COPdD girlfriend cancel sleep study. Help

Please give information on how CPAP or whatever machine you use has
helped you.
My girlfriend canceled her sleep study appt. Saying she would rather die in her
sleep than suffocate. Then went on to explain how she had to stack
pillows to maybe get some sleep and had'nt really slept in 3 nights.

Anyway I would like some input, I am going to e-mail her
and let her know she may sleep better with CPAP than without it.
Quality of life is important and sleep deprivation is not quality of life.

Thanks to you all.

Moonbeam wrote:Please give information on how CPAP or whatever machine you use has
helped you.
My girlfriend canceled her sleep study appt. Saying she would rather die in her
sleep than suffocate. Then went on to explain how she had to stack
pillows to maybe get some sleep and had'nt really slept in 3 nights.

Anyway I would like some input, I am going to e-mail her
and let her know she may sleep better with CPAP than without it.
Quality of life is important and sleep deprivation is not quality of life.

Thanks to you all.

I think you said it all in your last sentence.
Actually, she WILL suffocate......in her sleep. For most people with sleep apnea, dying quickly in their sleep isn't the norm. Yeah, there are stories about people like Reggie White and some others dying in their sleep, but the vast majority of people develop other medical impairments......like depression, diabetes, high blood pressure and any number of other problems.

Sure, it's a new way to learn to sleep. But, after awhile, most of us couldn't imagine trying to sleep without it.

See if you can get her to visit this site. We'll be glad to give her a "reality lesson".

Den

She is suffocating WITHOUT CPAP. CPAP will stop the suffocation not create it.

I agree with Den about encouraging her to visit here. There are others here who also have COPD and will understand her difficulties. She is suffocating in her sleep now, so it would seem cpap could only be an improvement. Getting used to using cpap was quite an adjustment for me, but now I get much comfort from knowing I will be able to breathe in my sleep, and no longer have to sleep all propped up. I don't have COPD but I do have other lung issues that cause difficulty breathing. Tell her if she'll find the courage to work thru this, she won't regret it. If she needs cpap, her future without it is scarier than cpap is. This could be the beginning of a better future.

The idea of having to use a machine to sleep every night for the rest of your life can be very hard to accept at first. Explain to her that she really doesn't have any choice, because she will continue to feel worse and worse, and is just a matter of time and how bad she may allow herself to feel, before she must accept it and start on the road to feeling better and getting healthy again.

Is she on 02 during the day? I take it she is not using 02 at night either? There's no sense in being a masochist!!! If you have COPD (I do) and are SOB all the time WHY on God's green earth wouldn't you take advantage of the relief that is available to you thru 02 supplementation? Thru CPAP (possibly bi-level) therapy? Does she use inhalers for her COPD? Is she using an inhaler w/a steroid in it?

I may be wrong (hope I am) but I'm hearing "I'd rather die quickly in my sleep than live a life of suffocation". If that's the case, she needs technical and emotional live on living with COPD - awake or asleep.

O.

I am curious as to what she is afraid of? Usually fear is behind our reluctancy to try something new. Is she claustrophobic? Many people on the forum would be helpful in terms of help or suggestions in adjusting. Myself I have only been on CPAP for about two months now and I am still in the adjustment phase. One of the things that helped me the most was starting pursleep aromatherapy to help with the smell. If she is claustrophobic, she might want to start with a nasal pillow mask, covers the least amount of the face. Also, she might be afraid of the unknown. I think in the collective wisdom section there might be a video that shows the sleep study process. Sometimes we are just freaked about the unexpected. I know I was very anxious during my sleep study in October because of all the electrodes and that I might have sleep apnea that I slept only two hours off and on. Now I am starting to sleep through the night only waking to adjust the hose when I change sleep positions. I have some nights where I go through the entire night and others that I might only sleep four. My time on the machine keeps getting better. In the end it is worth it but it is an adjustment. I hope it helps to hear from another newbie. We will all be here to be supportive if she is diagnosed with sleep apnea and needs CPAP. It might be helpful to her to visit the forum herself and just see what others say about sleep apnea and treatment with CPAP. Feel free to share this post with your girlfriend if it will help. If she would like to talk to me directly, she can set up an account and then just private message me and I would be more than happy to talk to her about my experiences as an encouragement to her. Take care and hope this helps.

Maria

Thank you all for your replies.
She said she wouldn't be able to sleep during a study anyway.
Also she said she would rather die in her sleep than suffocate.
I am wondering if she really understands the purpose of CPAP for her use
with her COPD.

Now after you all responses and looking up a few sites on COPD
with CPAP use I have questions. To those who use CPAP with COPD .
What are the benefits,
Why are the Drs prescribing them.
How has helped .
for starters?

Thanks again
Moonbeam.

Even for people without COPD, sleep can bring on breathing problems - that's why we often talk of SDB - sleep disordered breathing. The brain's top priority it to keep your oxygen level as high as it can. So in response to sleep disordered breathing it wakes you up -- tens and even hunderds of times an hour it that's what it takes to keep you alive.

Perhaps this movie will make things clearer to your girlfriend and yourself:
http://www.resmed.com/en-us/clinicians/ ... 40x380.swf

It takes a while to load - but is well worth the wait.

moombeam wrote:Thank you all for your replies.
She said she wouldn't be able to sleep during a study anyway.
Also she said she would rather die in her sleep than suffocate.
I am wondering if she really understands the purpose of CPAP for her use
with her COPD.

Now after you all responses and looking up a few sites on COPD
with CPAP use I have questions. To those who use CPAP with COPD .
What are the benefits,
Why are the Drs prescribing them.
How has helped .
for starters?

Thanks again
Moonbeam.

Hi Moonbeam,

I have COPD, use Spiriva daily, and it helps a lot.

I have been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea and have been on CPAP since December, '08. I felt so much better after being on CPAP during my titration, that I REALLY REALLY wanted to take that machine home when I was awakened by the sleep tech in the morning. I'm serious, that was the best, restful sleep ( 4 hours or a little less) I had experienced in years.

My CPAP machine is my best friend when I go to sleep, I wouldn't dream of sleeping without my mask and my machine softly humming. It's my security blanket. I know that using my CPAP will prevent most of my apneas and let me relax and sleep normally. I use a Quattro FF and yeah, it looks strange when I wear it. So what?? Who cares?? I breathe!

I have more energy
I breathe much better, don't get short of breath after a bit of exercise like I used to
I sleep deeply, I dream, I'm rested, I'm in good humor (mostly )
I DON"T sit straight up out a sound sleep, literally GASPING for air
I DON"T awaken suddenly, heart pounding in panic
I DON"T wake up with a horrible headache from lack of oxygen
I seldom snore, hubby is happy about that

I wish you success in convincing her to do the "sleep study thing", because it will change her life if she needs XPAP theraply. I just wish I had been diagnosed 20 years ago, I had it back then but didn't know what was wrong.

Nancy in AZ

Thank-you rippersmaom

I am glad you wrote about your self. I will send that to her . Hopefully it will give
her new insight as why to use XPAP or whatever they prescribe for her. She will have better quality of life.