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    In the last 12 months I’ve had it twice and both times it was very, very scary! Have you experienced it too ?

    09.Sep.2012


    Sleep apnea 


    It happened about a year ago. I had my usual late night aka hour together with my daily half litre shandy and finishing the evening off with my usual glass of port wine. I remember the night well because I went to bed feeling elated at being awarded a TU from our very own Colleen. It was and still is, a rare event for me!


    The night passed away like any other and I awoke to the sun shining into the bedroom. At first I hadn't noticed it but after several more seconds came the realisation that I had stopped breathing and, to my horror, it failed to start again. I was in a state of panic and fear that I had never known. I’m going and nobody to help me. With one last effort I managed to open the bedroom door, I tried to shout but it was so weak I could hardly hear myself. A few more moments went by and it was then, just as I was about to fall, that my breathing started again, slow at first, then a little longer and deeper. I was going to live after all. The next day I gave an account of this to my GP but he didn’t seem too concerned “Ah, sleep apnea, lots of people have it, don’t worry”.  


    There was no further occurrence till a week ago and this time I insisted on a thorough examination by a specialist. My appointment is tomorrow (10.Sep. at 07:30) at a so called sleep lab followed by one or more nights there hooked up to a computer and monitor.


    Of course I now know a lot more about sleep apnea and the risks involved and I just wondered if anyone on aka suffers or has suffered from it.



    +11  Views: 1521 Answers: 12 Posted: 11 years ago
    Poppy3

    west-bus - so very scary and frightening for you. You did the right thing going to the sleep therapy clinic - you may know more about sleep apnea but did they give you any treatment as I believe there is treatment for this - It is quite a commom problem and it is most definitely worrying contrary to what your GP says - he is not the one experiencing this! The very best of luck with the consultant appointment.
    west-bus

    Thanks very much poppy for your comment and best wishes.
    west-bus

    I reported to the hospital this morning but to my disappointment I was not on their list. After checking further they found out my appointment was entered for next monday. It seems there was a communication failure of some sort but another week is not a long time.
    Ducky

    Moderator
    Try meditatation. It is not a cure for sleep apnea, but rather a help with worry.
    Poppy3

    So sorry west-bus - not at all surprised the NHS is getting worse by the day - the communication is especially appalling - cannot tell you how many problems I have had re-scheduled - good luck.

    12 Answers

    I've never suffered from it but, I've know several people who have and it has been very disturbing for them and frightening as well..........

    jhharlan

    More than a few but, you're right....

    That is a very scary experience. I dont have sleep apnea, but I took care of a man 3yrs. ago who did. He always slept in his recliner and had a machine with a mask atached, that delivered air pressure  through his nose. He had to wear the mask, covering his mouth and nose. There might be other treatments available. You did the right thing by going to a sleep lab. Good luck and let us know the outcome.

    It's a pretty rare event for many people to get a TU from me. I give TU's only when deserved, not simply because someone posted something. For all the questions I answer here, I get relatively few TUs. I have high karma because I've answered almost 50,000 questions in the year and a half that I've been here. Many of my answers never get a TU. So yes, please do enjoy the TU you get from me and know that you really earned it ;)


    Good luck with your sleep apnea. It seems to affect a lot of people in the world. I've never experienced it but I have suffered from anxiety attacks and those can be pretty scary too. 

    Tommyh

    There ya go!
    Colleen

    Moderator
    :)

    A lot of it is the fact that I spend so much time answering questions, I do not have the time to go around TUing people. Even when I'm checking answers, I'm mostly just checking certain names to make sure they are behaving, so I do miss a lot of answers by the other members. A moderator's forum life is a busy life with not much time to sit and TU people. I know I find myself surprised when I see TUs from a lot of different people here. I'm use to being ignored because I'm the big bad, mean moderator. Oh well. Someone has to be the bad guy :)
    Tommyh

    Cut it out! I'm starting to feel sorry for you.LOL
    Colleen

    Moderator
    GOOD! What do you think I was trying to do? Geez, the lengths I have to go through here just to get some good attention...sigh.
    Tommyh

    Have a nice day Colleen.:)
    Colleen

    Moderator
    Aww, thanks Tommy. It's evening now,so I will apply this to my night. :)
    Ducky

    Moderator
    All right...all right...all right...TU!!! :)
    Colleen

    Moderator
    <grin>
    west-bus

    Thank you for your good luck wish. This time I need it.
    Colleen

    Moderator
    You will be fine. You're just adding to your stress by worrying. Millions of people suffer from this but they live for years and years, years. I have a friend in Canada who has been living with it for 17 years now. Once you get the mask and whatever else, you do get to sleep better. Don't stress. Count yourself lucky you have gotten it so late in life. Thousands get it as young as their 20's and live with it the rest of their lives. That;s a lot of years that you won't have it ;)
    mycatsmom

    right. I had anxiety attacks untill I was 51 !!! What a life :-\ Finally got on the proper meds for it.

    They have a machine and nose mask they can give you that continually gives you airflow.  Yours sounds quite severe.  Usually just rolling off your back and onto your side is enough to open your airway.  (alcohol relaxes the inside of your mouth and, in certain positions the relaxed position can temporarily block the wind pipe).  I hope your test goes well.  It sounds very scary to wake up and not be able to make yourself breathe!

    lambshank

    It's called a " C"pap machine, one of my clients has one
    doolittle

    Yeah....funny looking but they do work

    I have it in a very mild form.Nothing as scary as yours.I miss a couple of breaths,wake up immediately & take a huge gasp of breath.I rarely get back to sleep after one of these events but at least it doesn't occur very often.


    Good luck with it WB

    Sounds like you need to go to a sleep lab :( ..


    That sleep apnea is a strange thing I have many friends with it the wake up with mask face, they are forever doing things at the sleep lab..


    Most actually sleep raised or on a wedge, good luck with it ..


    Even listening to someone on a machine at night with that is scary..

    Thank you for explaining the experience, west-bus; one of my best friends has been diagnosed with sleep apnea and wears the mask that has been described by a couple of our members here. She says she awakens with the mask lying next to her on the bed. How she manages to dislodge it is beyond me. If her experience had been as horrifying as yours (and just thinking about it terrifies me), she didn't tell me.  I think her son (early 40's) also has it. 


    Good for you to NOT just let it go, but to insist on diagnosis and treatment. 

    I just wonder if you ever practice breathing excersize, I'm not a Dr. but maybe give it a try and see if it helps, when you do this is like you control your breathing and not just a subconsious thing, and when this APNEA occur to you again you might recall your breathing pratice. JUST A THOUGH , GOOD LUCK!

    The moral of this story:  be careful what you wish for especially with regards to TUs.  They can be hazardous to your health.

    west-bus

    Bang on, especially when they come from you-know-who!!!
    Chiangmai

    Hahaha, at least you lived to fight another day. The symptoms sound very familiar: Acute Pulmonary Colleenitus. You're one of the lucky survivors.

    I have chronic insomnia, (too many years of shift work I think), but never had sleep apnea, it can be quite dangerous you did the right thing seeking help and I think your G.P was negligent to dismiss it so readily.

    lambshank

    me too don, when I can

    Sorry you have to wait one more entire week.  :(


    Ich hoffe, es geht alles gut für dich, mein Freund.


    ((((West))))

    west-bus

    IIch hoffe es auch! Danke und ende.
    mycatsmom

    It's nice to hear German spoken again, after all these many years that my grandma and her sister have been dead. There's not many German/ Americans in my area of the country .

    Sleep apnea- - - - I had it when I was in middle school. I think it was caused by anxiety. But, for older people, it seems to go with being overweight. There is too much tissue in the soft palate area, and sometimes the uvula is swollen. A friend of mine just had surgery for that and she's only 35. Don't fall asleep  on your back. That'll tend to bring it on. Sometimes drinking too much before bedtime can bring it on. Smoking is a cause, too. The good thing about it is that when it happens, it startles you awake ----taking deep breaths. So, it doesn't hurt  you in the long run.

    west-bus

    Thank you mom. The two episodes i had were similar to what you described but with one big difference. As you said, I woke up startled but many seconds passed and I could not breathe, I wanted to but there was absolutely no response and I was horrified and soon in a state of panic. I've had the more usual type of sleep apnea several times and it was never a serious problem but there is one kind that is serious and life threatening, Its known as Central Sleep Apnea. Simply put, the brain, which controls the breathing stops sending signals and when this happens there is nothing you can do and you are in the lap of the gods. I hope this explains it for you.


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