Scared

[drj130]

BeanMeScot , I'm not sure if I have that number yet. I'm going to guess that it deals with the CPAP machine. I don't have that yet, but I should be finding out today when i go to see another Doctor about that. Just have to love the Army when it comes to this stuff. I can understand them wanting to do somethings in house, but knowing my luck, i'll be doing another test when i go.

My thanks to every one. I've been reading some of the past and newer posts here and they have been informative. There are some things that i don't yet understand, but i'm sure that will pass as i learn more from here and you all.
Next step will be to try and keep the military from kicking me out once i get this. That's gonna be real fun. lol.

[yardbird]

Sleep Apnea by itself is apparently not going to separate you from the service. They'll look at your time in service and other factors and will likely put you on restricted assignment basically stating WHERE you can be deployed. I had a friend with 20 years service. He was stateside and after he was issued a CPAP machine he was told no more moves outside the US (PCS or TDY) except Hawaii and Alaska. If you're already in Germany you might see a restriction that's basically going to keep you in places where you can be on your CPAP at night .... meaning, no tent city in "you-pick-it-a-stan" and non-combat.

Let your CO know you still want to serve, even in a support role. If there are a lot of factors besides sleep apnea involved, your commander may be asked to respond to a medical board review. If your entry physical does not show breathing problems or sleep apnea then you have a case for "service related".

Absolute worst case (I doubt this will happen) if they separate you, you'll get 50% hands down without even having 20 years in.

Your wife sounds like mine. My wife had her hand on my chest at night to shake me and get me breathing again. Hang on to her. Keep her safe and love her as unconditionally as she's obviously lovin' you. Keep us posted.

[BeanMeScot]

BeanMeScot , I'm not sure if I have that number yet. I'm going to guess that it deals with the CPAP machine. I don't have that yet, but I should be finding out today when i go to see another Doctor about that. Just have to love the Army when it comes to this stuff. I can understand them wanting to do somethings in house, but knowing my luck, i'll be doing another test when i go.

The AHI is the number of Apneas and Hypopneas you have per hour. Basically, it represents the number of times you wake up, have lowered oxygen or a significant constriction in your airway each hour you sleep. >30 is considered severe apnea. I would suspect your AHI is higher than 30 as well. When you get your CPAP machine, it will reduce your AHI, hopefully to below 5. The only way to verify that, outside of a sleep study, is to have a data capable machine. Unfortunately, I doubt that the US Army will give you anything other than the cheapest machine. Otherwise, the only thing you have to go on is how you feel. You will see when most people here talk about how well they are doing on CPAP, they give their AHI.

[LinkC]

An RDI over 30 is considered severe sleep apnea and yours is 38. Your AHI number would also help. Anything over 10 is considered Sleep Apnea, although most people find <5 makes us feel the best.

AHI is also 38 (AI:11 + HI:27 = AHI:38)

drj130: Yes, you are in the "severe" range, but just barely. (My untreated AHI was 95 !) I echo that telling you it's "really bad" without additional info really sucks. It's far less "bad" than you are probably thinking right now.

Without "blowing butterflies", let me point out some positives that will occur now that you know about your apnea. CPAP therapy will quickly have you under control...probably under 1 AHI. You will feel better, your memory will likely improve, you will have lots more energy (yes, THAT kind, too! <wink, wink>) Since these symptoms came on gradually, right now you probably don't realize how much better you felt before OSA. Given your age and fitness, you will likely see results very quickly. Sure, masks and machines are a hassle...but it will become second nature and makes SO much difference in your quality of life. We've all been there and I've never known anyone thought it wasn't worth the hassle. OK, /peptalk!

Keep checking in here with questions, and for info and/or encouragement. Finding out you have OSA is a GOOD thing, considering the alternative of having it and not knowing...

[Jason S.]

Otherwise, the only thing you have to go on is how you feel. You will see when most people here talk about how well they are doing on CPAP, they give their AHI.

I disagree. The only truly reliable and worthwhile indicator of your therapy is how you feel. If your data capable machine showed an AHI of zero, but you still felt unwell, should you be satisfied with that? If you witnessed your own cardiogram flatline, would you then be dead? Is it normal even for people not diagnosed with OSA to experience a few AHI's during the night? Does chasing after diminishing returns for unobtainable lower AHI's produce anxiety which actually increases sleeplessness? It wasn't a machine that first alerted you to your health problems, it was sickness, fatigue etc. So why do you need a machine to tell you that your therapy is working?

[ozij]

Otherwise, the only thing you have to go on is how you feel. You will see when most people here talk about how well they are doing on CPAP, they give their AHI.

I disagree. The only truly reliable and worthwhile indicator of your therapy is how you feel.

Neither only, nor reliable - but definitely worthwhile. Its not reliable because some people do not have terrible symptoms, nor do they realize how much they have deteriorated. Nobody should ignore the way they feel just because the numbers are right. And people do eventually find they are feeling better.

It wasn't a machine that first alerted you to your health problems, it was sickness, fatigue etc. So why do you need a machine to tell you that your therapy is working?

However:

The only reason i had the first test done was because my Soldiers complained about my snoring.

drj130, you have much to thank your Soldiers for!

O.

[drj130]

The support here, without even getting to the next stage, is outstanding. I thank you all.
I just talked to the people in Landsthul, and i'm to go there on the 10th of July to see another Doctor, (the Army, what do you expect) and to do the test to see what will work best for me. From my understanding i should, again this is the Army we're talking about, have my machine maybe no later than the 15th of July. What is nice, is that they have someone who'll bring it and all needed equipment to me. I will also remember to ask for a data capable machine. Who knows, i just might get lucky.
LinkC, that kind of energy is 'always' welcome. lol
yardbird, that is good information to know. I'm sure that when my mom hears that there is a very good chance that I won't get deployed anymore, it will help her stop worrying so much about me. Of course, because she is my mom, she'll worry anyways.
ozij, I've been told many times in the past that I snored, even by my ex-wife, just never thought that it was causing me the trouble that it is. I have, and will keep telling my Soldiers thanks. It shows that not only do they trust me, but the care about me as well. Which in today's Army is very important.

Thanks again everyone. You're support is outstanding. Now comes the fun part of telling the wife she'll have to deal with the man in the mask. hehe

[rested gal]

drj130, you're going to do fine. You already have the support of a loving wife, and you have the right attitude about making things work. You also found your way to this great message board where you'll find plenty of help to make it work comfortably and effectively.

The only truly reliable and worthwhile indicator of your therapy is how you feel.

For many people, effective cpap treatment does make them feel better.

However, there are many other reasons a person might not feel one bit better on CPAP therapy even if CPAP treatment is taking care of the sleep disordered breathing issue perfectly. There can always be additional health reasons that can leave the person feeling worn out, exhausted, tired, sleepy, whatever. Things like other illnesses, thyroid problems, side effects from meds, poor sleep hygiene, and other sleep disorders that have nothing to do with "breathing" -- like Periodic Limb Movement disorder, etc. Untreated or undertreated GERD can lead to arousals during sleep that wreck the sleep architecture. Problems with pain can also cause sleep fragmenting arousals. People can have many, many arousals that are like micro-wakeups, disturbing sleep without the person "waking" enough to be aware of them.

There can also be sleep disruptions caused by the equipment itself... mask problems especially.... that need to be worked on. Equipment problems that often leave them feeling worse or sleepier than before CPAP. That's where this message board can help a lot, with hints and tips to make treatment more comfortable. Sometimes in the first days or weeks of treatment, people are trading the sleep disruptions of apneas for sleep disruptions from trying to sleep with all that strange equipment, even though the AHI and leak rate look fine.

If your data capable machine showed an AHI of zero, but you still felt unwell, should you be satisfied with that?

Nope.

So why do you need a machine to tell you that your therapy is working?

Because that would be useful information which would lead me to think:

"Good...I can see that my sleep disordered breathing is well treated. Now, I have to be a detective and start figuring out what OTHER issues may be making me continue to feel awful."

[Jason S.]

However, there are many other reasons a person might not feel one bit better on CPAP therapy even if CPAP treatment is taking care of the sleep disordered breathing issue perfectly. There can always be additional health reasons that can leave the person feeling worn out, exhausted, tired, sleepy, whatever. Things like other illnesses, thyroid problems, side effects from meds, poor sleep hygiene, and other sleep disorders that have nothing to do with "breathing" -- like Periodic Limb Movement disorder, etc. Untreated or undertreated GERD can lead to arousals during sleep that wreck the sleep architecture. Problems with pain can also cause sleep fragmenting arousals. People can have many, many arousals that are like micro-wakeups, disturbing sleep without the person "waking" enough to be aware of them.

Good point. I was looking at OSA as an isolated issue and didn't consider additional health problems might muddy the waters.

[Hawthorne]

I'm just adding to Rested Gal's comments about how you feel not necessarily being the total indicator of how effective your cpap therapy is.

I have sleep apnea but I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis which has a strong fatigue component. I also take medications for the Reumatoid Arthritis that have fatigue as a side effect.

My RA is under pretty good control, with meds and exercise but, sometimes I will have pain in a joint or joints during the night because I have done too much that day and aggravated the joints.

If my data is a bit out of whack, I know why. It's not the sleep apnea, it's the RA.

Given this, I need to have the software and reader to check my therapy regularly so that I am certain that my sleep apnea is being treated optimally.

When I know this, I can look to the other factors that influence how I feel and deal with them and know that I am not at risk for the problems related to untreated sleep apnea.

Bottom line - A non data capable machine is virtually useless to me because I can't judge the effectiveness of my cpap therapy by how I feel. I need the software too, to see the data.

Of course, that's not the only reason to have the software, reader and a data capable machine.
We ALL want to get optimal therapy! A data capable machine, the software and the reader help us get that

[Songbird]

Hi, drj130. Welcome to the forum!!

I will also remember to ask for a data capable machine.

Be very careful about this. There are machines with smart cards that only record the fact that you used the machine; they don't actually give the details we need to monitor our progress, such as how many apenas and hypopneas we experienced (AHI) or what our mask leak rate was. That's the kind of info we need. But because these other machines have the smart cards, even though they record VERY little data, it's very easy for a person to be convinced that what they have is data capable. Not all machines with smart cards are data capable. What we mean by data capable is one that will support a card reader and recording software (which usually is not paid by insurance; I don't know about the Army). Read the "yellow lightbulb" articles (above) and be ready for that appointment. And like Babs said, having an auto machine would be best. The difference? A straight cpap machine is set at a particular pressure; an auto machine is set for a range with high and low limits, but it also can be used in the straight cpap mode, so it's the best of both worlds. If you can get an auto machine (also called apap), go for it!

Now comes the fun part of telling the wife she'll have to deal with the man in the mask. hehe

I'll be soooooo surprised if that's an issue at all. Not only because she loves you, but also because HER sleep will be better, since she won't need to listen to the snores and other odd noises that come from we apena-challenged types. My ex-husband was diagnosed with SA and used a cpap machine long before I had any idea that I had it, too, and I can remember being so thankful for HIS machine making it possible for ME to sleep better, both because I didn't have to listen to the walls vibrating anymore or -- worse -- the absolute stillness in the room when he stopped breathing. Masks go on when you sleep. Don't worry about the rest. You'll be fine.

Marsha

[Snorebert]

drj130,
Welcome to this wonderful place. You will find a lot of really good people here. Read, ask and then add your thoughts too.
You have already gotten some very good words of advice. At the point that you begin using a CPAP machine, you may very likely have some difficulty in adjusting to it. Stay on this forum and take the advice and encouragement offered up so that you can be a success story.

May I offer up one more piece of advice? That wonderful women to whom you are married needs to understand what OSA is and how the CPAP machine can help you. She already knows that there is a problem but if you are scared, she must be too. If you have not done so already, you might ask her to go to the "Where a CPAP Newbie should start" thread at the top of the first page of this forum. In there is a wealth of information about sleep apnea and CPAP that you should share with her. There are some good links to videos that do a good job of describing what is happening to you. The knowledge will give you both power.

Wishing you the best!

-Clark

[jdm2857]

The ResMed video (in one of the above-mentioned links) explains OSA and CPAP very well.

[rested gal]

The ResMed video (in one of the above-mentioned links) explains OSA and CPAP very well.

Indeed it does. Thanks for the reminder about that video, jdm!

http://www.resmed.com/us/multimedia/und ... 40x380.swf

[Babette]

drj130, not sure if this will be a plus to your wife or not, but many men here report that once they are getting good therapy, they regain the "morning wood" syndrome.

If your wife is chasing toddlers around, she may not be as thrilled about this as you might be.

Anyway, in case it makes the "man in the mask" situation more palatable to your wife, you might mention this to her.

Or not, as the case may be.....

LOL,
B.