Sleep Treatment

My sleep study treatment was last night. I was all hooked up with the wires by 9:30 and just lay in bed watching TV until I got tired which was about 10:30. Lisa, the tech came in to fit me with my CPAP mask. I had several to choose from. My first choice was one that resembled the tubes that go with an oxygen mask/tank. Instead of the two narrow prongs that fit up inside your nose, this one had two oval 'pad's that fit right under your nostrils. I thought it might be the best one for me since I'm a side sleeper. I had a half hour of getting used to it and I wasn't at all sure I liked it. I felt like I had cotton stuffing up my nose and it bugged me. I switched to the mask where it covered my nose only instead of the full face mask. It has straps with velcro that fits across the forehead, and has a chin strap and other straps that run down the side of the face. It was about 11:15 when I settled in for the night. I woke up shortly afterwards to use the bathroom and when Lisa came in the room to unhook me from the CPAP machine she commented that I was halfway done. I asked her the time and she said it was 3:30. I was very surprised, as I thought I'd only been asleep for about an hour. She said I was into a deep sleep within 5 minutes of closing my eyes. I did have a hard time falling back to sleep but I eventually did. Once again I needed to use the bathroom and Lisa said 'good, you're all done, it's time to get up'. It was 6:30. Fastest night of sleep I've had in a long time.
After Lisa removed the mask and all the wires, she gave me a copy of my Sleep Study Interpretation.

There are five stages of sleep:

1st stage: is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling.

In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

When a person enters stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

In stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them. In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bed wetting, sleepwalking or night terrors.

The fifth stage is the Rem period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the body loses some of the ability to regulate it's temperature. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night.

My first study shows that I have an abnormal sleep architecture. Onset of sleep was at 5.5 minutes and the REM latency was unachieved all night. Lisa explained that I went from stage 1 to stage 2 and stayed there all night. She says it's no wonder I am always so tired and have no energy. Last night she says I was in all 5 stages but went into deep sleep ( stage 4) within 5 minutes of closing my eyes. She said I experienced several REMs during the night which means I had been dreaming.

My first study shows that I experienced a total of 86 apneas (stopped breathing) and hypopneas ( shallow breathing / low respiratory rate) which is about 15.4 an hour. A total of 12 obstructive apneas were recorded.
Last night with the CPAP I experienced no apneas or hypopneas.

I am definitely going to be getting a CPAP. Lisa said I'll probably have it after Thanksgiving. I'll have to go back in January for a followup to make sure the CPAP is working properly and some data from it will be downloaded.
I'll be seen by a Respiratory Therapist who will review my equipment and resolve any issues I might have had since receiving the CPAP. I'll also be examined by a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders.

I feel pretty good today, the most rested I've felt in many months.

The mask will take some getting used to. The machine makes a humming sound but it didn't really bother me. I hope it won't bother Tom too much. Lisa gave me a paper on troubleshooting if I experience things like mask leaks, skin irritation, pressures sores, nasal congestion, chest discomfort. The last one on the sheet was 'bed partner intolerance' Possible cause: noise, anxiety Correction: promote education of the patient and bed partner, recommend attending a patient support group. In other words 'suck it up bed partner and deal with it'!!

Official Report

Finally got my phone call. Turns out I would have had it days ago if my answering machine had been working properly!

The results of my sleep apnea test show I have mild to moderate apnea. I'm scheduled now for the sleep treatment on Nov. 21. I was hoping to have it sooner but the weekends are full. I really didn't want to do it on a weeknight but I may see if I can get it changed. Would like to get it over with so I can start sleeping better. I wake up haggard with no energy whatsoever. It takes me a few hours to get motivated. That's not normal.

Sleep Study - No Report Yet

I'm still waiting for an official report on my sleep apnea. Thought for sure I'd have it by now.
I'm still experiencing the snorts and they are really starting to drive me up the wall. I can be in bed for 9 hours and still wake up feeling like I've not had a good night's sleep.

I've asked Tom that if he hears me snorting, to wake me up and tell me to roll over. What does he do?? He pokes me in the back!!!! AARRGGHH I hate that so much. All he has to do is say 'Hon, roll over' and I'll hear him. Do NOT poke me, that in itself can awaken Mrs. Hyde who hasn't seemed to be affected by sleep apnea at all, go figure. If you wake Mrs. Hyde, I will NOT be responsible for any damage she may do to Tom. As long as SHE seems to get a good night's sleep, she is on her best behavior. On the mornings that I am irritable I know that she must have had a few of her own snorting bouts. I may be still tired when I wake up but I'm not normally irritable. It's all her.

I'm going to wait until the middle of this week and if I still don't get the results of the study, I may have Mrs. Hyde make 'the' phone call. She seems to get quicker results than I do. Must be her winning personality.

My Sleep Study

Several weeks back in a craft forum I belong to - one of the gals mentioned she was just tested for sleep apnea and that her results were positive. Some one else posted that she had it too......until there was about 15 gals who have sleep apnea. They described their symptoms and I thought........I have all of those, especially waking from snorts and being overly tired during the daytime even if I'd had 8 hours of sleep. So I mentioned it to my doctor the last visit and she gave me a script for the study. She said she was surprised at herself for not thinking to have me do this years ago - since sleep apnea can cause strokes and heart attacks and I have cardiomyopathy. It just never came up.

I had to be at the Sleep Center at 8:30 last night. There are three bedrooms, all are very homey and comfortable with regular beds ( awesome mattress!!) and pretty quilt comforters. I was impressed with how it was made to look more like a hotel room than a hospital room.

I was supposed to relax and read or watch TV for a while - didn't feel like reading so turned on the TV - they had cable but it was out and could only get 6 channels and NOTHING good was on. At 9:30 the tech began to attach wires to my body. There was one on each leg ( calf), one under my left breast, one on my chin, one on my belly, one on each temple, one on my forehead and about 5 on my scalp. Also had to wear a tubing device up my nose ( like one wears with an oxygen mask - but no oxygen was delivered) and a pulse oximeter that clips to your finger so they can measure oxygen being taken in.

This is the test I had done:
Polysomnogram. This test records several body functions during sleep, including brain activity, eye movement, oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels, heart rate and rhythm, breathing rate and rhythm, the flow of air through your mouth and nose, snoring, body muscle movements, and chest and belly movement.

I went to bed at 10 pm but it took me a while to actually fall asleep. I'd say a good 20 to 30 minutes. I woke up several times during the night. The first time was around midnight to use the bathroom ( had to be unhooked from a machine that registers everything but all the wires were hanging from me, felt very creepy.)
I woke myself up several times during the night with 'snorts'. Sometimes I was able to fall right back to sleep and a few times it took awhile.

I woke up one more time to use the bathroom and I could hear the tech talking to the man in the next bedroom ( there was only two of us last night) about his mask appliance. To alert her that I needed something, I was to take off the pulse oximeter and that shows up on the screen she is watching. Since she was in the next bedroom and not at the screen, I had to wait. It felt like a half hour or so and my bladder was ready to burst. I would close my eyes and try to go back to sleep but they were talking so loudly, that was impossible. Finally it got quiet and I assumed she returned to the screens and I removed the oximeter. She came in right away and said it was time to get up. I was stunned. I thought it was about 2 am and it was already 6:10 am.

The tests show positive for moderate sleep apnea. When I 'snort' - that's because I had stopped breathing and that's the body's way of waking you up to remind you to breathe. The tech said I did a lot of snoring during the night too. Sleep apnea usually occurs during dream states. She said I dreamt alot, although I don't recall any of them.

With sleep apnea - the tongue and soft palette collapse into the back of the throat causing obstruction. If you have a large uvula ( that hanging thingee in the back of the throat) that can also contribute.

I'll get the official results in about a week. From there it will be determined what type of treatment I'll receive. One is a CPAP - (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) - I believe it's a type of mask.

Another treatment is oral appliances - but I do NOT like the description of these - a tongue retaining appliance and a mandibular repositioning appliance. If I get my druthers, I'd druther have the mask.

Rescheduled Sleep Study

I had to call and reschedule my sleep study from tomorrow night to Friday Oct. 10th. I've been sick all week with a bad head cold and it's now going into my chest. I 'm up half the night blowing my nose and spraying my throat so there's no way the sleep study would be a 'true' one anyway.

Sleep Study & More

I finally made my appointment for the sleep study to see if I actually have sleep apnea. It's next Saturday night. I have to be there at 8:30 pm. I was so surprised that they do this on a weekend, but really glad so I won't have to worry about Deana having to take off work because she can't get a sitter for the baby.
I have to keep a log of my sleeping habits for this week. Also my coffee and alcohol consumption, naps, when I doze off, etc.

Got my results back from my bloodwork. My thyroid test came back normal. How can that be when my metabolism is 'stuck'? Oh well, guess I have to work harder at getting it back on track.

My cholesterol was high. Might be those once a week egg, cheese and sausage bagels. Back to cereal. Dr. M. wants me to start taking 80 mg of Zocor instead of the 40 mg I was on.

Friday my 8 year old grandaughter stayed home from school sick. She started off the night before with a scratchy throat and by morning was coughing and complaining her stomach hurt. When she got here she was hungry and wanted some 'dippy eggs' ( lightly turned over) and toast. She was only able to take a few bites before she made a mad dash for the toilet and lost what little she did eat.
She laid on the couch and fell asleep for most of the rest of the day. I tried to get some liquids into her so she wouldn't dehydrate. She really didn't want much.
By late afternoon she had a low grade fever.
When mom picked her up from here at 5:30, Jordyn didn't want dinner, just gingerale and went back to bed. She slept until 3 am, watched TV for about an hour and then fell back asleep. By Saturday morning she was feeling better.
Saturday night her Mom, Deana complained of a scratchy throat and yesterday was suffering with a fever, chills, stuffy nose. She stayed home from work today as she still didn't feel any better.
Last night both Tom and I had scratchy throats. Neither of us got a good night's rest. Today we are both coughing, sneezing and have stuffy noses and he's lying down right now. This scratchy feeling makes me think of when I had strep throat.
It's very unpleasant.
Deana says the baby isn't feeling well now either. It seems too early for the flu - they aren't even giving out flu shots here yet. Must be some virus going around.
I have too much to catch up on so I'll rest later.