| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 1:35:05 PM | I'll try to keep this short but it may be a little long winded; please bear with me.
I was just recently diagnosed with sleep apnea (a little over a month ago). I've probably had it for quite a while but ignored the symptoms and friends telling me to get something done about it; I can be stubborn that way sometimes LOL. But this summer it got so bad to the point to where I could hardly function while awake so I finally went and did a sleep study. Turns out the sleep study showed that I would quit breathing over a hundred times in an hour. In other words, I would spend my nights asleep trying just to catch my breath! Come to think about it, I'm surprised I managed to be as active as I am and function as well as I did for so long before it finally caught up to me. Anyways, they cut the sleep study short and immediately put me on a CPAP machine. While I can't deny how much better I feel and function health-wise, having to strap myself to a machine every night in order to sleep does put a noticeable cramp in my lifestyle. Extended backpacking trips in the Rockies, forget it. I've yet to see a tree or a rock with an electrical outlet LOL even overnight camping can't be done unless I have access to an electrical outlet or I want to drag a marine battery with me. And as far as, how shall I say, dating, goes......that'll be interesting.
There are surgical procedures to cure sleep apnea and intend to do so rid my dependency upon a machine but I won't be able to do that until next summer. In the meantime I'll be strapping a mask over my nose every night...... 
I'm curious. Has anyone ever dated someone with sleep apnea (who used the CPAP machine) and how did that work out? Or, anyone on here who had or has sleep apnea (and uses the CPAP) and how have you dealt with it? | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 2:51:19 PM | | I too have sleep apnea. I have used cpap and am now on the bipap, been using them for about 5 years. What has worked for me is, before we get to the point of spending the night together, I explain my condition. And explain the fun mask we get to wear. LOL I am surprised at the amont of people who haven't heard of sleep apnea. I have taken my machine on sleep overs. Just don't put the mask on till its time to sleep. And be careful trying to wake me in the morning. LOL I fill an old water bottle with my distilled water. That is usually more than enough for one night. I have also found I can usually go a couple of nights without using my machine. Yes, I am tired, but I manage. So far I haven't run into any problems just because of my sleep apnea. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 4:07:02 PM | The sound of the CPAP machine keeps waking me up at night, in a confused state, even coming from the next room.
I found this rather odd, because I am a white noise junkie, that can be lulled into an alternative consciousness with an air conditioner... but something the cycling of the the air through the machine freaked me out.
I have no idea how anyone sleeps with those tubes and the over the face thing. If you can and it makes you feel better, I salute you. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 4:22:14 PM | | I know this is ask a girl, but I too have sleep apnea. I hold my breath for 59 seconds at a time and I do that 45 time every hour. I am only breathing 15 minutes out of each hour. I to have a CPAP and am having potential sleep over company. She knows I have sleep apnea and knows I sleep with a mask, bt I don't think she really knows. I was going to go without it. I am not sure what to do. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:10:19 PM | My fella uses a CPAP. I don't think it's any kind of trouble at all. I find that if I wake at all during the night, I check to see that he's wearing it before I drop back to sleep. 'Course, I'm madly in love with the man, and would like to keep him alive as long as possible!
I understand there are solar set ups for camping, etc.
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:16:29 PM | I have used a CPAP for about 5 years. I was told that if I want to loose the machine, loose the "gut". I snore like a roaring hurricane and the machine I use keeps me quiest as a mouse.
The sound of the CPAP machine keeps waking me up at night, in a confused state, even coming from the next room. The newer machines (mine is a ResMed "Compaq") runs very quietly with hardly much noise at all
There are surgical procedures to cure sleep apnea and intend to do so rid my dependency upon a machine but I won't be able to do that until next summer. Did your Doctor advise you of that possible solution to your problem? The problem with sleep apnea is caused by (for most of us) our stomachs laying over part of the diaphragm. So, the airway is partially opened and breathing is difficult. That is way my doctor told me to loss weight, then loose the machine possibly. Most of my friends know I use a CPAP and have fun kidding me about it. I told one very caring and loving friend that she snores......Uhhhh, she then called me " Pappy CPAP and your whirling machine".
I no longer tell her that she snores!
~Sneaks | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:18:26 PM | | OP, I worked as a resp therapist 34 years. I would have no issue if my partner needed one for sleep. Your health is important. Hypoxia and CO2 rentition are a very big health issue. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:28:01 PM | I understand your problems having been recently diagnosed myself, I would check your reports, if you stop breathing 100 times an hour you probably dont breathe at all, maybe meant a night which is not that unusual for chronic problems. I can give you some really good news though, once your sleep problems are cured, I can't get used to the bloody machine on my face yet, then your erections will increase in strength and duration and your energy levels will go through the roof. A friend is a specialist which is where the information comes from, I can see my SO having to get used to the noise being a nuisance however she wants for my health to be good so she is the kind who will just learn to put up with it and the increased wood for her to go chopping down or midnight riding will be an enjoyment for her as well | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:32:05 PM | Trekker
As someone who's used one and dated someone who's used one...
You talk about it. There isn't any spontaneous I fell asleep thing. Your health is much more important than your pride. If she can't deal with it you don't need to deal with her. Not being mean but if she did demand you didn't use it and saw the results...she'd change her mind in a minute. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:34:31 PM | ^^^^^ Msg. #8 ROFLMAO, Well there you go!!! Just another reason for a restful nights sleep, whirling sound or not, the benefits will be on the "rise"! I agree with many of the other posters on here, your health outweighs anything. If she loves you enough, the machine will not matter!!
~Sneaks | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 5:45:06 PM | First of all, this is your health. I had a roommate one time with a machine . . . I got so I couldn't sleep if I didn't hear the humming down the hall.
Secondly, after looking at your profile . . . with those arms . . . and that smile . . . what woman wouldn't want to be lying beside you!!  | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 6:17:46 PM | I dated someone when I was in college who had sleep apnea. He was only 22 years old and a bodybuilder. I don't know how he got it, because he was in very good shape. I kept hearing him stop breathing and it scared me because at the time, I didn't know anything about sleep apnea except the name for it. I told him about it, but he denied he had any problem at all (why would I make something like that up!!!) Anyway, after mentioning it a couple more times, I broke up with him because I was sure he was going to keel over any day....its very scary to listen to. You just want to BREATHE for them! I kept counting the seconds until his next breath. I had a hard time falling asleep listening to it.
Anyway, years later, my Grandmother started "fainting" during the day, and it turns out she had sleep apnea also. She denied having it also. I took her in for a sleep study, and they gave her a CPAP, but she kept falling in the middle of the night when she went to go to the bathroom and forgot the head piece was on her head...so she returned it. She developed dementia within a year of that, and then kept forgetting she took her medications, so double-dosed herself and ended up in a coma.
She got better after having hip surgery. I think her Doctor did the apnea surgery on her at the same time, but I am not sure about it. But she stopped having the apnea then. Unfortunately, the hip surgery landed her in a nursing home, and she ended up staying there at around age 90. The dementia never went away. I think it all started when she returned that CPAP machine.
I always felt better when I heard the CPAP machine running smoothly. I think if you let your significant other sleep with you without it, they will know what I mean. Listening to someone stop breathing is way worse than listening to the "white noise" of a quiet CPAP machine. Also, it is much, much quieter than snoring is.
I think that if someone was bothered by it, you can have separate sleeping arrangements. Perhaps after a while, the novelty will wear off and the person who loves you will feel the same way about it I do--it is more reassuring when it is on.
Sleep is so important! You could fall asleep driving or doing something else that requires concentration for saftey. Or you could make a mistake at work... there are many reasons to be well-rested besides your health---the health and saftey of the rest of us! Deep breathing is also important. It is part of meditation, and will also help you to live longer. Get enough oxygen and everything you do will go better.
I kept wanting to tape record the people who denied having it. I never did because I thought that would be an invasion of someone's privacy (to do it without their consent.)
If you aren't sure about this, put a tape recorder on when you go to bed sometime. Then you can know for sure how it sounds to others, both with the CPAP and without it. I think that because you only do this when you are asleep, it is hard to imagine that it is anything other than quiet and peaceful. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 6:29:58 PM | | msg 12 there are 2 types of sleep apnea, Obstructive and central. Obstructive is usually seen among the overweight and central is due to a failure in the brain to signal muscles to breathe (think Ondines curse). There is also a combination of the 2 maladies. People of every age could suffer from a form of this problem. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:08:18 PM |
Did your Doctor advise you of that possible solution to your problem?
My "doctor" tried really hard to convince me to stay on the CPAP permanently. Tried to steer me away from surgery. After seeing what was charged to my insurance company for the CPAP and additional equipment (same items online for far far less in price) I can see why he wants me on the machine LOL Also trying to get him or his staff to go over my results was a pain in the ass. If I had to do it all over again I'd look for a different doctor; was not very happy with them. So now I'm a little leery. I'm going to take my time, do as much research as possible and talk to as many doctors and surgeons as I can before I get surgery. You burn, you learn.
The problem with sleep apnea is caused by (for most of us) our stomachs laying over part of the diaphragm. So, the airway is partially opened and breathing is difficult. That is way my doctor told me to loss weight, then loose the machine possibly.
I have what is called obstructive sleep apnea. I don't have all the technical details in front of me but the obstructions are within the throat and nasal airways. One of the things that will have to be done is reconstructive jaw surgery where they can move my jawbone forward so a certain (don't know what it is called offhand) will be moved forward and not obstruct my airway when I sleep at night. That and other things. I'm still in the process of getting different opinions from different doctors.
As far as weight loss goes I'm not fat anyways so I really couldn't lose a whole lot and even when I've been real cut up it didn't make a difference. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:12:57 PM |
reconstructive jaw surgery where they can move my jawbone forward so a certain (don't know what it is called offhand) will be moved forward and not obstruct my airway when I sleep at night. I think there's a plastic thing you can sleep with in your mouth as well that pushes the jaw forward.
Adults learn to work around the small stuff. This definitely counts as small stuff that is not worth counting as a reason to not date someone. Plus, for you, it's big stuff....use your machine or die. How selfish would it be for a woman to say that due to the machine, you're not worth dating?
Oh, and initially, I thought you kept saying the Crap machine....you can imagine some of the sick images that conjured up. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:21:11 PM | | OP your obstructive apnea is caused by an anatomical problem. My young niece spent the night at my home and snored like a 50 year old sailor. I was concerned and advised my brother to take her to the doc. Sure enough she had hypertrophied tonsils that were obstructing her airway. Tonsils removed... problem resolved. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:29:11 PM |
I would check your reports, if you stop breathing 100 times an hour you probably dont breathe at all, maybe meant a night which is not that unusual for chronic problems.
I thought they were mistaken when they told me that too. My response was, "A hundred times in an HOUR?!?!?!?!? There's only 60 minutes in an hour!! How the hell can that be?!?!?!?!?" But they assured me that it was, which is why they woke me up and put me on the CPAP. Now I'm sure it wasn't that bad all the times before or I probably would have died in my sleep a long time ago LOL But as stated in my original post, my condition got progressively worse to the point to where I could barely function when awake. I can see why now...... | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:33:30 PM | | I suggest seeing a board certified pulmonologist that will consult a maxillofacial surgeon. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:49:15 PM |
As far as weight loss goes I'm not fat anyways so I really couldn't lose a whole lot and even when I've been real cut up it didn't make a difference. LOL!!! OP, I went to your profile and had a look at ya........Uhhhhhhh, you're no where near fat!!! I will have to call my Doc's Office and see exactly what type of Apnea I have. I am sure they have his notes on it!
My conclusion is that I am really f*cked up in the head It takes a real man to admit that OP!!!
Thanks! This is actually a great thread!
~Sneaks | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 7:49:37 PM | | lol I doubt it but seeking a specialist as I have suggested is a good start. Any doc can suggest stuff they are not board certified to do. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 8:10:08 PM | | I doubt you have hypertrophied tonsils. That condition uusually results in a very elongated head and some mental retardation if left unchecked. I sincerely hope you consult a specialist. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 8:16:10 PM |
I dated someone when I was in college who had sleep apnea. He was only 22 years old and a bodybuilder. I don't know how he got it, because he was in very good shape. I kept hearing him stop breathing and it scared me because at the time, I didn't know anything about sleep apnea except the name for it. I told him about it, but he denied he had any problem at all (why would I make something like that up!!!) Anyway, after mentioning it a couple more times, I broke up with him because I was sure he was going to keel over any day....its very scary to listen to. You just want to BREATHE for them! I kept counting the seconds until his next breath. I had a hard time falling asleep listening to it.
That's funny the way you describe it......I've had a couple ex-girlfriends say the same thing......scared the hell out of them. They would tell me about it........and looking back on it now I was definitely an idiot for not doing something about it then and there. But the thing is........ when I would wake up in the morning I had no recollection of any of it and at that time I functioned just fine during the day. I was healthy as far as blood pressure, heart rate, etc. I always ate right and worked out for the most part so I just never really gave it any thought.......too busy to worry about it.......
........of course I have a completely different attitude about it now...... | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 8:23:48 PM |
I doubt you have hypertrophied tonsils. That condition uusually results in a very elongated head and some mental retardation if left unchecked. I sincerely hope you consult a specialist.
You're probably right on the hypertrophied part. What I meant was that when my throat was examined (and this was a simple open your mouth and say,"ah") the Doc said, can't remember the exact quote, but something about my tonsils either being visible or more of them being visible than they normally should be during a normal examination which could possibly help cause an obstructed airway. He suggested I see an ear, nose and throat specialist and pursue that further. | |
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| Sleep Apnea
Posted: 9/11/2008 8:24:06 PM | | One of my friends has sleep apnea. Sometime I would share a room with him when we would go on vacation with some of our other friends. I would certainly rather listen to the whatever noise the CPAP machine makes over loud snoring. | |
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