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There
I was: 50 years of age, overweight with high blood
pressure. My wife said not only did I snore like a pig,
I choked, gasped, snorted and gurgled, and then would
suddenly stop breathing until I started again with a
choking gasp. She also complained that I tossed and
turned and kicked all night.
For years I had been
getting sleepier and sleepier. I went to bed early, but
woke up the next morning feeling tired out and unrested.
I used to sit on the edge of the bed in the morning and
count the hours till I could take a nap. I am a teacher.
I had 32 beady little pairs of eyes just waiting for me
to nod off! I fell asleep during the 5 o'clock news. I
went to bed at 8:30 or 9:00 at night and woke up the
next morning to start the whole thing all over. I could
not drive any distance in the car without having to pull
over and let my wife drive while I went to sleep. My
wife claimed that I was irritable and that I had
occasional bouts of depression. But the most telling
symptom of all was that I totally denied that I had any
sort of sleep disorder. I thought it must be the
medication I was taking for my blood pressure problem. I
looked for information on my pills, to figure out which
one was making me drowsy. Meantime, my wife, being wiser
and more realistic, was checking the internet for sleep,
then sleep disorder, and finally narrowing down her
search to sleep apnoea. She found many wonderful web
sites, which simply confirmed her suspicions. She even
downloaded an audio file of an apnoea patient snoring,
which she played for me and told me that it sounded
exactly like I did.
So I finally gave in
to her and agreed, reluctantly, to mention the
sleepiness to my doctor. I still hoped he would identify
it as a side effect of medications. Fortunately, my
doctor is well-informed, and he immediately referred me
to a sleep specialist. The sleep specialist gave me an
appointment and asked me to bring my wife along. The
doctor seemed more interested in her answers than mine.
Following a short examination and more questions I was
given an appointment for an overnight sleep study.
I will just say
that it was neither painful nor uncomfortable, not
really even inconvenient. The technician was very good
about explaining what was happening to me. She told me
that if I met the criteria in the first part of the
study they would keep me in for a second night and put
me on a CPAP machine for the second part and determine
the proper setting.
Well, to make a long story short, my study showed that I
had severe sleep apnoea and a very worrying blood
oxygen saturation level of 75%! I was titrated at 14 cm
of water pressure. When I met with the sleep
doctor, he translated
this very simply for me: severe obstructive sleep
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apnea
and a dire need for immediate CPAP usage! Since I had a
history of nose bleeds, I was also fitted out with a
Passover Heated Humidifier. The technician spent a long
time explaining how to use and care for my machines.
I had no trouble with
the CPAP in the sleep study, and I adjusted to CPAP use
from the very first night at home. I did experience a
little dryness and congestion, but the doctor prescribed
a nasal spray that helped. The noise of the machine was
minimal, and my wife said she vastly preferred it to my
snoring. From the very first night, the snoring quit
almost entirely, and my wife reported I did not toss and
turn and kick nearly so much.
It took a little
longer for me to notice results, but gradually over the
next few weeks I found that I could now wake up in the
morning feeling refreshed, that I could make it through
the school day without nodding off, and that I could
stay up a lot later in the evening. I was watching TV
programs that had always been too late for me before! I
also was able to drive for hours without scaring my
passengers or myself. In addition I found that my daily
blood pressure readings were in a whole new range. I was
averaging 10 to 15 points below where I was before.
I have now been
on my CPAP for 1 year! Everything is great!
My whole lifestyle has changed in a positive manner. I
feel vastly better than I have for years. My wife is
totally delighted, and says not only does she not have
to put up with the snoring any longer, but my bouts of
irritability and depression are gone too! The sleep
study is truly the best thing a doctor has ever done for
me.
(We think that this true story will be familiar with
a lot of partners/spouses of members)
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