Well, first off I should probably introduce myself. You can call me Sam. Samantha is my middle name.  
Anyway. My fiance suffers from sleep apnea. It really scares me. He's in the Army and this could jeopardize his career.
He doesn't think that he should do anything about it since he can't really wear any of the masks or anything while he's out in the field.
But I think that while he's home he should have something to help him sleep through the night. He wakes up cranky and super tired.
I know its silly but he'll even wake me up in the night when he stops breathing. He'll kind of wake up gasping and then fall back to sleep.
This worries me so much. He's told me that people with sleep apnea have stopped breathing and have even died before in their sleep.
Is this true? Or is he just trying to scare me? Cause its working.
Anyway, any advice and support would be VERY welcome.

Who diagnosed the sleep apnea?  I am NOT in the military so I don't know but doesn't he HAVE to tell them?  Anybody in the military please chime in here.

In the meantime please ask all the questions you want here because there are some pretty knowledgeable people here willing to help.


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~ElleMarie~ One day at a time......are you kidding me?.....sometimes it's just one minute at a time.

Jun 2007 AHI 100.7 started cpap at 9** Oct 2007-11** April 2009 Bipap-15/10
Respironics auto M w/ Optilife nasal pillows

Welcome Armywife and Kudos to your husband for all he does for us!!  In the "Sleep Apnea Help" section, there is a sticky thread at the top of the posts for sleep apnea in the military.  Post there and I am sure you will get a lot of help from our great active and retired military forum members.  Here is a direct link to that thread:

Sleep apnea in the military

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) rarely kills during sleep, rather it kills over time by wrecking our cardiovascular system.  It is super important that he be treated, not only for his own health, but so that he will be around for you and just as importantly, so that he can be the best and safest he can be for himself and the men and women who work with him in the field.  Some of the effects of untreated OSA are listed below.  I look forward to seeing you over in the other thread and reading your questions and progress reports!

Vicki

The effects of untreated sleep apnea are severe and systemic.  Some of them are; increased blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and stroke (from the constant cycling in and out of hypoxia and increased blood pressure), heart arrhythmias, nocturia (because the increased pressure in the right heart ventricle makes the body think there is too much blood volume so urine is produced), headaches (probably from the hypoxia), fatigue (duh), memory and concentration problems, weight gain (sleep deprivation causes weight gain for several physiological reasons, one being the alteration of the hormones leptin and ghrelin), apnea induced seizures, there is a link to diabetes, there is a link to GERD, night sweats, depression, anxiety (each apneic event is a true suffocation and elicits the "Fight or Flight" adrenalin response), Fibromyalgia-like symptoms, impotence, relationship and job issues, car accidents, etc.


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Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.