"sleep study a disaster"

[katm]

Heard back from my cardio that my sleep study was a disaster. Now I have to go for the sleep over night monitering and get fitted for a device to wear at night. He also had me get fitted for a 30 day heart moniter cuz he said that sleep apnea can cause AFIB and strokes. I am grateful for his attentiveness but I am so very tired of doctors and machines and blood work. I get so depressed thinking that my life will never feel normal again. Five weeks post op and really feeling pretty good despite all this other stuff.

 

[RTZdad]

I had my oxygen levels tested last week by wearing a pulse oximeter on my finger over night and have been told that I need to complete an over-night sleep study too. Once my insurance company gives the ok, I will have to go see what they say. Needless to say, I am not too thrilled about it. I hope my apnea, if that is what it is, isn't too severe. The thought of having to wear one of those breathing masks doesn't appeal to me for some reason. Here's hoping the diet that I have started helps correct the problem.

Tom

 

[katm]

I just set up an overnight sleep study with them. I told my husband that when I did my at home study that I would be told that I needed to come in and do their overnight study. And sure enough that is exactly what happened. Im not suggesting that my results didnt indicate a problem but to be honest I didnt sleep more than an hour at a time without waking up cuz I was so aware of the device. In total I didnt sleep more than 4 hours that night. But in saying that to the girl she just kind of had that tone of "havent I heard that a million times". Anyways, good luck RTZdad, let me know how your study goes.

 

[pellicle]

but I am so very tired of doctors and machines and blood work. I get so depressed thinking that my life will never feel normal again.

Yes I know that feeling. I tell myself that its about managing change. Sometimes life changes and the change is in a way that feels like its wrong or unfair. I agree that it is wrong and unfair.

But despite the seeming normality of the lives of those around us the change can happen only to us.

Try reading US civil war history and viewing it from that perspective. You will also observe many examples of people who did not cope well with the changes.

That event was a society wide event and our events are only to us. So the feeling of distance and observing the normality around us (as they are unchanged) makes our situations difficult in a different way.

I try to rebuild my life into something. It has changed irrevocably but the personality I have remains the same. So I can make something which resembles what I want. It won't be the same, but then as life changes we look back and see that it never was going to be the same in the future anyway.

Five weeks post op and really feeling pretty good despite all this other stuff.

Well that bit is good news.

 

[pellicle]

i wonder if anything i wrote above can be understood?

 

[ElectLive]

CPAP machines are the most unnatural device imaginable to wear when trying to just lie down peacefully and fall asleep. I can't imagine anyone not hating them at first, or actually being able to find comfort and get a good night's sleep. But...then you get over the mental hurdle, and they become quite normal after all.

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea many years prior to surgery, tried CPAP for several nights, and basically laughed at the futility of it all...this ingenious device to help medically improve my sleep, well, what good is it if I can't actually sleep with it?!

Well, then I found out a few years later I needed heart surgery, and the doctors started explaining all the potential issues that may have already or could later develop due to my sleep apnea. So then I decided it would be kind of pointless to go through all this trouble of open heart surgery only to screw up something else because I could not find the will to put a mask of air in my nose each night. So I got another CPAP, and used it for the first time immediately after my surgery, and have used it without problem ever since.

Yes, it takes some getting used to at first, but so do a lot of things in life...

 

[katm]

Yes, Pellicle you made sense. I had to reread it a couple of times but thats normal for me anyways.lol I really like the last sentence of trying to rebuild your life but how your personality remains the same. Which is what I think my problem is, I am not accepting that my body has changed but my personality remains the same. I need to alter my personality to now fit my physical condition Accepting as you said that "it was never going to be the same in the future anyway". Why didnt I figure that out sooner?lol I have so much emotionally to sort out in my head. I realized leaving the doctors office yesterday (after getting fitted for a heart moniter for a month) and having a breakdown upon leaving the office that I'm so angry. I hope that is normal for this whole process.

Yet I read all that you have gone through and immediately feel like an ungrateful brat, lol. I really am so grateful, I just want my old life back but that is not going to happen. Its a work in progress. I hope you are doing well, look forward to your updates.

 

[katm]

ElectLive,

Thanks for your post. Very helpful, I am so nervous about trying to sleep in their facility. I dont see me accomplishing that, lol. My doc believes in basically what you were saying about going through all this and screwing it up cuz I dont want to wear a mask on my face. The idea of it seems impossible. Have you tried several different masks or are they all bascially the same? I am trying to lose weight also which they say can be contributing to sleep apnea. Thanks again for any advice on the actual machine that you can give me.

Katm

 

[ElectLive]

There are many many different types of masks, so if you aren't given options, do your own research. ResMed is the brand I have...specifically the nasal pillows system, so nothing over the mouth. They also have many variations of that same basic system to adjust to different preferences. I know weight loss can make a difference, but in more severe cases I think it has less of an impact. I actually learned the most about my condition not through the sleep lab and center, but by getting an evaluation by a specialized surgeon in the field of sleep apnea. He did all kinds of xrays and scans and he gave me a great overview with sketches of all the structural abnormalities of my jaw and airway that were the cause of my apnea, so at least for me, CPAP was the only option to improve the condition...weight loss or the specialized mouthpieces that can also be used just wouldn't do it.

I slept for maybe 1 hour (the very last of course) at the sleep testing facility...that's ok, though, it's all they need.

 

[pellicle]

Which is what I think my problem is, I am not accepting that my body has changed but my personality remains the same.

I think that is what happens to many people. Like when you meet older people who are still trying to act like teenagers.

It's not that I'm advocating being boring, just learning to accept the changes of aging.

For us we need to accept the changes in our physical situations.

I need to alter my personality to now fit my physical condition

Well just to clarify, not really change who you are but perhaps only your expectations of what you can and can't do.

No human is made of steel. We can't put our hands in boiling water or bend iron bars with our bare hands like superman. Its easy to think of athletes or super-fit soldiers as being so much stronger than us, but that's all within a small range. No soldier or martial arts expert could fight it out with a bear (well sure except Chuck Norris)

So when you look at it another way we are all similar.

Yet I read all that you have gone through and immediately feel like an ungrateful brat, lol. I really am so grateful, I just want my old life back but that is not going to happen.

Which is exactly how I feel. Both the ungrateful child AND the wanting my old life back.

http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/perhaps-not-everything.html

I meet others who have been through worse and they inspire and shame me too (even though they would not think I should be ashamed, I feel my own reactions to be ignoble by comparison)

 

[DanielB]

My medical group so believes in the sleep apnea-heart condition connection they actually have representaives from the pulmanary goup come around when you're in recovery after heart surgery to ask about it. I was all for it as my wife had told me before about my poor breathing while sleeping. I had an overnight test at home and it was nearly impossible to sleep, but they did get the info they needed. Turns out my sleep apnea was so bad my PCP called me 'hypoxic' (lacking enough oxygen) most of the time I was sleeping and ordered a CPAP machine for me. It was hard to get used to, but, after couple of weeks, and finding the right machine, I settled in and it's second nature now. That was a year ago and I love using it. I can't imagine sleeping without it unless I'm sitting up now. I also use a Resmed mask, but there are several types and brands. I'd just tell anyone going down this path to be persistant with whomever is fitting you with the mask and the equipment to make sure you get a combination that works, not settling for the first try if it seems like it's not fitting or working well. There are also forums on the web like this one for CPAP users that can be helpful as well.

I hope it works out okay for you.

 

[tom in MO]

Daniel, Please provide a link to the sleep apnea forum you prefer. Thanks.