Hi there. I'm just starting to do some research on sleep apnea as I believe my husband has it. I'm pretty sure it's the obstructive kind. Whenever his allergies start to bother him or if he gets a cold, he starts snoring. And if the cold or the allergies get worse, he'll go a few moments (or longer) without breathing and then let out a really loud snore. Sometimes it does help to roll him over onto his side, but lately that's not even helping. I've tried to talk him into sleeping in the recliner, but he doesn't want to do that. Even though I pointed out to him that he falls asleep there in the evenings and has no trouble breathing then.

I'm just wondering if there are some other tricks I can use to try to keep him breathing at night. We don't have insurance right now, and really can't afford to pay for the doctor or the sleep tests at this point in time. He is also very resistant to the idea of a breathing machine. He said his mom has one and hates it, and he doesn't think it will work for him. He's also only 29, so thinks that he's too young for something like that.

I'd love some ideas from those who have "been there, done that."
Thanks!
Nicole

Nicole it is best to get him in to be tested if you can. Age is not a factory on if he has it or not. I am 29 also and do have it. Once he tries the machine and finds out how much better he would feel he might change his mind. Sometimes if you can get him to sleep on his side it might help.

Nicoles,

We have patients here in all shapes and ages so age doesn't mean anything.  If finances are a problem, go here www.awakeinameria.org they will provide sleep studies and CPAPs for those with financial need.  And/or call sleep labs and see if they will set up a payment plan for your husband or give him a discounted fee.

The effects of untreated apnea can be very severe, here is a short list: increased risk of heart attack and stroke, increased blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, nocturia, headaches, fatigue (duh), memory and concentration problems, weight gain (sleep deprivation causes weight gain for several physiological reasons), there is a link to diabetes, there is a link to GERD, night sweats, depression, anxiety (each apneic event is a true suffocation and elicits the "Fright or Flight" adrenalin response), Fibromyalgia-like symptoms, impotence, relationship and job issues, car accidents, etc.

So, it is important that your husband get tested and treated if he has apnea.  The most important factor in CPAP therapy is attitude.  Here, we have helped literally thousands of people become successfully treated.  If your MIL has some problems with treatment, then have her post the specifics and we have suggestions to help with almost everything.

Let us know how it goes!!

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Thanks for the responses. I'll go check out that link Awake in America. And see if I can't do some more convincing. I know age isn't a factor, but he seems to think he's too young for it. *shrug*

Thanks again!
Nicole

Hi Nicole:

I am 53 years old and have had multiple health problems, especially this year, most likely associated with my weight and medication I was prescribed.

Mainly I have been suffering from chronic fatique for over 15 years that started with mono and the ebstein virus in 1987. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1989 and associated most of my fatique, weakness, and breathing problems with that disease. This year I broke out with a series of bacterial infections, skin infections, neuropathy including numbness, trouble sleeping, short and long term memory loss. I had many blood tests and seen every specialist you could think of for Diabetes, Neuropathy, Opthamology, Rheumatic and Muscular Diseases, Sleep Apea, and even surgery.

I was first sent to an Endocrinoligist because of a Fasting Glucose reading over 126 and an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test that indicated I was either Diabetic, Pre-diabetic, and had Reactive Hypoglycemia. She also found my Cholesterol was about 300 and put me on Vytorin and a Diabetic and low Cholesterol type diet plan which I dropped 30 pounds in 2-3 months, however I started getting Burning and Throbbing Pains in my legs. After multiple blood tests I was informed I was Pre-diabetic, had reactive Hypoglycemiam, but my neuropathy problems lied elsewhere and referred me to a Rheumatoligist.  After a short period of time I was informed I never had Rheumatoid Arthritis but had Fibremalagia and maybe sleep apnea. He also had additional test done that indicated a high probability of having Polymyositis or intermyositis both uncureable MDA diseases. The only positive test was a muscle biopsy. He had me stop the Vytorin immediately and scheduled me for surgery where I had a piece of my muscle removed the size of a pencil and sent to Children's Hospital for a full analysis. The result was that my mucles including my heart and other organs were saturated with the statin drug in the Vytorin that was destroying the cells in my muscles. No Polymyositis, but it could develop into that without proper rest, healing, and exercise to rebuild my muscles and heart etc...

The sleep study was stopped after 3 hours because I stopped breathing over 100 times in the 3 hours as well as other restless problems of moving etc...  Durations without breathing ranged from 10-60 seconds. I was fitted with a C-PAP mast and it took several hours adjusting various pressures before one was found that eliminated the breathing problems. These machines require a prescription for obvious reasons as indicated above. The study had my brain, muscles, chest, mouth, nose, and throat monitored during the entire test to determine what was causing the problems. They also determined I breathed more through my mouth and therefore could only use the full mast version because it is based on pressure etc...

As someone else pointed out you can not diagnose this kind of thing without a study being done and come up with the right diagnosis and cure. You can cause more harm than good by just borrowing a machine and hooking the old guy up to it. I am sorry about your insurance situation, you might ask your doctor for assistance as what free services there may be for someone who has this condition. It is life threatening in more ways then one.

I am still waiting for the heathcare folks to contact me for a machine. My insurance pays up to $1,000 for a one time purchase or rental. Most machines average about that or a little more.

Good Luck
Bill