Sleep Apnea

My buddy suffers from sleep apnea and asks the respected maggot medical community if they can offer him some advice on options for treatment.

Basically he snores......a lot. Really he chokes while he's sleeping. The issue got so bad he underwent a sleep study overnight at the hospital recently hooked up to EKGs and shit and the results showed a near-severe case of sleep apnea. The treatment recommendation is to purchase a $1800 ventilator but it's kind of a pain in the ass and buddy suspects the doctor's just pushing that path because he gets kick backs or something. The other option is a $800 mouthpiece to force the air passage open better. The last option would be surgery if he feels the other options aren't working.

Any maggs out there with advice or experience on this problem? Know anyone that the ventilator worked great for etc, is the mouthpiece better etc? just smoke a doobie before bedtime? (I think he tried the last one already and it didn't work)

I have a friend with sleep apnea and I've always seen him sleep with the ventilator. I'm guessing it must help if he chooses to use it every night.

My neighbor died last month as a result of sleep apnea. 39 years old with a pregnant wife. she is a nurse and was working the overnight shift. She found him dead in bed. Autopsy results point to sleep apnea.

An engineer that works for me has fairly severe SA... He was getting so little rest during sleep that he was chronically tired at work - borderline nacroleptic; he'd fall asleep aat least once in virtually every meeting... finally had to talk to him about it. he ended up doing the overnight thing and was prescribed a CPAP ventilator... the day after the first night he used it he said he woke up early, without the alarm, feeling more rested than he had in many years. He no longer falls asleep in meetings...

A simple google search will reveal a butt ton of info on the net... if the doc says he needs one, he should seriously consider it if the apnea is affecting his quality of life.

One of my old roommates had sleep apnea. First went with the ventilator, either he rented it or insurance paid for it. The Dr. told him that he had to try it first before surgery so that insurance would pay for the surgery. He had it for a month, went back to the doc, told him it was not working, he had the surgery. Says it was the best thing he ever did. He was a different man after that.

My dad uses the positive pressure ventilator. He said the difference is astounding - he actually started dreaming again (and remembering them) the first night he used it. My mom went back to sharing their bed since she had to sleep in a different room due to the noise. $1800 is a pittance compared to not getting the rest you need, and likely his insurance would pick up the largest chunk of that anyway. Tell him to stop being an idiot (Docs don't get huge kickbacks - they can lose their licensing that way) and to try one for a while. If he doesn't like it he can change to a the mouthpiece (MUCH less effective) or something.

Oh, one of my colleagues had the surgery done. They basically removed the back 1/3 of his soft palate (the big flap of skin hanging down in the back of your mouth.) He was miserable - it took about 3 months to heal due to the constantly moist conditions, he could only eat smooth soups or shakes during that whole time (he ended up losing about 30 lbs.) and he said it hurt like all hell. When it was all said and done he was glad he had the procedure (no more mask hooked up to a tube) but that the process fucking sucked.

Like everyone said, getting the ventilator will probably make a big difference in how he feels and his energy level. Both my dad and older brother have them and say the difference is so worth it. And my older brother is a pulmonary specialists(lung doctor) and I can tell you he doesn't really get any kickbacks for setting people up with this kind of system.

he should at least try a CPAP machine
alot of people don't tolerate it well though (it's like sticking your face out of your car window every few seconds, while doing 65mph)
otoh, longstanding low-level sleep deprivation carries some insidious long-term health risks (<--- tongue tweester)

My dad is now on a ventilator after being diagnosed w/ apnea. He (and my mom) sleep much better, his mood completely changed and his blood pressure dropped dramatically. He doesn't leave home without it now.

Since it hasnt been clarified yet, the ventilator is called a CPAP (continuous positive airay pressure). It is the mainstay of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (when there is a physical obstruction in your airway causing you to stop breathing), which is much more prominent than central sleep apnea (when your brain forgets to tell your body to breath. Since his doc reccomended a CPAP (and since he snores a lot), he likely has obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP is a pain in the ass but is life changing for many people. And as someone else commented, sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure and strokes among other things. Not to mention that life just kind of sucks when you cant sleep.

thanks a bunch for the advice everyone, it's good stuff that should help him feel better about the path he chooses. I'm sure he'll appreciate your help and give the CPAP ventilator a go.

I was diagnosed with sever sleep apnea about 7 years ago at age 43. Got a CPAP then a BiPap and have done well ever since. Was nodding off during the day as a result of never making it to stage 3 sleep. Longest episode during the test without breathing was 32 seconds. My heart did not stop, like very severe cases. Worst case I heard about was the guy stopped breathing for about 72 seconds and his heart stopped for about 10.

The machine has been a God-send. It is uncomfortable for a week or so, then become just another part of your routine. I have difficulty sleeping without it now. No more snoring or waking up every 10 minutes. My ski buddies will sleep in the same house with me now. I dont' have bruises from the wife beating on me. I actually sleep through the night now.

The alternative is surgery, which is effective only about 40% of the time. My doc said to use the machine until someone figured out a better surgical procedure.

Ken

I'm a sleep-eater (seriously)....anyone have that condition? I snap out of it in the middle of the night only to find myself in the middle of making something to eat or actually eating it. I've woken up several times with empty plates, wrappers, etc. next to my bed and have no recollection of eating anything!?! Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

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Originally Posted by seanyob

I'm a sleep-eater (seriously)....anyone have that condition? I snap out of it in the middle of the night only to find myself in the middle of making something to eat or actually eating it. I've woken up several times with empty plates, wrappers, etc. next to my bed and have no recollection of eating anything!?! Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

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Do you take Ambien? Apparently, it can cause people to get up, eat vast quantities of food, and not realize what they did.

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Originally Posted by seanyob

I'm a sleep-eater (seriously)....anyone have that condition? I snap out of it in the middle of the night only to find myself in the middle of making something to eat or actually eating it. I've woken up several times with empty plates, wrappers, etc. next to my bed and have no recollection of eating anything!?! Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

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Makes a good excuse if you ever want to eat your roommate's food.

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Originally Posted by cloudpeak

Do you take Ambien? Apparently, it can cause people to get up, eat vast quantities of food, and not realize what they did.

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No, never took Ambian....

I think it runs in the family. My mother is a big time sleepwalker. Growing up, she would appear completely awake but saying strange shit in the middle of the night. Then, in the morning, have absolutely no recollection of any conversation she had with you the night before (worked out great stumbling in drunk after my curfew in high school).

One of my cousin's is a sleep-driver. :eek: He used to work 80-90 hrs a week and would get into his car after working and just drive. He would snap out of it miles away from home wondering where the fuck he was and how he got there...yeah, that's one's REALLY strange.

My brother/roommate catches me all the time standing in front of the fridge in the middle of the night. He has to snap me out of it and send me on my way back to my room. Fucking weird...

My bro in law had it and snored like you wouldn't believe. Got the machine and like everyone above says entered a whole new world. Looked more alive, exercised more, lost weight and got rid of migraines. Don't see much downside.

They do laser surgery on the soft palate to firm it up and also a new one glueing plastic strips in for the same affect. Know a guy who just had it done but haven't heard a report yet.

A friend up here about 40, new baby, ex national team still coaching and fairly fit died one morning. Not directly apnea but it was a related cause I believe.

Dude just do the Surgery. Who wants to sleep with a machine hooked up to their mouth and nose every single night for the rest of their life. That would suck. Why do that if you don't need to? My dad had really bad sleep apnea, he would choke will snoring and wake himself up constantly. He got the laser surgery. Quick painless, and dramatic difference.

Sleeping on your back contributes significantly to it. Try sleeping on your side- or I should say tell your friend to try that if he hasn't. I discovered I was having a bit of sleep apnea (according to my wife) but it was only when I was sleeping on my back- once I made an effort to fall asleep only on my side I have not had a problem with it.

Seanyob, that's not all that unusual, you should read up on it, there's a lot of msaterial out there and some of it might help you. Ambien has definitely been asssociated with this phenomenom, but there are other causes as well. Bottom line is you don't want to be sleepwalking if you can avoid it, it can lead to bad or potentially fatal (i.e. the sleep-driving) consequences as you've seen.

My old roomate woke up naked in the kitchen covered in blood from a pickle jar he'd broken and then walked on the glass without knowing it, you don't want to be him, that sucked a lot.

I've had a CPAP machine for 4 or 5 yrs now, paid for by insurance. Mine varies output automatically depending on need. It does seem weird at first but I was used to it the first night. Some people need the humidifier but I haven't been bothered by the dryness. Your friend should try it, the sooner the better. The improvement in quality of life is well worth the initial weirdness factor.

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Originally Posted by homi

he should at least try a CPAP machine
alot of people don't tolerate it well though (it's like sticking your face out of your car window every few seconds, while doing 65mph)
otoh, longstanding low-level sleep deprivation carries some insidious long-term health risks (<--- tongue tweester)

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Health risks such as congestive heart failure.

C-PAPs are not convenient, but either is death.

I worked as a caregiver for a disabled woman woman with sleep apnea, and took her to her sleep specialist appointment, and to an overnight sleep study, so I've heard the downside of not using one, basically the ill health that goes with not breathing.:eek:

A good friend of mine has this sleep apnea. He now uses a pressure pump - which was free on the NHS as he is a severe case.

He was told by the doctor to lose weight. being a fatty exacerbates the problem in a big way apparently.

Anyhow, why is this thread not in the gimp palace hah?;)

Pretty sure my father and all my uncles have it. One uncle did the sleep study, found out he was waking up 160 times a night and now uses the ventilator. Says it's night and day, big difference. It puts a lot of stress on your heart to sleep (or not sleep) like this...I think it contributed to the heart problems my dad is going through now.

+++ vibes for your buddy

I saw a report of why NFL lineman die in the sleep when they are relatively young, it was apnea.These guys were using the ventilator as well.

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Originally Posted by freshie247

I saw a report of why NFL lineman die in the sleep when they are relatively young, it was apnea.These guys were using the ventilator as well.

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My older brother is a pulmonary specialist at the Ohio State Med Center and got to do a study and a paper on sleep studies he did on their football players. Besides getting to see in person what amazing athletes they are, he said quite a few of the offensive and defensive lineman had some form of sleep apnea and that weight, even if its huge muscles, is one of the biggest contributing factors. He said that they want to start trying more sleep studies on NFL players because his partner for the study estimates around half of the pro lineman probably have some form of it.

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Originally Posted by iceman

Seanyob, that's not all that unusual, you should read up on it, there's a lot of msaterial out there and some of it might help you. Ambien has definitely been asssociated with this phenomenom, but there are other causes as well. Bottom line is you don't want to be sleepwalking if you can avoid it, it can lead to bad or potentially fatal (i.e. the sleep-driving) consequences as you've seen.

My old roomate woke up naked in the kitchen covered in blood from a pickle jar he'd broken and then walked on the glass without knowing it, you don't want to be him, that sucked a lot.

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Yeah, I've done a little research on it but I need to do more for sure. I DO NOT want to be out driving!

Funny you mention the pickle jar. We've got one of those huge COSTCO pickle chip jars in my fridge and I definitely go for those in the middle of the night.. (my brother also, but I think he's awake).

Can't find my keys when I'm awake.

One KEY piece of information has not been mentioned here. Altitude may instigate and certainly exacerbates existing sleep apnea.

I guess I"m assuming your buddy is a skier... have him ask the doc for an acetazolamide (diamox) rx when he goes to altitude.