HELP

beanie · Post by **beanie** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:23 am

Last night my husband woke and couldn't catch his breath. It was as though he was choking. Couldn't breath, couldn't get out what was stuck. Sounded like he was trying to breath sucking in air as hard as he could, but couldn't get anything. After maybe eight gasps, he finally was able to breath.

This isn't the first time I've noticed the gasping, but this was the worst. I've told him before that I've laid awake counting the seconds between breaths. Sometimes 30 seconds and then right before I shake him awake, he breaths deeply.

He's stubbord and I'm not sure that even last night will scare him into a doctors visit.

Anybody out there have any advice for me? Sounds to me like he's added Acid Reflux (hence the choking) to his sleep apnea.

He also has loud snoring, has for years. Had surgery for a deviated nasal septum 20 years ago which did nothing to stop the snoring.

wahooker · Post by **wahooker** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:37 am

This really sounds like my wife could have posted it a few years back, before I got tested for Apnea.

All of that is classic Sleep Apnea. The Severe Snoring, Stopping Breathing, Acid Reflux...

Other than explaining to him the potential risks of untreated OSA, I'm not sure how you can get him to go get checked out.

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:44 am

See if you can find a way to get him to record some blood O2 data.
O2 sensors are not very invasive. I'll bet the data may scare him into doing
something.

beanie · Post by **beanie** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:49 am

please explain 02 data and how we get it

JCraig · Post by **JCraig** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:52 am

O2 = Oxygen. In Apnea, the level of oxygen in your blood drops, sometimes severely.

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:58 am

Take a look at this link:

viewtopic.php?t=5463&highlight=oxygen+meter+metre

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:09 am

JCraig wrote:O2 = Oxygen. In Apnea, the level of oxygen in your blood drops, sometimes severely.

Yes, o2 = oxygen. My question though was geared more toward, what are we looking for when measuring it i.e., normal level vs low level.

Also, while oldgearhead pointed me toward a helpful post, I need a low cost yet effective way of getting the 02 info. ???

Pad A Cheek · Post by **Pad A Cheek** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:22 am

Hi

Your doctor can most likely arrange for your husband to be tested for free. The Durable Medical Equipment providers have a Pulse Oximeter that they will let you use overnight in your own bed. This service is as far as I know. You then return the Pulse Oximeter to them and they will download the data and send it to your doctor.
If the O2 levels indicate a problem the doctor will likely ask your husband to have a sleep study done.
It is a journey all to familiar to many on this board. We are here to help.

Good luck with that and I do hope your husband gets the treatment he needs to have a more full life.

Karen Moore

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:23 am

beanie wrote:Last night my husband woke and couldn't catch his breath. It was as though he was choking. Couldn't breath, couldn't get out what was stuck. Sounded like he was trying to breath sucking in air as hard as he could, but couldn't get anything. After maybe eight gasps, he finally was able to breath.

This isn't the first time I've noticed the gasping, but this was the worst. I've told him before that I've laid awake counting the seconds between breaths. Sometimes 30 seconds and then right before I shake him awake, he breaths deeply.

He's stubbord and I'm not sure that even last night will scare him into a doctors visit.

Anybody out there have any advice for me? Sounds to me like he's added Acid Reflux (hence the choking) to his sleep apnea.

He also has loud snoring, has for years. Had surgery for a deviated nasal septum 20 years ago which did nothing to stop the snoring.

You can tell him that he can go and get checked out for sleep apnea now or he can wait until he gets a stroke ... and if he survives, the first thing the docs will do is check him out for sleep apnea. My sleep doc told me just yesterday that it is now common practice to check stroke survivors for OSA.

- roberto

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:30 am

Forgot to add that my sleep doc also told me yesterday that the techs administering my sleep study (a month and a half ago now) got really scared that I was going to have a heart attack. My EKG monitor was showing that my heart was under severe stress during my apnea episodes with oxygen levels as low as 60%.

Force your husband to get checked out!

- roberto

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:42 am

I doin't mean to be "piling on", but do bear in mind that a recent and very important study from the Yale University School of Medicine showed that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for stroke and heart-attack. That means, that, regardless of what other risk factors you may have , OR NOT HAVE (such as smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, family history), simply having sleep apnea is associated with increased risks of having a stroke or heart-attack.

If you and your husband value your lives together and wish to do what you can to have those lives CONTNUE together, he needs to consult a sleep doctor (usually a pulmonologist and hopefully, one that you can trust) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Best of luck to you.

Chuck

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:41 am

GoofyUT wrote:If you and your husband value your lives together and wish to do what you can to have those lives CONTNUE together, he needs to consult a sleep doctor (usually a pulmonologist and hopefully, one that you can trust) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Best of luck to you.

Chuck

beanie,

Ditto on what Chuck said.

If your husband is stubborn and doesn't want to go, start asking him if his life insurance is paid up and if it's enough and make sure that you're the beneficiary. That may get his attention.
The treatment/therapy is NOT bad.....it's the UN-treated affliction that's the killer.
Also, if you can get him to sit down at the computer and read this forum, we'll be glad to have a chat with him about this subject.

Best wishes,

Den

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