My mama GOT a sleep study!

For a while now, I have been suggesting -- okay being a noodge -- that my mom (in her 60s) get a sleep study. She is on the heavy side and has other health issues. Recently, she developed a kind of wheezing cough that is not related to any infection. It may be from a medication she is taking. After two courses of antibiotics, she decided to go to a pulmonologist. As you can imagine, the apnea bells started ringing in my head!

I think he examined her sinuses and palate and asked her if she snores, which she does a bit. He then asked her if she feels tired during the day. She does and sometimes falls asleep. He promptly decided she needs a sleep study! Yes!

Last night, I urged her to come here and join, because I couldn't have done this without you guys. She's not a "group therapy" type of person at all, but she may join yet. I sent her the wiki main page as well as the article on sleep studies to get her going.

tattooyu wrote:... I sent her the wiki main page as well as the article on sleep studies to get her going. ...

Don't forget there are some GREAT videos for newbies. For example, she might want to see:

cpap-video/g58v67/Introduction-To-The-Sleep-Lab.html

And good luck to you and her with this journey. I also helped encourage my mother of the same need. It definitely helped her.

Thanks, John! I'll forward that link to her as well. I think her mindset is that she's "too old" to start new things. Too old? In her 60s? I think she is just devoid of any energy. I really hope she DOES have apnea, because therapy will make her feel so much better! She's a fantastic woman and mother who is just TOO TIRED!

She is not too old!! I was diagnosed when I was 63 and started on cpap. I am now 70 and still going strong --well pretty strong !

I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis and that is an issue but my sleep is fine and my blood pressure is right on about 120/80 all the time! My heart remains in great shape.

Encourage her to really do this and get on cpap if the study indicates that she has sleep apnea.

Tell her I turn 65 this month, and have been happily using CPAP for over 5 years now. It's never too late to do things to make oneself feel better and be healthier!

Oh, and after she gets diagnosed as having OSA, tell her to NOT think of herself as a "sleep apnea patient" ... "patient" sounds so invalid-ish.

When she starts CPAP, she should think of herself as a CPAP user, like being an eyeglasses wearer. We put on reading glasses to read the phone book, a book, or a menu, then take them off when not needed.

We put on a CPAP mask to breathe well while sleeping, then take it off in the morning when not needed, and go about our merry way.

She's fortunate to have a smart doctor who is thinking "sleep study", and a smart son who can give her the kind of help with making "CPAP" more comfy and easy to use than most people would ever enjoy from the usual DMEs.

Good for you Kenny

My folks will be visiting from across the pond at Christmas and both of them will be spending a night sleeping with my oximeter on

Let us know how her sleep study goes.

Yeah. Good for you! A friend of mine has just requested a sleep study from her doc, at my urging. I feel so happy and excited! I know that may sound odd, but in this audience I think my meaning will be clear...

rested gal wrote:Tell her I turn 65 this month, and have been happily using CPAP for over 5 years now. It's never too late to do things to make oneself feel better and be healthier!

Oh, and after she gets diagnosed as having OSA, tell her to NOT think of herself as a "sleep apnea patient" ... "patient" sounds so invalid-ish.

When she starts CPAP, she should think of herself as a CPAP user, like being an eyeglasses wearer. We put on reading glasses to read the phone book, a book, or a menu, then take them off when not needed.

We put on a CPAP mask to breathe well while sleeping, then take it off in the morning when not needed, and go about our merry way.

She's fortunate to have a smart doctor who is thinking "sleep study", and a smart son who can give her the kind of help with making "CPAP" more comfy and easy to use than most people would ever enjoy from the usual DMEs.

Such great information!

However...

Uncle_Bob wrote:Let us know how her sleep study goes.

I hope she tells you guys herself!

Kenny, from one "noodge" to another, if Mom is still sitting on the fence, I wouldn't bombard her with too much "stuff" all at once. I was inclined to do that with hubby at first and he was so overwhelmed that I almost turned him away from therapy. I found that I had to be patient and let him catch up with me and after awhile he began to participate on his own.

DoriC wrote:Kenny, from one "noodge" to another, if Mom is still sitting on the fence, I wouldn't bombard her with too much "stuff" all at once. I was inclined to do that with hubby at first and he was so overwhelmed that I almost turned him away from therapy. I found that I had to be patient and let him catch up with me and after awhile he began to participate on his own.

Good point! I've been... selective in the details that I give her, so I just started her off with the sleep study stuff.

I did this process in reverse. I am the Mama, started cpap at 65 - 3+ years ago. Then I urged my son to be tested, and sure enough, he started cpap. My daughter refused to believe she had OSA and stated she would never ever wear a mask every night. I finally had to cry to get her to agree to be tested. (I am not the drama queen in the family and seldom am seen crying. It got her attention.) Result? Severe OSA. She wears her mask whenever she sleeps and has been compliant from day one.

They are both members here, although they seldom post. I hope your Mama joins. There are lots of other mamas here and grandmas too.

I want to be an active and vigorous retiree for a long time. I think cpap will be a big help toward reaching that goal. I just wish I had been tested 25 years ago. I would be in better shape now.

Catnapper - Joanie

You are so lucky that she is going! You have inspired me to keep trying to get my mother to go for a study.

She said she would, but she "forgot" to mention it to her doctor last time she saw him and hasn't called him about it. She has a number of symptoms, not to mention that her older sister was diagnosed with OSA and has been on CPAP for about 15 years, my cousin (daughter of that aunt) was diagnosed last spring, and I was diagnosed in Oct. It seems to run in the family. I will keep trying.

Catnapper wrote:I did this process in reverse. I am the Mama, started cpap at 65 - 3+ years ago. Then I urged my son to be tested, and sure enough, he started cpap. My daughter refused to believe she had OSA and stated she would never ever wear a mask every night. I finally had to cry to get her to agree to be tested. (I am not the drama queen in the family and seldom am seen crying. It got her attention.) Result? Severe OSA. She wears her mask whenever she sleeps and has been compliant from day one...

Good for you Joanie! Sorry it had to resort to crying, but love has no bounds.

bailachel wrote:You are so lucky that she is going! You have inspired me to keep trying to get my mother to go for a study.

She said she would, but she "forgot" to mention it to her doctor last time she saw him and hasn't called him about it. She has a number of symptoms, not to mention that her older sister was diagnosed with OSA and has been on CPAP for about 15 years, my cousin (daughter of that aunt) was diagnosed last spring, and I was diagnosed in Oct. It seems to run in the family. I will keep trying.

My aunt has told me that her husbands/boyfriends told her she stops breathing in the night. I've never met such a procrastinator! However, I've done what I can and at some point have to let even family make their own decisions. I'll still bug her about it here and there though. Maybe if my mom (her sister) gets on xPAP therapy, that'll wake her up some!

Well, she did it. My mom had a sleep study. I wish we was less reluctant to join this board, despite my praises and the fact there are plenty of people her own age on here. It's just not her type of thing, but she may reconsider. At least she has me to help her.

So, it took her about 30-45 minutes to fall asleep, and in the middle of the night -- sure enough -- the tech came in to put the mask on her. She wasn't sure what kind, but it sure sounds like a Swift LT. He said she was sleeping mostly with her mouth open before the mask was put on, but she was able to keep her mouth closed with it on (lucky her!). She had no problems breathing against the air and apparently her pressure is on the lower side (lucky her!).

She gets a follow-up in a week, when she'll most likely get her prescription. Can anybody point me to a post or a wiki article on getting the right prescription if you have Medicare? I also told her she must get a copy of her sleep study with doctor's notes and graphs!

YAY KENNY!!!!! I wish you and her the best of luck going forward!!!!
B.