Well I went and did a sleep clinic- and it was not free! - and I just got my results today and the results are i'm fat and i need to lose weight!!
I am so frustrated. I do have mild sleep apnea, but the doctor wants me to just drop more weight instead of treating it. meanwhile i'm falling asleep at work, feel like crap all the time... i've been working out and watching what i eat and i have lost some weight, but i am so very frustrated by this.
my question- anyone out there treat sleep apnea at home with one of those pillows or a mouth guard or something other then the CPAP?
Um you need to tell your doctor that you need a CPAP NOW. You can die from it- if you are THAT tired really WHEN are you going to work out? In between your naps? What's it to them if you get a cpap or not? People who get a CPAP usually lose weight BECAUSE they are sleeping better and they have more energy.
I would also tell them you are in danger of losing your job and are afraid for your safety driving home from work because of the fatigue.
I bought a CPAP pillow thing it was total crap btw. A mouth guard won't stop your throat from collapsing on itself- you need a CPAP.
If your doctor refuses call your insurance and change doctors.
It boggles my mind how stupid doctors can be. And weight doesn't necessarily have anything to do with a CPAP. I have a friend- MARINE- fit as a fiddle- THIN and active and he has sleep apnea- how would your doctor explain him?
Sorry to sound so angry- I'm just fed up with terrible doctors.
When I got my cpap I was sleeping 13 hours a day, I was napping on my lunches, falling asleep at my desk, falling asleep on the way home, and so on. My doctor set me up with an appointment right away after I filled out a questionnaire and I was also diagnosed with MILD sleep apnea. Even with my weight loss my pressure has been slightly lowered but I still need my CPAP.
It's your health- don't be pushed around- please go see your doctor and insist on the CPAP.
Get a second opinion. Sleep Apnea runs in my family(including me) even the the fit and trim firefighters, hikers and hard laborers of my fam have it. It is a SERIOUS thing that can cause *un* fixable heart damage. Like beerab said, why does he care how mild, it is still doing damage that a CPAP can stop. Mine SAVED my life and many of my family members also.
I'd like to join those who say get a second opinion. I've been using the CPAP for about a month and I cannot believe how much better I feel. I didn't even know that I was tired. I certainly didn't know that I wasn't getting enough oxygen. I realize that I am fortunate that my insurance is paying. I was diagnosed with moderately severe partial sleep apnea, if that adds anything to the story.
Yes, push it with the doctor. I resisted getting a sleep study done, until I read something about sleep apnea making it hard to lose weight. My sleep apnea is beyond severe...it was life threatening. I stopped breathing as much as I was breathing at night! Using a cpap machine has made a HUGE difference for me, and I swear I did not feel all that tired during the day! I had just learned to compensate so much, I did not notice it. The best thing for me is that after 15 plus years of constant struggle, I am actually losing weight! You may need to lose weight, but you may be overweight BECAUSE of sleep apnea. It kills your metabolism.
And another case for the 'its not about weight' point...my husband is terrifically fit, has a BMI of 14, runs five miles four times a week, lifts weights, and looks fabulous for his age, and he has sleep apnea and has had it for years...and has NEVER been overweight.
Good luck! I am sorry you have to fight for this.....
I agree. I can't do without my cpap, I may as well not bother to sleep really. And mine is also mild. What is mild? Your oxygen levels don't go down enough to cause angina, thats why its mild. Mild means you aren't getting rest when you sleep.
Get another doctor or push this one. If you fall asleep while driving and cause an accident, is this doc gonna be responsible for it?
thanks for all the feedback! i went to my dentist and he has a mouthpiece for me to try. we'll see how that goes. if it doesn't do the trick, i'll be calling that doctor back. i can't go for months more while i lose 30 lbs. he said if that doesn't do the trick to come back but... i guess we'll see.
i don't drive, thank goodness! i don't think i could right now anyway. it feels so weird i could sleep and sleep and sleep but i never feel rested.
thanks again for the feedback and support!!
HI everyone,
It's so hard to lose weight especially when exhausted so I try to incorporate all the less demanding requirements into my daily life to make some difference on the scale: I drink loads of water, have befriended the green leafy vegetables that taste delicious with olive oil and most important:....when I exercise, I do it in 8 energetic spurts spread out over 20 minutes and that is supposed to maximize weight loss. I mean, I run 8 (small) times in between walking.
i have tried everything for my severe apnea from masks to oral appliances to didgeridoo to surgery and I tell my funny story on my blog.
I hope it brings you some laughter, which is another good way of working those muscles!
Caroline
I also recommend arguing for the cpap. It can even help you lose weight.
I wouldn't be here if my sleep apnea weren't treated with a cpap. I might be dead, but I definitely wouldn't have lost the weight. I was convinced that dieting only made me fatter, so I had sworn off all diets, I thought for all time.
Then I was tested and treated for sleep apnea, and the pulmonologist told me that I probably would lose some weight as a result of the cpap even if I didn't change my eating or exercise habits.
Quite frankly, I thought he was nuts, because I never lost weight "accidentally" in my life.
We moved to Wisconsin and I didn't even own a scale. About six to eight months later I saw a doctor for the first time since being prescribed the cpap and learned that I had lost 20 lbs.
I decided that if I could lose 20 lbs accidentally, I could maintain that loss and maybe try to lose "just one more." And I decided that I would only choose changes that I was willing to commit to whether or not weight loss resulted, but my first goal would always be to keep off what I had lost.
For two years, I was only able to keep the 20 off. I didn't start losing the "just one more" until about 2 years in, and it was really slow at first. I saw my doctor every 4 months, and I was lucky (at first) to even be a pound lighter. The only reason I wasn't discouraged, was because my goal wasn't weight loss, it was getting healthier one change at a time. Even though I wasn't losing weight, I was regaining strength and function.
Regaining function was far more exciting than seeing the scale numbers change. But I had lost a lot of function. When I started, I needed my husband's help to dress. And except for slip-on shoes, I'd need him to put my shoes on and tie them for me. I couldn't even shower by myself - I needed a shower chair, and I used a shampoo-conditioner combo because I didn't have enough strength to rinse-repeat. Just washing myself took so much of my strength and energy that taking a shower would wipe me out and I'd have to take a nap. It was months before taking a shower wasn't painful and exhausting.
Yes, you need to lose weight, but the cpap can help you do it. It's really hard to lose weight when you don't have any energy.
I had undiagnosed sleep apnea for a very long time. I was exhausted and could easily take two naps a day after "sleeping" 8 hours. I never felt rested. In order to keep functioning, I ate and ate, all day long. The added energy helped me stay a little energized and I was able to get some housework done. But I got up to 353 lbs.
After I was diagnosed, so many things changed. Almost immediately I didn't need naps during the day and I didn't need to eat throughout the day. My weight leveled off. I didn't lose weight because I had other issues to deal with that were stil undiagnosed (type 2 diabetes, PCOS, soy intollerance). With each additional issue addressed properly, I found success in the weight loss department. I'm down 55 lbs. since getting the CPAP.
I just had another sleep study and got a new machine. Even after losing weight, I can't turn down the pressure, so I think I'll always be on the CPAP. My very slim father should have had one. My tiny mother should have one. (I can't even sleep in the house with her, she snores so loudly and complains of never sleeping but her doctor won't have her do a sleep study.)
Good luck! You need to be your strongest advocate.
sleep apnea
