Posted: 8/8/2006 8:11:05 PM EDT
|
I started a thread a while back about how I stop breathing; archive.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=423627 I went to the ENT, then to a sleep study he ordered. I have an appointment with the sleep study place Thursday, but my ENT called a little while ago. He said they found that I have mild apnea, and that while sleeping on my side I breath "O.K.", but when I'm on my back I "exibit problems". My oxygen levels dropped "several times", with the lowest point being 84%. He said I should contact him to talk after I talk to the sleep study doctor, and that I should consider whether getting my deviated septum fixed is something I'd want to do. He said no pressure on that decision, but that it may help me with my breathing problems. What do those of you with experience in this think of this evaluation? |
|
Are you overweight? Excessive poundage can be a big contributor to sleep apnea. deviated septum or not. It sounds like no matter what you are eventually going to end up sleeping with CPAP on your face. BTW, 84% is bad, but I've seen apneic patients drop to like 75% before they start bresthing again. Freaky. ETA - shit, 9 seconds! |
|
Getting the deviated septum fixed with do nothing. I have the same thing, and talked to 8 people who had it done, didn't do anything but cause pain for a while. My oxygen level never went below 91%, and he said i had pretty severe sleep apnea. What helped me the most was getting a form fitting pillow and raising the head of my bed 3 inches, after i got the cpap. Makes ya feel like crap don't it, i was a total asshole till they fixed it. |
I'm overweight, but not morbidly. I'm on the right; I used to be fifty pounds heavier, but once I got it down this far it just started hovering. I'm not gaining anymore, but I'm not losing either. My primary doc and the ENT both told me to lose more weight, but without using SuperGlue on my lips I don't know how I'm going to do it.  I'll definately skip the nose surgery if it won't help, and based on what you guys just said I'm guessing the sleep study doc will put me on that CPAP machine.  I do like the idea of continuing to breathe though.  Nobody has ever mentioned my adenoids that I can recall. |
|
You have a short, thick neck, which a lot of times you will have problems with sleep apnea. I would try CPAP first (I'm sure they will want to give you after your sleep test). If the mask bothers you, they have a couple different ones they can fit you with. But, you probably won't believe how good of sleep you get with that on. I would try this before and invasive procedure. Good luck! BTW, 84% isn't good. So, you definitly need some help while sleeping. Don't won't to kill off any brain cells!!!!
|
I had this done last March. UPPP, plus tonsils plus septoplasty. I now do not snore nor have any apnea. I was not overwieght and it does not work all the time. Especially if you are overwieght. The septo was nothing. Get it done if they are working up there anyway. The open nasal passages are awesome. I was a hurting unit for 2 weeks though, from the UPPP not the septo. Let me know if you want pics I got them.  Here is a vid of the surgery. (not mine) UPPP surgery video |
| My dad has supposedly a bad case of apnea, and it keeps us all awake whenever we have hotel rooms, cuz he snores so bad, if we go campin in a campground, people complain. it's bad. if he sleeps on his side or stomach, he's fine, but put him on his back and it's bad. |
My nephew had that done. He's a very tough guy and has had several bad injuries, but he said that surgery was the worst thing he's ever been through. The only thing he found that helped was to tire himself out right before sleeping. For some reason that helped him sleep soundly the first four or so hours of the night. GoGop, no offense but your face and neck look heavy. I carry a lot of my fat on my neck, and I have sleep apnea. I'm not going to go through surgery for it so I've looked at many other options over the past 15 or so years. The best thing I've found is Ephedrine. It firms-up the skin in the back of my throat along with opening-up my nasal and bronchial passages. It really helps me sleep. I take 1/2 of a 25mg pill about three nights a week. The first few times you take it it will make it harder to sleep and it might make you jittery, but after you get used to it that will stop. I thought about trying it after I noticed how much 25mg of it helped me with breathing while running.z |
|
i had a sleep test done in january.. averaged.. 38 severe apneas an hour and they called a code blue..on me.. i woke up to 6 people raising hell..and bringing in a crash cart.. i dont know what my other figures were..buttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt i figure they were pretty damn bad. they sent me home with a Cpap that morning..they didnt even have me wait the 3 days for the insurance issues to go thru..when i would have come back to rent one. i have never felt so good..since i have been Cpapping.. |
|
As for the hovering weight issue - I have had that happen to me - seems I can get down 50-60 pounds and then it hovers there for 2-3 months before heading back up - the real problem is, that I drop off my excersize regimine. Walking 2 miles/day really helps me to lose the weight and if I stop walking, I start gaining. Takes about 2-3 months, but then it all starts coming back. Currently, I'm back at the top, and need to focus on losing it all again <groan> When I had my motorcycle accident about 6 years ago, they wanted to know if I had apnea - I still to this day don't know, apparently I didn't when I was in the ICU. Of course, maybe it was the morphine that was helping me sleep ;) |
|
He didn't put me on CPAP because the low end is a 5, and I'm a 5.1. He didn't seem concerned about apnea or the low oxygen, but he put me on .5mg of clonazepam to try stopping me from acting out my dreams. (I punch and kick things sometimes while I'm dreaming). I go back in one month to let him know how things are going. |
I had the exact same procedure done, but in January. I went back for a follow-up sleep study last month and my mild- to moderate sleep apnea was cured. Bear in mind, though, that I'm slim (5'9", 155lbs), which certainly contributed to the success of the surgery. And, as sherrick said, the recovery is pretty rough. ETA: Losing weight would surely help your situation. Try drinking more water, eating an apple before a meal, eating half portions...stuff like that. And cardio...don't forget to run (or jog or walk) every day. |
|
The doc put me on 0.5mg per day of Clonazepam, and so far I haven't done any more kicking or punching while sleeping, but I continue to quit breathing quite regularly both while awake and asleep. I stopped long enough last night that wifey started shaking me to get me going. I remember her waking me, but I don't remember not breathing. I go back to the doc on 9-11-06, so I'm guessing we'll be trying the CPAP. |
|
If they start you on the machine, see how you like the CPAP. I couldn't use one. The CPAP is pressure all the time. I wear a full mask and I couldn't exhale. Felt like I was going to explode. They changed me to a Bi-PAP and all is well now. Just for info a Bi-PAP reduces the pressure in the mask and allows you to exhale..... The CPAP has the same amount of pressure in it all the time. If someone would have told me this to start with (my doctor) it would have caused me alot less grief and wasted time on the CPAP. Just know your options and ask your doc if you are having problems with any of them. Good Luck.......... |
|
I had sleep apnea (undiagnosed but pretty obvious) until about three weeks ago. i had my tonsils removed and they were enormous. I mean to say that they were very large in my throat but also extended to the muscle in the back of my neck. Now I find it HARD to snore. |
It hurt, didn't it.
|
Not as much as it smelled. |
|
I finished the doctor visits now, and they don't think I stop breathing often enough to warrent using the CPAP, but I was prescribed Clonazepam to stop me from acting out my dreams. It's worked so far, but I have more trouble staying awake through the day. Apparently just another minor drama.
|
|
I only read first post. Let me make an assumption...Lose weight. I don't see how a simple deviated septum would cause what you are discribing... The operation you are writing about isn't just a simple get it and forget you had it deal. Any surg could kill you and especially if you are fat. Will it? 99% chance it will not. As a post-op nurse for 11 years I have seen this operation many times. In the post op months (and longer) I've seen many problems...swallowing being number one. Food in the nasal pharangeal (sp?) area sounds like fun. For some reason post-op arythmias are not uncommon either. Chances are you will not be monitored (heart) after you leave the PACU, so no one will see it or f/u on it. My .02 Good luck. |
Severe sleep apnea here.  I've been on CPAP therapy for about a year now. I have never slept as well nor awoke as well-rested (same amount of sleep, but much better quality) in my adult life. YMMV, not everyone has the great results I did... but for me it was a Godsend.
|
I'm getting CPAP on Friday. 
|