...and, as I am sure you know by now, each time you stop breathing the brain sends an emergency message to shock you awake so that you start breathing...a big strain on the heart
Strain the heart this way 30 times a minute...each and every night and that is why sleep apnea, unreated, is a killer. The good news is that 10-15 years ago..no one fully understood the long term effects...people died from heart attacks and strokes related to the sleep apnea. They have just recently discovered a tie-in between sleep apnea and diabetes;
Not just with heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. The week I was finally able to obtain my CPAP back in November, I heard a news story about a medical study that found a correlation between apnea and Alzheimer's.
My homophobic asshole of an uncle aunt's husband died in August, 2007, of what was said to be a heart attack. The way my aunt knew something was wrong was because he had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV before she went to bed and she realized that she no longer heard his snoring. In her bedroom. Upstairs. With the door shut.
He always refused to go for a sleep study, and as far as we can tell, that refusal basically killed him.
Hey woofer, I jokingly left comments on the pix on Flickr, before I read your LJ post. I'm sorry I joked about it. This sounds serious. Andy in Montreal uses one of the CPAP machines and is used to it as I think I rmember Matt also doing in one of your shots. I think it will help you. There really seems to be no alternative. Be well friend, Larry
No problem, Larry. When i first started spending the night with Matt, i was afraid to go to sleep because he would stop breathing for like 20 seconds at a time! It took me awhile, but he snoozed a red light and rolled into the back of an old lady and knocked the bumper off his truck. That convinced him. He got his CPAP soon after and has been happy ever since. He's going to be going back for a followup (he's due) and from talking to my doc, there is something that can be done about his kicking.
I hope you're all sorted out, soon!bearheddedJanuary 9 2010, 19:43:18 UTC
Well, one step closer to a solution, piped Pollyannna...... I smacked her upside the head with the chamber-pot! She didn't have any trouble sleeping THAT night!
They should give you jammies with the Operation game laid out on the front. Then, with all the wires, it'd look like a championship tourney!
that's pretty much standard for an initial CPAP test. They should put you on a machine next time to get the right level(s) - also to determine if you need a CPAP or a BiPAP. If you've not used one before, you may find it somewhat uncomfortable... however, if you're like me, that initial night with the CPAP may be the best sleep you've had in years. I hope you can get a machine then and there... i had to wait for mine, initially - i was like an addict deprived of crack. I wanted that CPAP *now* because I slept so well.
DO NOT let them use Apria for your provider of the CPAP - terrible service there. If they let you, use IV & Respiratory Care, 65 S. 65th St., Belleville, IL 62223. (618) 398-2720. I've had great service through them.
Thanks for the tip, guys. Matt got his from Apria and has been none too happy either. Plus, i gotta get my hands on a second from the net that i can leave up in Minneapolis.
Yeah, STAY AWAY from APRIA. Bad service when I was there. Plus, their closest location is in the IL side. Make sure that you get your doctor to call the CPAP or BiPAP provider before your next study so that they have the rep available as you wake up. YOU MUST tell YOUR DOC before. Otherwise, you'll end up waiting like JAVABEAR.
BTW, forgot to mention, Wash U has a sleep study over at the Chase Park Plaza - probably far more convenient for you for future sleep studies... and yes, you will have to do more studies in the future.. probably every 1.5 to 2 years. It's mainly to keep verifying to the insurance companies that, yes, you have sleep apnea.
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Strain the heart this way 30 times a minute...each and every night and that is why sleep apnea, unreated, is a killer. The good news is that 10-15 years ago..no one fully understood the long term effects...people died from heart attacks and strokes related to the sleep apnea. They have just recently discovered a tie-in between sleep apnea and diabetes;
Good luck
The mask is a real pain...but its worth it.
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My homophobic asshole of an uncle aunt's husband died in August, 2007, of what was said to be a heart attack. The way my aunt knew something was wrong was because he had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV before she went to bed and she realized that she no longer heard his snoring. In her bedroom. Upstairs. With the door shut.
He always refused to go for a sleep study, and as far as we can tell, that refusal basically killed him.
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They should give you jammies with the Operation game laid out on the front. Then, with all the wires, it'd look like a championship tourney!
Reply
Reply
DO NOT let them use Apria for your provider of the CPAP - terrible service there. If they let you, use IV & Respiratory Care, 65 S. 65th St., Belleville, IL 62223. (618) 398-2720. I've had great service through them.
Reply
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Make sure that you get your doctor to call the CPAP or BiPAP provider before your next study so that they have the rep available as you wake up. YOU MUST tell YOUR DOC before. Otherwise, you'll end up waiting like JAVABEAR.
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