Do I have sleep apnea? ** Video's Included **

[bayarea925]

I have severe nasal polyps which forces me to breath solely through my mouth.

I dont have insurance, I'm a college student with little money.

I'm constantly tired and have trouble concentrating.

I feel sluggish and miserable all the time.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated...I cant live like this anymore.

youtube. com/watch?v=mBVefPlE9WY
youtube. com/watch?v=KXPen5K1jfU

please remove the spaces....I didnt feel like registering

[bayarea925]

No comments???

[So Well]

I have severe nasal polyps which forces me to breath solely through my mouth.

I dont have insurance, I'm a college student with little money.

I'm constantly tired and have trouble concentrating.

I feel sluggish and miserable all the time.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated...I cant live like this anymore.

I am not going to watch the videos, but if what you describe is true, you absolutely should not live like that anymore.

You need to see an ENT as a first step.

Most colleges have available health insurance fairly inexpensively for students. The enrollment period is generally at the beginning of the fall session. Find out what your college has and see whether you can afford it.

If there is a problem with that you need to consider putting college on hold and finding a job with health insurance. That may be very disappointing to you but in the condition you describe you are not going to be a decent employee because of a degree you attain.

Get things taken care of now and put your dreams on hold for a while. It may be only a short time if your problem is caused by polyps. Surgical practices today are excellent and recovery times are quick.

Give us an update at some point.

Regards,

[snnnark]

Hi, your videos are not comfortable to watch and I can imagine that you feel like crap. It's not possible to diagnose a person based on a few minutes of video and I'm sure that may be why people here are reluctant to give advice. I did not notice that you stop breathing at any time for longer than 10 secs (part of the definition of an apnea). However there is a related syndrome called UARS, Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome which may be applicable in your case. CPAP may help you...

I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful. Is there no academic hospital in your area where you could get a proper sleep study?

Maybe some other here have more suggestions.

Hope you can get help.

[jnk]

Please read Rested Gal's story:

viewtopic.php?p=5977#5977

[So Well]

He is certainly welcome to read Rested Gal's story, but there is no indication that Rested Gal ever had "severe nasal polyps which forced her to breath solely through her mouth". Running out and buying a CPAP before having the polyps examined by an ENT would be a poor idea.

[jnk]

He is certainly welcome to read Rested Gal's story, but there is no indication that Rested Gal ever had "severe nasal polyps which forced her to breath solely through her mouth". Running out and buying a CPAP before having the polyps examined by an ENT would be a poor idea.

Good point, So Well. And well made.

Sometimes a poor idea is the only option for someone with no insurance and little money in this country, though, in my opinion.

My intention was to point to low-cost approaches to trying something when trying nothing is not a good option.

If I saw a video of myself like that one, I'd hit the yard sales looking for a CPAP, hose, and full-face mask, even if I didn't have any nose at all.

If I felt bad and was obstructing, I'd be doing whatever was in my budget to be able to do about it. But hey, that's just me.

[BlackSpinner]

No comments???

please remove the spaces....I didnt feel like registering

That makes me not feel like commenting.
Get proper medical care and diagnosis first.

[NightMonkey]

No comments???

I watched just a bit of the video and you were sleeping on your back. Immediately you need to begin sleeping on your sides or stomach. Avoid backsleeping entirely. This may give you some relief. For sure, backsleeping is always the worse - gravity directly pulls your tongue and soft palate into the airway causing blockages. Wear a tennis ball on the back of your shirt or a backpack if it is needed to change the habit.

Also get an exam by an ENT to look at those polyps and your adenoids, tonsils, and vocal cords. A simple surgery might solve your problem.

Listen to So Well - you have to do something now to come up with medical care. Let it go and down the road you may find your poor health foils your ability to earn money.

[bayarea925]

I should have gave a little more info.

I've had 3 nasal polyp removal surgeries already at the age of 25...they come back within 2 months every time. Every ENT says it's the worst case they've ever seen by far.

My college doesn't offer any sort of medical or low cost insurance. I constantly try to sleep on my sides or my stomach but somehow always end up on my back.

I also am a very calm and upbeat person, but when it comes bedtime, I get a lot of anxiety and my mind starts to race.

[bayarea925]

I've been very tempted to try to find a cpap mask and use it...is there any danger of doing so if I dont have osa?

and if so....is there different speeds/levels of oxygen it puts out? What would be a good speed/level to start at?


All advice is much appreciated.

[LSAT]

I've been very tempted to try to find a cpap mask and use it...is there any danger of doing so if I dont have osa?

and if so....is there different speeds/levels of oxygen it puts out? What would be a good speed/level to start at?


All advice is much appreciated.

A CPAP mask will do you no good without a CPAP machine.
YES...there is a danger if you do not know what you are doing
CPAP does not give out oxygen...just room air

[jnk]

there is a danger if you do not know what you are doing

Respected doctors, such as Dr. Barbara Phillips, argue convincingly (to me, anyway) that the dangers of having a complicated system for getting access to a machine are much more grave than allowing APAPs to do their thing, and those doctors (as I understand them as a patient) minimize the so-called "dangers" of "inappropriate" CPAP pressures, going so far as to say that so-called "inappropriate CPAP" is "harmless":

http://www.tnlc.com/Lara/laura/osa/Barb ... t_0830.pdf

"Inappropriate" CPAP is harmless.
Untreated sleep apnea kills.

[jnk]

I've been very tempted to try to find a cpap mask and use it...is there any danger of doing so if I dont have osa?

and if so....is there different speeds/levels of oxygen it puts out? What would be a good speed/level to start at?


All advice is much appreciated.

If it was me, I'd probably start at 8 cm, and if I didn't feel better at that pressure I'd try 10 cm.

But I would never actually advise anyone else to do that. I'm just saying that's what I might do. You might be a lot saner than I am. And there are very few things in life with zero risk.

And I would also want my primary-care physician, or some clinic people, to be on-board with what I was going to do. But hey, that's just me.

[BlackSpinner]

I've been very tempted to try to find a cpap mask and use it...is there any danger of doing so if I dont have osa?

and if so....is there different speeds/levels of oxygen it puts out? What would be a good speed/level to start at?


All advice is much appreciated.

Read the wiki (light bulb). I would have thought that someone planning to self diagnose and self treat would have read and studied everything available on the subject. Please educate yourself. This is not rocket science but you do need to read the instructions and know what you are doing.