Hello to all the sufferers out there,
I have recently started a relationship with a lovely man with severe apnea. He has had to give up work because of it (he was driving a lot) and the Sleep Clinic say he is way off their barometer and there is nothing they can do for him. He has tried all the available devices, to no effect. It is terrible to lie and listen to him gasping for breath and I think he is at least a little depressed, partly through lack of sleep and partly because he feels so helpless. He is always quite pleased to wake up every day, but wonders whether it will be his last.

I have been wondering about alternative treatments and he has so far been to an osteopath who is doing cranial and other work on him. Only one session so far. But I have also wondered about diet. He has lost a lot of weight and is practically thin, has never smoked and is only a very light drinker. But his diet isn't great. Meat pies for lunch, lots of dairy products, wheat and sugar. I've been wondering whether he might have an allergy to one of these, which would be contributing to his poor ability to breath through his nose or breathe at all at night. When he falls asleep his mouth falls open and the real struggle for air begins. His sister apparently has a dairy allergy.

So I am wondering whether any of you good people have looked into the possibility of allergy impacting on the nasal passages and/or sinuses?

Milk, wheat and sugar combinations are always extremely bad for allergy sufferers.  Removing them from the diet will probably not help the apnea, but it will definitely help the allergies, especially the sinuses.  Rye bread is OK. Dairy is pretty much a no no.  You can try goats milk to replace cows milk. (If you can stand the taste of goats milk.)

Tell him to find a competent sleep doctor and certified sleep lab.  Look in the links section for my post explaining how to find sleep doctors.  Allergies can cause congestion, but there are plenty of ways around that if you have apnea.  

Obviously, he needs to get treated for his apnea and needs to find a competent doctor.  Apnea is strongly correlated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke.  It also raises blood pressure and causes a lot of other symtoms, some of which you are already aware.

I get madder each time I read this.  What a bunch of hog wash that the sleep lab said there wasn't anything they could do for him.  If he is shown to have apnea, definitely file a complaint with the AMA and American Academy of Sleep Medicine (which certifies sleep labs).  Please be leary of alternative approaches for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  OSA is caused by a physical obstruction of the airway and the only way to open it up is via a CPAP.  I don't know what "devices" he has tried (what did he try and where did he get it if the sleep lab wasn't helpfu), but it doesn't sound like he has tried the one that works and that he needs.

As you know, you can not diagnose apnea based on body type.  The tissues causing the OSA are inside and can't be seen.

We are always here for questions!

Vicki

Many thanks for your responses. We are not actually in the US Vicki, but I think we do need to find a much better doctor. The Sleep Clinics that he has tried have been approved and official ones in two separate public hospitals.

My question was really about the fact that his airways are not clear enough for him to breathe through his nose. The four different masks that he has tried have all demanded that he breathe through his nose, which eventually becomes impossible and he wakes up gasping for breath and feeling very claustrophobic. I feel that without clear nasal passages, his breathing options are severely reduced.

The only option given him was a tracheotomy, which he hasn't yet dared contemplate, because of all the implications. What would you think of that?

There are options that don't require the person to breathe through their nose.  A full face mask (really only covers the mouth and nose, not the entire face)  is the most common solution to that, I believe.  People with claustrophobia may have a problem with it, but they may be able to overcome it.  Another solution is the Oracle mask, which is only for mouth breathing.  As I'm not familiar with it personally, I can't tell you anything about it other than it isn't a suggested mask if you have jaw problems.  You can find pictures of different masks on the internet, so I would suggest you find some that look comfy and give them a shot.  You also might consider registering and PMing Rested Gal since she has tried many of the masks.

I have and had a lot of problems with nose masks - I now tolerate it better after changing the humidity setting on the c-pap.  Also - a tracheotomy is a mess - I
have had a UPPP surgery about 3 weeks ago - not helping much yet - but the machine seems to work a little better for me now.  Also see if he was checked for a deviated septum which can aggravate the nose with congestion and makes a nose mask harder to use sometimes.

Good Luck - John

Many thanks again for your responses. It seems that Tony has tried a full face mask - after all - but couldn't adapt to it as it was very noisy (he tried three) and 'blowy'. He has also tried a CPAP with humidity adjustment which made no difference to how the mask worked or his ability to breathe through his nose. We shall have a look at masks online as you suggest and talk to Rested Gal.

No he hasn't been checked for a deviated septum - how bad is that? Or for anything else much. While he is very receptive to my ideas - even prepared to give up sugar for a while, he is pretty resistant to going on spending money on a wide range of professionals as they have not as yet had any success. Last night he slept on his stomach and that seemed to be quieter, but he is still very sleepy today.