need, or not need, cpap? - really confused newbie q

[johnspartanII]

I had the very same stomach symptoms as you and the GP finally turned it over to a Gastroenterologist, they did a scope of my stomach and found the linning extremely irritated, he took a culture and found it to be a bacterial infection called Helicobacter pylori or h.pylori for short. I then underwent dual antibiotic therapy.

Unfortunately - no sign of h.pylori, checked twice, two different ways, one biopsy. I wished when this first occurred.. prayed actually, that that would be what it was. Used to be, nobody wished for a ulcer... No such luck.

[johnspartanII]

Just want to say, did the titration yesterday... was not particularly pleasant. I think I slept a grand total of 2 hours of the 8, then went home and crashed for a few more. I reckon figuring that stuff out, mask size, etc is a challenge. However, I saw another doc today, unrelated, an MD who works in integrative medicine, and applies just about any kind of medicine that he sees working well, and this guy also thought my data was not serious enough to warrant cpap. Hmmm.

On the other hand, there's no way every doc can possibly know everything about every field.. either way I'm still doubting.

Thanks again for all your quick replies! I am impressed.

[roster]

Just want to say, did the titration yesterday... was not particularly pleasant. I think I slept a grand total of 2 hours of the 8, then went home and crashed for a few more. I reckon figuring that stuff out, mask size, etc is a challenge. However, I saw another doc today, unrelated, an MD who works in integrative medicine, and applies just about any kind of medicine that he sees working well, and this guy also thought my data was not serious enough to warrant cpap. Hmmm.

On the other hand, there's no way every doc can possibly know everything about every field.. either way I'm still doubting.

Thanks again for all your quick replies! I am impressed.

I like to gamble and I would readily bet that MD doesn't know what UARS is and how deadly it is. He seems to take the position that if you only have hypopneas, no treatment is justified. The medical profession has been irresponsible on educating themselves about the diagnosis, danger and treatments of sleep-disordered breathing. Some are starting to catch up but not the majority - yet.

[DoriC]

My son is a well educated and respected MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine for almost 20yrs, with a Ph.D in Integrative Medicine and he readily admits that he is out of his league in the diagnosis or treatment of OSA. This is a very specialized field which,sad to say,is still in it's infancy. The posts about "sleep specialists" on this forum seem to bear that out. Hope you get to the bottom of this.

[johnspartanII]

My son is a well educated and respected MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine for almost 20yrs, with a Ph.D in Integrative Medicine and he readily admits that he is out of his league in the diagnosis or treatment of OSA. This is a very specialized field which,sad to say,is still in it's infancy. The posts about "sleep specialists" on this forum seem to bear that out. Hope you get to the bottom of this.

Thanks Rooster and Dori. : )

Yeah I feel terrible, my anxiety is off the chart. I'm really trying to get that under control...

the thing about this that is weird is, as far as I could tell, I was sleeping reasonably fine until my bizarre stomach thing occurred... and has gotten worse and worse the longer I have had no diagnosis, so the idea that I am sleeping terribly due to horrible depression and anxiety as a result of no diagnosis is not completely irrational. It was only because my sleep was getting so junky, period, that I thought to go to the sleep doc so he could check me out. I admit it's possible that an apnea problem has just been growing over time, and perhaps it's only coincidence that it has worsened at the same time as I got this stomach thing.

since the stomach pressure seems to make breathing more difficult, I have been wondering if that has been compromising my sleep that way. The g.i. docs I've seen so far have not intimated anything, and since they don't see anything serious there (in the gi area) they haven't really done anything but shrug.

So my question has become then - not whether cpap is helpful, because presumably if you're having apneas or hypopneas as they are known, it does help quite a bit once you figure out what mask etc is right for you - but! - whether

a) you can have some other kind of hampering of your breathing at night that is not typically a throat structure issue that would be helped by it, or
b) if I could exhibit symptoms of sleep apnea that are NOT helped by it - because the problem doesn't lie physically in that area.

I grilled the tech who did the titration about this (although I realize he's not the doc) and he believed that sleep problems caused by other areas of your body would definitely show based on all the wires they have hooked up all over me (i.e. legs, chest, stomach, brain) in terms of a different apnea cause (neurological, etc).

[BlackSpinner]

Since I have been on Cpap my stomach issues at night have gotten much better. I don't have stuff coming up when I sleep anymore. Considering the stress in my life right now that is very amazing.
Get on the cpap machine and see whether it helps.

[roster]

You wrote a lot and it seems you need a diagnosis. I am a big supporter of this internet forum because it helps so many patients with their treatment. But for diagnosis of what you are describing, you need a good doctor(s). I encourage you to post here all you want, but get a diagnosis from your doctors. Once you get that nailed down, on this forum there is much patient experience with treatment which can help you.

[johnspartanII]

black - i will.

Rooster - Thanks. Yes, I agree. I have seen probably 30-40 docs in the last 6 months, but nobody's really been able to agree on anything besides the fact that yes, my stomach annoys me, they can see it, and that I'm pretty damn depressed. I have been attempting psychiatric assistance as well, but so far that hasn't been going very well due to the doctors I've managed to see. Of course I'm still looking, but the lack of decent sleep and nightmares has been making it more and more difficult... hence why I went to a sleep doc.

I will keep you guys posted as to the results of trying the cpap machine.

j