I just came back from meeting with the sleep Dr. about my sleep over which was approx. 2 weeks ago. She told me I have moderately-severe sleep apnea.  I go back in a few weeks for another sleep over using the CPAP machine.

Let me just say that I am experiencing alot of mixed emotions today. 1/2 relief, 1/4 anxiety, 1/4 anger (for it taking nearly 10 years for someone to suggest a sleep clinic, which wasn't even a doctor but a co-worker!). Over the last 10 years I have been tested for every malady imaginable for my major symptom I always classified as "lightheadedness" or dizziness. Which turns out to probably have just been extreme fatigue and tiredness. I even told doctors many times that i thought I slept poorly at night. NOT 1 ever suggested possible apnea! Even though I told them I grind my teeth at night, which should have been a clue atleast. They just all prescribed the sleep med de-jour.

Now i am hoping to get my life back. Start enjoying the weekends again with my wife and kids instead of wanting to "get caught up on my rest".  Hopefully start functioning at work to the level I know I'm capable of.  i honestly can't remember the last day that I felt normal and not in a total fog, and worst of all not knowing WHY i was in that fog. also, all the unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, anxiety, moodiness, heart palps, etc.  Please tell me that this CPAP machine will make me feel better. I have to believe it will!

Thank you, to anyone offering encouraging words!
-chris D

It is VERY likely that CPAP will make you feel MUCH better.  The relief can be immediate or it can take weeks or even months.   The damage to your body by sleep apnea happened over a period of many years and it may take some time to heal that damage.

CPAP is challenging to adapt to and you will have MANY questions.  Do not be afraid to ask questions in this forum.  There are people with many years of experience as CPAP users and there are people who have considerable clinical experience who answer posts in this forum.   Some of the people who post in here are soft and cuddly, and some of the people who post in here are not so cuddly, but they all can provide useful information.  By the way, I am one of the less-cuddly people.



Last edited by Bearded One on Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

omg.... I just posted something very similar less than 15 minutes ago !

I hear ya!  I'm having a bad day myself with *the news*

It took 10 years to get me a proper diagnosis also.  I read recently that american doctors receive less than 2 hours of training on sleep disorders! Now what happens if the person decides to skip class that day? I'm fighting back by becoming informed, and making sure my doctors know that they messed up, and they need to educate themselves.  They need to know that the ASAA exists, and that theres a lot for them to learn. I confronted my counselor a few months ago. I told him time and  time again that I was constantly tired, snored like a freight train, and fell asleep whenever I sat down.  He never suggested a sleep study was in order.  He oppologized, but he still has a lot to learn.  Good luck in your treatment, you may have rough patches here and there, but the outcome is worth it.  Virginia

Welcome to the club, both of you. It's pretty exclusive right now but membership is growing, so you wont be the new guys for long. I'm three months in to CPAP therapy myself, and trolling these boards has been invaluable to helping me adjust. Best advice I can give is be pro-active in your treatment, here and with your docs. If you don't know.. ask. If something isn't working for you investigate why. But stick with it, this isn't something that goes away by itelf. and seeing as how i'm not the fng anymore maybe now they'll show me the club handshake.

Welcome fellow Hoseheadians...I am a self proclaimed veteran at this and I am one of the soft and cuddly ones...I give hugs when needed, will help you understand, will understand your concern and will tell you where the bear goes in the woods if needed.

I recently received my medical record dating back to the ealy 80's...1984...at the age of 25 was in I first mentioned the word fatigued to a Dr. ...it took until 2003 for me to insist on a study...and a co-worker and family were the ones pointing it out to me.

I grabbed onto my CPAP and never let go...I had immediate results.  No, not 100%, I was so deep into my fatigue and symptoms that anything was an improvment.  A positive attitude will be the number 1 contributing factor in adjusting to the CPAP.  Now, I don't think either of you ever had a Mother who made you wear old fashioned, hard, prickly, hair pulled tight curlers to bed,  if you had...CPAP is easier to deal with than those things!  I am not a guy so can't give you any other comparison.

I have learned more from this forum since I have been on here over the past few months than I did in the last 3 years of CPAP.  No question is a stupid one...just ask...you will get tons of opinions...cuz we all have one!

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last week and referred to an EENT dr.
The EENT said I had no obstruction therefore I must have Central Sleep Apnea.
Now what ? How is CSA - by what tests - confirmed ? and how could a CPAC
help if it is brain function ?

thanks, Lori

Lori,  You will get more replies to your situation/question if you were to start a new topic since it is about central's.


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I got my sleep study results today, and I' m not a happy camper.  First off, let me say that truthfully, I'm not really all that surprised.  My first child died of SIDS at the age of 5 months, and my daughter (now 18) had sleep studies every other month of her life until she was a year old, and the apnea monitor never left her body.  All that being said, I'm in a really pissy mood about this, I DON'T want to wear the CPAP; It looks like something an alien from outer space would wear and it's really uncomfortable.  They came in and put it on me during my study.  I can't even read the stupid study.  My doctor said that before CPAP my AHI was 17.1 per hour.  After the tech came and put the mask on me, the AHI went down to 10.8 per hour on 9 cmH2O.    Can ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME AND EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?  Here is what the report showed:

CPAP Analysis

Level       Rec. Time    Sleep time    Sleep eff%    REM time   NREM    REM/     Position / Arousal   Snore    Saturation
               (Mins)          (Mins)                                   %           %    Supine    Supine       Index                 SaO2  Low
                                                                                                                                                          Drop # SaO2%
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
0             229.2            218.5             95.3              19           81         41.5      133.5        9.1        48.2       66        79.1
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6              21.3               17.6             82.7               0           100        0            17.6         3.4         0           7         90.1
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7              35.4               32.9              92.9              0           100         0           32.9          0           0.1        3          92.0
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
8             124.3               79.3              63.8             16.1       83.9        10.8      66.4          10.6       0.9       15          86.7
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
9               52.7               50.2              95.3            59.2       40.8         29.7      50.2           8.4        0.9         5         91.5



Level      Respiratory Events                               RDI                                            AHI
             OA    CA    MA    HYP    RERA     Total    Supine    REM    NREM    REM/   TOTAL    SUPINE    REM    NREM    REM/
                                                                                                          Supine                                                  Supine
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
0           16     0        0       46      14        20.9       30.6      59.3     11.9    59.3      17         25.6       56.4     7.8       56.4
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
6            2      0        0        4       1          23.9       23.9       0        23.9     0          20.5      20.5        0         20.5      0
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7           1       0        0         3      0          7.3         7.3         0         7.3      0           7.3         7.3        0        7.3       0
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
8           4       0        0         14    5           17.4        7.2        28.1     15.3    11.1     13.6        5.4      18.8      12.6     5.6
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
9           5       0        0        4       4          15.5        15.5        6.1      29.3    6.1        10.8       10.8     2.0        23.4     2.0

Chrisd:

I read you're post and it reminded me of my main symptom of LIGHTHEADEDNESS.  Was diagnosed with mod-severe apnea two months ago and have been on cpap.  I still feel lightheaded and in a fog.  Let me know it you feel better?  I have read a lot of post here and nobody talks about lightheaded as one of there symptoms.

Hi all;

I can't believe it's taken me until now to discover this Forum.

Anyhow, Here's my Short version of a long ride.

I was diagnosed appx. 8 Years ago. After being fitted with a CPAP Machine I felt much better and actually was able to enjoy a rather normal? Life.

I must say I was a Professional Driver for over 30 years. Even after the Diagnosis I continued to drive with little or no impairment. 3 Years ago I became aware I was sleepy during the day even in the early morning hours. I chalked it up to Allergy Meds I was taking. I returned to work and quickly realized I was having severe trouble staying awake even in the Mornings.

I called a Time Out and with the assistance of my Pulmonologist went in for another study. I was then referred to the local Sleep "Guru" who quickly changed Meds and Treatment. Unfortunately without the expected result.

Today I've been on Disability almost 3 Years. Because I was a Driver the Medical Profession would not release me for any Commercial Driving. I did try a re-training program with my Municipal employer but it was deemed a failure after 6 Months.

Even to this Day With a CPAP I can easily knock off 12 Hours, wake up and be ready for sleep after a couple of hours. I'm Glad I was able to see I had a serious problem that needed attention before I hurt myself or someone else.

Sleep Apnea is not the end of the World though. Don't ever give up...I haven't.