As I continue to wait to receive the proper CPAP therapy (most likely I need a pressure adjustment) I have 3-4 weeks to get through-I have suffered about 3 months now.  My PCP still will not respond/write an order for me to have my oxygen saturation monitored during sleep, even after 2 respiratory therapists agreed that I need it. (I am having apneas, turning blue in my sleep, and a friend's pulse ox showed I am in the 70s and 80s during sleep on my CPAP.  I talked with an old friend this week-it  me nearly 2 hours to express verbally my anguish!  I felt really heard!  I still have anxiety from the nightly apnea, sleep deprivation, and oxygen deprivation, but I am back on the CPAP-still not corrected.  But at least I can get some degree of rest for 2-3 hours.  That calms my anxiety some.

I keep thinking of ways to find relief-I am desperate!  I then thought of liquid oxygen supplement.  I know someone who is a naturopathic healer.  I have not had contact with her recently , but perhaps she is sensing my suffering. Of course, as always one must consider the current medication regimen.  I am going to go to a health food store tomorrow and buy some.  What have I got to lose at this point?  I will take some before bed and see what happens.  I read that it releases oxygen to the cells at the cellular level.  It removes and buffers build-up of toxins in the body.  When we suffer from sleep apnea and oxygen deprivation, some of the consequences are respiratory and metabolic disturbances-build-up of co2 in the blood, lactic acid, pH imbalances.  This can lead further to the development of disease and pain.  

I am hoping for some relief soon. Lantern

Oops! here is the link I read:
commercial link deleted per posting policy

Obstructive sleep apnea needs to be treated with proper CPAP, not supplemental oxygen.  Oxygen may be needed if the patient has other additional conditions that require the use of supplemental oxygen.

Lantern,  all you will lose by buying that supplement is your money.  But that is enough? Please do some searching on the 'net  for published information from reliable sources, and you'll find that products designed to 'raise oxygen in the blood' are largely in the snake oil category.

Don't get me wrong.  I do embrace and utilize homeopathic and holistic approaches to health and medical care.  However there are 'snake oil practioners' present in ALL fields, from conventional medical doctors to self-proclaimed healers, as well as people using sound judgement and facts to back it up.  All I am saying is don't believe any single source or similar sources (such as three homeopathic websites) but do look for different points of view on anything you'd like to try and weigh out the merits.  

You can't help feeling stressed and anxious right now, but do know that these states of mind can lead you to decisions you might not otherwise make if you were calm and clear headed?  So just know that is a possibility, and stop yourself from making any changes right now.  Hopefully the next 3-4 weeks will pass quickly and you'll get some answers.  

Blessings,
--pseudonym

I am sorry if anyone misunderstood.  I saw the post on green tea, and I was wondering if this oxygen supplement could help provide oxygen to my cells, while I wait.   It looks as though many people do not consider sleep apnea serious, as I have heard this from a number of people this past few weeks. They consider waiting  OK-even if a person continues to have apneas with or without CPAP, and have low blood oxygen. Lantern

If you are not getting the care and response you need from your PCP, then you might consider seeking another doctor, particularly one that specializes in sleep medicine.  A pulmonologist might be a good idea.  

I realize you are waiting for followup care from your doctor and that you're trying to ease your suffering.  But it's important for folks reading these posts to be urged NOT to self-medicate without involving their doctors.  Coordinated healthcare management is important.  Self-medication without a doctor who has information about your physical health can be dangerous.  The reason it's dangerous is because you could be treating yourself with something that's harmful; OR you could be failing to treat the condition because the source of the problem has not been diagnosed or pinpointed.

Often we tell people who have severe symptoms and are waiting for diagnosis or followup care to do physical things to ease their condition -- sleeping with upper body elevated, preventing oneself from sleeping on their back, etc.   Yes, our condition should be taken seriously.  And if a physician isn't taking it seriously, it's up to us to find one that does.  Desperation and suffering requires obtaining qualified healthcare, not relying on self-medication with little-known substances, especially if you don't know the nature of your health and condition.  

Ask to get on a cancellation list, if you can.  Good luck with things.


Linda

Thank you Linda, very well said (as usual).

Lantern, we have not misunderstood you... and most (all?) people here DO take sleep apnea seriously!  The advice to wait, has been given just as Linda has written: To please wait for a qualified diagnosis and treatment plan, and NOT to self-diagnose or self-medicate, which may not only be harmful but might even mask your true conditions, making correct diagnosis more difficult.

As Linda mentioned, talk with the lab about getting on the cancellation list, and you might ask your new sleep doc about a home oximetry test in the meantime, while you wait?  If they will do that, it could help to put your mind more at ease, that you are doing something positive toward getting a proper diagnosis, while you wait for your appointment.

Blessings,
--pseudonym

Hi Lantern (I have always loved your screen name!!),

I always keep an opened mind, but when something is at the very least, blatantly a rip off and at worst a danger I have to respond.  Liquid oxygen supplements are of no value what so ever except to the people making money off of them.  Blood gas regulation is an extremely well studied and understood field and there just isn't anything physiologically which would respond by ingesting an oxygen supplement.  The two main ways to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood is to increase the amount of hemoglobin (the molecule that carries oxygen in our red blood cells) and/or increase the number of circulating red blood cells.

To clarify Bearded One's post.  He was thinking you were talking about supplemental oxygen gas which is used when OSA patients also have underlaying lung disease such as COPD.

Have you ever used a pulse ox at home over the course of 7 days?  Maybe it would document some of your extreme hypoxic events.  If that could be paired with data from an APAP, that might be helpful.

I am very curious as to the argument for liquid oxygen supplementation, so if you could PM me some references I'd appreciate it.  You never know maybe I'll convert!

You have nothing to lose by drinking green tea!!

You have to be careful about this stuff.  A few years back Vit. E was thought to be a fantastic antioxidant and prevent heart attacks and strokes.  I even knew physicians taking massive doses of it and then they learned that large dose actually increased the risks.

Vicki


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

I thought that you were speaking of supplemental oxygen because you mentioned liquid oxygen.  Liquid oxygen is the cryogenic form of oxygen, which can be evaporated to provide gaseous breathing oxygen.  If something else is being sold as "liquid oxygen", they are misusing the term.