could hardly stay awake. By late afternoon I'd be fine, the sleepiness seemed to come in waves, lasting about an hour, then I'd be fine. I still had no idea that I had a "sleep problem". So two weeks later I'm off to see a sleep doctor. By then I'd researched sleep studies add found this site. Halleluiah! My sleep doctor is a Bozo, I seemed to know as much as he does by the time I saw him. At least my sleep study tech was good, in fact he was GREAT! I learned more from him than my doctor and he had the patience of a saint.

Sleep study found I have severe OSA (AHI of 80, O2 went to 59%), hmmmm, no wonder I was having headaches. Second study determined my pressure is 9 (same tech).

I'm 100% compliant since getting my machine in March. What a difference! No sleepiness in the afternoons, no morning headaches and no snoring. Life is good again!

Whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" didn't know anything about OSA.

Sleep Well All!

---gary

coldnose wrote:Whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" didn't know anything about OSA.

Loved that!

And it reminded me of this too:

Rested Gal wrote:That really isn't just sleep when we don't use the mask. It's suffocation that we're oblivious to.

O.

I was also ignorant about sleep apnea. I DID know that something had to be wrong because I was thoroughly exhausted during the day. I had only noticed it in 2005 as far as being tired during the day. I also would get very sleepy driving - but I thought that was a hereditary thing because my aunt and grandma would get sleepy in the car too.

My mom's brother had a sleep study done a few years ago and was found to have sleep apnea. He had the surgery for his deviated septum. My mom's sister had a sleep study done the beginning of the summer of 2006 and was found to also have sleep apnea. She tried to use the machine and masks but couldn't do it. She just recently ended up having surgery and is feeling much better.

After my aunt's sleep study, I read two separate articles talking about this in the TOPS magazine and also in a Weight Watchers magazine. The symptoms listed fit me to a "T".. I already had a doctor's appointment coming up so I made a point of mentioning the symptoms to my doctor. He referred me to the sleep center.

The rest is history! I am so glad that there was a "reason" for being tired and that this is treatable.

My brother just had a sleep study done and was found to have sleep apnea and has a machine now too.

My aunt and uncle are both skinny folks, my brother so-so and me overweight. I think that in our instance, it is a hereditary thing. Both of my parents really should do the sleep study.

I think that in the almost year since getting my machine, I've slept one or maybe two nights without it - and that was because I was sick. Otherwise, I am totally compliant. Brought it to Cancun too. (It tested positive for explosives on the way back into the U.S. - from the glycerin in my hand lotion.)