Ive been diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea – Advice Please

[CyberSpiff]

Acid reflux, post-nasal drip, and asthma are other possibilities, but I think you'd have mentioned them if they were problems for you.

I reckon Miss Emerita is onto something here. I had a similar experience to you with a "stuck in me throat" feeling and it turned out to be GERD, which is largely resolved by taking 40mg of famotidine and 400mg magnesium (for restless legs) nightly. I am also bonkers over using calming sounds and lavender before jimjams and a good night's kip. Anything to reduce the mental activities as a form of relaxation.

Good luck with it, this is a mighty beast to slay. Patience, with much trial and error, is needed.

[Janknitz]

I had terrible claustrophobia at first wearing a mask. But I knew, with severe apnea, that there was NO option except to get used to sleeping with the mask. So I made a few rules for myself:
1. I would NOT sleep without the mask. Period.
2. If I had a panic attack in the mask, I would count to 10 slowly while taking deep calming breaths BEFORE I could take off the mask.
3. If I made it to 10 without ripping off the mask, I would count to 10 again, slowly, taking deep calming breaths before I could take off the mask. And again unless the panic was worsening. (By then I was often relaxed enough to continue OR I sometimes I would even fall back to sleep).
4. If the mask came off, I had to get out of bed. The mask had to be on if I was in bed (and no cheating by falling asleep elsewhere).

It took me 3 full months and several masks to be able to sleep through the night, but the first time I did I woke so peaceful and calm as I hadn't been since childhood. It's better than the best drug in the world!

I recommend you try the above. Even if you stay up all night fighting it, eventually you WILL fall asleep. You may only make it a few minutes the first time, then try, try again. The time asleep with the mask will gradually increase until you can sleep all night. Make a commitment to your health--removing the mask and sleeping without it is NOT permitted.

If you have a smart phone, use it as white noise. There are some 8 -10 hour long black YouTube videos available for free for soothing sounds like a babbling brook, rainstorm, crackling fire, etc., there are loops of relaxing music on most music apps, personally I like human voices so I listen to podcasts. I have an inexpensive headband with flat built in speakers so I don't bother my husband. Some people do well with a fan. Also make sure that the air coming out of the vent on your mask isn't hitting the bedclothes. That can be an annoying sound!

[Ben_Dover]

You have exactly the right idea about calming yourself and keeping the mask on. To reassure yourself, you can look at the minute or two before mask removal in each of your Oscar charts. In fact, I think that would be a good idea in general, if you have the time.

I did some googling, and I've learned that the feeling of choking or having something stuck in your throat can be one of the symptoms of a panic attack. I don't know whether that's what is going on with you, but it's worth keeping in mind as you focus on calming yourself during these episodes.

Acid reflux, post-nasal drip, and asthma are other possibilities, but I think you'd have mentioned them if they were problems for you.

One additional thought: several web resources say that in calming yourself, you should just let the sensations play out -- noticing them, not fighting them, but reminding yourself that you're not in danger and the sensations will pass. Several resources also say that if you can't then fall back asleep easily, you should get up and do something very calming for a little while until you feel ready to go back to bed. Of course, when you do go back to bed, you should mask up and use your machine.

Thank you.

With every thing that's been going on , the moving here to be near the wife's sick mother ( Terminal Cancer ) living in a fairly remote location with not much opportunity to converse in English . My Sleep Apnea situation plus a few other personal issues that are stressing me out , its no wonder that I’m feeling very anxious.


Your comment about panic attacks are certainly justified and some thing I need to address . I’m making an effort to try and calm my self down . If I was back home in the UK , I would probably be heading down to my local pub to drown my sorrows with the help of my favorite Scotch whisky.


Its a coincidence that you now mention Acid Reflux , around 10 years ago I continuously suffered from daily acid reflux symptoms and eventually after seeking expert medical advice I underwent
Nissen fundoplication surgery ( During the procedure, a surgeon creates a sphincter (tightening muscle) at the bottom of the esophagus to prevent acid reflux ) . That Nissen fundoplication surgery eventually stopped my reflux acid symptoms and allowed me to discontinue the drugs that I had been taking ( Esomeprazole and Omeprazole ) . Over the following years I did experience some short term acid reflux symptoms and again took the same drugs as shown above for short periods.

Currently I do not have any obvious acid reflux symptoms , but from what I understand there’s a situation called silent reflux where the normal symptoms are not so visible .The symptoms of silent reflux can be…

Asthma.
Bitter taste in the throat.
Chronic cough or excessive throat clearing.
Difficulty swallowing.
Hoarseness.
Postnasal drip.
Sensation of a lump in the throat.*
Sore or burning sensation in the throat.

So now I’m wondering if an acid reflux situation of some type again exists for my self , even though I currently have no normal signs or symptoms of any acid reflux issue. I’m now going to try and find a pharmacy and purchase the past drugs and start taking them , just to see if doing that may help me in some way.

Well last night I arrived back late at the house after a full day attending to the needs of the wife’s sick mother. I decided to take on board the past advice about not tightening the face mask too much. So I again used the ResMed N30i , but this time I did not adjust the straps too tightly. This time the face mask felt a better fit and surprisingly the air flow noise seemed less. Over the time I was wearing the N30i and the machine was running I could lay on my side , head on the pillow and the mask felt fairly comfortable .

During the whole time I was using the face mask and the machine was running I never experienced a feeling of some thing being stuck in my throat . The downside was during the whole time wearing the mask , I never once managed to fall asleep. At around 3.30 am I removed the face mask and switched the machine of in the hope that doing so, I could finally get some sleep.

Sadly I never managed to actually go to sleep and got out of bed at around 6 am this morning , feeling terrible . So now I feel better using the N30i face mask , but sleep is still some thing I’m still searching and praying for.

This is last nights OSCAR report .


Ben.

[Ben_Dover]

Acid reflux, post-nasal drip, and asthma are other possibilities, but I think you'd have mentioned them if they were problems for you.

I reckon Miss Emerita is onto something here. I had a similar experience to you with a "stuck in me throat" feeling and it turned out to be GERD, which is largely resolved by taking 40mg of famotidine and 400mg magnesium (for restless legs) nightly. I am also bonkers over using calming sounds and lavender before jimjams and a good night's kip. Anything to reduce the mental activities as a form of relaxation.

Good luck with it, this is a mighty beast to slay. Patience, with much trial and error, is needed.

Hi and Thanks

The calming sounds + lavender sound wonderful .

The reduce mental activities may be a bit more difficult , one saying my wife loves to shoot at me is

You Think Too Much .


Ben.

[Ben_Dover]

I had terrible claustrophobia at first wearing a mask. But I knew, with severe apnea, that there was NO option except to get used to sleeping with the mask. So I made a few rules for myself:
1. I would NOT sleep without the mask. Period.
2. If I had a panic attack in the mask, I would count to 10 slowly while taking deep calming breaths BEFORE I could take off the mask.
3. If I made it to 10 without ripping off the mask, I would count to 10 again, slowly, taking deep calming breaths before I could take off the mask. And again unless the panic was worsening. (By then I was often relaxed enough to continue OR I sometimes I would even fall back to sleep).
4. If the mask came off, I had to get out of bed. The mask had to be on if I was in bed (and no cheating by falling asleep elsewhere).

It took me 3 full months and several masks to be able to sleep through the night, but the first time I did I woke so peaceful and calm as I hadn't been since childhood. It's better than the best drug in the world!

I recommend you try the above. Even if you stay up all night fighting it, eventually you WILL fall asleep. You may only make it a few minutes the first time, then try, try again. The time asleep with the mask will gradually increase until you can sleep all night. Make a commitment to your health--removing the mask and sleeping without it is NOT permitted.

If you have a smart phone, use it as white noise. There are some 8 -10 hour long black YouTube videos available for free for soothing sounds like a babbling brook, rainstorm, crackling fire, etc., there are loops of relaxing music on most music apps, personally I like human voices so I listen to podcasts. I have an inexpensive headband with flat built in speakers so I don't bother my husband. Some people do well with a fan. Also make sure that the air coming out of the vent on your mask isn't hitting the bedclothes. That can be an annoying sound!

Hi and thanks for your advice and comments .

I love your list , and your comment ….( able to sleep through the night, but the first time I did I woke so peaceful and calm as I hadn't been since childhood. ).

Ive wondered about doing some thing while wearing my face mask and the machine is running , other than trying to go to sleep straight away. Your podcst idea sounds right up my street , so I’m going to give that a try.

Its very encouraging to read your thoughts .



Ben.

[MMcG]

Can you take a few screen shots of close ups that show the breathing patterns (use the up/down keys on your laptop to zoom in) of the flow rate before and after the three flagged OA's around 11-30 pm. I just have a hunch that they may be real, i.e. that you fell asleep briefly but don't remember. The shape of the flow rate curve can suggest to some extent whether one was asleep or awake (I recognise my own asleep pattern anyway). Also the breathing pattern before and after the flagged events might show whether they were real and you were asleep. I just have a sense that you had fallen asleep and were woken up by the very rapid increase in pressure and accompanying leaks. If so, I'll leave it to the experts here to review and offer advice. I know from personal experience and review of my Oscar data, that I have been asleep periodically at times when I thought I was lying awake for an hour or more. Worth a look.

[Ben_Dover]

Can you take a few screen shots of close ups that show the breathing patterns (use the up/down keys on your laptop to zoom in) of the flow rate before and after the three flagged OA's around 11-30 pm. I just have a hunch that they may be real, i.e. that you fell asleep briefly but don't remember. The shape of the flow rate curve can suggest to some extent whether one was asleep or awake (I recognise my own asleep pattern anyway). Also the breathing pattern before and after the flagged events might show whether they were real and you were asleep. I just have a sense that you had fallen asleep and were woken up by the very rapid increase in pressure and accompanying leaks. If so, I'll leave it to the experts here to review and offer advice. I know from personal experience and review of my Oscar data, that I have been asleep periodically at times when I thought I was lying awake for an hour or more. Worth a look.

Thanks .

I think your hunch that I am falling asleep without remembering the event, I’m sure is on the right track.



Ben

[Ben_Dover]

Well last night ( Dec 11 ) I was again sleeping alone and used my DreamWear mask , but this time I made sure the mask was not too tight on my face. I did at times during the night have to physically adjust the mask to make it feel more comfortable but at times as I did those adjustments I could feel air leaking from the mask.

During the night I did once have the feeling that some thing was sticking in my throat , but this time instead of quickly removing the mask and turning the machine off , I held the mask in place with my hand and began breathing slowly . Within seconds of doing that , the feeling of having some thing stuck in my throat subsided and disappeared .

I continued wearing the mask until around 3 am , at this point in my mind I had so far not fallen asleep , I removed the face mask and turned the machine off in the hope that doing that , I could finally fall to sleep. Sadly I never managed to achieve any sleep during the rest of the night and got out of bed a 6.30 am.

The part during the night that I am very happy about is for the first time holding the face mask in place during an episode of some thing sticking in my throat , and that feeling disappearing .


One area which I’m still not sure about is the part where I’m thinking to my self that I never actually went to sleep while wearing a mask , but in fact may be that I did at some time fall asleep . This is where the ‘’ was I dreaming ‘’ situation may come into play .

Now every night when going to bed is becoming an experience and learning curve. But I’m not going to give up and with the kind help and assistance of other forum members here I hope to eventually tame the monster called Sleep Apnea .


Ben.

[Julie]

Have you looked at Padacheek.com for 'liners'? They go under the mask (very thin) and help the seal without annoying you... the owner was a member here.

[Miss Emerita]

You weathered the storm—that’s great! And now you know you can do it.

I bet you were asleep at least part of the time, given the little cluster of obstructive apnea events. It’s *possible* you were awake, but I think asleep is more likely.

I know you are probably busy taking care of your mother-in-law, but if you can find a little time during the day or evening to set up the machine outside your bedroom and use it while you read or watch TV, I think that would help speed up your progress.

Keep us posted!

[MMcG]

Can you take a few screen shots of close ups that show the breathing patterns (use the up/down keys on your laptop to zoom in) of the flow rate before and after the three flagged OA's around 11-30 pm. I just have a hunch that they may be real, i.e. that you fell asleep briefly but don't remember. The shape of the flow rate curve can suggest to some extent whether one was asleep or awake (I recognise my own asleep pattern anyway). Also the breathing pattern before and after the flagged events might show whether they were real and you were asleep. I just have a sense that you had fallen asleep and were woken up by the very rapid increase in pressure and accompanying leaks. If so, I'll leave it to the experts here to review and offer advice. I know from personal experience and review of my Oscar data, that I have been asleep periodically at times when I thought I was lying awake for an hour or more. Worth a look.

Thanks .

I think your hunch that I am falling asleep without remembering the event, I’m sure is on the right track.



Ben

You need to zoom in on the flow chart around 11-30 pm, Ben. The easiest way to do it is to repeatedly press or hold down the up key on your computer keypad. We need to see the breathing pattern - can't really tell from this screen shot. There are good instructional videos on the use of Oscar which you should look at too.

[MMcG]

Can you zoom in too on the events around 12-50 am last night (a few screen shots of the flow rate chart). It might indicate whether you woke up as a result of the machine responding to real events or whether you were awake and the machine flagged false events. Here is a minute of my breathing pattern while asleep to give you an idea of what you should capture.

[Pugsy]

If you want to learn about zooming in to see flow rate breaths and arousal vs asleep flagged events watch the videos here.
http://freecpapadvice.com/sleepyhead-free-software
Bear in mind that while it talks mainly about CA/central apnea flagging....false positive awake/arousal flags aren't limited to just centrals...it can happen with any category of event.
You need to zoom in to a 3 to 4 minute segment to get the flow rate breaths at a scale where we can maybe figure out awake vs asleep.

If you weren't asleep...they simply don't count.

[Ben_Dover]

Have you looked at Padacheek.com for 'liners'? They go under the mask (very thin) and help the seal without annoying you... the owner was a member here.

Thanks.

I'm going to check it out now .


Ben.

[Ben_Dover]

You weathered the storm—that’s great! And now you know you can do it.

I bet you were asleep at least part of the time, given the little cluster of obstructive apnea events. It’s *possible* you were awake, but I think asleep is more likely.

I know you are probably busy taking care of your mother-in-law, but if you can find a little time during the day or evening to set up the machine outside your bedroom and use it while you read or watch TV, I think that would help speed up your progress.

Keep us posted!

Thanks.

I’m going to take my machine and face mask with me when we travel to the mother-in laws house and see if I can use it there .

Ben.