Do I Have Apnea?

Mr Help · Post by **Mr Help** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:49 pm

OK so now reading up on it im freaking out. So for the last 7 years i usually

1. While falling asleep (I gasp for a breathe) and jolt up

2. IN the midlle of the night i gasp for a breathe.....

Its not every night, its like maybe one week all week and then noting for 6 months...

Im not sure whats happening..but can someone please help me!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:09 pm

It sounds like a problem, a sleep test can tell. Jim

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:18 am

If you've been reading then you probably know by now that what you've described is not uncommon here. Jim's right about a sleep study. Let us know how it turns out after you get one. (We might be placing wagers behind the scenes - JUST KIDDING!)

Welcome to the board.

Kathy

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:03 am

Check this link in the American Sleep Apnea Association

Do you think you have sleep apnea?

O.

sleepie · Post by **sleepie** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:46 am

GET TO THE DOC---then come back to us,,and inquire about machine ,mask and the comforts of this apnea thing..PURCHASE NOTHING --untill you educated yourself-and this is the place to learn--pat

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:59 am

Mr Help wrote:Im not sure whats happening..but can someone please help me!

Kinda like Smokey da bear - ONLY you can help YOU!!

Seriously, What do YOU think is happening?

Mr Help · Post by **Mr Help** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:36 am

Im one of those peoplethat avoid docts because im so freaked out by them. Childish i KNOW, but yeh...i dont know what to think

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:58 am

Mr Help wrote:Im one of those peoplethat avoid docts because im so freaked out by them. Childish i KNOW, but yeh...i dont know what to think

Well I bet heart attacks and strokes can be a real freak out too ... I guess you have to decide which freaks you out less.

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:12 am

http://www.metrohealth.org/body.cfm?id=1856&oTopID=1856

this is a screening tool used by many doctors, check it out

Suz-E-Q · Post by **Suz-E-Q** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:03 pm

I think the other symptom that was a huge clue for me was feeling so fatigued that I couldn't function. If it goes on long enough the sleep deprivation becomes almost debilitating. I shudder to even thing about how foggy I was day in and day out. As I told my doc, I am a new person.

Get over the doc fear...take care of yourself and get the study.

Here is another thing. You say that you wake up gasping over a week long period and then nothing for 6 months. I thought I only woke up maybe once or twice/night....but the test indicated that I would wake an average of 26 times/hour. You aren't even aware that you are waking because it is just enough to start breathing again.

Get the test find out if you have a problem.

TennDave · Post by **TennDave** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:05 pm

Just because you score average on that scale (like I do) that doesn't mean you don't have Sleep Apnea. I had hardly any of the symptoms except my wife saying I snored but a sleep study showed I have moderate apnea. The true test is how much oxygen you're getting during your sleep.

Mile High Sleeper · Post by **Mile High Sleeper** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:29 pm

Read the short article in the light bulb above/our collective wisdom, for list of symptoms and take the first online quiz from the book Sleep Apnea - The Phantom of the Night (linked in article) and show it to a doctor.
cpaptalk-articles/evaluating-sleep-apnea-symptoms.html

Better to check out sleep apnea than deal with heart disease, stoke, diabetes, or a car crash.

JZ · Post by JZ » Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:52 pm

TennDave wrote:Just because you score average on that scale (like I do) that doesn't mean you don't have Sleep Apnea. I had hardly any of the symptoms except my wife saying I snored but a sleep study showed I have moderate apnea. The true test is how much oxygen you're getting during your sleep.

I agree, TennDave. If I took the Epworth test before cpap, I probably would have had a score of about 7 even though I have mild to moderate OSA. I am guessing that some of us have a deceptively low score because although we may be exhausted we have trouble falling asleep. I have never fallen asleep while stopped in traffic or while talking to someone. Before cpap I took naps when I could, but it often took me 30-45 minutes to fall asleep.

Janna

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:25 pm

2. IN the midlle of the night i gasp for a breathe..... Its not every night, its like maybe one week all week and then noting for 6 months...

Gasping for breathe at night is a problem. When it gets to a point where you are actually afraid to go to sleep you may be motivated to see a doctor. Also, when it gets to that point you will more than likely be experiencing chest pain in the morning. Been there, done that. There is only one cure. It's called a ReMed VPAP Adapt SV. Good luck.

Cheers

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:15 pm

I agree, TennDave. If I took the Epworth test before cpap, I probably would have had a score of about 7 even though I have mild to moderate OSA. I am guessing that some of us have a deceptively low score because although we may be exhausted we have trouble falling asleep. I have never fallen asleep while stopped in traffic or while talking to someone. Before cpap I took naps when I could, but it often took me 30-45 minutes to fall asleep.

i have to say i have never fallen asleep while talking to someone, and i've never fallen asleep at the wheel...i have fallen asleep almost immediately upon reaching my destination, and i definitely fall asleep if someone else is driving...my score was still 18...there is a difference between exhaustion and sleepiness...part of the reason so many people don't get a timely diagnosis is because they tell their doctor they're exhausted or fatigued, but what most doctors need to hear is that you are excessively sleepy, which is why this scale is used by many sleep specialists...excessive daytime sleepiness is a major symptom of severe sleep apnea...don't know, but maybe that's the key...maybe this scale is more accurate for those whose OSA is severe?...anyway, i just posted the link as an adjunct to the other link, "do you think you have sleep apnea" as part of the self-screening process

Do I Have Apnea?

Do I Have Apnea?

Is this apnea?

Re: Do I Have Apnea?

evaluating your sleep

Re: Do I Have Apnea?