[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Sleep Apnea (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/10/2013 5:50:43 AM EDT
| So anyone hear have the corrective surgeries and they worked or is everyone connected to their machines when they sleep? If you had the surgeries and they worked, which ones did you have done? |
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I know a few people who have the CPAP machines and they love them. I get better sleep, but I cant stand the mask. I can't sleep without my machine - I was at the point when I was diagnosed that I would have slept on broken glass if it meant getting rest. I never batted an eye at wearing the mask. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
| Surgery here ! Had uvula removed throat reshaped and opened up. Also had tonsils,adnoids out and deviated septum fixed and sinuses cleaned out all at one time. Recovery was terrible. Painful and took a while. It was worth it though. Better sleep and more energy. Its been 6 years and still happy i did it. Oh and the SO enjoys that the snoring went away. I just couldnt see being a night time fighter pilot for the rest of my life. |
| Another vote for CPAP. I have the apnea and not overweight either. My sleep study scared the fuck out of me, but explained why I felt like shit all the time. Use the machine, have a positive attitude and you'll get used to it. And believe me you will definitely notice a difference in how you feel, even in areas of your physical life where you didn't think there were issues, you will notice a positive change, and to be quite honest you're likely extending your life. |
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OP, here is a link to a thread I started when I first found out I had it. Lots of good info in there and some very knowledgable posters that work in the industry. Can't remember his name right now but he was a lot of help. If he sees this he may chime in and also thanks again guy!
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1326852_Sleep_apnea___I_haz_it.html Edit: and I can't hot link for shit, sorry 
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CPAP all the way. I am a different person if I go a night without it. The results of my sleep study were enough to scare me into never leaving home without it. Me too. But what do you do about camping trips? Haven't gone camping yet so I haven't had to think about it, lol. But if I was going somewhere away from electricity I'd probably bring some solar-powered charger thingy. |
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CPAPer here. The thread milkman posted is probably the defacto Apnea thread. I learned a lot on there before I decided to go in and get tested.
As for camping, most machines operate off 12V or so. You can get battery packs, or cobble up your own adapter for a 12V battery. |
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I had my soft palate reshaped, tonsils (the size of golf balls) removed and a basal tongue reduction done. Way better sleep now. It took a little while to relearn how to drink and to whistle but it was sooo worth it. Make sure you ask for a novacaine lollypop. My doc recommended it and it was wonderful. Keeps the mouth and throat numb while healing.
I tried the CPAP in the lab and did not get one wink of sleep during my sleep test. I guess I kinda skewed the results with that. By all means get the surgery. A little relief is better than nothing. |
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we tried the carved uvula, reshape the back of the throat don't do it doesn't work, very painful have a cpap machine, go in with good attitude, you will feel a lot better I've been on the machine now for 6 years, and I do feel better. I just have this love/hate relationship with it. |
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My doctor told me that the only surgery proven to be effective for sleep apnea is gastric bypass or lapband surgery. He said that 95% of sleep apnea sufferers are overweight. he is wrong. i'd find a new doc. one that actually knows what sleep apnea is. No shit. I have central sleep apnea. The way I was convinced was laying in the recovery room from having a heart cath and watching TV with my wife. I was so relaxed, that I would stop breathing and not even notice it. The O2 alarm would go off and the girls would come in and say "You need to breathe". "Take deep breaths". I swear I never knew I wasn't breathing until the alarms would go off and they probably went off 8 or 10 times and they don't go off until you hit the lower 70's. I would take 3 or 4 breaths and I would be back up to 97 and a few more would bring it up to 99. That is pretty eye opening. |
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CPAP all the way. I am a different person if I go a night without it. The results of my sleep study were enough to scare me into never leaving home without it. Me too. But what do you do about camping trips? Generator, battery and inverter. How ever. 
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| The surgeries are minimally successful on patients with minor OSA. Beyond that it's mostly a waste of time and money unless we're talking about getting a trach. If you are overweight you can try getting in shape. A neck > 17" is a classic indicator for possible OSA. You do not have to be overweight to have sleep apnea though, there are other causative factors like a recessed lower jaw etc. And central apnea, which has already been mentioned and is a disorder of the system that monitores CO2 levels in your body. |
| I opted for the machine. After 1.5 years, I am happy with it. It changed my life. I had high blood pressure, felt like a zombie, always sick, would wake up with excruciating headaches that I can only describe as feeling like someone drove a railroad spike into my skull. Since I got it, my BP is 110/78, feel energized, no bad headaches, better love life due to actually feeling good. i am happy I have the machine. |
Does anybody have a link to the sleep disorder/apnea thread posted 2-4 months ago? It was a few pages long IIRC. Not the one SWIRE started. I thought it was SleepDr that made the thread but I guess not. I could not find it at all and I responded in it. I had a home sleep study done recently and it came back 100% normal apparently. My sleep says otherwise. 
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I just picked up my CPAP from the VA today, so hopefully it work for me. Don't give up on it, they take most people a few weeks to get used to. If you can't handle the mask there are some nasal designs too. Examples |
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My doctor told me that the only surgery proven to be effective for sleep apnea is gastric bypass or lapband surgery. He said that 95% of sleep apnea sufferers are overweight. he is wrong. i'd find a new doc. one that actually knows what sleep apnea is. Well he is the head of pulmonology in the largest hospital in the region. He also saved my life 2 years ago when I had a massive pulmonary embolism. I think I will stay with him. |
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My doctor told me that the only surgery proven to be effective for sleep apnea is gastric bypass or lapband surgery. He said that 95% of sleep apnea sufferers are overweight. he is wrong. i'd find a new doc. one that actually knows what sleep apnea is. Well he is the head of pulmonology in the largest hospital in the region. He also saved my life 2 years ago when I had a massive pulmonary embolism. I think I will stay with him. Well he shouldn't be giving sleep advice. He is literally killing people. |
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Uh, one if the biggest risk factors for sleep apnea is obesity. A little bit of diet and exercise goes a long way. Try that first before you start looking at going under the knife. LOL The biggest factor isn't 95% bro. How in the hell is central sleep apnea caused by obesity? |
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My doctor told me that the only surgery proven to be effective for sleep apnea is gastric bypass or lapband surgery. He said that 95% of sleep apnea sufferers are overweight. he is wrong. i'd find a new doc. one that actually knows what sleep apnea is. +1 I have complex sleep apnea (half obstructive, half central/neural). I am overweight, but if I were to lose the weight it might alleviate the obstructive portion of my sleep apnea, but my central sleep apnea will never go away. |
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CPAP all the way. I am a different person if I go a night without it. The results of my sleep study were enough to scare me into never leaving home without it. Me too. But what do you do about camping trips? Portable Power Station
And yes, CPAP has changed my life. Prior to the sleep study, I'd wake up in the morning with the sheets and pillow soaked with sweat, and feeling like I had been fighting for my life. As it turns out, I had been fighting for my life. |
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Put a deep-cycle RV battery in a case, add 12v plug and switch to the side of the case. This one is sized for two nights for two CPAPs plus running LED lights and two computer fans for several hours each night. But I keep forgetting to buy the 12v adapters for our machines. Quoted:
CPAP all the way. I am a different person if I go a night without it. The results of my sleep study were enough to scare me into never leaving home without it. Me too. But what do you do about camping trips? We have a camping trip coming up in October that we'll need them for, so I need to get to it.
The power pack is also very useful in power outages, as it gives us a way to recharge our various electronics, plus have fans moving air and lights to read by. Kharn |
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http://www.elliottspourhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/nasal-pillow-cpap.jpeg Works for me. What make/model is that? |