I Am the Ultimate Newbie

Subject says it all - I am the ultimate newbie.

Why?

I'm not even diagnosed yet, but I'm absolutely convinced I have apnea.

Why?

- Just turned 50 (M)
- BP creeping up over a few years, even though I lost 30 lbs a while back and exercise more than I ever did. (I'm not overweight; BMI 23)
- Wake up multiple times in the middle of the night with no explanation. Have to hit the bathroom at least twice. Difficult to get back to sleep
- Wake up feeling tired, jump on the elliptical and practically fall asleep while still running
- Lack of energy on many days
- Get really tired at my desk about 3pm, nodding off
- Wife says I'm a pretty heavy snorer (says she hasn't heard the choking/interruptions tho)
- Wife says I've become more belligerent and angry. When I really get upset about something I get a headache
- Feeling depression I have never had before

I feel like I haven't had a real nights sleep in 15 years. I just always thought I was a terrible sleeper and that's that. When I went in for the BP check the GP suggested apnea. Read up on it, and it sure seems like it, doesn't it?

I have my appointment with a sleep center in a couple of weeks and I am 100% confident I'll be doing a study. I say, bring it! I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail with flying colors.

I am an engineer, so I like to solve problems and not deny or run away from them. My fear is this machine. I'm a very picky sleeper and everything has to be just perfect for me to fall asleep. Also, I really toss and turn a lot before I get to sleep - on my right side, left side, back, stomach. I rotate thru all the positions. I predict a lot of problems with a mask on my face. I got a dental night guard and it took me a week just to be able to sleep with that.

So, I'm really nervous about this, but I want to stick to it. People are telling me "How can you worry about this when you haven't even done the study?". Just so sure of it...

Hi, welcome, and I hope you don't have apnea, but I do have a question. Has your GP done a thyroid test, a CBC (overall blood test), and looked for anything else that could cause some of your symptoms? I'm not suggesting you don't have apnea, but it's a good idea to check other possibilities as well. Snoring doesn't necessarily mean you have it (or don't have it), and neither does extra weight. If you do have apnea, you likely wouldn't be aware of the semi wake-ups of each 'event' unless you had a very serious case, but your wife might have noticed something - unless she's quite asleep herself (just as likely). Do you find that if you sleep on your back for most of the night you feel even worse the next day? It's the position most likely to provoke apneas, tho' at the study they may ask you to do it to get a baseline score for the future.

Anyhow, let us know how it goes - there are lots of very knowledgable people here to help you through every stage if you have it. Good luck.

Hi Frank and welcome. I'd be willing to bet that at least some of the reasons you became such a "picky" sleeper has to do with undiagnosed and untreated apnea, and that when you start treatment and start sleeping better and deeper some of those issues will dissipate.

Keep us posted. . Assuming that you do have apnea the good folks here will help you adjust to PAP therapy.

Julie wrote:Hi, welcome, and I hope you don't have apnea, but I do have a question. Has your GP done a thyroid test, a CBC (overall blood test), and looked for anything else that could cause some of your symptoms? I'm not suggesting you don't have apnea, but it's a good idea to check other possibilities as well. Snoring doesn't necessarily mean you have it (or don't have it), and neither does extra weight. If you do have apnea, you likely wouldn't be aware of the semi wake-ups of each 'event' unless you had a very serious case, but your wife might have noticed something - unless she's quite asleep herself (just as likely). Do you find that if you sleep on your back for most of the night you feel even worse the next day? It's the position most likely to provoke apneas, tho' at the study they may ask you to do it to get a baseline score for the future.

Anyhow, let us know how it goes - there are lots of very knowledgable people here to help you through every stage if you have it. Good luck.

Hi Julie,

It's me, "FrankM". I didn't realize I wasn't logged in, so I used a different name. I'll be sure to login next time. Thanks for your reply! I look forward to hearing from the experts here.

Yes, I've had a thyroid test (I forgot the acronym), a "comprehensive metabolic panel", and even a 24-hr urine test. All normal.

As far as the sleep position, I really can't tell what position I end up in, since I am so fussy I constantly go thru every position before I fall asleep.

Another thing that is suspicious is that on certain occasions, when I am very relaxed and very tired (such as when getting an exceptionally good body massage ) I can catch myself nodding off, and just then actually feel my throat expanding and closing off!

kaiasgram wrote:Hi Frank and welcome. I'd be willing to bet that at least some of the reasons you became such a "picky" sleeper has to do with undiagnosed and untreated apnea, and that when you start treatment and start sleeping better and deeper some of those issues will dissipate.

Keep us posted. . Assuming that you do have apnea the good folks here will help you adjust to PAP therapy.

Hi kaiasgram,

Thank you! I am in Northern CA too (Bay Area)

Oh, I sure hope so! It has been just amazing how difficult it has been to fall asleep. The room temp, noise level, and everything has to be just perfect, I rotate thru every possible sleeping position to finally fall asleep. I see my wife get into bed and in 3 minutes she is out cold. I was so jealous of that

I am hoping all the support here will get me thru this. I am an electrical engineer and I resolve problems head-on, but I dread the possible claustrophobia and all the other stuff that goes on with a mask. I know I can't turn over on each side with this thing on, and that will be very very hard. Laying down in one position until I fall asleep is like the equivalent of torture...

Hi again - of course you can turn over! What happens is that a) the hose is on a 360 swivel from the mask, and b) it can be hooked onto either the headboard to keep it out of your way, or onto what looks like a little IV pole beside the bed, or some other contraption you can probably work out... we don't sleep like R2D2 every night!

And don't anticipate claustrophobia = for one thing it only affects a few people (some of us like 'going under' at night, kind of a cosy thing), and is usually very easy to get over, plus depending on what mask you end up with (there are many and we usually go through a few before settling on 1-2) it might not be a factor at all.

fmalloy wrote:

kaiasgram wrote:Hi Frank and welcome. I'd be willing to bet that at least some of the reasons you became such a "picky" sleeper has to do with undiagnosed and untreated apnea, and that when you start treatment and start sleeping better and deeper some of those issues will dissipate.

Keep us posted. . Assuming that you do have apnea the good folks here will help you adjust to PAP therapy.

Hi kaiasgram,

Thank you! I am in Northern CA too (Bay Area)

Oh, I sure hope so! It has been just amazing how difficult it has been to fall asleep. The room temp, noise level, and everything has to be just perfect, I rotate thru every possible sleeping position to finally fall asleep. I see my wife get into bed and in 3 minutes she is out cold. I was so jealous of that

I am hoping all the support here will get me thru this. I am an electrical engineer and I resolve problems head-on, but I dread the possible claustrophobia and all the other stuff that goes on with a mask. I know I can't turn over on each side with this thing on, and that will be very very hard. Laying down in one position until I fall asleep is like the equivalent of torture...

Oh no, don't be predicting torture! And you won't have to lay there like a corpse ! Like Julie said you can set things up to let you change position, and not all masks will bug you equally (!) and you may find one that doesn't bug you at all! The thing you're not factoring in yet is how much BETTER you will feel if you do have apnea and get it treated. What looks dreadfully constricting and oppressive to you right now may well become welcome tools that are freeing you up to live and sleep better. So stay open to the possibilities.

I'm in Davis, not too far -- hope it's cooler down your way!

p.s. Before I knew I had apnea I was having such bad ("picky") sleep issues that over time I started just avoiding and stalling bedtime completely, staying up later and later, a habit I'm still working on fixing.

Julie and Kaiasgram,

Thank you *so* much for your comforting words! I tend to be a worrier, overthink things, and think way too far ahead. Like, I'm fretting about all this but haven't even met with the sleep doctors yet!

It's weird - in a way, a very strange way, I'm almost hoping that it's the apnea. Because if it's not, I will have no idea why all these different things (high BP, tiredness, crankiness, etc.) have been going wrong for so long.

Question - would the apnea also have a play in high cholesterol, which I also have been on meds for?

You guys have been so helpful!

I'm starting a two-week vacation tomorrow, and will see the sleep doc the day after we get back. Will keep you posted on what happens...

fmalloy wrote:Question - would the apnea also have a play in high cholesterol, which I also have been on meds for?

Good question -- check out this article by respected sleep medicine doctor Steven Park: http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-a ... rol-levels

Have a good vacation including a vacation from worries.

OSA alone is not responsible for high cholesterol, and even high cholesterol is being questioned lately about its importance in heart disease (as are all statins), but untreated apnea is the cause of cardiac problems so if you already have one, Cpap should help, certainly likely to bring down your BP (tho' not in everyone), but also in preventing, or at least slowing atrial fibrillation, strokes, etc. etc. I don't think it will drop your cholesterol all by itself as much as add to general cardiac health because you're oxygenating better, sleeping properly, and the added energy will allow you to exercise, so it's possible cholesterol may go down, especially if you also eat better.

Cpap is not a 'drug' or invasive 'procedure', it just helps to keep your airway wider allowing more air in on a regular basis, but that alone can make a big difference to overall function.

Julie and Kaiasgram,

Once again - you're fantastic!

Will report back on Aug. 12 when I have my sleep doc appt. They apparently meet with you first and ask questions. I assume the sleep study is scheduled then (if appropriate, which I am sure it will be), and I sure hope I don't have to wait long. I want to know if I have this, and if so how bad...

Don't forget one thing - however 'severe' your apnea may be, it doesn't particularly match up with what air pressure your machine will be set at - the number of apneas you have doesn't correlate to your airway anatomy and you might not need much pressure to keep your airway open.

FrankM wrote:My fear is this machine. I'm a very picky sleeper and everything has to be just perfect for me to fall asleep.

Frank,

Two comments...

1) Poor quality sleep can contribute to being very picky about getting to sleep. Once you start sleeping better, you will find that it is a lot easier to get to sleep, and you will end up being less picky. I used to be that way. The light had to be perfect, the bed perfect, the temperature perfect, etc. Now, I turn on the machine, turn off the light, and I am out like a rock within 5 minutes. It really does get better.

2) You talk about problem solving. A catch-22 with sleep disorder is that you really do need to do problem solving when you get started. There are a lot of variables, and everyone hits some hurdles. But with a sleep disorder, your brain is foggy, and you are probably the least able to solve problems right now. So expect a few bumps in the road, but also expect that your problem solving skills will leave you better positioned for success than most of the rest of us folks here. This skill gives you a real advantage from day one.

-john-

Hi John,

Thank you *so* much. This information really helps me. It's so fantastic to speak with real people who have this issue and to get real advice. Doctors are great, but there is no substitute for the advice of people suffering from this.

I'm on day one of my Hawaii vacation, and after flight delays and a very long day, I was so incredibly tired. With the time change, I was in bed by 9:30, but suddenly wide awake at 11:30 I'm on vacation and this happens? Something is wrong...

Frank

It may not be Cpap, but jetlag!