If you have other Heath issues besides OSA

You know, I was going on the same downhill pathway. So badly, in fact, that I thought I was going to die very soon. My weight ballooned, my thyroid was a mess, I had severe osteoarthritis and was sick all the time from worsening asthma. My low came when we celebrated my daughter's graduation from 6th grade at Disneyland, and I had to do it in a wheelchair. That was so humiliating for me, that I decided to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

I totally revamped my diet (to a low carb, paleo diet) and I started exercising just beginning with 5 minutes a day. It was hard at first, but I soon began to feel better. I feel better than I did in decades and during all this I went through the last stages to full menopause. But I feel GREAT! I'm 75 lbs lighter, no pain, much more clear headed. I can walk miles, and when we did Disneyland again last year I walked all day long. My asthma is under good control, I feel energetic and happier than I've ever been.

As they say, "it's better to light a single candle than to sit and curse the darkness". I refused to accept the decline and fought hard to regain my health.

Greg Riddle wrote:The only other health issue I have is a severe allergy to dust mites. It has huge effect on cpap

Have you tried a temeperpedic mattress? They are dust mite resistant and feel amazing.

Finnc wrote:

Greg Riddle wrote:The only other health issue I have is a severe allergy to dust mites. It has huge effect on cpap

Have you tried a temeperpedic mattress? They are dust mite resistant and feel amazing.

Yes I've been sleeping on one for a year and a half. I also replaced carpet with laminate flooring. I've also been taking allergy shots for a year. Just recently I've been having some improvement. My eyes don't itch like crazy non stop. I still have bad congestion problems.

dannythemuppet wrote:With that said though, my biggest issue is sleep. I'd happily be in pain in exchange for a great night's sleep. I like to think I'm a happy person, but lack of sleep can drain that,

That is SOOOO true. I'm one of those lucky people where sleep is the "miracle cure" for a whole lot of things. I can have a migraine, feeling like my head is going to explode leaving a large mess for someone else to clean up, and a 20 minute nap will make it almost go away. 3 tylenol plus a 20 minute nap and I am a different person! When my sleep is really bad I feel like a junky willing to do anything for a fix!

Finnc wrote:Do you ever get frustrated? [snip] The reason I am so frustrated though is I want to badly to wake up with energy and feel like cleaning my house, taking a walk, going out with friends. I have become totally reclusive and it's effecting my relationship with my husband and son.

Hmmmm. Not certain if we share the same goals but I empathize. I like to have a clean house too but my first waking thought is more likely to hope for good weather and generate motivation to go outside and enjoy any sunshine. Sometimes it takes a while to get into that mindset. I'm up with the sunrise on some days but often at the crack of noon.

I seem to have contracted coronary artery disease that just keeps progressing even though I interval jog every day for 5 miles, lift weights three times a week, and have decent but not perfect control of my diet. Apnea is likely a contributor along with diabetes, elevated cholesterol, and hypertension. Luckily the research hospital and heart institute is 15 minutes away and stent surgery is a non-invasive 6 hour day unit procedure.

Major obsession right now is tuning my diet. Would like to continue to pursue a low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) diet but this goes against everything the heart institute recommends. I hope my doctors support me through rigorous blood testing and lipid analysis. Going against the grain means I am operating outside of the established support framework so the doctors and surgeons may tire of me pushing them out of their comfort zone.

Spending time outside in the sunshine would be amazing!!! But I know with my heat intolerance that won't happen until my thyroid is leveled out. I think the house cleaning thing is a guilt thing. My husband works his butt off and I stay at home while our son is in school. The last two years I have spent in bed sleeping and having someone come to clean at least once a month. Before I got sick our house was spotless, I didn't love doing it but I loved the way it looked and hate how chaotic it feels now.

Finnc wrote:Spending time outside in the sunshine would be amazing!!! But I know with my heat intolerance that won't happen until my thyroid is leveled out. I think the house cleaning thing is a guilt thing. My husband works his butt off and I stay at home while our son is in school. The last two years I have spent in bed sleeping and having someone come to clean at least once a month. Before I got sick our house was spotless, I didn't love doing it but I loved the way it looked and hate how chaotic it feels now.

I know how you feel, I miss the pride of a job well done. Jim

Most of us have a need to be useful, although nowdays that seems to be a dirty goal.

Sleep Wrangler - you're dealing with a very conservative and out of date Heart Institute... take some control of your own therapy if you believe in doing it. Be sure you're not just following another new fad, but actually achieving something good. Low carb sounds like it's really working for many people, so even if it's relatively new (Atkins knew what he was doing 40 yrs ago!) I doubt that it's a bad fad, but be careful of how much fat you do consume (it's easy to justify too much bacon ), and also accept that genetics can affect your outcomes regardless of how hard you work.

Julie wrote:\ too much bacon

I'm unfamiliar with this concept you appear to be referring to??!

Really, sputter sputter!

Julie wrote:Sleep Wrangler - you're dealing with a very conservative and out of date Heart Institute... take some control of your own therapy if you believe in doing it.

Agreed. I admit the lure of bacon was initially very strong and delicious. I've moved on to organic red palm oil, organic coconut oil, organic hemp oil, organic avocado oil, and finally extra virgin olive oil. Bacon is amazing and still tempts me "these other oils are not the ones you're looking for". It only takes a couple of tablespoons of oil based dressing plus omitting carbohydrate heavy ingredients to change a meal from 70% carbohydrate to 80% fat. My most frequent meal is leafy greens, oil based dressing, and a small amount of protein.

Genetics, and untreated apnea, may have been strong contributors to my health issues. Even though genetics may ultimately be the overriding factor I am still motivated to experiment with diet. Unless my medical support team specifically and aggressively helps me measure small diameter LDL in my blood then the only true indication of progress is the amount of time between interventions.

Hoping that well managed apnea and LCHF diet, new lifestyle changes as of this year, mean the next intervention is a long ways away!

Moderation in all things, even bacon.
All part of the effort to come back the next day for yet another taste.
(I sure wish that was as easy to do as to say.)

Yeah, I too get frustrated, especially with the lack of energy. I thought that I would be cured overnight with the APAP therapy!
I also have hypertension for which I take medication that increases sleepiness :\ and chronic back pain / sciatica
Started swimming , so hopefully that will help