Entry bubble When Snoring Isn’t Just Snoring

By: Ginger | October 10, 2008 | Category: Health

Jake wrote about his diagnosis of sleep apnea. I also suffer from sleep apnea. Yes, women can have it too! Not all snorers have sleep apnea, but snoring is one of the indicators. When my doctor asked me about snoring, I told her that I didn’t snore. After all, my husband had never mentioned it. Wow, was I wrong. My husband never told me about my snoring, because he thought I would be embarrassed. Apparently, I sounded like a pig sniffing out truffles!

My doctor suspected a sleep disorder, so I went for a sleep study. No wonder I was so messed up. I had severe sleep apnea, so I was prescribed a CPAP. I went for a second sleep study to determine the correct CPAP setting and mask.

Ginger wearing her CPAP life.My CPAP mask fits over my nose and blows air continuously. It keeps my airways open while I am sleeping. It’s not sexy to look at, nor the most comfortable thing to wear, but the CPAP helped me get my life back to normal.

Before getting my CPAP, I had trouble staying awake while driving. It was dangerous not just for me, but for everyone on the road with me. Think about how many people are on the road driving with untreated sleep apnea. It’s scary! If you are prescribed a CPAP, it should be worn every time you sleep, and you should take it with you when you travel.

General anesthesia and pain medicines can worsen sleep apnea. Tell medical staff about your sleep apnea prior to surgeries. I even brought my CPAP with me for an outpatient surgery. They didn’t put it on me in the recovery room. I woke up to frantic people doing things to resuscitate me. My recollection of the event is a little confusing, but I do recall a hose the size of a boa constrictor (or so it seemed) being pulled out of my nose. I was a little disappointed with my near death experience (no white light or angels), but I was happy to be alive.

I just shared embarrassing details about my snoring and that lovely CPAP picture. It’s only fair that you share your sleep apnea stories with me. Do you, or someone you know, suffer from sleep apnea?

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: apnea   cpap   ginger   sleep   snoring  

 

Entry bubble Don’t Let a Sleep Problem Disturb Your Winter Slumber

By: Jake | December 24, 2007 | Category: Health

A few weeks ago I thought it was a given that I wouldn’t sleep well tonight. It’s not because I thought Santa would wake me (he stopped coming to my house years ago), but because I was having trouble sleeping every night. What I didn’t know was that I was being plagued by a mild sleep disorder.

The last time I was in the doctor’s office sick, I mentioned that I had trouble sleeping. My doctor suggested I see a sleep specialist because the symptoms I described, waking up multiple times at night, feeling unrested when I woke up and lethargy, were symptoms of sleep apnea.

According to the National Library of Medicine, sleep apnea is a condition where one has episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea can be a serious sleeping disorder because complications can include pulmonary hypertension and stroke. Symptoms include lethargy, loud snoring and waking up out of breath. Causes include obesity and blocked breathing passages.

When I went to the sleep specialist he checked my neck and throat to see if there were any blockages in my airways and he recommended a sleep test. Last week I got the results of my sleep test. The doctor said I do have sleep apnea, but it’s very mild and most likely caused by my sinuses, which act up continuously because of my allergies.

There are a number of treatments for sleep apnea. The most severe cases require surgery or a CPAP machine that opens breathing passages during sleep by pushing air through them. In my case my doctor suggested I take an antihistamine tablet before I go to bed and to not drink fluids two hours before bedtime.

So far this treatment has worked and tonight I should have no problem taking a long winter nap.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: apnea   disorders   insomnia   sleep