Reminder about corelation of OSA/CA & depression

luv2sleep wrote: I have a 2 year old at home and am a single mom and it's really, really tough sometimes. I have been on CPAP for 2 weeks. I have had about 4 good days out of that.

If I were in my twenties or thirties, I would have a consultation with a surgeon who regularly does many mandibular advancement surgeries. If you are a good candidate for the surgery, it can give you 40 to 60 good years of apnea-free life.

I looked into that surgery and ouch! That sounds pretty extensive and painful. Does insurance cover that? If not, how much would a procedure like that cost?

luv2sleep wrote:I looked into that surgery and ouch!

Yes.

luv2sleep wrote: That sounds pretty extensive and painful.

Yes and yes.

luv2sleep wrote: Does insurance cover that?

You would have to check with your insurance company.

luv2sleep wrote: If not, how much would a procedure like that cost?

$30,000 and up.

Here's my story:
I was a happy, energetic kid in fourth and fifth grade. At the end of fifth grade, during a routine checkup, my dentist said I needed braces, because of a slight overbite. Back in those days, if you needed braces, dentists would routinely extract permanent teeth to allow for the braces. They pulled two teeth from my lower jaw, and two teeth from the top, and began tightening the braces.

Years later, when the braces were removed, my mouth and jaw were pushed back against my throat, and I had a receding chin. I developed dark circles under my eyes, and felt "overwhelmed" by sixth grade. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but suddenly life was horrible. Everything was overwhelming to me. My parents told me it was "just a phase" but it didn't go away; it got worse. I went from being an "A" student to failing my classes. I developed a severe and debilitating social phobia.

The rest of middle school and highs chool were spent hiding from people, hiding in my room. After dropping out of college, I got on antidepressants. I was on them for thirty years. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. They told me it was most likely caused by the orthdontia, pushing my jaw back. Gee, thanks for telling me! I wonder how my life would have been different if I'd been allowed to keep my overbite and forgo the extraction and orthodontia...

I tried C-PAP but felt like I was dying and on life support. All my sleep doc could recommend was to sew a tennis ball into the back of my pajamas, to prevent sleeping on my back. He didn't know anything about any alternatives to C-PAP.

I have an appointment with a different sleep doc next week. I'm hoping to be fitted with a dental device that will push my tongue and jaw forward enough so that I can get some restorative, slow-wave sleep, and perhaps get my life back (what's left of it).

Thurber, So sorry for you.

Maybe you can bookmark this thread and give us an update from time to time.

Thanks for sharing the story and best of luck for the future.

Thanks for your kind words, Rooster.

The reason I went off antidepressants was because they were gradually becoming ineffective, as well as disrupting my sleep, causing me to moan, talk, yell in my sleep. I'd be dreaming, and I'd be talking out loud during my dream (this definitely interfered with my wife's sleep!) So I was becoming a bundle of side-effects, without any actual relief.

During my sleep study, they noticed "alpha intrusions" which I believe was caused by the antidepressants. So although I was taking them to fight the depression and social phobia, they were actually wrecking my sleep, and making things worse over time. I tapered off and quit the meds (somewhat like kicking heroin, with seizures, chills, tongue biting in my sleep, etc.) and now I'm hoping, praying my new sleep doc can help me. Maybe I can get some of that excellent slow wave sleep I've been hearing so much about...

It certainly helps to know I'm not alone. My appointment with the new sleep doc is later this week.

There is a formula that I think explains this ...

1.OSA/CA => 2.Decline in well being => 3. depression => 4. sluggishness & lack of will to exercise => 5. increase in weight => 6. worse OSA/CA => go to 3.

Ain't that the truth! This thread has really helped me a lot and that formula is going to be printed out and pinned near my bed where I can see it first and last thing.

Had a very bad day yesterday, black thoughts, angry, exhausted again, guilty, desperate for the off switch. Went to bed at 8.30pm, gave up at 11.00 pm finally back to bed at 3.30 am and a cycle of leaks and moisture stress. Started today seamlessly continuing on from yesterday but maybe I can get myself on track by repeating that formula.



Luvtosleep, you sure have a lot of soul mates on here luv, I really do feel for you, I don't know how I would cope with a child to care for as well as endure all the other stuff.

Well done you, you should be extremely proud of yourself for coping as well as you have so far. You must be a very strong and determined person to have set such an example as you have.

You have survived to a place where you can see what needs doing, solving your ills is doable and will be a hell of a lot easier than what you have been going through.

I think it is important to wonder how the hell we coped, recognize the strength it took and take not a little pride in still standing, and on the first steps of getting better.


I feel a bit better now, if a little confused....

thurber wrote: My appointment with the new sleep doc is later this week.

For some people, sleep apnea is much worse when sleeping on the back as compared to sleeping on the sides or tummy. According to one source, this is true in 40% of patients. So you might get a little relief if you stay off your back until you can get a good CPAP therapy working.

thurber wrote:Here's my story:
I was a happy, energetic kid in fourth and fifth grade. At the end of fifth grade, during a routine checkup, my dentist said I needed braces, because of a slight overbite. Back in those days, if you needed braces, dentists would routinely extract permanent teeth to allow for the braces. They pulled two teeth from my lower jaw, and two teeth from the top, and began tightening the braces.

Years later, when the braces were removed, my mouth and jaw were pushed back against my throat, and I had a receding chin. I developed dark circles under my eyes, and felt "overwhelmed" by sixth grade. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but suddenly life was horrible. Everything was overwhelming to me. My parents told me it was "just a phase" but it didn't go away; it got worse. I went from being an "A" student to failing my classes. I developed a severe and debilitating social phobia.

The rest of middle school and highs chool were spent hiding from people, hiding in my room. After dropping out of college, I got on antidepressants. I was on them for thirty years. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. They told me it was most likely caused by the orthdontia, pushing my jaw back. Gee, thanks for telling me! I wonder how my life would have been different if I'd been allowed to keep my overbite and forgo the extraction and orthodontia...

I tried C-PAP but felt like I was dying and on life support. All my sleep doc could recommend was to sew a tennis ball into the back of my pajamas, to prevent sleeping on my back. He didn't know anything about any alternatives to C-PAP.

I have an appointment with a different sleep doc next week. I'm hoping to be fitted with a dental device that will push my tongue and jaw forward enough so that I can get some restorative, slow-wave sleep, and perhaps get my life back (what's left of it).

Thurber

Am with Rooster on this - sad story & lets all hope that you can get it tamed with cpap therapy or whatever.

You will get a lot of support & a collective shoulder to lean on here.

Cheers

DSM

deadhead77 wrote:...

I notice you have an Escape...so did I until early Nov when I got the AutoSet II. Personally, I sleep much much better with the APAP (not all do well with varying pressures all night long) and now with data I can tweak therapy. Strongly suggest you consider upgrading to a full-data machine...no more guessing how to optimize therapy, no more guessing if a change really helped. Plus, if you start feeling lousy all the time, the data lets ya know if it's ypur therapy; if not, then you can at least eliminate that a possible cause of the feeling lousy (there are so many other things that may be contributing!).