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Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)--anyone have it?

Started by smoggrocks, July 09, 2008, 11:37 AM

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smoggrocks

howdy--

i'm doing some really interesting research on this disorder. OSA is when you intermittently stop breathing at night due to an obstruction in the airway. typically, the big sign of it is extremely loud snoring--to the point where it prevents your mate from sleeping. some peoples' mates also hear them stop breathing in the middle of night.

curious if anyone here has it. if so, i'd be very interested to know your experience with it, specifically--


how long have you had it?

how long did you have it before you were diagnosed?

where were you diagnosed? [eg; primary doctor, sleep center, pulmonologist]

are you currently being treated for it? if so, with what?

how long from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were treated?

do you use CPAP? if so, is it helpful to you?

have you had any problems having your treatment covered by insurance?

are you sleepy in the daytime?

if you are sleepy in the daytime, what do you do for it?

do you take any medications to deal with your daytime sleepyness?

do you have any of the following conditions: overweight, diabetes, hypertension, GERD, asthma?

do you experience frequent daytime headaches, memory loss, lack of concentration?

have you ever fallen asleep suddenly or in an inappropriate situation? [ie, biz meeting, band practice, gig, doctor's office, etc.]


really appreciate any feedback. and please note--i am ONLY interested in knowing about obstructive sleep apnea, not central or mixed sleep apnea.


if you're skittish about replying here, shoot me an e-mail. pretty sure it's in my profile. (or bart, if you'd prefer people reply to my e-mail, sound the horn).


thanks, drumming brethren!

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

how long have you had it?

About 15 years.

how long did you have it before you were diagnosed?

About 13 years.

where were you diagnosed? [eg; primary doctor, sleep center, pulmonologist]

Sleep center.

are you currently being treated for it? if so, with what?

Right now, just a c-p machine. Surgery becomes more likely the older I get with the weight on my body.

how long from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were treated?

Immediately.

do you use CPAP? if so, is it helpful to you?

Yes. I hate it. Never learned how to sleep with it. Always knock the mask off in the middle of the night. Wife won't let me sleep without it, though, because she can't get to sleep. However, I still snore with the mask on.

have you had any problems having your treatment covered by insurance?

Yes. I had to pay for my own CPAP machine. Would only cover if I could prove it was definitively life threatening. Basically, if I died, they might admit they should have picked up the tab. They will cover for oxygen tanks if my doctor ever feels I need them.

are you sleepy in the daytime?

Not really, but I consume a LOT of caffiene.

if you are sleepy in the daytime, what do you do for it?

See above.

do you take any medications to deal with your daytime sleepyness?

Nope. None suggested by my doctor. The assumption was the better sleep I got, the better I'd be during the day time. I've noticed nothing since I started CPAP.

do you have any of the following conditions: overweight, diabetes, hypertension, GERD, asthma?

Overweigh, GERD, asthma developing.

do you experience frequent daytime headaches, memory loss, lack of concentration?

Major lack of concentration at times. Headaches only when I cross the line with the caffiene. Memory loss ... comes and goes. No loss of time or anything like that. Just not great short-term memory.

have you ever fallen asleep suddenly or in an inappropriate situation? [ie, biz meeting, band practice, gig, doctor's office, etc.]

Only time this happens is when I fall short on sleep, but I also suffer from incurable insomnia.

NY Frank

I haven't been officially diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I have this. 


ElvisLaw

how long have you had it?

maybe 15 years or so (I'm not sure since i was single and didn't know i snored)

how long did you have it before you were diagnosed?

about 13 years

where were you diagnosed? [eg; primary doctor, sleep center, pulmonologist]


a sleep center

are you currently being treated for it? if so, with what?

Cpap but have thought about surgery

how long from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were treated?

not long

do you use CPAP? if so, is it helpful to you?

honestly not real sure because I hate it and rarely use it.

have you had any problems having your treatment covered by insurance?


yes, they didn't pay for most of the studies, wouldn't pay for medication and are currently trying to screw me on the Cpap

are you sleepy in the daytime?

yes but sometimes worse than others

if you are sleepy in the daytime, what do you do for it?

I tried a sample of a drug one doctor gave me (can't recall the name tough) and it really worked but i was concerned it might be addictive and then it turned out my insurance wouldn't pay for it anyway($300) so i stopped. Other than that I used to do tons of caffeine but have been trying to get in shape and cut it out. So now i mainly just deal with it.

do you take any medications to deal with your daytime sleepyness?

see above

do you have any of the following conditions: overweight, diabetes, hypertension, GERD, asthma?

I guess i am overwieght but have been losing it. I am 5'8" and was at 215 with almost 18" neck and now am down to 170 with a 16.5" neck

do you experience frequent daytime headaches, memory loss, lack of concentration?


All of these in great quantities. My  short term memory is pretty terrible (i can forget things in less than a minute on a regular basis). My long term is fair but still not great. I have trouble concentrating as well and get headaches but the headaches seem to be getting better with less caffeine.

have you ever fallen asleep suddenly or in an inappropriate situation? [ie, biz meeting, band practice, gig, doctor's office, etc.]


thank god no, but my wife and doctors have expressed concerns since I drive 3+ hours on many days.

Let me know if you want to know anything else. BTW I had my nose broken twice when I was younger so that is one factor.

smoggrocks

guys--thank you so much for replying to these queries. your responses are really helpful to me.

elvis--you mentioned the neck size thing. do you think there's been any improvement since losing some weight and/or the neck size going down? also--was the medication you were given called provigil?

to the both of you--i can't tell you what to do, but from the many interviews i've had with physicians, i am hearing that surgery is not particularly effective. of course, everyone is different, and that's a decision one must make, but apparently the success rate is not as high as they hope.

it's very interesting to hear about your experiences with CPAP. i know that's the gold standard for treatment, but it does seem a bit difficult to deal with. i'm sure you know, but there are different mask sizes, and the air pressure can be changed/optimized as you go along in your treatment. just wondering if those were options for either of you.

again, thanks for the insights. it really helps me along in my understanding of this condition. it is indeed potentially dangerous, so it's good to get some kind of treatment that would help you.

cheers!

ElvisLaw

Yes Provigil was the drug. I have noticed a slight difference lately with the neck size and hope it continues to get better. My ENT was pretty down on the surgery and did say that it is not the most successful which is why I haven't done it yet.

JeepnDrummer

Very interesting to see this thread as I was just wondering if anyone here ever posted about sleep apnea.  Well, here it is...

1. How long have you had it?
I'm guessing about two years, but the symptoms became extremely bad in December, 2007.

2. How long did you have it before you were diagnosed?
I was diagnosed about five weeks ago.

3. Where were you diagnosed? [eg; primary doctor, sleep center, pulmonologist]
Sleep center at a major hospital.  Specifically, I asked my PCM for a referral to have this done.  I knew the symptoms (family member has it), plus did a lot of my own research.  I was referred to a pulmonologist, who ordered the sleep study.

4. Are you currently being treated for it? if so, with what?
Just picked up my CPAP today.  Prior, I was using the Breathe Right strips.  They helped me just enough to keep using them.

5. How long from the time you were diagnosed to the time you were treated?
About five weeks, maybe six.  It took two weeks to get the results of the initial sleep study.  Took another two weeks to get in for the second study (titration), and about two weeks to get the CPAP machine.

6. Do you use CPAP? if so, is it helpful to you?
It better be helpful.  :)    I'm sure wearing it will be an inconvenience, but the alternative is much worse.  The people I personally know who use the CPAP have all said they eventually got used to wearing the mask.

7. Have you had any problems having your treatment covered by insurance?
No, but I have pretty good insurance.

8. Are you sleepy in the daytime?
Most definitely!

9. If you are sleepy in the daytime, what do you do for it?
Drink too much bad coffee. ;)   I also take periodic breaks...walk around, stretch, go outside for fresh air, etc.

10. Do you take any medications to deal with your daytime sleepyness?
No.

11. Do you have any of the following conditions: overweight, diabetes, hypertension, GERD, asthma?
No.  The fact that I'm not overweight or have a large, fleshy neck was the main obstacle I encountered when trying to convince my PCM to give me the referral for the sleep study.

12. Do you experience frequent daytime headaches, memory loss, lack of concentration?
Yes.  Memory loss and the inability to concentrate are the worse (most frequent) of all my symptoms.  I had to stop going to school (five classes short of my degree) because I could barely function.  I also resigned a great job.

I don't suffer from the headaches on a consistent basis.  I experienced them for only a few weeks.  Other frequent symptoms include waking up feeling as if someone was stomping on my chest all night and no energy to do much beyond the minimum.

13. Have you ever fallen asleep suddenly or in an inappropriate situation? [ie, biz meeting, band practice, gig, doctor's office, etc.]
Every day I fall asleep at my work computer....probably several times each day.  I've fallen asleep a handful of times when sitting in a waiting room.  And nearly every night I fall asleep at my home computer just before I hit the sack.  And yes, it does happen suddenly.

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you need anything else.

Tom

smoggrocks

gentlemen--

thanks so much for your responses! btw'n your info and lots of other research, i've gotten some really good perspective on this disorder.

i've got a couple more questions, then i'll shut it--

jeepn--when your cpap therapy was adjusted, did they titrate up or down? [increase or decrease the air pressure?]


to all--you universally acknowledged being very tired in the daytime [or you are drinking lots of coffee, perhaps to hedge that]. many of you have a lot of difficulty concentrating and/or with memory. so i'd like to know:


if there was a drug that provided non-amphetamine, non-stimulating, non-addictive relief for your excessive daytime sleepiness--so that you could function normally and feel clear-headed without feeling jittery--would you take it? why or why not?


JeepnDrummer

Quote from: smoggrocks on July 23, 2008, 05:03 PM
jeepn--when your cpap therapy was adjusted, did they titrate up or down? [increase or decrease the air pressure?]
Here's how they did it.  After verifying I had sleep apnea, I went back for the titration.  This was another full night sleep study, which included getting hooked up to a bazillion probes again, but this time I wore the mask.  They started the CPAP at the lowest setting and every hour they raised the air flow.  This went on until the max setting was reached.

The doctor interpreted the results to determine the best setting.  They set mine at 11cm, which I was told is dead center in the range.  So, they really didn't titrate up or down, they just determined the optimal setting for me based on the results of that test.

If I go back for an adjustment, which I probably will do, then I'm confident the setting will be increased.  And that's my update.  It's been 10 days since I began using the CPAP and the results haven't been near as good as I had hoped.

Quote from: smoggrocks on July 23, 2008, 05:03 PM
if there was a drug that provided non-amphetamine, non-stimulating, non-addictive relief for your excessive daytime sleepiness--so that you could function normally and feel clear-headed without feeling jittery--would you take it? why or why not?
It's tempting, but I probably wouldn't take the drug knowing that sleep apnea can be treated without surgery or pills.  Besides, sleep apnea puts such a strain on the body that I'd be concerned about the effects the drug might have, despite the attitrubes you listed above.  I guess I'd need to see how I'm feeling at the time the drug is available.

ElvisLaw

I am not sure if I would take  such a pill. i have cut out energy drinks and coffee already and tried to kick soda but the headaches got to bad. I would like to feel better as naturally as possible