Apnea score in hospital

KoolKat · Post by **KoolKat** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:35 pm

Hi all,

I'm off to buy/hire my cpap machine today, can't wait to try it out tonight for the first time. I'm desperately wanting a good nights sleep, that the majority of all you say you have when on the machine.

My apnea score in hospital is prescribed as severe severe with a reading of 143 apneas an hour. Has anybody else got a score like this? It freaked me out, when they told me. I also have swollen ankles. Is this common?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:00 pm

KoolKat,

How bad are your swollen ankles? Have they been this way for awhile? Is it off and on?

I've got an awful lower leg swelling problem, so embarrassing and scary looking. I thought I was going to die, it looked so bad. But the doctors say it's due to my weight (isn't everything?), some condition due to pinched veins. I hate this. But it's also aggravated if I take in too much salt.

Good luck on your first night with your new machine!

meister · Post by **meister** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:10 pm

go see a Cardiologist immediately about your ankles!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:17 pm

meister wrote:go see a Cardiologist immediately about your ankles!!!

Meister is right.
I did that, but was told it wasn't heart related.
The second specialist was a vascular surgeon, who also said it wasn't heart related (said if it was due to heart failure, I'd have been dead before the ankle problem being that bad).

But every situation is different. And seeing a cardiologist is wise, especially for sleep apnea sufferers, since heart problems can be a result of untreated sleep apnea.

I had a friend who had the beginnings of congestive heart failure. He didn't know it. His only health sympton was a flu-like or pneumonia-like condition, which turned out to be congestive heart failure (with fluid in the lungs).

So regardless, I agree with Meister.......better to be safe and to know the condition of your heart.

KoolKat · Post by **KoolKat** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:56 am

My ankles arn't really bad, they just swell some days. And yes, it is due to weight. That's my next battle, once I get the sleep apnoea off the ground!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:10 am

KoolKat wrote:My ankles arn't really bad, they just swell some days. And yes, it is due to weight. That's my next battle, once I get the sleep apnoea off the ground!!

I'm right there with you, KoolKat.
I got plenty to lose. And exercise. I had promised myself if I felt even a tad better that I would start exercising more (who am I kidding....delete the "more" and just say (start").

snoozin' · Post by **snoozin'** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:27 am

KoolKat,
You might want to consider oddball stuff, like allergies. I had a terrible ankle swelling problem - so bad I couldn't walk some days. I was also having some allergy symptoms, so got tested for that when the heart etc. all turned out to be fine. Well, I had a slight (according to the test) sensitivity to wheat - not even bad enough to be an allergy. When I completely cut out wheat, not only did my sinuses clear up, but my ankles went down to normal size! And as long as I stay pretty clear of wheat, I'm ok. I can even occassionally have a small amount now without problems, but as soon as my ankles start to swell, I know I've had too much and have to stay completely clear for a few days. It is amazing how interconnected our bodies are, and how one problem can cause another not considered to be related. Like how the apnea can lead to heart disease and diabetes and all.
Debbie

Zees Pleez · Post by **Zees Pleez** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:09 am

I was thinking about your score. 143 an hour is one every 25 seconds. I didn't think they would count anything that close together as multiple events, but I am not a doctor. My events varied in duration from 20 to 65 seconds (that I wasn't breathing) and the worst it got was during REM at 54 per hour. My overall was 30. Was 143 your overall or the worst stretch?

How low did your oxygen saturation go?

CpapResmed · Post by **CpapResmed** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 2:17 pm

KoolKat. I had my sleep study done last August, and I had 122 eposodes an hour. I didn't have the swollen ankles. The CPAP has changed my life. For a few years I was flirting with disaster, I was falling asleep at the wheel, couldn't concentrate at work and my short term memory got really bad. Now I don't even take a nap after work. Keep us posted on your progress. Jon.....

Apnea score in hospital

Apnea score in hospital

swolle ankles

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ankles

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