I have been reading different forums on this site and have acquired a boatload of information about apnea and its effects on people.  When I was reading posts dealing with other peoples' initial symptoms, I got a strangely eerie feeling in my gut because I think I've been suffering from some sort of apnea for most of my 33 years on the planet.

My wife (the boss of the house) has mandated that I sleep in the living room because my snoring rattles not only the windows, but the walls as well.  She has experienced hearing me stop breathing at night. This happens numerous times every night (more than can be counted).  My sleep pattern goes something like this:  I wake up several times in middle of the night each night for about a week at a time.  When I say I wake up, it's more like sitting straight up wide awake with an extreme adrenaline rush. It's very similar to the way I feel after drinking a Turkish Coffee.  After about a week of this, I'm so exhausted that maybe one night I'll actually sleep the whole night.  Every morning I wake up with a very dry mouth and extremely bad breath.  I am constantly groggy and have not been able to keep jobs that require a lot of cognitive abilities.

From what I've learned here and through talking to a friend that has formerly been a nurse, I'm beginning to believe that I would benefit from either a CPAP or Bi-PAP machine.  I am very much a mouth-breather, so a FF mask is the way I think I need to go.  I have had other breathing issues in the past where I've needed home oxygen and have had no problems with claustrophobia wearing a mask.    

I guess the purpose of this post is to confirm pretty much what I already know.  I've read my story in this forum many times.  I have an appointment with my primary care physician This Friday (November 4th) to see if she thinks I need to pursue this with a sleep specialist.  I just want to put the feelers out there and see if you think my experiences could be apnea.  Please let me know if you think this might be apnea.

Used, abused, and confused,
Scott

Hi Scott,

Take this test if you need convincing.  I bet you score high.  Glad to here you are on your way to the sleep doc. and already educating yourself.  A huge part of getting good treatment with this stupid disorder is to be an informed and knowledgable self-advocate.

Snore Score questionaire for OSA

Your wife will be happy when you are effectively treated because you will no longer snore and will of decreased your risk of heart attack and stroke, a long term effect of OSA.  Oh, yea, and you'll have more energy and be able to think too!  Here's to feeling better soon!!

Vicki


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

Vicky,

I answered every one of the questions with a yes or positive result.  *brain is confirming what is already known*  Thanks for the quick response.  I wish I would have run into this site a long time ago.  Now I'm determined to get into a sleep study!

Thanks again,
Scott

Scott,

You might consider registering on this forum.  It is free and you get extra perks when you register.  Thought that might be the score you'd get.  Welcome to the hose head club and keep us posted on your progress!!

Vicki


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

Sleepy Scott wrote:

   IMy sleep pattern goes something like this:  I wake up several times in middle of the night each night for about a week at a time.  When I say I wake up, it's more like sitting straight up wide awake with an extreme adrenaline rush. It's very similar to the way I feel after drinking a Turkish Coffee.  After about a week of this, I'm so exhausted that maybe one night I'll actually sleep the whole night.  Every morning I wake up with a very dry mouth and extremely bad breath.  I am constantly groggy and have not been able to keep jobs that require a lot of cognitive abilities.

Welcome Scott,

I know, it's not exactly the club you would have preferred. .....

You said you've read your story here many times and perhaps you've read mine.
Reading your description of waking up repeatedly, sitting straight up with an adrenaline rush sure reminded me of the last year before I was diagnosed.
I would wake up with a start, sit upright and sit at the edge of my bed.  At first I would go to the bathroom, assuming that's what I needed.  But I soon realized that was not it.  Whenever I woke I felt my heart racing, and that confused me.  And oddly, I was in no rush to lie back down, even though I was so groggy like you described.  I would literally look at my pillow and wonder why in the heck don't I just lie down.  Afterall, I was plenty tired!  I would sit up for increasing lengths of time, until I was sitting up as much as an hour and a half.  It got so bad that I started to fall asleep sitting up.  At first I would slump and be jolted back awake.  I have even slumped to the floor, or backwards onto my bed!  Even odder, after awhile of this my body learned to fall asleep sitting up without even slumping!!  And still I wondered why in the heck wasn't I simply lying back down onto my pillow!!!!!  I would finally lie down, but usually within an hour I was upright again!

Finally, it just got too odd.   My job was in jeopardy, I was exhausted all the time.  I lost interest in everything, and I do mean everything!  
I was briefly told about sleep apnea, but by that time I was convinced I was dying from an enlarged heart, so off to the cardiologist I went.  Nope.  
It was sleep apnea.  

I'm glad you reminded me.  Sometimes I'm tempted to chuck it all and leave the mask and machine behind.
But then someone like you reminds me what it was like.  (Gosh, how easy it is to forget!)
Thank you.


Linda

Linda,

You're definately welcome.  It wasn't my intention to write to remind somebody else of a bad experience, but what happens happens.  Keep with the treatment.  It's something I've lived with a long time and didn't know anything was wrong.  We all need reminders on occasion.  Hang tough!

Thanks again,
Scott

Linda,

Sorry about the double-post.  I was just in the shower.  I normally sing in the shower, but this time, I was thinking about what you said that you were about ready to chuck the machine and the mask.  Think about it this way:  If the doctor prescribes you a pill, let me go out on a limb and say that you probably won't have any trouble taking it.  Just look at the machine and mask as your pill.  If you can think of it this way, you might not have too much trouble using it.  Just my $.02 worth, if it's worth that much.

Scott

UPDATE!!!

I have had a problem with my PCP with some past bills and she refused to see me until payment arrangements could be made.  That's something we're not in a financial position to do right away.  I have an appointment with another doc Wednesday morning.  The stress of this plus all the other things that are going on with me right now are going to drive me batty.. wait, I'm already there!     I'm frustrated, depressed, and exhausted.  What comes after that?  My sanity... at least what I have left is about to bid me a fond farewell.  Anyway, I just thought I'd let those who are interested know.  It really means a lot to me that people I've never met care this much about me.  To say "thank you" seems to be so understated.  I'm truly grateful.

Thanks again,
Super Sleepy Scott

Hi all - my first time on this site and what I have read so far hits home.  My wife and told me many times how bad I struggle for breath at nite and as even taped recorded how loud I snore.  It doesn't seem to be every nite but most of them.  I am willing to talk to a Dr about my problem but do not really want to have to spend a nite sleeping in their office so a sleep expert can tell me what my wife already has.  I am considering going out and buying an oxygen tank and mask and try wearing it to see if it helps.  Anyone else tried this?

heater - buying an oxygen tank and trying is not going to do you any good.  A CPAP machine blows a constant pressure of air (more pressure than you're going to get from an oxygen tank) to act as a splint to keep your airway open.  You need a sleep study to first determine whether or not sleep apnea is really the issue and second, to determine if CPAP will work for you and at what pressure a CPAP machine will have to be set to keep your airways open.  Sometimes both studies can be done in 1 night.  You will probably have a sleep study done at a sleep center and not your doctor's office.  These places have rooms set up to resemble as closely as possible a bedroom so that you can relax and sleep.  I can't think of any doctor's office that I could sleep in!!!!  The sleep center that I used is open 7 nights a week, so it makes it easy to schedule.  

Please - see your doctor ASAP so that you can get yourself on the right path!

Scott,  Please have yourself referred for a sleep study! My son started having all sorts of weird symtpoms at about age 22, but a long list of "professionals" failed to dx. the problem.  Eventually he was even referred to a "shrink"!  When your brain is deprived of 0-2 it can lead to all sorts of strange symptoms which to the untrained eye (and even so called professionals as our family experienced!) can mimic mental illness.  I hope you get the help you deserve! Lin.

Lin,

Thank you very much for the encouragement.  I have a dr's appointment scheduled for Wednesday morning with my PCP.  What I believe to be apnea is pretty much destroying my quality of life... and most likely the quantity of it too.  If you take a look at my other threads, you'll see that I really want to get this taken care of.  It doesn't matter when I go to bed or when I fall asleep, more nights than not, I sit straight up wide awake at around 3am.  As a matter of fact, that's what just happened.  I do a lot of my post reading and research in the middle of the night because I've come to the conclusion that if I can't sleep, I might as well use the time to figure out what's causing the insomnia.  

I haven't had a lot of medical training (used to be on a volunteer fire dept years ago), but what I see myself going through is, in my own mind... if not any others, sleep apnea.  I'm going to go into the doctor's appointment and explain my symptoms.  If he doesn't sign me up for a sleep study, I will refuse to leave until he does.  I'm seriously exhausted of being exhausted all the time.  The sad part is I've been suffering these symptoms most of my life and thought it was all normal.

I'm really going to do this.  My quality of life... and probably my quantity of life depends on it.

Many thanks to all who have responded to my posts,
Sleepy Scott

Lin.

Thank you for the encouragement.  I have seen my new PCP this morning and described the symptoms.  Right away, she referred me to a sleep study and the sleep study place is going to give me a call and schedule me for within a week.  I'm so happy I would dance around the room if I wasn't so exhausted (that would be a sight to see because everybody that knows me knows that I have 3 left feet).  Maybe I'll hold that until after some of my sleep debt is taken care of.  I'm to the point of being exhuberant.  Being exhuberant and tired at the same time is a weird feeling!  Anyway... again thanks for all the answers and encouragement.  All of your kind words has calmed my fear greatly and put the boot to my butt to get this taken care of.  Thank you seems so understated at this moment.

Hopefully Not Sleepy Scott For Long!