doctorlulu

To get a proper dx and helpful treatment, laying out the bucks could be worth every penny. This much is for sure: YOU are worth every penny. No expense is too great when it comes to your health and you deserve the best medical intervention out there.

I don't stop breathing during the day, but my wife hasn't given up all hope.

Found this:

Your autonomic nervous system, a.k.a. Dysautonomia, is the part of your nervous system that controls involuntary actions, such as the beating of your heart and the widening or narrowing of your blood vessels. When something goes wrong in this system, it can cause serious problems, including

Blood pressure problems Heart problems Trouble with breathing and swallowing

Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result of another disease, such as Parkinson's disease, alcoholism and diabetes. Problems can affect either part of the system, as in complex regional pain syndromes, or all of the system. When they affect your breathing or heart function, these disorders can be life-threatening.

Lifted weights all day, every day. Didn't get a job. Didn't go on vacation with my family. Squats, curling, reverse curling, wrist curling, reverse wrist curling, military press, cheating military press, bench, incline, leg curls, hamstring curls, toe raises, rowing, dumbbell work, isolated triceps work, ab work, neck weight lifting, isolated deltoid work, several sets of 8 to 10 reps, 4 to 6 reps for bulk every other day, and ran for miles up hill, down hill, backwards and forwards, with ankle weights and a weight vest, on sand and pavement and dirt, 100 and 40 yards sprinting, bear crawl drills and calisthenics every night. That's all I did. Future was promising until torn ligaments changed my plans.

"It also cannot tell whether you are asleep or awake."

What it knows is when it is turned on and blowing air. The only time I have it on and blowing air is when I try to sleep. I could be sleeping less than the recorded time it shows it is blowing but not more.

Yes. He's a sleep specialist. There is a large department in the hospital designated specifically for sleep disorders and I go there.

Biggest hypocrite in the U.S., eastern Canada, Iraq and much of Mexico because I'm going to use that dreaded term, "Exercise". Maybe some of us would do well to start some light exercise, perish the thought for me! Used to work out 8 to 10 hours a day preparing to become a football player at the highest levels. Since that goal went bye-bye when I was injured, exercise is kind of blah to think about, but I know I should do some.

Not sure. Looked for that kind of info but didn't see that it takes time to build an effective blood level. It may and I just missed it.

Seems as though time of day you take it plays a role in its efficacy. Dosage can be increased, too, depending on how much you take. Plus, there are other "wakefulness" inducing meds you can try.

When I was a teen, dad recommended running around the block three times which he was certain would make me tired enough to sleep. It would have awakened me and made sleeping more difficult. Poor guy. He had terrible, terrible sleep apnea but we didn't know what it was back in the day.

I'm still almost completely exhausted every day. Been using CPAP since February and am nearly as wiped out as I was before I started. Had a complete sleep test about a month ago in hospital. The chart showed my sleep apnea as an almost uninterrupted dark line. They applied a CPAP to me at three thirty am and the apnea decreased markedly. At 6:30am I hit REM for a few minutes before they woke me up. No REM other than that. Doctor has increased the flow pressure to 14.

Does feeling tired lead to hunger? Weight gain is often symptomatic of OSA, and for me I think I may overeat to a degree to compensate for feelings of exhaustion. The idea is that eating more food will yield more energy or the feeling of more wakefulness.

Which reminds me, has anyone been on Modafinil? It is used in certain people to increase wakefulness.

I have signed up for by-pass bariatric surgery. In my case, there are many pre-surgery steps that must be taken before surgery is performed. It requires, among other things, numerous trips --35 to-50-- to the hospital, which is about an hour away. Surgery is at least 6 months away due to all the requisites. Just learned that this type of procedure may negatively impact the gallbladder requiring its removal. (Another fine mess I've got myself into, Ollie!)

Thanks for the detailed response. You've confirmed my worst nightmares. I am one disturbed pup. If I could sleep like a normal human being and keep my grey matter soaked in oxygen, I might be able to have a rational thought or two during what little time I have left. Wouldn't that be something? At least it would be a nice change.

Our astronauts sleep 300 miles above the earth. I can't climb 3 steps on a ladder w/o getting dizzy. How do people sleep when they are under pressure? If something's bugging me, I get even less sleep.

"DreamStation Auto cannot tell you which stages of sleep you have had." Right. I didn't mean to imply it did. I believe my doctor meant that based on how little I sleep, there isn't sufficient time to go through the stages to complete 2 cycles. I am under the impression that this particular unit can sense resistance and adjusts itself accordingly, with resistance increasing as an apnea event occurs during sleep?

It's a good thing I'm not a real doctor. It's a good thing I try not to take my advice.

Pleasant dreams!

Thanks again

Thanks for responding.

What is a sleep cycle? Good question. I didn't know either, so I looked on the net. Each cycle consists of reaching and going through the 5 stages of sleep from light sleeping through REM. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Most people need about 7.5 to 8.5 hours a sleep per night which means they will get 4 to 5 complete cycles per night. I rarely sleep for 3 hours at a time max; Most often much less than that.

My sleep specialist at the hospital looked at a printout of my sleeping data downloaded to their computer from my DreamStation Auto CPAP. Apparently, it can tell how long I sleep minute by minute during a 24 hour period. It automatically adjusts air pressure depending on the type of sleep I'm experiencing, if I'm sleeping at all. She noted that I wasn't completing even 2 cycles for each 24 hour time span.

I am wiped out during the day and fall asleep occasionally throughout the morning, afternoon and evening, and my total sleep time is about 4 hours. My provider told me my 02 was low. She may have referred to the data from a home study I just did about a month and a half-ago where I was wired to a portable computer.

(If you knew my spouse, AKA World War III and Armageddon, you might be inclined to believe she was placing a refined powder of rat poison into the little reservoir/humidifier in my machine.)