Apnea - the real risk of dying in your sleep?

DEXSUZ wrote:I became CPAPed because my regular little old eye doctor said my glaucoma might well be due to lack of oxygenated blood reaching those tiny vessels in the optic nerve. I am negative for any other factors that would lead to this degeneration so I decided to heed her advice.

Over years I knew I was a lousy sleeper but never did one of those high-faluting eye specialists suggest this connection.

I now sleep 8 hours STRAIGHT every night with a moderate setting of 10. The damage in my left eye is irreversible but I've easily adapted to it and life goes on very normally.

Now you have another reason to continue with the CPAP. Feliz jueves!

Oh, I wouldn't stop CPAP. . . period. . that's a given, not an issue in the least.

The old joke says "I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car."

My grandfather died of apnea. His death certificate says "Heart Attack" but it was just one of many before I was even born. He snored like crazy and would doze off at the dinner table but they didn't do CPAP in the mid 1960s.

His son and my father also have sleep apnea. So does my mother. Genetic I fear? Can we get family discounts for gear? Why yes, yes we can thanks to a DME in Tx.

My apnea no longer keeps me away at night. The fear that hypochondria is a genetic disorder does though since I'll get that through my mother's side.

If I fall asleep and do not have my CPAP gear on, I usually wake in a foggy state, struggling to get conscious enough to breathe. The best way I can describe it is I am struggling to get to the surface of something. Like I am in a pool, stuck underwater, fighting to the surface. My explanation probably sounds weird, but that's the best way I can describe it.

I do not intentionally fall asleep without my CPAP except in a car. I just laid on the bed to read a couple of Sunday's ago, fell asleep & thought I'd never reach the 'surface' again. I probably need to mask up to read now, since I'm losing the ability to say awake again. If I'm in a car NOT driving, and its sunny outside, the sun will put me to sleep pronto. I don't use CPAP in the car, obviously, but still have them falling into a 'dream state' immediately & 'fight to the surface" feeling when the driver wakes me to tell me 'we are there'.

I don't think I'm going to die from the apnea, just from the long-term effects of oxygen loss to my organs. I do think the falling asleep/waking issue is scary, but I can't pack a CPAP everywhere with me, so I just hope my continuous use of my CPAP faithfully every night will help by getting oxygen to my organs. And yes, I am a narcoleptic, as proven on more than one MSLT. Borderline on 1st test, confirmed on 2nd. I can't take the stimulants due to other health problems.

I don't think I'm going to die in my sleep - it just feels that way sometimes, but I do think apnea affects most aspects of our lives. Before apnea was diagnosed regularly, most of my Dad's family died of strokes. I hope my use of CPAP will help me avoid that. I don't spend much time thinking about it, I just try to live day by day & enjoy each good day I have. Oh, and by using my CPAP, I hope to get more days added to my life.

Jen

jencat824 wrote:If I fall asleep and do not have my CPAP gear on, I usually wake in a foggy state, struggling to get conscious enough to breathe. The best way I can describe it is I am struggling to get to the surface of something. Like I am in a pool, stuck underwater, fighting to the surface. My explanation probably sounds weird, but that's the best way I can describe it.

I do not intentionally fall asleep without my CPAP except in a car. I just laid on the bed to read a couple of Sunday's ago, fell asleep & thought I'd never reach the 'surface' again. I probably need to mask up to read now, since I'm losing the ability to say awake again. If I'm in a car NOT driving, and its sunny outside, the sun will put me to sleep pronto. I don't use CPAP in the car, obviously, but still have them falling into a 'dream state' immediately & 'fight to the surface" feeling when the driver wakes me to tell me 'we are there'.

I don't think I'm going to die from the apnea, just from the long-term effects of oxygen loss to my organs. I do think the falling asleep/waking issue is scary, but I can't pack a CPAP everywhere with me, so I just hope my continuous use of my CPAP faithfully every night will help by getting oxygen to my organs. And yes, I am a narcoleptic, as proven on more than one MSLT. Borderline on 1st test, confirmed on 2nd. I can't take the stimulants due to other health problems.

I don't think I'm going to die in my sleep - it just feels that way sometimes, but I do think apnea affects most aspects of our lives. Before apnea was diagnosed regularly, most of my Dad's family died of strokes. I hope my use of CPAP will help me avoid that. I don't spend much time thinking about it, I just try to live day by day & enjoy each good day I have. Oh, and by using my CPAP, I hope to get more days added to my life.

Jen

Beautifully said, Jen, thank you.

DEXSUZ wrote:I became CPAPed because my regular little old eye doctor said my glaucoma might well be due to lack of oxygenated blood reaching those tiny vessels in the optic nerve. I am negative for any other factors that would lead to this degeneration so I decided to heed her advice.

Over years I knew I was a lousy sleeper but never did one of those high-faluting eye specialists suggest this connection.

I now sleep 8 hours STRAIGHT every night with a moderate setting of 10. The damage in my left eye is irreversible but I've easily adapted to it and life goes on very normally.

Now you have another reason to continue with the CPAP. Feliz jueves!

Thank you for sharing this DEXSUZ. My ophthalmologist was the first physician to suggest sleep apnea, while trying to account for damage to my optic nerve, in the absence of any other explanation. That was on 2/20/13, and now I'm here.

Gracie:

What really ground my gears was wasting TEN YEARS with these quack specialists (who should know their stuff backwards and forwards) and hearing them regularly say, "Your interocular pressure is fine but, gee, I don't know why you have glaucoma. Here, take these drops."

My wife's optometrist - and I'll say her name here because of how much I owe to her gentle expertise - is Dr. Caren Weisz in Crest Hill, Illinois and she mentioned a strong link between eye problems and apnea.

I do not know how my optic nerve has improved since beginning my CPAP regimen six weeks ago (no appointment for a few more months) but I am one helluva well-rested man.

By the way, Gracie, I'm like you with only moderate apnea that requires but a 10 on my gizmo to keep my airways open. My sleeping behavior, however, has radically improved since I became a CPAPer in early February. My wife of almost 410 years - oops, that's 41, ha-ha - can attest to no more gasping, loud snoring, thrashing, or mid-night awakenings by me on the other half of our mattress. Once I put my FX on at 10:30 p.m. she hears nothing but the soft, white noise of the air gizmo whirring until 6 or 7 a.m. the next morning.

What a blessing for both of us.

DEXSUZ wrote:By the way, Gracie, I'm like you with only moderate apnea that requires but a 10 on my gizmo to keep my airways open. My sleeping behavior, however, has radically improved since I became a CPAPer in early February. My wife of almost 410 years - oops, that's 41, ha-ha - can attest to no more gasping, loud snoring, thrashing, or mid-night awakenings by me on the other half of our mattress. Once I put my FX on at 10:30 p.m. she hears nothing but the soft, white noise of the air gizmo whirring until 6 or 7 a.m. the next morning.

What a blessing for both of us.

I hope to have such great results as you in time, DEX, but am only on xPAP for five nights. Leaks are kicking my butt!

Gracie, I started with a Mirage Quattro but worried that the numerous and giant 'fart' noises it made when I adjusted it or moved were bothering my wife. I went the other direction asnd tried a nasal and that was a disaster. My mouth kept falling open and I'd inadvertantly create gagging noises. Finally, I went back to the equipment outlet and got a Quattro FX. It is a keeper because it's lightweight, easily adjustable and gentle on the facial skin.

Could be what you need.