Does Anyone Have Sleep Apnea?

[Wylie's Mom]

So, I just found out a few days ago I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

I've struggled on and off for years and years (15+) w/ chronic insomnia...though it sometimes goes into what I call "remission". Then, since this January, I've had again it just horribly - especially since this summer. I finally started to get some help toward the end of summer, but none of the meds were working...which was weird bc a herd of horses should've been knocked out for a week w/ what they were giving me.

So, after all the lab tests came back fine - a sleep study was suggested even though my body type (underweight right now) didn't suggest apnea.

Well, I have it. I stopped breathing 3 times for > 10 secs. each time and then also had 42 episodes that were < 10 seconds. What le heck? And had like 40+ episodes of arousal from sleep!

Well no WONDER I'm so freakin' TIRED every dang day!

Needless to say, I'm kinda freaked out. A CPAP machine is outa the question, there is no way I'd be able to sleep w/ that contraption on my head and face. So, I guess it's surgery or a dental apparatus of some sort?

Has anyone else been through the surgery where they advance your entire jaw forward? Yikes. That surgery looks very major, but seems to be the most successful in terms of efficacy.

Sooo anyway...some folks have been wondering why I'm not posting as much...it's partly bc I'm just totally exhausted...and can hardly think at times I'm so tired...let alone find the energy to type. But I'm here!

If anyone has been thru the apnea thing...would love to hear how they dealt with it...

[ARCHIE]

How awful for you Ann. I can't imagine anyone who has insomnia can actually
function at all. I need 8hrs or I'm like a zombie. You poor baby.
I'm confused tho, what does a dental apparatis have to do with it?
Do you grind your teeth at night? What will the surgery do for you?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by ARCHIE

How awful for you Ann. I can't imagine anyone who has insomnia can actually
function at all. I need 8hrs or I'm like a zombie. You poor baby.
I'm confused tho, what does a dental apparatis have to do with it?
Do you grind your teeth at night? What will the surgery do for you?

The dental apparatus, if your problem (structures, that is) warrants it, either suppresses your tongue or it pulls/forces your lower jaw forward, which keeps your airway open...I guess these can be quite uncomfortable and can cause a lot of soreness later in the day too. I have a lot more to learn about these. They can work great for the right people. (I do grind my teeth, btw, occasionally)

There are several surgeries....the least invasive ones only have an efficacy of 23-70%, and are very unpredictable...often resulting in the patient either having multiple surgeries -or- ending up having the lower-jaw-advancement one in the end anyway. The most effective one (lower jaw advancement, in a nutshell) is 75-100% effective and corrects your anatomy so that your airway does not close off. Argh.

[BonBon]

Well, I'm glad they were finally able to figure out what's been going on! I only know the little I've read about apnea, which I'm sure is much less than you know. I think I would want to try the dental appliance before having any surgery. Have they had any success with the dental apparatus? Is the surgery similar to what they do for TMJ?

[ARCHIE]

It all sounds so confusing and scary. I wish you the best of luck
in your decision. You certainly have a lot to think about.
My 8yr old granddaughter has to wear an apparatis for her mouth and
teeth. Her mouth was not wide enough for her large adult teeth
and her mouth prodruded out due to pasifiers as a baby.
She's been wearing this, except to eat 24/7 for about 6 mos.
and it's amazing how
her mouth actually widened up to house those big teeth and pushed
her jaw line back in place. Maybe something like this would work for
you. It's not so drastic. Whatever you decide to do Ann I wish you
only the best.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by bonbon

Well, I'm glad they were finally able to figure out what's been going on! I only know the little I've read about apnea, which I'm sure is much less than you know. I think I would want to try the dental appliance before having any surgery. Have they had any success with the dental apparatus? Is the surgery similar to what they do for TMJ?

I know, right! I mean, after the sleep study, they were all "nah! you don't have apnea!" - so I left there SO relieved! So I was totally shocked the other day, and kinda upset that they told me that....I guess I should have waited until the doctor poured over all of the details .

For the *right* people, I think the dental apparatus thingy can be great...I think those only apply though IF your structure problem can be helped by the dental thing. I see an ENT apnea specialist the 19th, so he'll then be able to tell me *what* structure(s) back in my throat is causing this to happen, and then, what interventions would work (ie, dental vs. surgery). I think the dental things also rely on tolerability too...and then you have to have another sleep study to see if they work....man, those dang sleep studies stink, too, lemme tell ya.

The surgery (the bigger one) looks like they bust up your jaw in a few places, then place it further forward, holding it back together w/ plates and pins, as well as removing some soft tissues - very painful recovery, out of work for month, no chewing (!!!). Scares me.

[BonBon]

I wish you the best in making your decision. That will be a hard one to make.

I clench/grind my teeth at night and I'm supposed to sleep in a mouth guard. I now have the smallest one my dentist can make for me and I still can't stand it. I put it in only on the really bad days. If there was the possibility it would keep me from a drastic surgery, I'd be a lot more positive about wearing it.

I'll be curious to see what they recommend when you go back!

[yorkiepuppie]

wow, the surgery sounds major. i thought it was a smaller surgery than that!? i would definitely see if there are any other methods that would work before choosing the surgery because it does sound scary and you only have a minor case of it.

it would be great if the dental apparatus work for you, i think you should definitely try it out first and see if it helps you sleep. this way you can maybe finally get some sleep, and it will give you some time to think about possibly getting the surgery. because even though it sounds kind of scary, i think it's not an uncommon surgery, so it's not THAT scary.

i hope someone here who have had that problem can give you some advice.

[bj1]

My husband has severe sleep apnea. Surgery is not an option for him since he has so many medical issues along with a bad heart. He uses the c pap machine. There are alot different kinds of mask out there to try. He uses the one that only covers the nose. When he first started he had this big ol' mask that about covered his whole faceand he didn't like it. My x brother in law had the surgery done and I don't want to scare you but it just ruined his face. His face looks so unreconizable from what he looked like before and he has said that he still has problems not with just sleep apnea now but also with the surgeries. So I just don't know. You may want to talk with others who have had the surgery to see what outcome they had. You said you wouldn't try the c pap machine but maybe you should consider it for now since it's not so invansive like the others and just see how you like it or not. My husband did not want to use the c pap either and now since he found the right mask he doesn't mind it. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something that helps your sleep apnea.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie

wow, the surgery sounds major. i thought it was a smaller surgery than that!? i would definitely see if there are any other methods that would work before choosing the surgery because it does sound scary and you only have a minor case of it.

it would be great if the dental apparatus work for you, i think you should definitely try it out first and see if it helps you sleep. this way you can maybe finally get some sleep, and it will give you some time to think about possibly getting the surgery. because even though it sounds kind of scary, i think it's not an uncommon surgery, so it's not THAT scary.

i hope someone here who have had that problem can give you some advice.

I know, yikes huh?

From what I've been reading...most/many docs are now moving away from doing the minor surgeries bc of low efficacy/high morbidity rates - resulting in multiple surgeries for the patient -and- resulting in the patient needing the jaw-advancement surgery in the end anyway. So, many of them now seem to avoid the less effective surgeries.

The dental apparatus would be *great* if it turns out my structure problem could actually be helped by it (fingers crossed) and if I can tolerate it (these apparatus are quite nasty looking/large in the mouth)...and if it actually stops the apnea.

I know it'll all work out okay...I think the control freak in me right now is crapping her pants though....

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by bj1

My husband has severe sleep apnea. Surgery is not an option for him since he has so many medical issues along with a bad heart. He uses the c pap machine. There are alot different kinds of mask out there to try. He uses the one that only covers the nose. When he first started he had this big ol' mask that about covered his whole faceand he didn't like it. My x brother in law had the surgery done and I don't want to scare you but it just ruined his face. His face looks so unreconizable from what he looked like before and he has said that he still has problems not with just sleep apnea now but also with the surgeries. So I just don't know. You may want to talk with others who have had the surgery to see what outcome they had. You said you wouldn't try the c pap machine but maybe you should consider it for now since it's not so invansive like the others and just see how you like it or not. My husband did not want to use the c pap either and now since he found the right mask he doesn't mind it. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something that helps your sleep apnea.

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so sorry for what happened to your x Brother in law , that's really awful. So, your hubby got used to sleeping okay with those straps and the mask? Does he also have non-apnea insomnia though, like me?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by bj1

My husband has severe sleep apnea. Surgery is not an option for him since he has so many medical issues along with a bad heart. He uses the c pap machine. There are alot different kinds of mask out there to try. He uses the one that only covers the nose. When he first started he had this big ol' mask that about covered his whole faceand he didn't like it. My x brother in law had the surgery done and I don't want to scare you but it just ruined his face. His face looks so unreconizable from what he looked like before and he has said that he still has problems not with just sleep apnea now but also with the surgeries. So I just don't know. You may want to talk with others who have had the surgery to see what outcome they had. You said you wouldn't try the c pap machine but maybe you should consider it for now since it's not so invansive like the others and just see how you like it or not. My husband did not want to use the c pap either and now since he found the right mask he doesn't mind it. I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something that helps your sleep apnea.

This is a nasal mask....is this similar to your husband's? I can't imagine sleeping in this....

[bj1]

yes, very bad. At first he didn't like the c pap machine. He was all against it from the get go, but his doctor said he either uses it or dieSo that was a wake up call for him. There are so many mask out there to try but my husband likes the one he has now really well. It is very very soft, not sure what it is made of, I'll have to ask him, but it is really small and just covers his nose. He still has days that he doesn't want to use it, but he doesn't have a choice. Sleep apnea is a very serious and dangerous sleep disorder. So maybe if the dentist thing doesn't work for you, I would give the c pap a shot.

[bj1]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

This is a nasal mask....is this similar to your husband's? I can't imagine sleeping in this....

OH NOHe did use that one in the beginning and he didn't like it at allWhat he uses now it is very small, like the size of your nose, it just goes right over the tip of your nose not your whole face. He likes it alot better since it doesn't cover your whole face. And the straps that comes with it, we get his strap personally made out of silk material so it's not irriatating his face.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by bj1

OH NOHe did use that one in the beginning and he didn't like it at allWhat he uses now it is very small, like the size of your nose, it just goes right over the tip of your nose not your whole face. He likes it alot better since it doesn't cover your whole face. And the straps that comes with it, we get his strap personally made out of silk material so it's not irriatating his face.

Oh my gosh, that sounds soooooo much better than what I've found online! Everything I've found is GINORMOUS! And I'm only 5'4" and very petite. So, I'd need something tiny. I would so appreciate it if you could find out the name of the model your husband has .

I'm lucky in that my apnea, right now, is called "mild" bc I only had 3 episodes (during the study, that is) where I stopped breathing more than 10 seconds; and had 42 that were < 10 seconds. But, I also have to take meds or don't sleep at all...so you know how those complicate/exacerbate the whole issue...so I need to get this taken care of, bc as you say, it's dangerous.