Maybe I don't have Arthritis, Fibromyalgia... just Sleep Ape

I'm have recently been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, and was just wondering if maybe that is the underlying reason I feel so bad. Since I was in my early twenties I was always so tired and couldn't keep up with my social friends. I thought maybe it was the stress of college life and as soon as I graduated things would get better and I wouldn't constantly need naps and have to go to bed so early. I felt like I was always in a fog. Then I began to have muscle and joint aches in my early thirties. Need-less-to-say it only got worse. I seemed to go from doctor to doctor, and was told nothing was wrong with me. However, I had one doctor that diagnosed my knees as not being lined up correctly with my tibia, and I actually had surgery. I think this was a mistake, because I still had the pain. In my late thirties I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. I am now wondering if all my problems are not related to Sleep Apnea? I've only been using the apap for a little over a week now, and have only made it through the night twice without turning off the machine. I'm waking up more exhausted, than before the apap, but this is due to getting use to the masks, head gear, pressure, etc.. I'm soooo hoping that maybe the muscle aches, brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, and sleepiness are due to Sleep Apnea and in time, will be a part of my past. I'm sure my husband and teenage sons would love to have a mother/wife who is among the living again.
Has anyone with fibromyalgia or arthritis noticed an improvement after using the cpap?

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis (for almost 20 years). I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 7 years ago.

Sorry but cpap therapy has not made any of my arthritis pain go away.

Getting restful sleep HAS made it easier to cope with the pain and I am able to do more because I have more energy.

I was diagnosed because the pain from my cancer surgery incision wouldn't go away, even though the incision healed very well. While seeing the doc about that, I mentioned the chronic hip pain which kept waking me up every 2-3 hours.

She sent me for a sleep test.

Since getting my BiPap, I've had a significant reduction in hip pain -- went from 4-6 doses of anti-inflammatory a day to 2-3 (depending on what I'm doing that day). I also sleep longer -- 6-7 hours before my bladder fills up, as opposed to 2-3 hours.

It may not make a difference for everyone -- and my BiPap doesn't allow me to quit my water therapy three times a week, but it does make for a great deal more comfort.

I have read that sleep problems can go hand in hand with an increased sensitivity to pain - not sure of the mechanisms behind that. Seems for me getting good sleep just makes everything a bit more tolerable. Years ago a doctor frustrated with the lack of an explanation for my persistent muscle and joint pain in my legs and hips threw out, "Maybe you have fibromyalgia." I was more than a little dismayed, because I felt it meant he would no longer search for a cause. I told him I did not want him to stop looking for answers until there were no other options. A sleep study revealed Period Limb Movement Disorder, for which I've been treated since the late 1990s. I can tell when a medicine is losing its effectiveness by the level of leg and hip pain. I just wonder how many others, as I almost did, get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia prematurely.
Kathy

kyteacher-
I was diagnosed w/ fibromyalgia 14 years ago. My OSA diagnosis just came this summer. I always assumed my poor sleep was related to the fibro, as it is well known to disrupt normal sleep stages. Being a single parent and not sharing my bed w/ anyone but an occaisional child, I had no complaints about snoring. I started trying to sleep on my back last spring in hopes of easing the pain that frequently kept me awake. That's when I began to wake up gasping for breath which is how I finally made it to the sleep clinic.
I am still working some of the kinks out of my xpap therapy (finding the best pressure settings for my bilevel) but am sleeping well most nights. My level of pain is significantly reduced when I've had a few consecutive nights of good sleep. I also have less fatigue and less brain fog. The fibro is not gone by any means, but its effects are less debilatating. Before I could either work all day OR prepare a meal and do other "mom things" in the evening. Now I can work all day, prepare dinner and still do a few "mom things" on a good day.
Please don't give up on your apap therapy. If your fibro diagnosis is accurate ( and your description of the struggles you've had since you 20s sounds a lot like the fibro I know) then effective cpap and finally getting some good sleep should make a difference. This is a great place to get support and information as you adjust to the apap (and all of it's endless components).

kyteacher wrote:I'm sure my husband and teenage sons would love to have a mother/wife who is among the living again.

The thing I hate most about fibromyalgia is how difficult it is to be the mom I want to be. My daughter's entire life has been affected by things we didn't get to do because momma was too tired or too achey. I will be forever thankful that OSA was finally diagnosed, because in the short time I've been on xpap therapy (July 8, 2009) it has already improved quality of life for both my daughter and me.

Glad you are here, hope you come around often, and hope to hear soon that apap therapy is smoothing out for you
-Kim

I have fibromyalgia, which came on strong after getting a horrible case of the flu in l995. Then I went through menopause, which made the fibro much worse.
Since fibro is a diagnosis of exclusion, have you had other testing to rule out everything else?
I can't say for sure if its the 2 years use of cpap or finally getting well into menopause or what, but I'm feeling much better these days. Yes, I still have osteoarthritis and horrible memory, but many of my earlier problems have eased up alot.
Hang in there with the treatment (cpap). I used apap settings for many months and realized that it was waking me up all night long, so I switched to straight cpap and its been so much better.
There are drugs for tiredness that you might look into, if the apap/cpap doesn't eventually work.
Good luck to you. My kids were young when my fatigue was horrendous, so I can sympathize and empathize!

I believe it is the unspoken opinion of a number of sleep doctors that many diagnosed with fibro and CFS are actually suffering from the results of sleep trouble. Arthritis pain can disturb sleep. Everyone is different. But one thing everyone agrees on is that bad sleep can make many things worse and better sleep can make many things better. I am unaware of any disease or syndrome that is made worse by someone breathing bettter and sleeping better at night. So I believe that our being serious about improving the third or our life in sleep makes EVERYTHING in the other two thirds of our life better than it was.

kyteacher wrote:I'm have recently been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, and was just wondering if maybe that is the underlying reason I feel so bad. ... I felt like I was always in a fog. Then I began to have muscle and joint aches in my early thirties... In my late thirties I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. I am now wondering if all my problems are not related to Sleep Apnea? .. I'm soooo hoping that maybe the muscle aches, brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, and sleepiness are due to Sleep Apnea and in time, will be a part of my past.

There seems to be a pretty strong link between fibromyalgia and sleep problems. There is still debate about which one causes which. Is the pain of fibromyalgia causing arousals or or is sleep disordered breathing robbing you of the deep sleep necessary for muscle repair and causing the pain. The jury is still out although both may be true.

In any case treating the OSA can only improve the situation. Work hard to get CPAP working for you. Yes it can be hard but it will pay off once you get it right. We will be awaiting to hear if it improves your symptoms.

Can you get arthritis from using chopsticks? I'm 22, and and my hand starts to ache when I use chopsticks. It's also gotten to the point that when I use other utensils or hold a pencil for too long, my hand starts to ache or shake. Is this arthritis?
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More likely tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, as well a couple of less well known problems like "writer's cramp" that actually does have a neurological Latin name, but it is possible that it's osteoarthritis, though only an x-ray can tell for sure - ask your MD about it.

I have Osteoarthritis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea and I have to say that now after having my machine since March of 2006 (3 years 7 mos) I do feel like tha machine has improved my quality of life significantly.I initially felt as though I was seriously ill or dying so I went for a sleep test.After this diagnosis I also found uot about the arthritis.
Since my diagnosis of both disorders,I have also made some serious changes in my life.While I am still overweight,I did stop drinking as much alcohol as I used to and not I only drink occasionally.I also stopped smoking after 18 years ,and I stopped drinking a pot of coffee a day and I now try to fit in some exercise like cycling 4-6 miles a day.Although I have not lost weight-I think I am adding muscle now instead of paring off fat,I feel great.
For a long time,I quit having any dreams that I could remember.I hadn't dreamed for years.
I missed not dreaming because a favorite passtime between me and my Dad was to recall and analyze our dreams together.After I stopped smoking,overdoing caffeine and alcohol and started some exercize,I now sleep a lot better.I can also say that it was a journey getting used to the CPAP machine but now I wouldn't trade it for the world and I look forward to using it each night and taping my mouth shut.It has made a wonderful improvement in my life.
I hope your journey comes out good like mine did.God Bless!
-Rapunzel111