I have mixed sleep apnea, central nervous system predominant. I also have been diagnosed recently with neuropathy in the legs. I have also have Tourette's Syndrome, with vocal tics and tics mostly at night.

Does anyone have information on neurological problems and apnea?

You are not alone.  I have neuro problems too.  I have neuropathies in legs, arms, face, feet, hands, torso, well you get the picture.  I also have muscle spasicity that can totally interfer with living my life. I have a whole lot of small brain lesions that my doctor feels are due to the severe hypoxia caused from the apnea.  About one fourth of my episodes are either mixed or central apnea.  I have wondered if my neuro problems have caused these too.

There is so much they do not know, especially when it comes to any neurological.  Hang in there and let me know what you find out.

I am so happy to have found this forum!!!  My mother who was 62 at the time went for a noncomplicated surgery in Nov. 2004 to have ovary removed that had a benign growth on it.  She was in excellent health prior. The evening after the surgery my mother went into respiratory arrest and was on a ventilator for 4 days.  They contribute the arrest to sleep apnea which she had done sleep studies years prior and had her tonsils removed at age 58 and they said she was cured and was released from the pulmonologists care.  Well obviously she wasn't cured.  They said she would return to normal within 6 months well she is not.  Her personality is different she is not the same person.  She doesn't talk much she use to have more energy than me 32 yr old now she is just there.  She wears that cpap faithfully too.  
By the way does anyone have problems with foul breath odor, because my mOM DOES AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHY?

I'm going to receive the results of my EMG test this morning. I'm encouraged by your attitude of survivor and fighter rather than victim.

Please tell me how those lesions were diagnosed. I have had an MRI of the brain to determine the presence of neurological problems AFTER I had a diagnosis of mixed sleep apnea and my doctor said it was "find".

Obviously it cannot be fine, or I would not have Tourette's Syndrome, Central Nervous System Apnea, and now the neuropathy.

I have a call into a doctor in Washington DC who is heavily involved in the study of sleep apnea and neurological diseases such as neuropathy with no traceable cause. But lucky for me, no sarcasm intended, I may have diabetes which would explain the neuropathy. 60% of people with diabetes have some form of neuropathy.


_________________
Frank S. Bublitz

Dear Kashoub,

I had an MRI which showed lots and lots of small lesions sometimes overlapping, it kind of looks like baby swiss cheese :)
I was originally told I probably had MS and went on this long frustrating journey trying to find out what was going on with me.  What I have learned thru all of this is to trust myself, I knew something was wrong, I got treated rather shabbily by a couple of doctors although most were okay.  
I kept telling them that along with my other problems, I would wake up at night feeling like I was drowning, I wasn't breathing and for a couple of horrifying seconds I did not know how to breathe.  I was told it was anxiety, panic attacks, I knew that wasn't right.  Finally I went to a sleep clinic and my blood oxygen at night drops down to 60%, the sleep doc says I have probably been doing this most of my life and that is probably the reason for the brain damage.
I hope your EMG results come back good.  If you do not get an answer keep trying afterall you know your body better than anyone else.  I was rather shocked how little Neurologists really know about the brain and diseases that affect it.  A clear MRI really doesn't mean much one way or the other, not all lesions show up on MRI's.  I heard Duke University is supposed to have a new kind of MRI that shows a lot more than the standard one.
Best of luck to you.
Sara

kashoub wrote:

I may have diabetes which would explain the neuropathy. 60% of people with diabetes have some form of neuropathy.

Hi ..

I’m not in the 40%.  The neuropathy is part of the “Dâ€� package.  In some folks (me) neuropathy strikes  the nerves related to the autonomic function.  When that happens it is known as Autonomic Dysfunction.  Autonomic Dysfunction can cause all kinds of changes in the rhythms of your body, breathing being one of them.


_________________
Success Nourishes Hope