Should I be taking a vitamin?

Ok so day 33 on the cpap and gradually feeling worse...very irratable with kids and hubby, morning headaches are terrible. Cardiologist cant find anything wrong so far, have perfect cpap readings. Do you think I could be lacking in any kind of vitamin? Im clutching at straws here and running out of ideas. I feel like I have sleeping sickness. Currently I take allegra one per day ( 24 hr) and doc gave me Esgic for morning headaches. After using this cpap I have gained 3lbs in weight but feel Im not eating any different. I confess Im on the verge of throwing the thing out of the window.
Sorry for the vent...lately I feel like all I do is whine. D.

Have you worn a recording oximeter at home, overnight?
If not, you doctor can order an overnight in-home oximetry to rule out desats not due to your apnea.

what does an Oxymeter do?

The recording pulse-ox will tell if your oxygen is dipping into the lower levels at night.
Low oxygen levels after awakening made me wake up with horrible headaches.
But it is only one cause of many possible.
Headaches may also be caused by allergies, or toxins in your diet or surroundings.

Get and use the software that your machine uses, so you can post your dailies, someone may be able to help your treatment. Jim

On the topic of vitamins, you can ask your doc to test your vitamin D levels, a common deficiency that can cause fatigue and depression.

If you get your vitamin D checked also get your thyroid checked.

Daisy004 wrote:Ok so day 33 on the cpap and gradually feeling worse...very irratable with kids and hubby, morning headaches are terrible. Cardiologist cant find anything wrong so far, have perfect cpap readings. Do you think I could be lacking in any kind of vitamin? Im clutching at straws here and running out of ideas. I feel like I have sleeping sickness. Currently I take allegra one per day ( 24 hr) and doc gave me Esgic for morning headaches. After using this cpap I have gained 3lbs in weight but feel Im not eating any different. I confess Im on the verge of throwing the thing out of the window.
Sorry for the vent...lately I feel like all I do is whine. D.

Hi Daisy!

Some people have good luck with Q3s (fish oil, salmon, etc). I do recommend anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant foods. There are many supplements that claim to do the same kind of thing.

In terms of some more ideas - as others have recommended I think rigging to use your machines night time data is a must.

Also, raise the head of your bed a couple of inches. For the cost of a couple of concrete bricks from a building supply store (less than five dollars) - why not?

I think some time spent with your machine learning to breath quietly would help. Breathing quietly and gently as you go to sleep is something I practice every night. Often I use a pattern of breathing in gently for two counts, out gently for two counts, and pause for two counts.

Attached is a questionnaire looking at a possible cause of some of your issues.

May you find good sleep soon!!

Todzo

Nijmegen Questionnaire:

A score of over 23 out of 64 suggests a positive diagnosis of hyperventilation syndrome.

Rate the following where:

Never=0 Rarely=1 Sometimes=2 Often=3 Very Often=4

__ Chest pain
__ Feeling tense
__ Blurred vision
__ Dizzy spells
__ Feeling confused
__ Faster or deeper breathing
__ Short of breath
__ Tight feelings in chest
__ Bloated feeling in stomach
__ Tingling fingers
__ Unable to breathe deeply
__ Stiff fingers or arms
__ Tight feelings round mouth
__ Cold hands or feet
__ Palpitations
__ Feeling of anxiety


___ TOTAL (See instructions above)

Don't put much hope in vitamins making a difference. The conventional wisdom on vitamins is that it hurts if you don't get enough, but more than the normal amount does little if any good. Most of us eat enough food and there are enough supplements in our food supply that we don't normally get vitamin deficiency. However, some of us do end up needing more.

However, why not try? Done right, they're reasonably safe and cheap. Go get some multi-vitamin pills. Be especially sure to get D and B.

Don't go too overboard. Check the labels and don't get the ones that have too many times more than the minimum daily requirement. I try to find stuff that has less than 6 times the daily dose. Some vitamins can actually cause problems if you go WAY over the limit.

Don't pay a lot extra for the "natural" stuff.

BTW, B vitamin pills may turn urine green, which is quite a shock to a lot of people when they first see it.

Have you downloaded the SleepyHead software and checked your data? It's possible that it will show you something wrong.

If you get an oximeter, you need to get an overnight recording oximeter. Not just any oximeter will do. You have to wear it overnight and then use the software to see if your O2 level dropped at some time during the night. Yet another software thing to do. You can buy one outright at pulseoxstore.com for around $100.

What the pulseox does is measure the amount of O2 in your blood by clamping a little thing on your finger. If your SpO2 (blood oxygen) drops during the night, it's an indication your CPAP isn't curing your apnea.

Are you still only getting a few hours of sleep? Is the time increasing?

Does anything specific bother you and keep you from sleeping?

Have you tried taking melatonin before bed? How about sleeping in a recliner?

I hope you make that magic transition to being able to sleep sometimes soon.

If you're not getting effective therapy because e.g. your mouth opens when you're asleep and all the cpap air gets lost, then you'll have pre-Cpap symptoms, one of which is certainly headaches. Have you considered trying a chin strap, full face mask or at least taping for a couple of nights to see what happens?