Help - sleep apnea?

T

tygra

Cathlete
Hi All,

Has anyone themselves been through the tests or their significant other have? My DF is snoring more and more and for last month or so gets up early, but is always tired and is snoring on his side now as well (never used to). He never feels rested. He's very distant, mumbles, has no interest in things he used to. He had a sleep study this week but doesn't meet with doc for 2 more weeks. I'm falling apart here not sure if the changes are due to potential lack of sleep or if something else is going on :(:(.

Anyone have experience with how you felt or your SO did?

TIA
 
cpap

My husband has sleep apnea -- the test is pretty painless and then he had to go back to have the machine fitted and adjusted. In fact, after 10 years, he just got a new machine that is much smaller and quieter than the old one. I remember that as soon as he came home from the sleep test where he got to use the cpap he felt like a new person because he had not gotten good sleep since he was a teenager -- at that point he was waking up 26 times an hour. When he got the update test done this year for the new machine they discovered that he now wakes up 51 times an hour! Thank goodness for the machine.

The machine will not bother you much, it is not very loud, and is MUCH better than the snoring! It will occasionally slip, etc. but you just hit him and tell him to fix it and you can go back to sleep.

Really, if yours snored like mine (SO loud, the house practically shook) your ability to sleep will really improve. It is a great invention.

Tobermory
 
My DH has severe sleep apnea. The breathing machine worked like a charm. The machine he has makes less noise than a ceiling fan.

You described all the symptoms my DH had. He was becoming a different person from his usuall happy self. After he used the machine a couple of times, I got my happy DH back!

HTH
 
My DH did a sleep clinic a few years ago and was diagnosed with sleep apnea, but he hated the machine and refused to get one :-( The rare times when he actually gets enough sleep he is such a different person. He doesn't remember ever having a good nights sleep in his life and he's now 48. He gave up long ago ever believing that anything can help him and is too entrenched in that belief to be willing to try anything. I really hope your DF can get one and will use it.
 
Thanks everyone. The difference in his attitude - what he used to love he doesn't anymore - is really scary.
 
tobermory said:
My husband has sleep apnea -- the test is pretty painless and then he had to go back to have the machine fitted and adjusted. In fact, after 10 years, he just got a new machine that is much smaller and quieter than the old one. I remember that as soon as he came home from the sleep test where he got to use the cpap he felt like a new person because he had not gotten good sleep since he was a teenager -- at that point he was waking up 26 times an hour. When he got the update test done this year for the new machine they discovered that he now wakes up 51 times an hour! Thank goodness for the machine.

The machine will not bother you much, it is not very loud, and is MUCH better than the snoring! It will occasionally slip, etc. but you just hit him and tell him to fix it and you can go back to sleep.

Really, if yours snored like mine (SO loud, the house practically shook) your ability to sleep will really improve. It is a great invention.

Tobermory
Click to expand...

Ditto everything she said! My DH looks and feels SO MUCH BETTER since he started using the cpap machine. The testing and being fitted for the machine is so easy it's ridiculous!
 
i know its weird but it seems to be an issue with dh if he sleeps on his back. i usually try to roll him over b/c his snoring or weird breathing patterns will wake me up. he to refuses the machine. its not severe from what they see but he doesn't do very much to take weight off or exercise/eat well and get on a sleeping schedule, which they say may help. this started when he was supervisor(he gave up over a year ago) the stress came on,lack of eating then severe weight gain suddenly may have been the cause but now it won't see to go away.

kassia
 
I'm having surgery on my deviated septum this Friday and can't wait, since I've never been able to breathe through my nose and all the mouth-breathing has really interfered with my workouts. Your husband's first step will be to see his doctor, who will likely send him to a sleep clinic and a laryngologist to examine the inner structure of his nose, searching for breathing obstacles. Most people with REAL issues end up having surgery on their deviated septums and sleeping connected to a CPAP machine... allegedly. I know lots of people who've had the surgery and been assigned a CPAP but never used the machine because it's uncomfortable and a big hassle, and a real social life killer (but then, so is snoring). After my sleep study I was supposed to have a review and be assigned a CPAP but they left a message on my machine, canceling, and I never rescheduled because I knew there was NO WAY I was sleeping with that mask on my face. My case, however, is not severe and I'm betting my issues will all be resolved via the surgery (I hope). I have a friend whose issues ARE so severe she awoke nearly 200 times during her sleep study.
 
Jane, sleep apnea is more than just a snoring or lack-of-sleep problem. It's life threatening! Google it and see. It's pretty scary stuff.

My DH's blood oxygen was dangerously low due to sleep apnea. He felt absoluetly miserable and he looked like death warmed over.

After just one night with the breathing machine (C-PAP), I could see a difference in his personality. After about a week with the machine, he was back to normal.

I had to practically force him to go to the doctor. I'm sooooo glad I did!
 
Redeye said:
Jane, sleep apnea is more than just a snoring or lack-of-sleep problem. It's life threatening! Google it and see. It's pretty scary stuff.

My DH's blood oxygen was dangerously low due to sleep apnea. He felt absoluetly miserable and he looked like death warmed over.

After just one night with the breathing machine (C-PAP), I could see a difference in his personality. After about a week with the machine, he was back to normal.

I had to practically force him to go to the doctor. I'm sooooo glad I did!
Click to expand...

Oh yes! After his test, my DH was sent to a cardiologist and ended up needing a cardiac catheterization! It was one of the scariest things we'd ever been through. Sleep apnea is nothing to mess around with!
 
I'm so glad he got tested. We won't know the results until 10/21 when he sees the doctor. It's scary seeing him like this. I'm just trying to keep him relaxed. He's always snored, but over the last 2 months it's gotten worse and he, too, looks and acts like death warmed over. He said to me today that he feels he's changing and pushing me away and doesn't want to do that. He doesn't like how he's feeling. I told him I'm there for him and we'll get through it. He's under a lot of stress at work as well which doesn't help, but has a new employee starting today that will eventually help on that front.

I want us back and want him 100% healthy
 
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