[shannonmb]

Hi girls, I have to laugh when I look at my avatar and it says "senior member". That means I've been here off and on for a LONG time! You'd think my weight loss would be more than 7 pounds by now!!! But hey, at least I'm not at my HIGHEST weight (though pretty close to it)!

Last time I was on here was in January. I was SO fed up with once again being at my highest weight ever, and was so in need of support. I just searched and read through a couple of my old threads, and I have to say, you ladies here really ARE the greatest!

I just thought I would come on here and tell you all what has been going on with me, because it really has been AMAZING, and I feel like I might actually have the tools now that I need to stick with this battle for my health. I definitely don't mean for it to be a public service announcement, because this is just my story. But I think 'knowing then what I know now' may have helped me. So I shall share!

I was feeling VERY exhausted all the time, I mean, I would fall asleep within a half hour of watching TV, even if it was a great show. I even dozed off at work from time to time if I was sitting at the computer. I could sleep 10 hours, then take a nap 2 hours later, and another one in the afternoon if my schedule allowed. VERY TIRED!!!! This definitely made it almost impossible to keep the house clean, keep up with my daughter's activities, go to the grocery store (let alone buying good fresh things and coming home to prep them), go to the gym, or even for a walk. I kept thinking, well, it's because you're so fat, of course you're tired.

I went to the Dr. in early March, and we decided I might need a sleep study. My blood pressure was creeping up in addition to how tired I was. I also told her that my husband tells me I stop breathing sometimes when I sleep. I went for the study at the end of April, and I was horrified and astounded at the results. They say that severe obstructive sleep apnea is having 30 or more respiratory "events" per hour (either stop breathing or partially), and I was having 116! Almost 2x a minute I was stopping breathing, basically suffocating, and my oxygen saturation in my blood was dropping dangerously low a lot of the time.

I got my CPAP, and I cannot TELL you the difference I feel. For the first 2 weeks of having solid, restorative sleep, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off cleaning out closets and stuff, and really just actually surprised by how messy my house was and how FAT I am. It was like coming out of a fog. Of course I knew this was all happening, but I was frankly a little too tired to care, let alone do much about it. Now that it's been a month, I feel like a normal person. I'm still fat, and my house still needs work, but for the first time in a LONG time, I actually feel like I might be able to tackle some of it, little by little! I haven't lost much weight since getting my CPAP -- but I'm getting on track with my eating and moving around more, and for the first time ever, I finally feel like it might be DOABLE, if I commit myself to it and work hard.

I asked my sleep doc if my weight is causing my sleep apnea, and if I lose a lot will I be able to stop using CPAP. She said it is impossible to know if I have sleep apnea BECAUSE I'm so overweight, or if I'm so overweight BECAUSE I have sleep apnea. Apparently, the lack of good sleep can make hunger hormones out of whack, making you more prone to binge-eating, and of course the lack of energy to really get out and get moving. Soo, she will do another study if/when I lose significant weight, and then I guess we'll see which came first. But in the meantime, it doesn't really matter to me which came first -- only that in being treated, I may actually be able to get back to some semblance of health!

Sorry this is so long, and thanks for reading if you made it to the end! This has been such a life-changing thing for me that I just wanted to share with a really supportive group of people!!

[Ratkitten]

I too have severe obstructive sleep apnea. As a general rule of thumb, I've read for every 50 lbs lost, you can drop 1 cm of pressure on your machine. With the pressure I started with at 350 lbs, I'll never really drop to zero. I have a feeling I've had sleep apnea all my life.

Yay for a great resting sleep for you!

Hugs,
Ratkity

[shadowclaw]

Good for you! My uncle and my dad both have pretty bad sleep apnea, too. My dad likes to make fun of his machine and he'll put the mask on and walk around the house making Darth Vader sounds and quotes. But the machine really made a difference for him, too. Glad you're finally getting a good night's rest.

[acorbit]

I had the same problem. During my sleep study my oxygen went down into the 70s when I would stop breathing. My poor husband was unable to sleep due to my horrific snoring. I love my CPAP and so does my husband!

[shannonmb]

Thanks so much for the responses. So I guess there are a couple of us here, and some family members, too! I'm so amazed that this was going on, probably for a long time, and I really didn't know anything about it till I started talking to my doc.

Hope everyone who has sleep apnea is getting some good rest like me now!!

[mulder1921]

Glad to hear that CPAP is helping! I am a sleep tech and see tons of people who refuse to use it. Its always good to see someone who is willing to try it and use it successfully.

Good luck!

[nngraves777]

Hello Girl I feel you! I to have to use a cpap and can't sleep with out it! I also was falling asleep during the day and now I'm wide awake and get up early. I would get such bad headaches from not breathing at night and even sometimes wake up throwing up from choking. Uck.. So glad you got yours and are feeling better. It makes a world of difference dont it?? The straps on the mask are rather annoying but hey I dont care would rather breathe..God Bless ya

[acorbit]

Originally Posted by nngraves777

The straps on the mask are rather annoying but hey I dont care would rather breathe..God Bless ya

Google "Pad a cheek" and you will find covers for the straps for the cpap masks. I have a pair and they make it so the straps don't leave marks on your face in the morning. They are so simple yet very effective. I recommend the satin ones, that's what I have. They have tons of colors and types to choose from.

Hope this helps!

[azcyn]

humm now ya got me thinking. Maybe I should ask for it. Sometimes I wake up during the night almost light I was startled?? Wonder if I have that. My hubby sleeps like a rock so he doesnt know anything. Maybe i will request that.

How scarey for you!! BUT atleast you found out!

[shannonmb]

Originally Posted by mulder1921

Glad to hear that CPAP is helping! I am a sleep tech and see tons of people who refuse to use it. Its always good to see someone who is willing to try it and use it successfully.

Good luck!

Sleep techs are my new heroes, so thank you so much for the work you do!! I feel so bad for people who can't get used to using CPAP or give up too soon, if only they knew what a new life they could have! Maybe I've just noticed SUCH a difference because of how bad my sleep apnea is (?).

Originally Posted by nngraves777

Hello Girl I feel you! I to have to use a cpap and can't sleep with out it! I also was falling asleep during the day and now I'm wide awake and get up early. I would get such bad headaches from not breathing at night and even sometimes wake up throwing up from choking. Uck.. So glad you got yours and are feeling better. It makes a world of difference dont it?? The straps on the mask are rather annoying but hey I dont care would rather breathe..God Bless ya

Another CPAP sister! Thanks for the well wishes! I also wake right up in the morning now and have lots more energy -- I mean LOTS! It can ONLY help in this weight loss struggle, right?

Originally Posted by acorbit

Google "Pad a cheek" and you will find covers for the straps for the cpap masks. I have a pair and they make it so the straps don't leave marks on your face in the morning. They are so simple yet very effective. I recommend the satin ones, that's what I have. They have tons of colors and types to choose from.

Hope this helps!

WOW, thanks for that info! The straps don't bother me too much, but they do leave a lovely mark on my cheek. I keep thinking if I were a little younger, my cheeks would 'bounce back' faster! Satin sounds nice!

Originally Posted by azcyn

humm now ya got me thinking. Maybe I should ask for it. Sometimes I wake up during the night almost light I was startled?? Wonder if I have that. My hubby sleeps like a rock so he doesnt know anything. Maybe i will request that.

How scarey for you!! BUT atleast you found out!

Well, my understanding is that there are a LOT of people who don't know they have it. Maybe you could make your husband stay awake one time and observe you? Here are the symptoms I had:

*snoring like a truck driver and hubby telling me he saw me stop breathing
*bad fatigue most of the time
*waking up at least 3-4 times a night to go pee or get a drink for my dry mouth or just to roll around
*occasionally waking up 'startled' like you mentioned, sometimes with my heart beating really fast
*bad dreams like someone was chasing me in the parking garage at work (come to find out these types of dreams or dreams of drowning are common)
*blood pressure creeping up the last couple years
*anxiety at times (fight or flight out of whack from going into overdrive all night)

This is the stuff I had, but I think everyone experiences it differently and the only way to really know if you have it is to have a sleep study. But there are online quizzes you can take (there's one on sleepapnea.org) that tell if you should get a study. If you do think you might have sleep apnea, you will do yourself a big favor to get it checked out. It has been a miracle for me, no exaggeration!