husband's sleep study results are in... (tad long)

gcvmom

Here we go again!
and he has SEVERE apnea.

Evidently, his brain woke him up an average of 57 times per hour and his O2 saturation dropped as low as 78%. They never did get to the diagnostic part because his apnea was so bad that they put the CPAP on him half way through the night. I guess normally they'd study him the whole night and then have him come back to see how he does on the CPAP machine.

Well, the machine eliminated the snoring completely and his O2 levels stayed a constant normal. And he felt much better rested even just on the machine for a few hours. I can't wait to see how he does on this thing for several nights in a row! He might actually have the energy to DO something around here!

The scary part about apnea is that left untreated, it causes weight gain, you can have a heart attack, develop congestive heart failure, edema in your legs, diabetes, etc., etc. My father with all his health problems is the poster boy for apnea -- and he still refuses to get tested because he's scared to death they'll yank his license (apparently that can happen, too, but I'm not certain of the criteria).

Both the GP and the sleep doctor said it is IMPERATIVE that husband loses the weight. I'm very glad they got on him about that. Now husband just needs to get a clue about healthy eating.

Anyhow, I can't change my crazy dad, but I can influence my spouse and try to help him get back on a healthier track.

Interesting question we have now about his seizure medications (which are what we thought was making him so tired). Perhaps he doesn't need to stop Trileptal afterall. Although he was still having seizures at 1200mg/day (and according to the psychiatrist, he wasn't even at therapeutic levels in his blood work). We see the neuro this afternoon and will have to figure this next piece out.

Now we're also considering having difficult child 2 tested, since he also snores and is chronically tired in the mornings, and tends to sleep A LOT when allowed. It could lead us to a solution for his attention/focus issues in school, and eliminate the need for the low dose stimulant (which barely helps any more and just seems to wire him, making me think he doesn't really have ADHD and it's all just related to the mood disorder)....

Okay, so thanks for reading if you made it this far! I'm really excited about the prospects for a healthier, happier husband :D
 

eekysign

New Member
If it gives you even more hope---my best friend's dad got his CPAP a few years back. He says that the difference it's made in his life is INDESCRIBABLE. He said it was like night and day, the change in his energy levels and mood. He's happy and healthy and thrilled---and feels a little dumb he didn't do it earlier. Hooray for sleep studies! I hope for all of these things for your hubby, too. ;)
 

slsh

member since 1999
GVC - great news (that it's been identified anyway)! I'm glad he's tolerating the mask, too. That can be a real bear. husband has been on CPAP for 10 years and it's made a huge difference not only in his blood pressure but also his reflux, believe it or not.

He still needs to lose about 100 pounds but I'm not holding my breath (ha - get it??? a pun!).

Don't you feel like you're sleeping next to Hannibal Lector though???? :rofl:
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Gvcmom,
I'm glad they identified the apnea. I hope he will continue to wear the mask. We are waiting to hear when difficult child will get his cpap machine. Hope it's soon and we can get him to wear it!! It's probably a good idea to have your difficult child tested as well.
 

rejectedmom

New Member
I had a sleep study done a year and a half ago. I also am on a Cpap. There are a couple of boards that are great for support with this on is CPAPtalk.com and the other is Talkaboutsleep.com They are the Cpap equivalent of this board. I highly recommend both. -RM
 

Steely

Active Member
Wow 57 times an hour, is every minute.............holy cow! No wonder he is so tired!

Many, many doctors have recommended I go to a sleep clinic for all of my sleep problems, and I never have. Perhaps I should after hearing about your husband.

So are they going to try and deal with the sleep problem for now, and keep the trileptal where it is? Or do they have to increase it because of the seizures?

So glad you have at least a little bit of direction now. I would definitely put difficult child through the sleep clinic as well if you have the money. I have absolutely no family history of high blood pressure, but since the age of 19 I have been dxd with it. difficult child has been dxd with high BiPolar (BP) since age 13 - so obviously my health issues jumped many generations, but directly downloaded to difficult child. Could be the same for your difficult child.

Hugs.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I just can't get past the 57 times in an hour! Seriously!
I just told husband and then said hmmm, maybe he should go get one done. He told me to zip it!

Well I hope you both start feeling better. In a couple of days hand him the broom and mop, tell him about the building up of his endurance!!!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
husband had severe apnea and was on the cpap.

Now there is not much in the world that uncontrolably strikes my funny bone. But I kid you not, each and every time husband put that thing on.....I could not stop laughing. Not giggles, not under breath laughter, but gut wrenching side splitting peals of laughter.

The more I tried to stop, the worse it got. :rofl:

Needless to say, husband made a trip to an ENT guy. Deviated septum and too much fatty tissue in his nasopharynx area. When husband laid down he had a teeny airway to breathe thru. EMT fixed the septum, removed the fatty tissue, plus removed the adenoids and tonsils. husband does not snore. husband does not have sleep apnea anymore. husband can still sleep 24/7 literally if I'd let him. husband is still at least 200 lbs overweight. And I think a snail has more energy than he does. ugh

Now because of the excess weight.......... husband flip flops in his sleep all night long. All that weight is now making breathing more difficult. So he jerks awake and starts flopping. Which of course means I don't get any sleep with the bed bouncing all over the place. grrrrr (which explains MY sleep issues)

So all that surgery........which wound up costing him a job......for nothing. Basically because husband will not do anything to help himself loose the pounds.

I hope you have MUCH better luck with this than I did.

((hugs))
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
ES -- thanks for the encouraging words -- that's what I'm hoping for!

SLSH, he doesn't get his Darth Vader mask until Friday ;) I'll let you know how our night goes...

WO -- We've pretty much decided to go ahead with difficult child 2. I'm going to try to schedule it for next Friday. We don't need any insurance approvals, thankfully.

RM -- thanks for the link info. I'll check it out!

Steely -- I asked the neuro today if it made sense to give the CPAP time to work and see if that improves his fatigue before taking him off Trileptal and trying something else. He thought that was a good idea. So in one month, if his energy is better, we'll likely increase Trileptal back to where it was, and maybe even higher since he was still having seizures at the 1200mg/day level. Neuro thinks it's just a coincidence that he hasn't had any seizures at the lower level. If Trileptal doesn't work, he's leaning towards Keppra, with the understanding that it might cause mood swings and irritability (!) at which point I told him he'd better consult with the psychiatrist if that starts up! husband had a mini-blow up at me on the way home tonight, and it was once again on his favorite topic (sex). Didn't have near the obsessiveness when he was on a higher Trileptal dose... ugh.

Toto -- I'm wondering if I need one now! I've gained weight and husband says I snore... we'll see. First I have to get everyone else settled and then I can focus on fixing me! ;)

DL -- we talked about the other options for addressing the apnea today. The doctor said that for most people, the CPAP is the best way to go because the other solutions don't address all the components involved. One critical part is for husband to lose the weight (and he has a thick neck) which puts all the extra pressure on his throat. When those muscles relax and the tongue falls back, the only real way to keep the airway open is with that air pressure.

I'm hoping I can keep my composure when he's wearing it. He's already convinced it's going to ruin what little "romance" we have right now. Poor obsessive guy! :p

Thanks everyone for the feedback and info! I'll let you know how things go this weekend...
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Glad he had it done. My husband was the same, over 50 wake-ups in an hour. And my husband had teased me about "unneccessary tests" before he went. He only went because I had a HISSY fit. He LOVES his cpap, totally loves it. It has even kept him from getting sinus infections because it blows distilled water in with the air to keep from drying him out.

I did a sleep study and ALL they looked for was apnea. NOTHING else. they did call me about 3 months after the study and said my O2 saturation dipped in the middle of the night, but no one had any suggestions about why or what to do about it. Arg.

I think every adult and many children should have sleep studies. Just to be sure.
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
GCV, glad to hear that the sleep study provided some answers.

My husband has used a CPAP for about the last 5 years. Honestly, I like his mask. I think it's cute, and the droning of the machine provides soothing white noise that drowns out other noises at night and helps me sleep.

As for the weight loss, it might be something that requires medical attention. It might be worth getting your husband to see an endocrinologist, to ensure that his thyroid function is fine.

(My husband's thyroid was a mess, in part because of the apnea, and he was morbidly obese. He sees a bariatric doctor with a specialization in endocrine issues. The diet and medications combo has helped him lose about 220 lbs.)

Trinity
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Thanks, Susie, that's good to hear.

TR, we had husband's thyroid checked last month and everything was fine. His triglycerides, however were sky-high (443 versus a target of below 150), as was his bad cholesterol :( All the more reason for him to change his diet and get some exercise!

I'm not really worried about the noise issue. We sleep with an air purifier on so we're used to the white noise. :)
 

Sagegrad

New Member
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year this time. Went on the CPAP machine and in the course of this year lost 140 lbs. No more apnea and no more CPAP. Actually didnt need the machine after losing the first 50lbs. Weight loss will make a BIG difference in sleep habits.

Sage
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
That's very encouraging to hear, Sage. I'll pass that along to husband, because he's kinda bemoaning the thought of adding yet another diagnosis to his file ;) It would be great if this was one that he could resolve with a little hard work and patience!
 
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