Tetany. Have you ever had it with your Apnea?

This is basically where I'm at. After the accident I started having symptoms of tetany, which affected my head and neck muscles. This I beleive is why I have sleep apnea now being dx'd. Either the muscles in my throat are getting so relaxed they are obstructing my airway a bit, or as has happened a few times, I've woken to a pain episode and the neck muscles have constricted and working it's way throughout my system.

Lee

Yes, I think we all get tired of having to use our cpap's and masks, (maybe because it's manditory)? And because it can be such a pain in the butt, ! But we must keep going for our health!

I'm sorry to hear about your car wreck and injuries and I hope you will get better soon, I don't think it led to having sleep apnea though, however i'm not a Doctor. What did your Doctor say about that? Does he think your injuries contributed/brought on the Sleep Apnea or we're you diagnosed with Sleep Apnea before the Car Wreck???

Whatever the case, I hope you feel better soon.

SleepyNoMore

Wiki reports tetany (medical condition) as:

The usual cause of tetany is lack of calcium, but excess of phosphate (high phosphate-to-calcium ratio) can also trigger the spasms. Milk-and-alkali tetany is an example of this imbalance.

Underfunction of the parathyroid gland can lead to tetany.

Low levels of carbon dioxide causes tetany by altering the albumin binding of calcium such that the ionised (physiologically influencing) fraction of calcium is reduced; the most common reason for low carbon dioxide levels is hyperventilation.

An excess of potassium in grass hay or pasture can trigger winter tetany or grass tetany, respectively, in ruminants.

I would think that having OSA and treating it with CPAP is contradicted with Tetany. I would question that diagnosis whom ever gave it to you. The reason I say that is if you have OSA you would be retaining MORE CO2 in your blood not less, unless I'm missing something here. Like holding your breath or rebreathing in a bag would retain MORE CO2. Use of CPAP can flush CO2 out of your system (and adversely impact the tetany if Wiki is correct).

As for the car accident being the cause? I don't know the depth of your injury there to comment, but many times after a major injury it is only then we find we have other disorders that may have gone overlooked and the symptoms only presented themselves after such an event occurred.

If tetany were responsible, then anyone who had whiplash would have apnea, and I seriously doubt that's the case. You have residual problems from the crash, which is normal to whatever extent and length of time it affects you personally, but there are ways to deal with it (physio, meds, etc.) and it's highly unlikely to be related to apnea.

Jules, I had NO sleep problems UNTIL a whiplash. I was stupid and didn't let them take me to ER and didn't go to the doctor until some 3 weeks after. Xrays confirmed hyperextension injury and a small cervical bone chip. Not getting proper treatment immediately after the accident resulted in a head forward, shoulders rounded forward posture.

While I now HAVE to have just a THIN pillow to sleep w/I also can NOT sleep w/o some pillow scrunched for comfort and that comfort includes the head more foreward than is desirable resulting in the chin position when on my back that is NOT condusive to keeping the airway as patent as we would prefer.

I had my seat belt on and did NOT hit my head - but - I did experience EXCRUCIATING pain across my forehead, blacked out, could SEE NOTHING, could NOT MOVE, but could hear what was going on around me for some time. I have no idea for how long, probably just seconds but it SEEMED like an eternity. People were asking me questions but I couldn't see them and couldn't respond to them. MRI of the head 3 weeks later disclosed NOTHING. Hard to find brain damage when there is no brain??

Anonymous wrote:
I don't think it led to having sleep apnea though, however i'm not a Doctor. What did your Doctor say about that? Does he think your injuries contributed/brought on the Sleep Apnea or we're you diagnosed with Sleep Apnea before the Car Wreck???

Well Sleepy, If I had SA it was so mild it was undetectable. Most all people have episodes of SA while they sleep, during the transition between phases. But the fact that the brain starts to wake you up just before your body becomes really needy of air, (which leads to hypoxia) kinda makes it look like the conditiions go hand in hand. That hypoxia also alters the chemical exchange of calcium, potassium, etc., at a cellular level, via the lack of or excess of oxygen or CO2, a delicate balance can be upset by the long-term process of pain. I have the numbness of the feet and legs, hands, arms upper facial muscles, like a person who has diabetes. I can stick a needle into my flesh in certain areas and not feel the pain of it going in or stuck there. Doc calls it the Stocking/Glove of Diabetes. But another thing that will bring on this is chronic pain.

I certainly don't see why those of you who have problems with certain muscles not being able to hold your airway open enough to breath haven't been dx'd with a neuromuscular problem in that particular area. I never had SA or sleeping problems prior to my accident. Up at the crack of dawn, and wide awake. Slept like a log and did not snore.

Yes my situation is a bit different than most of yours that have congenital problems in how your throat, palate, etc., is constructed. Plus the majority of persons who suffer whiplash recover within a matter of months to where they were prior to the injury. However, some persons, like myself and Slinky have continuing problems. Slinky probably had damage to the muscles and the control center for breathing. Me, I beleive it was the damage to the muscles in the neck since I had a rotational whiplash, occipital nerve damage and damage to the muscles in my jaw bringing on TMJ, plus, damage to the muscles in my upper chest, which made breathing painful.

I have read where persons have had neck surgery and then develope SA, so injury to the neck is a likely cause, whatever the injury might be, of SA.
Lee

Lee,

I certainly do not have a problem with what you are saying. I went and looked up the meaning and you must have some horrible pain and cramps in all those areas and I really feel for you and I hope you will be healed and start feeling better soon.

Maybe it did contribute to the OSA and like you said, maybe you had a mild case of it before the accident and just wasn't aware of it, that's all i'm saying! I don't think anyone here has a problem with it, it's just something NEW to all of us and much to be learned on that particular subject...

Just try and get healed and rested.

Take care,

SleepyNoMore

Anonymous wrote:Lee,

I certainly do not have a problem with what you are saying. I went and looked up the meaning and you must have some horrible pain and cramps in all those areas and I really feel for you and I hope you will be healed and start feeling better soon.

Maybe it did contribute to the OSA and like you said, maybe you had a mild case of it before the accident and just wasn't aware of it, that's all i'm saying! I don't think anyone here has a problem with it, it's just something NEW to all of us and much to be learned on that particular subject...

Just try and get healed and rested.

Take care,

SleepyNoMore

You know I never had the typical symptoms at all even after the accident. The reason why I had the sleep study was because I woke up in the midst of a dream (REM sleep) and was paralyzed from head to foot. Couldn't open my eyes, move my fingers, toes, nothing. The only thing moving was my diaphragm, pumping like crazy, hyperventilating. I lay there for the first few minutes calming down to breath slower, and then tried to get mobile. After 10 minutes of futile efforts, I finally started calling the hubby to assist. That was not the first time this has happened. Happened during an afternoon nap following a pain episode. Then I was able to roll around after 10 minutes or so, wiggling the toes and fingers to finally snap me out of it. So yes, my apnea is different. It even took my doctor by surprise when he saw my numbers.

My doctor is hoping it will also fix the numbness problem in the feet and legs. I hope so, although it really was neat to creep the doctor out when I stuck the syringe into my leg and didn't flinch.
Lee

Lee22633 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee,

I certainly do not have a problem with what you are saying. I went and looked up the meaning and you must have some horrible pain and cramps in all those areas and I really feel for you and I hope you will be healed and start feeling better soon.

Maybe it did contribute to the OSA and like you said, maybe you had a mild case of it before the accident and just wasn't aware of it, that's all i'm saying! I don't think anyone here has a problem with it, it's just something NEW to all of us and much to be learned on that particular subject...

Just try and get healed and rested.

Take care,

SleepyNoMore

You know I never had the typical symptoms at all even after the accident. The reason why I had the sleep study was because I woke up in the midst of a dream (REM sleep) and was paralyzed from head to foot. Couldn't open my eyes, move my fingers, toes, nothing. The only thing moving was my diaphragm, pumping like crazy, hyperventilating. I lay there for the first few minutes calming down to breath slower, and then tried to get mobile. After 10 minutes of futile efforts, I finally started calling the hubby to assist. That was not the first time this has happened. Happened during an afternoon nap following a pain episode. Then I was able to roll around after 10 minutes or so, wiggling the toes and fingers to finally snap me out of it. So yes, my apnea is different. It even took my doctor by surprise when he saw my numbers.

My doctor is hoping it will also fix the numbness problem in the feet and legs. I hope so, although it really was neat to creep the doctor out when I stuck the syringe into my leg and didn't flinch.
Lee

Waking up unable to move is called Sleep Paralysis, it is usually associated with severe fatigue and/or Narcolepsy, it can create or cause a lot of anxiety.

Do you ever experience muscle weakness when you are excited?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataplexy

Hey Snoredog,
We've kinda ruled out the narcolepsy thing. And the Cataplexy stuff too. I only get weak when I am in pain.

You said,
"Low levels of carbon dioxide causes tetany by altering the albumin binding of calcium such that the ionised (physiologically influencing) fraction of calcium is reduced; the most common reason for low carbon dioxide levels is hyperventilation. "

and

"I would think that having OSA and treating it with CPAP is contradicted with Tetany. I would question that diagnosis whom ever gave it to you. The reason I say that is if you have OSA you would be retaining MORE CO2 in your blood not less, unless I'm missing something here. Like holding your breath or rebreathing in a bag would retain MORE CO2. Use of CPAP can flush CO2 out of your system (and adversely impact the tetany if Wiki is correct). "

Yes, low levels of CO2, from hyperventilation, from the suffering of pain. Every time I have a pain episode, which some days can be 3-6 times a day if I didn't cut it short after the first one or two with pain medication, has effectively changed/altered the oxygen/carbon D. levels at a cellular level. Reason why I have tetany and muscle spasms. Reason why I have breathing problems while I sleep, because the muscles in my throat collapse on the left side most likely, (because they are pretty numb inside). And because they spasm from the tetany I have sleep apnea. My dx is hypoxia, lack of oxygen, all because of the above. Throw in an overactive Sympathetic Nervous System and I got problems.