Possible sleep apnea

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I shouldn't have read that while drinking...

And I think you're right! A broken chainsaw would be a pretty good description of how my DH sounds some nights.

:nods::nods: Yep! First time I heard my hubby snore I thought "Holy Crap! What did I get myself in to????". Between his snoring, my snoring and my teeth grinding the cats didn't even want anything to do with us at night!

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by calico2222

:nods::nods: Yep! First time I heard my hubby snore I thought "Holy Crap! What did I get myself in to????". Between his snoring, my snoring and my teeth grinding the cats didn't even want anything to do with us at night!

I knew he could get bad. I had heard his parents snoring long before I ever heard him snore. While he's loud... he could be worse!

I've sort of got him convinced he needs to do something about it. But it goes back and forth between him admitting something is wrong and being offended that I tell him his snoring is so loud. Right now it's mostly a matter of having time and money. Maybe someday.

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I knew he could get bad. I had heard his parents snoring long before I ever heard him snore. While he's loud... he could be worse!

I've sort of got him convinced he needs to do something about it. But it goes back and forth between him admitting something is wrong and being offended that I tell him his snoring is so loud. Right now it's mostly a matter of having time and money. Maybe someday.

Have you tried the nose strips "Breath Right"? They worked for me. I don't have sleep apnea, but I do snore when my sinuses are acting up. It takes a few time to position them correctly (each person is different) but it helped with my snoring. Maybe you could start him on that then slowly work up to "it's not helping...." (actually taking sinus pills about an hour before bed helped a lot for me).

 

[sarahp]

Originally Posted by calico2222

Actually, when DH went to the sleep clinic, he was worried about not being able to sleep too. They told him after a few tries if he still couldn't sleep they could come and set up the equipment at home so he could sleep in his own bed to get the readings. They realized not everyone can sleep in a strange bed. But, they did insist he do the sleep clinic first, and luckily he was able to sleep (with multiple things stuck to his head and chest...don't know how he did it!).

Maybe some do offer one to take home with you. It can't be that hard to stick a few things to your chest and go to sleep and let the machine take the readings. Might be something to look in to.

I hope Laurie doesn't mind me answering for her, but Gary's problem isn't that he won't sleep at the clinic it's that he doesn't sleep full stop due to various health problems. He probably wouldn't stay asleep long enough at once to get useful data.

Laurie - have you asked if you can do it from home? Have you asked how much data they need to make a diagnosis? I wonder if they can get even half an hour of data they can get enough from it to see that he gets sleep apnea.

 

[ldg]

You know, I don't think we asked if it could be done from home. ????? I'm pretty sure we were just operating on the assumption it had to be done there - so rather than schedule a sleep study, I think we'd better line up an appt with one of the sleep doctors. If he won't do it, we'll try another one.

But yeah - Gary has several things interfering with sleep. Insomnia was the first, but pain is a big, big, big problem now. He rarely sleeps more than 10-20 minutes - sometimes a 1/2 hour - at any given time and actually averages 162 minutes of sleep in any given 24 hour period (I didn't look up the journal, that's just from memory. I may be off a bit - that actually sounds like a lot).

 

[cdubbie]

Originally Posted by calico2222

DH has been using the CPAP for over a year. I admit, at first it kind of freaked me out (I called him Darth Vader

and he just wanted to show me his "light saber!

) but I got used to it very fast. Now, I find it very soothing. Now his breathing sounds like the ocean instead of a malfunctioning chain saw that keeps breaking. Sometimes I would stay awake for hours just shaking him every few minutes to remind him to breathe.

Yeah, compared to the chain saw all our partners should be grateful!

I've been called Jacque Costeau with my lovely breating apparatus!

 

[rang_27]

Well got a call from the Dr.s office yesterday. Apparently I am mildly anemic. So I have to take iron suplements. She said that could be why I've been so tired. I'm still going to go get the appnea link just to be sure.

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by LDG

You know, I don't think we asked if it could be done from home. ????? I'm pretty sure we were just operating on the assumption it had to be done there - so rather than schedule a sleep study, I think we'd better line up an appt with one of the sleep doctors. If he won't do it, we'll try another one.

But yeah - Gary has several things interfering with sleep. Insomnia was the first, but pain is a big, big, big problem now. He rarely sleeps more than 10-20 minutes - sometimes a 1/2 hour - at any given time and actually averages 162 minutes of sleep in any given 24 hour period (I didn't look up the journal, that's just from memory. I may be off a bit - that actually sounds like a lot).

I don't know if Gary is on any pain meds, but I know that when Chip took his pain meds (percacet) after his hernia surgery, or when his knee is acting up, the apnea got worse. I was like he got the "heebie-geebies" if you know what I mean. Couldn't stay in one position for more than 10 minutes, couldn't get into a deep sleep, etc. The pain med made him tired, but his body or brain just won't let him go to sleep.

It sounds like he really needs to go in for a study. Definitely see if they will do it at home. Unfortunately, I don't think they let you have any medication before hand (pain pills, sleep aids, etc).

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by Rang_27

Well got a call from the Dr.s office yesterday. Apparently I am mildly anemic. So I have to take iron suplements. She said that could be why I've been so tired. I'm still going to go get the appnea link just to be sure.

Iron definicancy can make you VERY tired, so hopefully that is all it is. Glad to hear it is that simple, and not apnea. Although, I detest iron pills, but that's just me. For me, I have to take them after I eat something or else my body just says NO, but my body is that way with most pills. Good luck!