How miserable were you before diagnosis?

[bilnap]

I'm 23 years old, and I can honestly say that the two or three years before my diagnosis were the worst of my life. Falling asleep on my couch after I got done coaching kids in the summers, falling asleep while studying during the school year, falling asleep a couple of times while driving back to college and anywhere else I would go that would require a 2-3 hour drive. I. WAS. MISERABLE. How about you guys?

I am 76, I woke myself up snoring in the library at college, about 55 years ago. I commuted and my visit to the library was a place to nap and catch up. I was diagnosed 5 years ago, tried it for 2 months, gave up and then tried it 3 months ago and have been at it ever since. Good that you found out and didn't have any accidents or problems.

[Desperate_in_DM]

I didn't think I could get any more miserable before my diagnosis. I've always had unrefreshed sleep, but it got worse 2 years ago when I had my son. Between waking up with him all night (he still wakes up 3-4 times a night) and my own wakings, I have been living on about 3 hours of sleep for several years.

I had morning headaches so bad I would sometimes vomit. Vertigo and dizziness that can drop me to my knees, Twice I've fallen asleep driving the 8 minutes it took me to get to work. One of those times I drove up on a curb. I was forced to resign from my job because of my irritability and uncontrollable rage. I fall alseep probably 5-6 times a day. Inflammation and pain all over my body. I'm sure there's more.

Then I started my CPAP a month ago and was hopeful that my suffering would end. Things have gotten worse, much worse.

[Goofproof]

I would fall asleep watching T.V. or driving to and from work. The worst was falling asleep driving at work, I drove a 900 HP truck hauling t150 tons of coal or rock 35 MPH over ground or rough roads, sitting over the engine the sound level was 125 DB, you would be bouncing 12 inched up and down and still sleep.

The miserable didn't come to play until I had a heart attact, that's when they discovered I had Sleep Apnea, took them 20 minutes to get the breathing tube in. Jim

[snuginarug]

My problems crept up on me gradually, and I adapted myself to them, so I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until I did my sleep questionnaire. I realized all the things they were asking about were true, and making my life so low in quality, I don't know how I kept going all these years. I had severe depression problems, so I wrote it all off to that, initially. But I have pretty much eliminated the depression problems... yet still all these symptoms dragging down my quality of life. Unless I was driving or talking to some one, I would fall asleep. Memory, coordination, stamina, motivation... all out the window. It was my psychiatrist who backed my plan to get a referral to a the sleep clinic, as we had been working on my insomnia for years with no real results. My PCP was enthusiastic about the idea and strongly encouraging about finding the right mask.

My mom has been suffering with OSA since I was a child, 35 years ago. I don't know how she holds it together, how she functions. I had been under the impression that OSA was not serious, just annoying. The minute I found out how serious it is, I wrote her long letter. I hope she gets the treatment and therapy she so desperately needs. She is 77 now, and really needs to be thinking about stroke risks and other such factors. I doubt that quality of life improvement would swing much weight with her, she is very dismissive of her own comfort and satisfaction. But hopefully the info about strokes and heart attacks will move her. I just thank god that I am more interested in my own comfort than my mother is in hers. Otherwise I would still be undiagnosed and untreated.

I am on week two now. I haven't had an easy time adjusting to the machine. But I have had a couple of days where I woke up feeling like wonderwoman. So I know in the end it will all be worth it.

[Mammal]

Although I don't know exactly how long I have had sleep apnea for, I have had 5 years of hell with my health. The problems have been:

2005 - Suffered a dozen panic attacks over 3 month period, and been anxious of reoccurrences ever since, despite counselling, medication.
2006 / 2007 - depression , anxiety
2008 - Kidney stone, gastric pain, another bout of panic attacks over 2 month period,
2009 - Gastric pain, daytime exhaustion, blood pressure creeping up slowly,
2010 - same as 2010

Since starting treatment on June 30 this year, these problems have significantly improved, and I have no doubt will soon be a thing of the past.

Whats interesting is that each time I went to a doctor or a specialist with a specific problem, they would only deal with that problem. Not one doctor or specialist ever mentioned sleep apnea as a possibility. It was only my own research that led me to considering sleep apnea as a possibility. Up to 12 months ago, I had never even heard of it ! Every single problem that I have mentioned above, (with the exception of the kidney stone), is a classic symptom of underlying sleep apnea.

My actual diagnosis of sleep apnea, highlights the ineptitude of my GP/s. I attend a medical centre close to home, that has about 15 doctors. I don't always get to see the same doctor every time, but they have a central computer system, so it doesn't matter which doctor you see, they all have access to your full medical file. When I received my sleep study results on June 30, (stating that I had severe sleep apnea), my sleep specialist was overseas, and therefore unavailable until July 28 2010. I spoke to the sleep specialist's receptionist, and she said to take the report to my local GP, to get advice and to see what they could do for me in the interim. So I went to my local GP that day. He was completely disinterested, barely bothered to read the report, and his advice was as follows:

1. Wait until your sleep specialist gets back on July 28. (In other words , just continue on your merry way stopping breathing 264 times per night at an average of 18 seconds per time).

2. Adopt a positive attitude, (difficult when you are utterly exhausted, anxious, etc),

3. Try and lose weight, (I am 20 kgs overweight), (difficult when you are utterly exhausted , having trouble controlling your hunger).

I left his office that day bewildered, confused, angry, you name it. I racked my brain on what to do next, when I remembered there was a pharmacy nearby, that provided advice on sleep apnea. Much to my relief, 45 minutes later, I walked out of the pharmacy with a hire machine, and I now sit down with my pharmacist, and review my results on a weekly basis.

I now know how lucky I am, in that I was able to get treatment so quickly, after reading posts on here, with people explaining that they had to wait weeks and months before they got a machine.

[kteague]

Although there are variables, the commonalities are overwhelming. Sobering to think there's a world full of others feeling as bad as I felt. I had been considering taking out one of those life insurance policies that doesn't require a medical exam, but does not pay until after 2 years, but didn't do it because I thought there was no way I could live 2 more years in this condition. Now I'm wishing I had taken out the policy!

[Guest]

Believe me I know what you mean about being tired...I work as a preschool teacher and open the building in the morning..It took all I had to not go to sleep with the little ones around..and there where times I just could not help it. I have been pretty bad of for about 10 years but the last 2-3 years have been the worst. I just received my machine saturday and already I feel a little better.(Not great but at least I don't want to sleep at the drop of a hat) I did not realize I was so bad until my husband said he was losing sleep due to the fact that I quit breathing often. I did not believe him until I got the sleep study done and the doctor told me I stop breathing 143 times and hour..that roughly ave. out to 1 time every 2.3 minutes...ouch...hope you feel better

[fasteddie]

I'm new to this forum, but glad I found it. Fun reading all the stories. I'm still not out of the woods. I've had trouble sleeping since I was a kid. Now in my 50's, it had gotten way worse, to the point that I could no longer deal with it. Sinus surgery helped a lot, but eventually the sleep problems came back worse than ever. I know some of it is how I deal with stress. But when I got my sleep study, they found a fair amount of events and hooked me up with a machine. Wished it would dramatically change my life instantly, but it didn't. Its been gradual. I'm still looking for the right combination of mask and settings.

[sleepymama]

i too was miserable before diagnosis and still only because i'm having some mask issues.
i knew something was wrong when i would doze while driving to work in the morning and even in the afternoon home. if i was at the light stopped i would dose. on our highway there is a bumpy part of the sides for sleepy drivers and once i was dozing and hit that which startled me. very scary. i seen the walk in clinic who did blood work and nothing came up. she told me to do a sleep study. i too would also get to the point if i was alone in the car and dozing that i would think i just didn't care if i drifted off the road. i was just so tired. i also would doze at work. i work in a school so when the teacher would be doing instruction i would doze. it was hard to keep my eyes open. when i would sit on the couch i would fall asleep.

anyhow i am just happy to know what is the cause of all my sleepyness. i was worried that it was all in my head for awhile there.

[bruce5500]

I had experienced some health issues for a long time, and they just kept getting worse. I would have bad acid reflux during the night and used antacids constantly as well as prescription medicines. They helped, but problem was always there. Also, I would get up every 1.5 to 2 hours to pee. Seems like for years each morning when I would get out of bed I would wonder why I felt more tired than when I had gone to bed. It was pretty much routine for me to fall asleep watching television or reading within just minutes. Testwork with a Urologist and other doctors showed I had nothing wrong. In a discussion with my wife, she reminded me of my sleep problems and how she thought I would stop breathing during the night. She had told me this for years. I basically dismissed it and figured she was wrong. Anyway, I am glad she pressed the issue and my primary care physician scheduled me for a sleep study. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea with an AHI of 92.6. Well, it has been a huge change getting used to sleeping with the "hose", but wow, what a change. From my first night on Bi-pap, I have not taken any medicines for acid reflux, and I have not gotten up even once to go to the bathroom. I wake up feeling more rested and can watch television and read without falling asleep. Not to mention the relief my poor heart is undoubtedly experiencing. Of course as you all know, this is not an easy journey, but I can not even imagine sleeping one night with out being connected to the "hose". And many thanks to this forum and its members for all the help and support you give to those who begin this change in their lives. Thank you all !!!

[tony72]

I'm 23 years old, and I can honestly say that the two or three years before my diagnosis were the worst of my life. Falling asleep on my couch after I got done coaching kids in the summers, falling asleep while studying during the school year, falling asleep a couple of times while driving back to college and anywhere else I would go that would require a 2-3 hour drive. I. WAS. MISERABLE. How about you guys?

you are 23 and have sa?wow.i was shocked to read that little kids can have sa!!!!.when i wake up,i dont know whether i been to sleep or not.