My CPAP Journey

Hi Everyone

This is my first post. here's some information about me in my sleep apnea. It started back in April and I would wake up in the morning with dizzy spells and headaches pins and needles in my arms and legs muscle fatigue and a whole lot more pain and problems that I could deal with. After 4 months of suffering and the pain getting worse and my problems getting worse I was finally able to go through a sleep study. A month after my sleep study they took me in a room and told me I have sleep apnea but it was mild sleep apnea. My AHI was only 14.1. then after that appointment it took an additional month to get my tritation appointment and then after my tritation appointment it nearly 20 most 3 weeks to get my machine. I have to say if it wasn't for my wife calling and fighting to get my sleep apnea machine then I would still probably not have it.

I started out with the full mask but it aggravated my myofacial pain in my neck and shoulders. So I had to upgrade or change to the nasal pillows. It wasn't until 2 weeks ago a month and a week later after starting CPAP that my myofacial pain left. I still am having a lot of pain in my legs and some in my arms. I have read a lot of posts a lot of information on the internet and a whole bunch of other source information and I can honestly say I am shocked about how sleep apnea can cause so many different issues. Has anyone else had problems with their legs mainly the calfs and their feet hurting when they walk.? I have had many pains now in my legs and I'm getting tired of them and just want to know if this is something someone else might have gone through? I also have a lot of tension pain in my head and it builds up and becomes vertigo. This has lessened it used to be constant about 16 hours a day of vertigo until I started my CPAP now it's only wants for 5 to 10 minutes every two weeks or month. any information you might have is much appreciated thank you

I must have made this to long or something. 104 views and no comments

Hi, as someone whose background has been in neurology (not as a doctor) I strongly suggest you see a doctor because I'm fairly sure you have cervical (neck), and/or lumbar problems, whether a disc, stenosis or something else, and not confuse it with apnea issues. And I wouldn't wait considering some of the things you mentioned. You can deal with the apnea separately. You can also get 5,000 opinions from others here re what their OSA did in terms of symptoms, etc, but I believe you should pursue the other thing and if masks, or sleep positions turn out to aggravate other conditions, you need to know about them (conditions, not masks) and adjust those accordingly at that time.

I second what Julie said. See a doctor for your issues.
What you describe doesn't sound like typical OSA side effects.
The only thing remotely close to what you have described that I have experienced are cervical spine issues and I had them long before I ever had OSA. Now I know that some masks' straps will cause me to have pain or headaches if they come close to my neck..but that's as far as it goes.

steveneprattjr wrote: . . . I have read a lot of posts a lot of information on the internet and a whole bunch of other source information and I can honestly say I am shocked about how sleep apnea can cause so many different issues. . . .

It is true that improved sleep and better breathing at night can improve overall health and can help most or all other health issues along the way. However, I agree completely with the other posters in that many of the health concerns you mention are not traditionally considered by mainstream medicine to be caused by OSA. Please keep your doctors well-informed of all your symptoms--even the ones that may have improved after your initiating PAP therapy.

Don't worry. I have seen 20 different docs. A neurologist included. I have had cat scans MrI ultra sound and xrays. Everything is normal

Then a list of meds and conditions may be helpful, if that is the sort of info you are comfortable listing in a forum like this one. Otherwise, the connection between, for example, PAP therapy and leg pain, is difficult to grasp. For me, anyway.

If you are in pain everything is not 'normal'. Arthritis, poor circulation, diabetes, pinched nerve ?????? something.

Sorry it didn't take my latest post. My blood pressure dropped on cpap therapy and I was taking meds for bp. It was causing my leg pains. I feel great now that I am off lisninopril

So you wrote in yesterday because... ??

Well I was a little upset to be truthful. I posted the OP on Nov 30. No one replied. So I posted I must have made this to long.

It wasn't so much that your post was long (there have been a lot longer) but I just couldn't think of much to say.
I tend to mainly try to answer questions if I can and I really didn't see much in the way of a question other than "have any of you experienced so and so" and I hadn't so I don't normally say "no, I have not had that experience" because it seems rather pointless to reply like that.

And I just wonder what happened to the original - I'm on here a lot most of the time and I usually remember certain types of things whether or not I replied to them, but your note (it wasn't that long ago after all) looks brand new - are you sure you didn't post in another forum and are now blaming us for not answering? Because given what you wrote I know I would have responded as I saw red flags all over as you can tell from today's answer.

steveneprattjr wrote:Well I was a little upset to be truthful. I posted the OP on Nov 30. No one replied. So I posted I must have made this to long.

lots of poeple post things, just to post them, your post wasn't really clear as to what you were looking for answers to.

burying a question in the middle of a paragraph is a great way to have it overlooked