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Old 04-29-2021, 10:39 PM   #1
Blaster86
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Default Sleep Apnea is just the worst

So I've spent the past two weeks or so in and out of specialists and doctors for all sorts of fun stuff.

I've known that I've had sleep apnea in some form or another for about 10 years. Never really thought much about it. Pissed off partners from time to time, but it wasn't that bad. Unfortunately covid saw some weight gain and it got remarkably worse. I didn't think much of it at first since I as single so no one cared. Sleep apnea ain't nothin other than the snoring and being tired sometimes.

But it just got worse and worse, to the point that I was waking up more tired than I was going to sleep. Whatever, restrictions will end and I'll get back to playing hockey and going to the gym regularly and it'll go away. That's an oops.

About a month ago I had a slowly encroaching headache that eventually caused something called hemianopsia. Now I had no idea that it had a name until recently, but it's when you can still see but for some reason can only see half of your field of view. I didn't think much of any of it, chalking it up to being tired. The hemianopsia was short lived but the headache lingered for three days which is when I ended up at the local emergency room. The initial suspect was a migraine. Not because this is caused by migraines, but because I suck at describing to doctors apparently. So I sit through a battery of tests and then I get an EKG done. Turns out my heart is in atrial fibrillation. Has been for some time. Didn't notice it kick in, but here we are. So now we spend a few weeks trying to figure out why this happened. And as we learned two weeks ago, it all comes back to the sleep apnea.

So the sleep apnea made me feel tired and caused my heart to go kooky which put it into a-fib. So two weeks ago I am informed by the cardiologist I am seeing and the neurologist I am seeing that they have had a quick chat and with the confirmed sleep apnea diagnoses they both agree that I had something called a TIA or a Transient Ischemic Attack or as they called it a mini-stroke. So at all of 34 years old I have been told that I've had a small stroke and something that usually only happens in the elderly.

So the sleep apnea made me feel tired, caused my heart to go kooky which put it into a-fib, and made me have a small stroke at the age of 34. I am now on blood thinners, likely for the rest of my life. I feel tired walking up a flight of stairs and the cardioversion attempting to shock my heart back to normal didn't work, but did leave my upper right side of my body feeling like someone had spent two hours smacking me with a meat tenderizer.

The moral of the story is that sleep apnea is just the worst. If you have it or think you have it, look into it. Get a cpap machine. Don't #### around, because apparently sleep apnea is not just nothing.

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Old 04-29-2021, 10:43 PM   #2
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Thanks for sharing. Sleep apnea puts a massive strain on your body.
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Old 04-29-2021, 10:46 PM   #3
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Considering our "feud" on here I should post so you don't take me thanking your post the wrong way. That sucks man...take care of yourself and thanks for sharing it could potentially save someone else on here a lot of trouble.
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Old 04-29-2021, 11:05 PM   #4
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Yes thanks for sharing.

There is a dedicated sleep apnea thread in this forum. And it was the source of my worst experience on here.

In my mid twenties I noticed I was always tired. Brain felt foggy and my mental acuity was not what it was. I was dealing with some strong depression issues so I kind of had chalked it all up to that, but then I came across the sleep apnea thread on here. The odd time I would share a sleep space I was told I snored in periodic violent fashion, so I determined I was a candidate.

People talking about similar symptoms, and how getting treated for sleep apnea transformed their life for the better. Naturally I was excited, the chance to maybe solve some of my issues and regain my mental faculties. So I went to get tested, which when dealing with the depression felt a monumental task, but also felt worth the effort.

Sure enough I was diagnosed with “mild” apnea. Which still meant waking 14-23 times an hour or something. But I was excited about the diagnoses and the chance for a remedy that others described as life changing. Despite being young and quite underweight I was a little surprised that the solution prescribed was the sleep apnea mask and machine that presumably I’d have to wear the rest of my life. So started the trials, which were out of pocket, sort of like a rent to own situation I think. I did not have a lot of money at the time (depression made it hard to work more than part time) but thought it a worthwhile investment.

The mask was horrible. I went from sleeping long hours and just never feeling rested (before I tried the machine), to barely being able to sleep at all. After a few adjustments, many weeks, and many hundreds of dollars later i abandoned the effort. I think I was left with a consultation with a dentist/specialist for thousands of dollars would fit me for some mouth guard that “could” help but the lack of money and hatred of dentists, I never followed through.

Anyway that’s my contribution. That thread has always left me jaded because I was so hopeful I had found a solution and the experience left me feeling even more lost. I don’t know how much of a factor apnea still plays in my life, but reading your cautionary tale it’s something I might have to relook into in the near future when things normalize.

I’m very sorry for your condition, and I hope you experience improvement from your current state. It sounds horrible.
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Old 04-29-2021, 11:42 PM   #5
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Well I am just the worst. Didn't even think to look for another thread. Looks like that one fell off the front pages right before I started this awful adventure. Makes sense, I likely looked at it and glazed over never giving it a second thought.



Still, find something to make it work. Thankfully I took to the CPAP fairly easily. Mine was at 45, so, severe. Not sure I'd have been able to keep that up without some help.


Send for a mod and merge em!
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Old 04-30-2021, 12:17 AM   #6
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Holy #### that's frightening. My pops has it, I snore sometimes at night but I have never had myself checked out.
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Old 04-30-2021, 12:25 AM   #7
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Dude, I'm really sorry to hear about that, I'm glad you're thinking about it, and getting some help with it.



Sleep Apnea is no joke, but yeah with the Cpap its manageable. Make sure that you continue to listen to the professionals and take care of yourself.



Wishing you all the best.
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Old 04-30-2021, 07:40 AM   #8
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That really sucks and hope things get better Blaster86. Like you had trouble sleeping, brain fog for most mornings, always just tired and cranky, and I apparently sounded like I was choking in the middle of the night. Been on a CPAP for the last three years now but it was amazing the first few weeks after I started the therapy how much of a difference it made.

Whole experience was a big motivation to lose a weight over the pandemic. I'm down nearly 30lbs and might actually be underweight now. Anyone have mild-severe sleep apnea and get themselves re-tested after weight loss? Does that really even help once it gets bad and is it just a chronic condition that can only stay the same/get worse?
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Old 04-30-2021, 08:19 AM   #9
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Many dentists are now ‘specializing’ in airway dentistry.

Their research is showing direct correlation+causation between narrow arches, tongue position, and breathing issues. Claiming consistent success with widening the arches through expansion appliances.

I’m neither promoting the treatment nor vouching for the validity ... but relevant to this thread.

Perhaps something worth checking out? Worst case scenario ... you end up looking like Julia Roberts
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Old 04-30-2021, 08:28 AM   #10
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i got hooked up on a machine years ago at my wife's insistence as my snoring was waking her up all the time. Despite it being a massive pita, it has helped both of us.

Most nights I feel like I have a far more restful and quality sleep
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Old 04-30-2021, 10:16 AM   #11
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Not to distract, but I was told after sleep tests that my bouts of insomnia are mental. I told my doctor, well d'uh.
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Old 04-30-2021, 10:28 AM   #12
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I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea a few years ago. So I started running. It was almost an instantaneous cure. Not sure if I had lost any weight, because even after a week I saw a vast improvement.

Take it with a grain of salt I guess.
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Old 04-30-2021, 10:34 AM   #13
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Sorry to hear it, and hang in there.

I'll echo _Q_ in that my own experience was that weight loss (also running) dramatically and almost immediately eliminated my apnea. It was similarly mild, so add a grain of salt here too as well.

Hope you find a solution that fits for you.
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Old 04-30-2021, 11:07 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty2hotty View Post
Many dentists are now ‘specializing’ in airway dentistry.

Their research is showing direct correlation+causation between narrow arches, tongue position, and breathing issues. Claiming consistent success with widening the arches through expansion appliances.

I’m neither promoting the treatment nor vouching for the validity ... but relevant to this thread.

Perhaps something worth checking out? Worst case scenario ... you end up looking like Julia Roberts
Keep in mind that not all sleep apnea involves breathing problems. My husband had central sleep apnea. He never snored. There was an electrical problem between the brain and heart.

You then require a BPAP machine which is a lot more expensive.
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Old 04-30-2021, 11:21 AM   #15
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I'm not going to say a Cpap machine saved my marriage, but I will say it is much more enjoyable sleeping in the same bed then it was sleeping on different levels. With a Cpap, the overall improvements in lifestyle are immeasurable for myself.
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Old 04-30-2021, 11:35 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flashpoint View Post
Sorry to hear it, and hang in there.

I'll echo _Q_ in that my own experience was that weight loss (also running) dramatically and almost immediately eliminated my apnea. It was similarly mild, so add a grain of salt here too as well.

Hope you find a solution that fits for you.

Yep, a big part for me was the weight gain and sedentary habits of covid. My take was always "fix it all when Covid is gone"


Issue for me was that it got so serious it couldn't wait for that anymore. So CPAP machine right away and running as soon as my body feels up to it.
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Old 04-30-2021, 11:47 AM   #17
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Sorry to be the bearer of worse news but Sleep Apnea heightens COVID risks as well. It is the worst. Even if you’re on a CPAP machine, this essentially just trades lung capacity for heart capacity. The machine weakens your lungs because you aren’t breathing on your own.

https://www.ajmc.com/view/obstructiv...-complications
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was identified as an independent risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) resulting in hospitalization, according to study findings published last week in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

As a result of researchers examining at-risk populations amid the pandemic, OSA has been identified as a potentially prominent factor contributing to COVID-19 hospitalization. C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were significantly higher in patients who were eventually transferred to critical care units compared with those who were not.

Moreover, the researchers of the present study highlight that OSA is associated with several known risk factors linked with severe COVID-19: body mass index (BMI), diabetes, older age, and male gender.

“Such risk would have substantial effect as OSA is a common disease affecting at least 8% of the population, with higher prevalence in older age groups reaching to over 20% in individuals over 60 years of age,” noted the study authors.
I read another article that discussed how hypoxia from sleep apnea also increases the likelihood of a cytokine storm as the body goes into overdrive to fight the infection.

I have an uncle who is an anti masking spreadneck conspiracy theorist who has sleep apnea. We’re all protecting his ignorant ass during these times.
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Old 05-13-2021, 12:24 PM   #18
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Quote:
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Yes thanks for sharing.

There is a dedicated sleep apnea thread in this forum. And it was the source of my worst experience on here.

In my mid twenties I noticed I was always tired. Brain felt foggy and my mental acuity was not what it was. I was dealing with some strong depression issues so I kind of had chalked it all up to that, but then I came across the sleep apnea thread on here. The odd time I would share a sleep space I was told I snored in periodic violent fashion, so I determined I was a candidate.

People talking about similar symptoms, and how getting treated for sleep apnea transformed their life for the better. Naturally I was excited, the chance to maybe solve some of my issues and regain my mental faculties. So I went to get tested, which when dealing with the depression felt a monumental task, but also felt worth the effort.

Sure enough I was diagnosed with “mild” apnea. Which still meant waking 14-23 times an hour or something. But I was excited about the diagnoses and the chance for a remedy that others described as life changing. Despite being young and quite underweight I was a little surprised that the solution prescribed was the sleep apnea mask and machine that presumably I’d have to wear the rest of my life. So started the trials, which were out of pocket, sort of like a rent to own situation I think. I did not have a lot of money at the time (depression made it hard to work more than part time) but thought it a worthwhile investment.

The mask was horrible. I went from sleeping long hours and just never feeling rested (before I tried the machine), to barely being able to sleep at all. After a few adjustments, many weeks, and many hundreds of dollars later i abandoned the effort. I think I was left with a consultation with a dentist/specialist for thousands of dollars would fit me for some mouth guard that “could” help but the lack of money and hatred of dentists, I never followed through.

Anyway that’s my contribution. That thread has always left me jaded because I was so hopeful I had found a solution and the experience left me feeling even more lost. I don’t know how much of a factor apnea still plays in my life, but reading your cautionary tale it’s something I might have to relook into in the near future when things normalize.

I’m very sorry for your condition, and I hope you experience improvement from your current state. It sounds horrible.

That was my story too, but I did follow through on the mouth guard and according to my wife it helped but I didn’t do any follow up tests.

Fast forward four years and a new doctor sent me for sleep testing and sure enough I’m worse again. Went through the CPAP mask horror again but finally ended up with the nasal pillow headset and I’ve gotten quite used to it. Might want to revisit that with your sleep clinic if you didn’t try it.

On the downside I didn’t have a revelatory experience where I suddenly wasn’t tired. My crappy work schedule is still an issue, but I definitely have fewer days lost to pure zone out.
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Old 05-13-2021, 01:44 PM   #19
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I know a lot of people with this. Symptoms range from mild to extreme. I guess what I want you to know is that you are not alone and hang in there. Best of luck.
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Old 05-14-2021, 01:39 PM   #20
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I am on the nose pillows, and I've been pretty good with them.


Going in to get shocked again next week, so here's hoping this mess is almost done. This fails and it's time to be literally dead inside and go onto ablation.
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