severe osa

[flylow]

My AHI on my initial study was 79 with minimum SAO2 of about 88. My wife says I snore very loudly. I have been putting off the sleep study for years because I sleep very well. I do not seem to have the sleepiness, concentration issues etc that goes hand in hand with OSA. Is this common? It doesn't make sense to me. I am currently awaiting my titration results.

[roster]

What were the symptoms that caused you to go through a sleep study?

[amos]

Any AHI over 30 is considered severe. Yes, you do need to follow up on the titration study and get into cpap therapy even if you do not have all of the symptoms of sleep apnea.

The toll on you heart, lungs, brain and internal organs is very serious. With each apnea episodes all your internal organs are deprived of oxygen. My sleep doc says that it is like a slap to the heart each time. 79 heart slaps each hour can lead to serious problems.

Amos

[Guest]

What were the symptoms that caused you to go through a sleep study?

Wife complaints on snoring and observations of not breathing.

I never wake up from any of these events and wake up feeling like I slept soundly. No apparent day time symptoms of a sleep problem. Very curious to me. I had the titration study last Friday and am awaiting the results. This forum is great and I have learned a lot so far.

During the titration study, I feel asleep quickly and first awoke at 3AM with severe claustrophobia due to the pressure. I had to take a 10 minute break. It took me quite a while to calm down but managed to continue the study. I was then woken up at the conclusion of the study.

I plan on following through with the therapy.

[roster]

.............

I never wake up from any of these events and wake up feeling like I slept soundly. No apparent day time symptoms of a sleep problem. Very curious to me. ..........

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Titration

That is puzzling. On the other hand, I went undiagnosed so long that I thought feeling horrible was normal. When I would mention it to my friends they would say, "Oh yeah, I feel like that too. It's just our age and all the work-related stress".

If you feel well now, maybe you will feel like Superman on cpap.

[sleepyred]

Ditto here rooster - except I had numerous doctors tell me the same thing - until I was finally sent to a sleep specialist by my family doctor. Looking back (ain't hindsight 20/20?) I would have just paid the money and seen one myself, but they all had me convinced it was just whatever stage I was going through in my life. Being on a cpap has changed my life - and my husband is now sleeping well for the 1st time as well. Guess my tossing and turning was keeping him awake as well.

flylow if this is your quote as a guest:

Wife complaints on snoring and observations of not breathing.

I would take this very seriously - let us know when you have your set up and let us know how you are doing! You are correct when you speak of this forum - there are so many people who are very knowledgeable and so kindly willing and patiently answer endless questions about cpap therapy.

.............

I never wake up from any of these events and wake up feeling like I slept soundly. No apparent day time symptoms of a sleep problem. Very curious to me. ..........

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Titration

That is puzzling. On the other hand, I went undiagnosed so long that I thought feeling horrible was normal. When I would mention it to my friends they would say, "Oh yeah, I feel like that too. It's just our age and all the work-related stress".

If you feel well now, maybe you will feel like Superman on cpap.

[MLefholtz]

I have been putting off the sleep study for years because I sleep very well. I do not seem to have the sleepiness, concentration issues etc that goes hand in hand with OSA. Is this common? It doesn't make sense to me.
_________________

Hi Flylow. Can't really address how common your experience is, however mine was similar. I was snoring, stopping breathing, gasping for breath, but no noticable daytime symptoms. My initial AHI was 55 with a desat low of 70. I did/do feel better on cpap.

Mike

[flylow]

flylow if this is your quote as a guest:

Wife complaints on snoring and observations of not breathing.

Yes this quote was mine. I need to register to make that automatic and will do so.

There are some definite carrots for the treatment that I hope to realize:

1) Feel better because feeling like crap was so normal that I felt fine. Strangely worded I agree, but I think you will get what I am saying.

2) I saw something about people losing their appetite since the beginning of cpap therapy. Probably wishful thinking but will keep an open mind.

Man if either of these 2 possibilities come even partly true, what a benefit this will be aside from the obvious other benefits. My wife will certainly live a better life without the horrific snoring she has had to endure.

Thanks for all of the encouragement. I am anxious to get started. After the initial sleep study (attempted split test), I felt that I would rather die in my sleep than have to endure sleeping with the mask on. The tech slapped that puppy on me at 3 am with a high pressure setting (my guess) and sent me through the roof with claustrophobia and panic. I experienced a bit of this during the titration and had to take a break to calm down but all was well in a little bit. It should be interesting to see what the titration result is. I now feel confident that I will be able to make cpap therapy work.

Honestly the medical community should be more open. So what the technician is not a doctor. I should still be able to get information on the test right then and there. Why assume I am a moron that can't understand that a more highly trained professional may change the interpretation. I asked what the pressure was when I panicked and was told that she couldn't tell me. What kind of BS is that! I am sure that is the standard answer but I obviously feel this is wrong.

[roster]

[quote="flylow"]........ Why assume I am a moron that can't understand that a more highly trained professional may change the interpretation. I asked what the pressure was when I panicked and was told that she couldn't tell me. What kind of BS is that! I am sure that is the standard answer but I obviously feel this is wrong.

[JeffH]

If you had 79 events an hour, trust me, you aren't sleeping good.

When you stop breathing due to an apnea event, the body reacts with a shot of adrenalin to wake you up so you will breath. 79 shots of that stuff an hour doesn't make for good sleep.

[geoDoug]

I've agree with the others here. "Good" is a subjective feeling. What you consider "good" could be really crappy to somebody else. When I went to the sleep clinic, I got a real eye-opener when I took the questionaire that asked things like, "Do you fall asleep while reading/driving/sitting in a classroom?" I just assumed that everybody struggled with keeping their eyes open during a boring lecture. My standard for what constitutes a "good" day has gone way up since I've been on the cpap.

Doug.

[DawnTCB]

I just wanted to say, during my titration, I woke up in a panic with the hurricane force gale of my pressure of 20 blowing in my face and practically ripped my mask off my face - twice. My tech assured me that at home I could use the ramp feature and would be asleep by the time it got to that pressure, and if I woke up in a panic at home, I could just hit the ramp button and bring it back down. I also mentioned this to my doctor during my results visit and she said something like, "Yes, but you probably won't have to..." I didn't believe her, and I was comforted by the fact that the button would bring the pressure down to a tolerable level. And in the beginning, I DID use it occasionally when I woke up in the night.

After two months (tomorrow!) on the hose, I can honestly say I don't notice the pressure AT ALL. I often lay in bed with the pressure on full tilt after I wake up and I can't tell it is blowing. I have - several times - had to lift my mask up and check to see if it is still on. My pressure is the same but I have adapted. It feels like nothing now to me, just air. I have read many people on this forum say the same thing.

So even if your titration felt like you were being blown away, after a few weeks you will not even notice it. Don't imagine that scenario being played out every night for the rest of your life... it won't.

Dawn

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, Titration, Ramp

[flylow]

[quote="DawnTCB"]I just wanted to say, during my titration, I woke up in a panic with the hurricane force gale of my pressure of 20 blowing in my face and practically ripped my mask off my face - twice.

[jasper]

My story is much the same. Thought I slept ok, although was starting to have to get up often for a bathroom break - like 5 or 6 times. Chalked that up to age and BPH. My wife noticed I would stop breathing, and of course always snored. Didn't really feel that bad during the day, although a good nap after work was always something I could count on.

Bottom line, an AHI of 65, and I've been on CPAP for almost a year. Haven't really noticed any difference in overall energy, my BP hasn't really come down, and the weight is still "above optimal" as my sleep doc wrote it up. Given all of that, I'm convinced that the overall long term effect is positive. I do notice that when I nap now without CPAP (yeah, it happens) I feel really lousy.

I plan to continue therapy, and have been very compliant since the start. Now I just need to upgrade to something that will give me results. Currently stuck with the M-Series Plus.

Glad you went for a PSG. It's really worth it in the end.

[flylow]

[quote="jasper"] Now I just need to upgrade to something that will give me results. Currently stuck with the M-Series Plus.

Glad you went for a PSG. It's really worth it in the end.