Well, I thought I'd write some on the wonderful little process I'm going to embark on. I finally checked in for my appointment to the sleep clinic today and saw the doctor. First the nurse came in and did the usual stuff nurses do-- checked weight and blood pressure, but she measured my neck as well. Neck measurement *is* a factor: here's why. The problem with sleep apnea is caused by the epiglottis relaxing during sleep so much that it restricts breathing-- and the brain somehow doesn't tell those muscles to constrict to allow freer breathing. Obesity puts fatty tissue on the muscle, making the problem worse. Fortunately, I am on an eating plan that is reducing the fat on my body, so hopefully that will help. I saw the doctor next, who listened to my lungs and asked a lot of questions about my sleep, health, (allergies) family history, and such. My sister grinds her teeth, for example, REALLY bad. She couldn't escape braces forever (long story behind that comment). He also explained about the sleep study and the monitoring equipment they'd attach to me for the night-- if I remember right, there will be two electrodes on my head, two sensors just inside my nose, some on my chest, a oxygen sensor on the tip on my finger, and some on my legs and feet. I asked about the breathing machine and about a humidifying option. He said that would be a good idea, especially for folks with allergy problems like me.48 responses total.
The only thing that could be found as a possible cause of STeve's stroke about 2 years ago was sleep apnea (I had been telling him he should have it checked for years, but...) He is on a CPAP at an impressive pressure. His is humidified with the water heated, it is adjustable so he can turn the heat down when it is hot outside. I think he can adjust the amount of water used as well. He had a hell of a night last Thursday when the power was out.
Thank you for the information. Some of this is a little scary for me, so every piece of experience helps. I'm wondering if perhaps I should just humidify my bedroom waiting for the study right now-- it will be eight weeks until I get in unless there's a cancellation.
If you get a machine, and your reaction is anything like STeve's you will see marked improvement the first night. He picked the machine up on a Friday. I got up as usual on Saturday and did computer stuff waiting until a reasonable time to start coffee and wake him. Before I had even fully settled at my desk I heard him get up. About 8 hours after he went to bed. And he was wide awake and rested for the first time in about 15 years. He usually slept 14 hours and still wasn't rested. It continued for many months. When we noticed that he was sleeping longer and wasn't as rested we mentioned it to the doctor who sent him back to neurology who sent him back to the sleep clinic. They raised the pressure on the machine a bit and he went back to less sleep, more rested. We will watch for needing more sleep again and talk to the doctor sooner rather than later. It is amazing the change it has made in his quality of life, our quality of life. He now has energy to do things that he hasn't had in a very long time. He can almost keep up with me again. (I think competing with college kids has kept me going.)
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Just out of curiosity, what it STeve's pressure set at? I strongly recommend getting a heated humidifier attachment for anyone using a cpap machine, especially at high pressure. Having your sinuses dried out sucks, and if you already have sinus issues (allergies), it's even worse. OTOH, if you keep your equipment properly cleaned and use good distilled water, you may find your allergy problems somewhat lessened, since the air through a CPAP is filtered. For sleeping better now, a humidifier may help (again, filtered air), as will a thorough cleaning of your home. Allergies make things in your breathing passages swell, which doesn't help anything. :) Also, I don't know if this will help you at all, but if you're desperate, I find that without my machine, I sleep better sitting up most of the way, like in a recliner or a couch. ymmv. I also had a septoplasty, and I may yet have my uvula and tonsils reduced, though probably not removed altogether.
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STeve started out at 13, is now at 16. He did complain Friday morning that he was congested for the first time (other than a head cold) since he got the machine. He figured that the humidified air at pressure was keeping his sinuses cleared out. One of the benefits he likes is that when he needs to sleep during daylight hours, he can put something over his whole head to block the light and not feel like he is sufficating.
A friend (6'2" 220 lbs) was totally able to control the (very bad) sleep apnea and snoring by losing 30 lbs. He hated the CPAP machine, couldn't keep the mask in a comfortable position. The "success" % on surgery were too low for him to even want to consider it.
resp:5 I probably need to change the filter in my cold air humidifier. If I could afford an excellent air purifier, I'd do that, too. resp:6 313.6 lbs. I weigh in *every* day. I use a Tanita scale that measures fat percentage as well-- as I am on a low-carb eating plan that cuts out refined foods, I've dropped about 7 net pounds of fat (approx. 44% to 37% composition). Trust me, I'm working on it.
how long did it take to lose those pounds with the lo-carb plan?
couple weeks.
did you bolster that with any aerobic activity or are you waiting to lose more weight first?
My experience is like Todd's: my sleep apnea was cured by surgery. My tonsils had always been quite large: just about every doctor who ever peered into my throat commented on them. When the tonsils were removed they turned out to be considerably larger than the surgeon had estimated. Because I was such an obvious candidate for surgery, given the size of my tonsils, I never had to use the CPAP machine even once. Losing weight has been much easier since the surgery than it was earlier.
resp:12 I walked some, mostly 3/4 mi or so 3 to 4 times a week. The hot weather made that really difficult for a little while. Now that the temperatures have really come down, I'd like to step it up some more. It is really, really hard though, because I have an overwhelming urge to come home and sleep for 3 hours after work at about 1pm or so. It is really, really frustrating and I am so desperate for relief. But the waiting time for the study is 8 weeks.
re: 13... Yeah, losing weight was easier 'cause your throat was raw after the surgery. :) I had my tonsils out at 27. Mine were making a safe haven for bacteria and infection, so they'd been poisoning me for who knows how long.
*shrug* I guess eating less helps... but I see partially too, that what you eat really helps, too. Hopefully, I will add in more vegetables... lots of meat has killed the food budget.
tofu is cheap...lowfat cottage cheese. do you feel more energized after your walks, even considering the heat?
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Aren't you the same joker that called the abortion debate a "dead horse" Yet here you are with some stupid ass thread about your sleep disorder. If you would get that fat ass off the couch and do some real work it would be easy to get some sleep. Every person I know that has this disorder( I know several) are a bunch of fat ass pigs. They are disgusting in thier eating habits. Maybe you can all get together and sue Burger King. McDonalds already has a group going after them. Anyone over 250lbs should be forced to diet by law.
resp:17 I would imagine so. I haven't learned to cook with tofu yet. Yep, cottage cheese. No, not really too energized. resp:18 Tuna is good, makes a good salad. resp:19 You know what... shut your cakehole. You're talking out of your ass and you don't know what you're talking about. Some of the medications I had to take jacked my metabolism, and you're the only sorry fucker who's whining a sorry story about how I ain't doing good enough. Well, I'm doing something. Yeah, so I'm not as active as I used to be. Lots of people aren't. Go yowl elsewhere. Oh yeah, that's right, I have a filter that I can just actively disregard you if I so choose.
Re #20: You're only going to encourage him by responding.
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It's true that weight loss can alleviate sleep apnea symptoms, often to the point that no treatment is needed. It's also true that people with sleep apnea find it much more difficult to lose weight than most people, because we tend to lack the energy to keep active. The good news is that this does improve with treatment. You get more energy, lose a little weight, your symptoms reduce, and you get more energy still.
Damon is 6'8" tall. At 250 lbs he would be a toothpick. At 275 lbs he has a little bit of a pot gut which scares the hell out of me. When he gets the pot gut, he is about to shoot up another 2-4 inches.
I like Chinese dumplings.
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I h8 fags.
They hate you.
I'm not 250 pounds, but I volunteer to help sit on sabre. I'll buy bean burritos for everyone beforehand, too.
resp:23 That's what's been so frustrating-- I've been so tired to keep up a regimen-- so at least I do the walking. Julie suggested that I stay active and not sit for very long, so as well as walking at work (I usually walk about 3-5 blocks to the city library to pick up the batteries for recycling) I get up from my desk about every 15-30 minutes for some sort of break to fax resumes, take print orders, or whatever. I hope it will work. Also, I came straight home from work, after I went to the agency to send off an application. Could afford to do the lunch time thing again: too many hidden sugars. So lunch was spinach greens, tuna, green olives, and lemon tarragon dressing. I did go out to dinner with my wife and daughter, but there was no dessert and I monitored carefully what I was eating: diet pop, salad, the soup had a little barley in it... not too many carbs. The eating plan I follow allows carbs for dinner but limits the meal to an hour, but I decided to forgo any obvious sugar. I plan to keep measuring, keep weighing (measure fat more than pound), and walk. The night time ritual will be nasal strips and a humidifier. Hopefully, it will help some until the study.
Re #27:
Good for you! They cause cancer, y'know.
And AIDS.
My scale readings made me very happy today: I'm down to about 307 lbs, if I remember right, and about 37% fat. Hopefully this will continue.
how many pounds per week?
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/runs for cover
the average is only 2 lbs., but overall fat pounds has been about 8 so far. resp:35 Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It's a Tanita digital scale-- not sure what the model number is.
Re 15. No, losing weight became easier because without the apnea, I am more rested by sleep and able to be more active during the day. I was accustomed to feeling like my head was stuffed with cotton. I could lie down and go to sleep anywhere, anytime.
An interesting way to put it...
Dude - lose the soda. All of it. I've been on pure water for 3 weeks now, and I've noticed a few things besides all of the weight loss (as that's not the main contributor) - my skin is getting better and my teeth look better. Water is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
Even diet? I've never been able to tell if carbonation is the culprit. I try to drink a big class of water in the morning-- probably what I need to do is take a mug of water to work. I got my sleep study scheduled, so I go to the lab to sleep on the 16th of October. I can hardly wait.
The culprit is probably the caffeine, which is a diuretic. People who drink mostly caffeinated beverages tend to be dehydrated, and proper hydration has all kinds of unexpected benefits.
I'm supposed to be getting 64 oz. of water a day. Plus whatever else I want to drink. As my stomach is now the size of 2 oz., I have decided to forgo all other liquids.
How long does it take for the water to go through your stomach? I always wondered that. I mean, you cant sit down and drink 8 ounces of water in a 15 minute period can you? How many calories are you getting a day? I read that the average after this type of surgery is like 600. I also read that even though folks are only getting a few calories, they dont feel hungry. Have you found that to be true?
It takes me about 30 minutes to get through 8 oz. of water - if I'm concentrating on it. I'm not sure how many calories I get - I concentrate more on grams of protein, as I ideally like to hit 50 grams. With a protein shake and the amount of beans and meat I get, I don't worry about it too much. (If you don't get enough protein, it causes fatigue, hair loss, slows down healing of the incision . . . .) I am rarely without a bottle of water, plus I've learned to cheat a bit - when I make a protein shake, I toss in a bunch of ice cubes for the blender - it makes it more like a milkshake and I get more water.
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(Sure - 0.001 Calorie per degree Celsius above the liquid reference state.)
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You have several choices: