Hi All,

I went for help for sleep apnea about 3 years back.  The CPAP, BiPAP and BiPAP ST with Oxygen all failed to help.  They made the sleep apnea much worse as time went on.  In a 3rd sleep study I was diagnosed with Mixed Sleep Apnea.  I did try a mask that had you re-breathe some co2 as a last try at help but nothing did end up helping.  I had to return to work and managed to loose enough weight where the SA was moderate.

I did go to the allergist and found some help for my allergies.  Dealing with the allergies cleared me out to breathe better so that helped.

I also use the tennis ball so I stay sleeping on my side.

I've been working from home on medical from a back issue.  When my back was real bad I stressed out and gained some weight back.  I've been able to work well most days from home unless the SA was real bad.  I get the random mornings where I feel like I've slept negative hours, like -8 hours last night.  I get those bad nights before I get sick as well.

Here's my question, I'm trying to get back on track with everything I need to do to deal with my back issue and some weight loss to where I was.  I want to start driving back to work again and enjoying things which I can't do much of without bad back pain.  The sleep apnea feels like it's a little more than moderate now.  

After work and on the weekends being tired has been a big obstacle.  It's tough to even start something I want to do or should be doing.  I get some things done but much much less since the sleep apnea has been worse.

How do you break the cycle when your so tired?

Thanks for reading my post.

You get your doctor to treat your OSA.  It sounds like your OSA is still very out of control and you will not get better until it is.  It is also very hard to lose weight when your OSA is out of control because OSA itself causes weight gain for several physiological reasons.

I assumed you have centrals apneas as well?  Did your doctor address them?  Have you tried a VPAP for your centrals?  What is your doctor saying?  When was your last sleep study?  They should be annually and sooner if things are not working.  

Vicki


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

Vicki wrote:

You get your doctor to treat your OSA.  It sounds like your OSA is still very out of control and you will not get better until it is.  It is also very hard to lose weight when your OSA is out of control because OSA itself causes weight gain for several physiological reasons.

I assumed you have centrals apneas as well?  Did your doctor address them?  Have you tried a VPAP for your centrals?  What is your doctor saying?  When was your last sleep study?  They should be annually and sooner if things are not working.  

Vicki

Hi Vicki,

I'd love to get a treatment that works.  I have both Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea.  When I have an OSA event, the BiPAP will open the airway, then a Central Sleep Apnea event will occur closing the airway (Complex Sleep Apnea).  It took a long time for this to show up in a sleep study and only when I was at my very worst from using the BiPAP.  I'd say I was pretty much sleep awake at that time, a zombie.  I was diagnosed with Complex Sleep Apnea.

The last machine that was tried was a Respironics BiPAP ST with Heated Humidifier with a Oxygen machine added.   I then tried a NV mask which didn't help.

I had to return to work at this point.  I had already used a large amount of time being out of work.  My company had also given me time for 2 other medical issues in the near past.  Much more time than most people would get.

I gave up trying treatment after taking so much time and getting nowhere, having Complex Sleep Apnea seemed difficult to treat.  I could have had a trachea but didn't go for that option.

I haven't heard of a VPAP.  I'll take a look and read about it.  I was hoping a new treatment would be discovered for Complex Sleep Apnea while I was back working, it's been 2 years or more.  I could go for treatment again but love my job and can't afford to let a machine make things worse so I can't work and loose my job.  My brother and his wife's mom found a doctor that wanted to see me.  I could give him a try and explain when things are getting worse I need to stop the machine.  The other doc would say keep using it and things would spiral down from there.

Thanks Viki!

Dana

swansod your case sounds allot like mine, the CPAP and BiPAP made my centrals much worse, I went thru 6 sleep studies in a 18 month period and finally this past may I was put on ResMed VPAP Adapt SV with 3lpm supplemental O2. It has been a real God send for me. The last three weeks or so I have been having some problems and my AHI has been slowly rising on me, I my AHI was staying pretty much around from 0.1 to 1.2, but lately it has been as high as 6.6 and has staying at around 2.4 or so. I am not sure what is going on but I do feel the affects, but I am also experiencing other neuro signs severe muscle spasm, which for the longest time have been under control with meds (Baclofen) I also have back problems, I can't lay flat, I was sleeping in a recliner for many years, but I have an adjustable bed now and it is great, when I need to change positions I just press a button on the remote. Anyway Dana check out the ResMed web site and look up the VPAP Adapt SV and also they have some great information on Central Apneas. You are not alone in this there are a few of us on this forum that  have Centrals or Complex SA and are on the VPAP ASV. So you have come to the right place! Good Luck to You


_________________
White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

White Beard wrote:

swansod your case sounds allot like mine, the CPAP and BiPAP made my centrals much worse, I went thru 6 sleep studies in a 18 month period and finally this past may I was put on ResMed VPAP Adapt SV with 3lpm supplemental O2. It has been a real God send for me. The last three weeks or so I have been having some problems and my AHI has been slowly rising on me, I my AHI was staying pretty much around from 0.1 to 1.2, but lately it has been as high as 6.6 and has staying at around 2.4 or so. I am not sure what is going on but I do feel the affects, but I am also experiencing other neuro signs severe muscle spasm, which for the longest time have been under control with meds (Baclofen) I also have back problems, I can't lay flat, I was sleeping in a recliner for many years, but I have an adjustable bed now and it is great, when I need to change positions I just press a button on the remote. Anyway Dana check out the ResMed web site and look up the VPAP Adapt SV and also they have some great information on Central Apneas. You are not alone in this there are a few of us on this forum that  have Centrals or Complex SA and are on the VPAP ASV. So you have come to the right place! Good Luck to You

Hi White Beard,

Thanks for the post.  I'm glad the VPAP has been helping.  I did get your PM, I'll reply back with a PM.  It's been a really tough week.  I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, which always makes my SA worse before I get cold symptoms (a have a few).  It's been tough to get much of anything done this week.

Thanks!

Dana

swansod,

I'm just seconding all the other posts here. Vicki makes a good point. Poor sleep can make you gain weight, not only psychologically, but physiologically as well. Hormonally, the increased stress hormones cause a vicious cycle where you become more hungry and tend towards gaining weight. Weight gain narrows the throat more, aggravating the vicious cycle.

Furthermore, it's been shown that poor sleep can lower your pain thresholds, meaning that you perceive pain a lot earlier and at more magnified levels.

Adaptive Servo Ventilation (ASV) is the new trend in treating complex sleep apnea. White Beard's new machine is an ASV model. It may be worthwhile looking into it.

sypark wrote:

swansod,

I'm just seconding all the other posts here. Vicki makes a good point. Poor sleep can make you gain weight, not only psychologically, but physiologically as well. Hormonally, the increased stress hormones cause a vicious cycle where you become more hungry and tend towards gaining weight. Weight gain narrows the throat more, aggravating the vicious cycle.

Furthermore, it's been shown that poor sleep can lower your pain thresholds, meaning that you perceive pain a lot earlier and at more magnified levels.

Adaptive Servo Ventilation (ASV) is the new trend in treating complex sleep apnea. White Beard's new machine is an ASV model. It may be worthwhile looking into it.

Thanks Sypark,

I called a SA doctor I was recommended and now waiting for a call back.  I'm heading in to my local doctor to see if I'm coming down with something as well.

Would you think checking into the emergency room at a hospital with a sleep center and doctors would be any help if this doesn't get better?   I would think they would recommend the sleep center/doctor and send me home.  I plan to ask the SA department when they call.

Thanks,

Dana

swansod,

Talk to your sleep doctor first. You're right—the ER can't do anything for you. You'll just be referred to the sleep doctor. If y ou havent' seen your medical doctor in a while, it may be a good idea to get everything else checked out.  Good luck.

Hi All,

I did get an appointment to see someone new at a sleep center in early Dec.

It's funny to say but the good news is I've come down with a cold or some type of infection.  I went to my PDC's office and had a fever and some other symptoms.  As this cold gets better the apnea symptoms should get better so I can start work again.

Thanks everyone for posting information and advice.  The VPAP gives me hope in getting a working treatment.

My last experience was pretty bad when the available Bi-PAP and Bi-PAP ST slowly made things worse and worse.  I would call my prior sleep doc at that time explaining how bad these machines had me feeling and I was told to keep using the current one at the time.  I don't think she really understood how bad I was.  I had more and more SA symptoms and one call the doc hung up on me.  I asked a few people and the doctor was like this to others as well.

I'll let you know how things go.

Thanks!

Dana