Potential OSA

[Steller]

Hi everyone. I'm just posting for some advice before I am able to get to my doctors (long que so will take a few weeks).

I recently discovered that I have some of the symptoms of OSA. I've been treated for depression, anxiety and insomnia over the past few years. In fact on and off since around age 12 (23 now).

My girlfriend was explaining to me a strange sleeping habit I have, and I didn't think much of it until I saw something on sleep apnoea shortly after.

She says I frequently gasp for air and make this clicking sound during the night.

I asked her to check my breathing during the night to see if there were any more signs and she found that I do stop breathing periodically for over 10 seconds. In fact strangely enough this morning she was watching me do it and shook me awake and shouted out my name as she begun to panic I wouldn't take another breath. I woke up out of a dream and had to gasp for air.

Will be getting her to do some more observations over the coming nights.

My sleeping patterns are all over the place. I get insomnia at night usually finally falling to sleep around 4-6am. When I finally do get to sleep it doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get I always feel tired and feel I need more sleep. Unless I sleep for 12 hours or more, then I get up with a headache feeling bad. My sleep is always restless and during the day I am often forgetful and have difficulty focusing and can be irritable and moody or depressed.

I've also had problems during meditating that prevents me from going deeper. As my body starts to sleep and my mind is in a trance-like state I notice a need for air and have to wake myself up and gasp for breath.

Anyway I was just hoping for some advice and opinions if I may have the condition. As its definatly something worth checking out as it would explain alot. I know only a doctor can officially diagnose me, so I'm not asking for medical advice , just advice from people who experience OSA as direct experience is the best kind imo

[Berneta]

OSA

Hi Steller, it sounds like you do have a lot of OSA symptoms --but only a Sleep Study will tell you if that is true. I suggest that you read all you can on this forum, and make notes of questions and other information to take to your Dr, Then he can decide if you need testing. The problem with OSA is that it mimics many other health problems. You will probably need blood tests for several different things. Fatigue, sleepiness, gasping for air, breathlessness, dizziness, insomnia, depression, and many other things can be caused by lots of different things. Take it one step at a time--and have your girlfriend take notes about what she sees during your sleep. Good Luck, Berneta

[Tigers Fan]

Hi steller

Were I you, I'd buy or borrow a movie camera and leave my girfriend to get on with things more interesting than watching me sleep.

Secondly, I'd change my doctor and probably surgery to one who'd give me an appointment within a day or two.

Go on-line and find the Epwortth Sleepiness Scale. Test yourself. Tell your GP the result.

TF

[symmit]

As TF says, do the online questionnaire and take it to your GP. Get a second opinion if needs be.

Be pushy and be prepared to move doctors, you need to find out if you do or do not have OSA because if you do it's a condition that can affect so much of your life and health beyond sleeping.

If you get nowhere and have the means to do it get a private home sleep study done, even if it's just a flow or oximitry test, it'll give you something to go back to your GP with again or enable you to get private therapy.

Good luck and hope you get some decent sleep soon.

[Berneta]

Movie?

That sounds like a good idea--he can show the Dr--not just tell him. But I doubt that his girlfriend will get much sleep anyway. some women just like to watch a man sleep. And I am sure she is concernned about all the stuff going on, and it may be keeping her awake. XXBerneta

[Richard]

Is it Sleep Apnoea?:

Hi Steller,

Waking up with an almighty headache? Wanting to go back to bed, and not feeling you can face the day ahead? Your bed-partner telling you you stop breathing when you're asleep?

Welcome to the clan, buddie; sounds awfully like you've got Obsrtuctive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)

How tall are you, and what is your weight? What size shirt-collar do you take? Are you over-weight, obese or as thin as a rake? Not wishing to be rude, but these are all considerations.

You should ring your GP surgery at 8.00 or 8.30 tomorrow morning and ask for an appointment asap to see the GP who knows you best; that way, you stand a better chance of getting an appointment for that day. Tell them that is what you want, because you are worried out of your wits. A quick appointment is your right; not when the receptionist can put down her knitting and open another folder on her screen.

Print off the following files and fill them in before you visit your GP:

http://www.sleepeducation.com/pdf/Epworth.pdf

http://www.thesleepconnection.com/berlin_questionnaire.asp

These are both standard medical questionnaires, and the GP will recognise them as such, and react more positively to data of this kind, rather than going in and telling him you feel tired.

Take your girl-friend with you, so she can explain your sleep problems from her point of view. You would be surprised, but the majority of diagnoses of OSA begin with the alert bed-partner making a comment about their partner's breathing in bed.

Get that done and let us know what happens. Many of us here have many years of OSA to call on, so you've come to the best place for help and advice. Don't allow the surgery to mess you around, though. You may have to ring every morning when the surgery opens, but they will very soon get the message.

Best of luck.

Richard

[Steller]

I've looked at the Epworth test and that would vary greatly from one extent to the other.

For example if I try to go to sleep at a "normal" time because I have to be up to do something, getting the suggested amount of sleep of 8hrs then I will be dosing and fighting to stay awake most of the day until the evening in which the insomnia kicks in.

If I sleep until I feel awake enough to get up i'll sleep 12-16hrs sometimes and get up with a fuzzy headache, with no energy and still tired but I dont doze at all then.

As for the Berlin questions my gf says yes I snore loudly most nights and stop breathing. She is even more alert to it now. I've also noticed I roll positions alot in the night and do have many breif awakenings that I remember last night (as I've been more consciously focused on my sleep since finding this possibility)

I think I will change my doctor as it feels like getting any help for anything is a battle not a request. The only thing I can easily get it any kind of drug for depression, anxiety, sleeping etc all of which I gave up on long ago, and made much more progress working through things on my own lol.

The camera idea sounds great I'll see if I can get hold of or borrow one. Also as my sleeping routine is messed up my gf can probably record me on a phone cam if I stop breathing and I could show the doctor that.

I weigh like 8.5-9 stone and am underweight for my age/height. Height is 5ft 10

Just another note, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've gone to bed, slept, woke up in same position feeling fully rested. Not counting early childhood though. Any night that happens its like a big deal to me.

Also as an example its 10:05pm here, I got up at 5:30pm. I got to sleep this morning at 6-7am. I try to change my sleep pattern back sometimes by staying up all night then trying to get a very early night in the evening. Its not worked though I end up staying up the next night till 4-5am then sleeping until the next evening.

I think that OSA is definatly worth checking for though. I'll need to keep on at them if they dont test me for it. I kinda need a yes or no answer from them in able to take responsiblity for my own health and rule out one option, or if I do have it then I can make changes I need to improve my sleep.

Anyone else had the experience before of going to a doctor for help and them not listening to anything you had to say? only to prescribe some drug until next time, when they change it to something else....etc etc.

The last few times I went since refusing any drug treatments they basically just talk a little bit mention a drug, I refuse, then there is no quick-fix they lose interest.

[Richard]

Hi Steller,

No medication is needed for treating Sleep Apnoea, so there can be no question of refusing to take it.

Your GP will recognise the Berlin questionnaire and the ESS as being of the required standard towards making a professional diagnosis. Don't fudge your answers though.

See your GP as soon as you can; it should be possible to get an appointment very quickly if you do as I suggested, show him the forms and tell him you want a referral to a sleep/respiratory specialist. And if you're under-weight, he can't use the classic put-down of 'go away and lose some weight'.

Richard

[James @ Intus]

The stopping breathing and snoring are classic signs, but not many OSA sufferers remember waking up or have insomnia that bad. If you have OSA, you'll be very tired and drop off quickly. You'd need some heavy worrying to beat tiredness from OSA.

So some symptoms contradict.

If they are slow to get you tested, you can of course pay for your own in-house OSA test. The results may give you more insights in what is going on. And may get your GP to take notice, if it indeed confirms the breathing lapses.

There is a lot of insomnia "self-help" out there, websites, books etc. There is a lot you can do yourself in terms of cognitive behavioural therapy or light therapy. But a clinic may be able to quicker put two and two together and solve both issues for you. But you'd want to be referred to a clinic experienced with both respiratory sleep disorders (like OSA) and non-respiratory, or circadian sleep disorders. Most only do the former.