Acid Reflux or apnea episode?? what to do?

[lebowski8]

Overall, my AHI is down to 1.8ish. That's a great thing.

In the last week, though, I've had this happen on three occasions (twice at night, once during a afternoon nap) :

Drifting off to sleep, about 30 minutes after I've started the CPAP, I wake up coughing and choking. Usually it scares me a little, I think I'm suffocating in my half-sleep.
...Pretty much similar to those all-to-many episodes in the bad old days before I got treated (except that would happen about 4 or 5 times in the first hour before sleep).

It's never happened several hours into sleep. Just during the first 30 minutes. It's never happened on my return to sleep after geetin up to use the bathroom.

Any ideas what it could be? Any ideas for self-treatment, or should I take it up with the doctor?

looking forward to your replies!

(now off to try to get back to sleep)

[edit: ... tonight it's definitely indigestion / reflux / heartburn something or other-- feeling a burn from mid sternum up to throat, acid taste in my mouth... took some Zantac
suppose i should get this checked out, i get indigestion sometimes 4x a week! ]

[mars]

[edit: ... tonight it's definitely indigestion / reflux / heartburn something or other-- feeling a burn from mid sternum up to throat, acid taste in my mouth... took some Zantac
suppose i should get this checked out, i get indigestion sometimes 4x a week! ]

Hi lebowski8

From what you say it sounds as though you have not taken the acid reflux seriously enough. I would suggest you get it thoroughly checked out with a Ph study, and an endoscopy, to see how your esophagus is.

I know how hard it is to deal with all these things when one is sleep deprived, but now you have a chance to go forward.
So I hope you replace "suppose I should" with "I definitely will", you may still have time to avoid the worst effects of reflux disease.

Look after yourself.

cheers

Mars

[Jason S.]

1. I've had GERD come up my esophagus twice, with feelings of vomit and choking, both times resulting from sleeping without CPAP. I have no chronic GERD problems outside of the occasional heartburn I can offset with Tums. For me, I think the closed airway (with no CPAP) facilitates GERD rising up my esophagus. If it happens with CPAP on, then I'm going to have to ask the doc about it.

2. Are you the same Lebowski that posts on Rotten Tomatoes?

[Jason S.]

No doubt your overindulgence in White Russians is the main culprit of your malady.

[GrumpyGurl]

Yummm.....white russians......

[lebowski8]

2. Are you the same Lebowski that posts on Rotten Tomatoes?

Nope... I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing


I got sick of the avatar/alias I was using from 1994 to 2008. So this year I decided to change it to Lebowski8. At the moment, I think I'm joined to only 3 or 4 forums with this moniker, and rottentomatoes isn't one of them (i don't post there, only read for the reviews).