Sleep Apnea. Does anyone here have it?

Sleep study tonight at Stanford in a Redwood city.  They are sure I'll have it.

I recently did the home O2 study myself and get the results Tuesday. I can't imagine what it would be like to not be tired all the time.

I recently did the home O2 study myself and get the results Tuesday. I can't imagine what it would be like to not be tired all the time.

I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea in 2012 and was prescribed a CPAP...

picture you in a nice deep sleep and then somebody covering your mouth so you can't exhale , then not being able to go back to sleep cause you woke up; thats what it felt like using the CPAP machine for a week.

I was actually more tired when I was using that damn machine, then before I got it.... it now sits on the shelf in the hallway... lucky for me, I have good med insurance and didnt have to pay for it; so I dont fell guilty that it just sits there....

I never did get the machine. It was 800 bucks. Im constantly tired around 3-4pm. I wake myself up at least 12-15 times a night that I know of.

My dad was a tall, skinny guy & had it.  Doesn't discriminate. 

My dads machine is up on a shelf too only because he no longer needs it.

I have a fib.  They say it effects that as well. Untreated sleep apnea will reverse ablation treatments. 

I had really bad sleep apnea. I did not want to deal with the machine. I got surgery. They removed my uvula, tonsils, extra flesh in my nose and throat, and fixed a deviated septum. The recovery sucked but it was the best decision I have ever made. I sleep like a baby now and 5 hours of sleep feels better than ten used to.

If surgery is an option, I highly recommend it!

I never did get the machine. It was 800 bucks. Im constantly tired around 3-4pm. I wake myself up at least 12-15 times a night that I know of.

I notice I wake up a couple of times a night here and there; but most of the time, i got right back to sleep...

granted there are a couple of days out of the month I may feel a little tired; but there are also days I go on only 2 hrs of sleep too and make it through the day...

but I don't think that I would have paid the co-pay on the machine if I had too...

but I heard the long-term effects are what I should be concerned about.... that and my wifey wakes up when she does not hear be breathing for a few long seconds....

I suspect I have central sleep apnea. I stop breathing sometimes when I'm awake and tired or asleep. I exhale and don't realize for 15-30 seconds that I didn't inhale. I usually gasp when I breath in again. It totally freaks out my dog and she starts shaking.

getting checked for sleep apnea has been one of the best decisions i've made this year! i'm pretty young and i was tired all the time for no reason! i found out i have severe sleep apnea and was prescribed a cpap. sometimes i get lazy to use it but i definitely get a better nights sleep using the cpap.

from what kaiser told me, surgery for sleep apnea only has a 10% success rate.

its pretty crazy going from snoring really loud to be quiet as a baby. i've been told that my snoring sounds like a bear or a chainsaw hitting metal  Rider (James) complained asked about my snoring at gs8.  my bad.

It's not just about the sleep.  They told me I was starting with about 70% oxygen in my bloodstream when it left the heart.  Most people have 70% oxygen in their bloodstream when it returns to the heart.  Therefore they told me, my heart was working much harder to make up for the lack of oxygen.  Craig get the damn machine and  Glen you better start using yours!   I paid for mine out of my pocket too and it was about $800.  It's worth it.  I know a couple of people that have died from sleep apnea.  The machine blows but it's a lifesaver.

It's not just about the sleep.  They told me I was starting with about 70% oxygen in my bloodstream when it left the heart.  Most people have 70% oxygen in their bloodstream when it returns to the heart.  Therefore they told me, my heart was working much harder to make up for the lack of oxygen.  Craig get the damn machine and  Glen you better start using yours!   I paid for mine out of my pocket too and it was about $800.  It's worth it.  I know a couple of people that have died from sleep apnea.  The machine blows but it's a lifesaver.

True true true.  I had surgery in 2005 to correct sleep apnea that doctor said was severe.  Never new I had it but was always tired.  I worked nights for years and was still tired when I started working days.  I started having some issues with weight gain and on the days I use pain medication it some how messes with my breathing.  I refused to go back and do another sleep study so I paid for my own adjustable unit and it keeps me from snoring and wife loves that.  I can read the digital stats every morning and see how much air it had to send my way.  Some days I could have got by without it and some days my apnea kicked in and I am glad I had it.  The auto adjusting ones are awesome and would recommend them.  I had a machine that was set and always blew the same amount of air and was annoying. Mine slowly blows more and more and then adjusts throughout the night and I no longer know it's there.  No more lack of oxygen headaches. 

This was all good training for diving.  My body is used to less oxygen. 

Crazy how many have sleep apnea.  I have lost a bunch of weight diving and still have some sleep apnea issues so it's not solely weight related. 

Craig, won't they let you make payments?  I had to pay about that much for mine, too, but it was worth it.  Now I only wake up to pee.  I was getting no more than a minute or two of uninterrupted sleep at a time before and didn't even realize how bad it was.

It took awhile to get the mask adjusted juuust right but now I use it every night with no problem, and my girl sleeps better, too without me snorting, gasping, tossing and turning.

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in 1999. I would stop breathing more than 90 times in an hour. I could never remember my dreams in the morning and it turned out that I never was asleep long enough to enter the REM state where you dream.

Often the problem is one of being very overweight and surgery can help or one can go on the CPAP machine or lose weight. Most people opt for the machine.

I was not overweight but my ear nose throat doctor said I might be helped with a uvuloplasty procedure where the tonsils and uvula are removed and the throat tissue is sewn back to make for a larger airway. He gave the operation at best a 50% chance of success. I said I wanted to give it a try as being hooked up to a machine with an air hose and face mask for the rest of my life was not something I wanted to do in the least. I used on during the week leading up to my operation so I would be as rested as possible.

Fortunately the surgery was a success. I was in intense pain for 7 days after the surgery but on day 8 the pain went away completely. Since that time I have been having dreams and getting a lot more rest.

I recently discovered that I also have an allergy to wheat and when I stopped eating foods without wheat my sinus congestion cleared up completely. Turns out about 15% of the population share this allergy but it is largely overlooked. Common among food service workers who are exposed to flour day after day.

If you do go for the surgery get as much in the way of pain meds as you need. Pain slows healing and in the USA most doctors under proscribe pain medication.