sleep apnea

[susieQ]

Feeling very desperate! Can't seem to sleep well. But as soon as I go to sleep I wake with a start cause my breath has shut off. I am choking. This seems like sleep apnea to me, and it goes on for hours, then finally I will go off to sleep with out waking often in the early morning like 3:300 or 4:00 a.m.
It seems at that time I will wake with a jerk. Then I will as well feel nauseated and at times just begin to shake with coldness.

I can't seem to get help from a doctor. There say a sleep clinic would only give me antidepressents and I can't take them, so there is nothing for me to do. This has been very bad for the past 6 weeks or more.

I thank you all for ideas.

[Jack]

Hi Susie,

Just joined the board and found your post. Yeah, I've been told that I have apnea for a bunch of years. The suggestion is that I look into a mask that puts positive air pressure into your breathing. As I'm a light sleeper anyway, I've avoided that route. During a recent visit to my ENT to figure out some hearing loss, I was found to have a deviated septum and enlarged uvula, both of which contribute to my apnea. And, coincidentally, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's as well.

You should look into the breathing mask, Susie. It apparently works for lots of people. My doc suggested surgery, but I want to figure out this Hashimoto and hearing stuff first.

Take care - Jack

[Hollon]

Hi, I just joined..I recently had a pet/scan related to thyroid cancer. Found a spot on back of tonsiles and i was told that this could be sleep apnea? has anyone been told this? My levels are good and I dont really have any signs of having cancer again...but just seems odd to me...

[Andros]

Hi, I just joined..I recently had a pet/scan related to thyroid cancer. Found a spot on back of tonsiles and i was told that this could be sleep apnea? has anyone been told this? My levels are good and I dont really have any signs of having cancer again...but just seems odd to me...

Hi there!! What kind of thyroid cancer did you have? I presume you had thyroidectomy and RAI?

I know that folks can get tonsil stones but I have no earthly idea what a spot would mean. Did radiology comment? Did your doctor comment?

I am so so glad you are free of cancer. Thank goodness for that!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/LuLu1471/welcome.gif

[CA-Lynn]

SusieQ,

Find a new doctor. Or, if you live near a major university with a medical school, you might try a sleep lab there. Based on the outcome, they should be able to refer you to one of the physcians on the medical school staff.

[lavender]

I have sleep apnea, and sleep specialists do a lot more than prescribe anti-depressants.

My sleep medicine doc is a neurologist. She met with me, discussed my health issues, referred me to a sleep lab for a sleep study and a nap study.

I had to spend almost 24 hours in the lab. They prep you by gluing a whole bunch of electrodes on your skull, hook you up to a bunch of equipment, and send you to bed. I personally did not sleep too well there. They wake you up pretty early and if you are just getting a sleep study, they take all the equipment off you, you shower to get all the gook out of your hair and go home.

For the nap study, they keep you up for a couple of hours, then have you lie down for a nap to see if you fall asleep or not. I think they only let you sleep for like 15 minutes. You basically go through this sleep-wake cycle for the day and then go home in the evening. I slept at every one. I think they diagnose you with narcolepsy based on how quickly you fall asleep.

My tests were all borderline for sleep apnea and narcolepsy. The doc gave me some samples of a narcolepsy drug to test out, but I found out they were basically speed and decided not to take them. She never discussed anti-depressants with me (which have not been helpful to me in the past). She and I talked about non-medicine routes to take, and I was prescribed a C-PAP. I had to go back to the sleep lab for them to adjust it for me. I have been wearing it for maybe 3 years now, and I have to go back to the sleep doc yearly for a check in.

If you have untreated sleep apnea, it can cause heart problems. I think it's well worth getting checked out.