heart failure and mixed apnea

[mtn aire]

i am experiencing heart failure signs along with mixed apnea. many years ago at initial dx- dr. said lose weight and supposedly i would be 'cured' of my apnea. well i did w/ help of wt. watchers- despite disabilites made lifetime w/ loss of 90+ pounds. still had breathing issues. now my wt has gone up and up and up again---edema gets bad ( pitting up to knees, plus abdomen).

i am wondering if anyone here has seen connectin between wt. loss and improved apnea symptoms also, chicken or the egg- heart failure and then apnea or vice-versa??

[DreamStalker]

Obesity is the result of hormonal dysregulation which can occur from toxic diet or untreated OSA or both. It becomes a feedback loop when neck fat increases severity of OSA and OSA increases severity of hormonal dysregulation and fat accumulation. OSA also damages your heart. Your edema is likely due to systemic chronic inflammation and a build up of toxins throughout your body.

Solution: Eat a diet of lots of fresh veggies and moderate fresh meat and stay away from all grain products, sugars, industrial (liquid) oils, and everything else that for-profit corporations try and pass off as a food substance. Until you begin to heal you may also need to avoid dairy, legumes, and strachy vegetables. Move your body and walk every day without fail (and exercise at what ever level you can by lifting weights or doing basic calisthenics). Get good nightly sleep with 100% compliance and efficacy with your CPAP. Mitigate stress any way that you can. Make sure your blood pressure is well controlled even if you have to use anti-hypertensive drugs for now. Start visualizing a positive outlook for your health ... the body/mind has an amazing ability to heal itself.

Best wishes with your health.

[BlackSpinner]

i am experiencing heart failure signs along with mixed apnea. many years ago at initial dx- dr. said lose weight and supposedly i would be 'cured' of my apnea. well i did w/ help of wt. watchers- despite disabilites made lifetime w/ loss of 90+ pounds. still had breathing issues. now my wt has gone up and up and up again---edema gets bad ( pitting up to knees, plus abdomen).

i am wondering if anyone here has seen connectin between wt. loss and improved apnea symptoms also, chicken or the egg- heart failure and then apnea or vice-versa??

All of the above for various peoples. You can have OSA as a skinny person and as a result put on weight. Your doctor was sadly behind the times. Get another sleep study and get a proper cpap machine and use it when ever you sleep.

[SleepyToo2]

i am experiencing heart failure signs along with mixed apnea. many years ago at initial dx- dr. said lose weight and supposedly i would be 'cured' of my apnea. well i did w/ help of wt. watchers- despite disabilites made lifetime w/ loss of 90+ pounds. still had breathing issues. now my wt has gone up and up and up again---edema gets bad ( pitting up to knees, plus abdomen).

i am wondering if anyone here has seen connectin between wt. loss and improved apnea symptoms also, chicken or the egg- heart failure and then apnea or vice-versa??

If you have untreated sleep apnea you are doing significant damage to your body - brain to toes (probably, I don't have evidence of that, but it makes sense to me!). If you are not sleeping properly you will gain weight because you will be too tired to exercise, your metabolism is way off, and there will be limited "recovery" of body functions that are damaged during the day (the recovery does occur with normal sleep). It ends up becoming a vicious cycle where you can't exercise because you are too tired, to overweight, so you will gain more weight. It is nonsense to say that if you lose weight your apnea will be cured. Weight loss is always beneficial (unless you are already at a BMI of 19) for a variety of health reasons, but "curing" apnea is not one of them. Apnea is usually anatomical - narrow throat structure. That is impossible to fix without extensive (and painful) surgery that may or may not work. The weight loss may help reduce the severity of your apnea, but it will not cure it.

If you have mixed apnea you need to find a doctor who specializes in the treatment of sleep disorders. You will need to be prescribed a machine that is probably more complex than a straight CPAP, and you will use it every time you sleep. Remember that just as sleep apnea causes many problems in the body, it is not the only cause. So don't expect a miracle cure of your heart failure signs. However, there is a good chance that over time your symptoms will improve because the body is generally working better. Just as changing oil in your car helps the mechanics work better, ensuring your body is getting a good supply of oxygen through the night ensures that your body works better. Sometimes you will need "mechanical engineering" that is a little more complex than just changing the oil.

So, if your current doc still insists that treatment of sleep apnea is "just" losing weight, run a mile as fast as you can to another doc who recognizes that it is a mechanical problem that needs specialized treatment with an air pressure device during the night.

Good luck, and keep posting with your questions/progress!

[Sir NoddinOff]

I think good sleep is the key to good health. I suspect in the future, the medical profession will look back at so many of our current diseases/maladies and recognize the total or partial causality as related to sleep apnea, ie. both conventional OSA and central based events playing a role.

[MaxDarkside]

I weigh about 165-170 lbs, 6' 1", a BMI of around 21. I have OSA, and somewhat "skinny" so losing weight may help, but also may not be a cure. My heart stopped in a parking lot, or nearly so, probably ventricular fibrillation that self-resolved according to the doctors and nurses, and I do believe it was principally caused by my sleep apnea because my arrhythmias seem to have lessened with APAP treatment.

I think what DreamStalker says above has a lot of wisdom in it.

[Xney]

Sleep apnea puts a lot of stress on your body and cardiovascular system, no matter your weight.

[ozze_dollar]

I am sure losing weight would help me with my health but, its not easy to lose weight. I am 6 ft tall and 100 kg. I can remenber when i was at my best i was 20 kg lighter. We just have to battle on and do our best.

[mtn aire]

thank you all. i was hoping the machine would be the 'magic pill'.... cure me of my spastic jerking, obesity, heart issues etc. that's a lot to ask i know.... ckn or the egg deal i guess.
due to the central aspect of my apnea guess it's a bit more challenging... i have read too high a setting of pressure and centrals are triggered, too low and then the obstructives are not managed.
right now i eat very little due to painful gastro conditions- and to think i overate before :roll
btw- excess air is aggravating my gastro illnesses/hernias.. ouuuuuch...
again thx 4 your help

[chunkyfrog]

There is no "magic pill".
Cpap is just one of a whole flock of ducks that need to lined up and used to work for us.
Sleep is very important; it needs to be paired with good nutrition, hydration, exercise, and good attitude.
The more ducks you line up, the better your chances.