Weird Symptoms

[grckalck]

Hi All! I've been on CPAP since Nov 2007, press is 14, using S8 Elite. Several Months ago I started noticing something strange going on. As I was falling asleep sometimes, instead of getting the occasional leg twitch as I fell asleep, I started having spasms in my stomach. Almost exactly the same sensation, just in my stomach instead of my leg. Not every night, just off and on. I thought it was strange, but not alarming. More recently, I have started waking up after about 5-6 hours of sleep with my heart beating strongly and slightly faster than usual. This seems to be happening as I almost wake up and start to fall back to sleep. It is strong and fast enough to bring me completely awake. If I try to go back to sleep, either right then or a couple hours later after being up for a while, the same thing starts to happen, strong heart beat for 30-90 seconds, then returning to normal. I started taking my blood pressure when I got up and its usually the lowest point of the day, but I normally run in the pre-hypertension range. I am very overweight, 350 lbs, 50 years old.
Aside from my sleep being disrupted its not causing any other difficulties for me. I've thought it could be that I am beginning to have centrals, so I started using a system one PR respronics machine I have with the encore viewer software which shows that I am having a couple during the night, but not enough to worry about. My AHI on the resmed machine is between 2.5 and 4.0, and on the respronics machine never more than 1.5, sometimes under 1.0.

I don't have health insurance right now so another sleep study or lots of other tests that may or may not reveal anything are not an option for me. I have a regularly scheduled physical in a couple of months, and if any other alarming symptoms arise I will of course consult him. I'm just looking for anyone out there who knows what might be happening or has had similar symptoms. Thanks for listening.

[Kairosgrammy]

As much as you don't have insurance, you really need to visit your doctor. It could be as simple as muscle cramps (probably what the leg twitch is, as you relax, muscles fire messages to the nerves, not really sure how to explain it.) I do have muscle cramps in my abdominal area but only when awake and always after some kind of exertion. You could be having mild anxiety attacks for some reason. But all these "may bes" are just that until you go to a doc who can rule out any other possibilities, i.e. heart problems.

Hi All! I've been on CPAP since Nov 2007, press is 14, using S8 Elite. Several Months ago I started noticing something strange going on. As I was falling asleep sometimes, instead of getting the occasional leg twitch as I fell asleep, I started having spasms in my stomach. Almost exactly the same sensation, just in my stomach instead of my leg. Not every night, just off and on. I thought it was strange, but not alarming. More recently, I have started waking up after about 5-6 hours of sleep with my heart beating strongly and slightly faster than usual. This seems to be happening as I almost wake up and start to fall back to sleep. It is strong and fast enough to bring me completely awake. If I try to go back to sleep, either right then or a couple hours later after being up for a while, the same thing starts to happen, strong heart beat for 30-90 seconds, then returning to normal. I started taking my blood pressure when I got up and its usually the lowest point of the day, but I normally run in the pre-hypertension range. I am very overweight, 350 lbs, 50 years old.
Aside from my sleep being disrupted its not causing any other difficulties for me. I've thought it could be that I am beginning to have centrals, so I started using a system one PR respronics machine I have with the encore viewer software which shows that I am having a couple during the night, but not enough to worry about. My AHI on the resmed machine is between 2.5 and 4.0, and on the respronics machine never more than 1.5, sometimes under 1.0.

I don't have health insurance right now so another sleep study or lots of other tests that may or may not reveal anything are not an option for me. I have a regularly scheduled physical in a couple of months, and if any other alarming symptoms arise I will of course consult him. I'm just looking for anyone out there who knows what might be happening or has had similar symptoms. Thanks for listening.

[Julie]

Don't want to worry you, but atrial fibrillation is a fairly common symptom associated with apnea for some people and whether or not you have it, I would do whatever I could to see a doctor somehow, because you could also have an aortic problem - very serious and not to be put off in terms of getting it seen to... I doubt an emergency department would turn you away for having no insurance.

[Goofproof]

Your equiptment you list is incorrect, if you have the correct equiptment the data will help show you what is wrong with your treatment. Jim

[timbalionguy]

This could be any number of things, but the first guess is an apnea event the machine is not handling properly. Do you have your detailed data?

[kteague]

First let me say I do not want to distract from your need to be very sure this isn't a cardiac situation needing attention. Please do not just go with what I'm about to say without first ruling out something more critical. Now, with that out of the way...

Your description brought to mind some symptoms I used to have. I have Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). When it was undiagnosed, most of the time if I drifted off to sleep, I would be awakened by moving my legs or sometimes in the middle of a cramping sensation, but not the intense charley horse kind. There were times when I was sleeping on my back my abdominal muscles would contract so violently I would lurch upright to a sitting position. I imagine it looked like someone rising from the dead. These episodes caused my heart to speed up for a while.

If you are symptomatic for PLMD or if your sleep study made mention of it, it wouldn't hurt to follow up about it.

[Julie]

Kathy, why would your abdomen contract if you have PLMD? I would think you were having apneas because you were on your back, but that's a different fish...

[kteague]

Kathy, why would your abdomen contract if you have PLMD? I would think you were having apneas because you were on your back, but that's a different fish...

Good question. Can't say I have a clear answer. When I described this to my sleep doc I was assuming this was apnea related. Made sense to me, as it was accompanied a very forceful exhale as I lurched up - like I'd been sucker punched in the belly. The doc didn't feel it was apnea related, I could still swing either way on it. When my legs would contract abruptly from the PLMD, it would be so intense it involved my stomach muscles. It's anybody's guess what it all means. Sure wish there were others who share this experience so I could maybe get a better understanding.