sleep apnea?

[Matt Berardi]

Originally Posted by James Mazzarisi

A friend of mine had the surgery: removed tonsils and part of the roof of his mouth to open the airway. He said basically it was remarkable the difference it made. With apnea it is difficult to get into deeper levels of sleep/REM... which are critical to restoring the body on a daily basis. He elected the surgery over the machine as he didn't want to mess with a mask every night. Check your insurance, as many plans such as mine do not cover sleep disorders unless it's perceived as medically necessary; I would think potential apnea would be considered medically necessary.

Is there any disadvantage to having this done? like an unknown function of the tonsils? This seems like a nice thing


Also I have a strange question: When I go to sleep at around midnight, and wake up around 8 AM, my sleep is incredibly better compared to if I go to sleep at 11 and wake up at 7. Is there any possible explaination for this?

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

You can't chug beer anymore without it coming out your nose. In fact, eating and drinking in general becomes a bit more difficult, I adjusted pretty quickly. THe surgery is supposed to by extremely painful, but it didn't bother me much. I walked aroudn the hospital after surgery though I couldn't eat.

I only took the pain medication to eat, but the rest of the time I was fine. Protien shakes are your friend. SO is olive oil.

[Frank E Morel]

Originally Posted by Robert D Taylor Jr

I feel out of sync with the machine's breathing and end up feeling like I'm drowning. Sleeping pills are not a viable option for me. I have allergic reactions to meds with similarities to benzos.

how are you with things like trazadone or remeron?

Sync your breathing is the tough part .. without a doubt. One has to shut off their brain and just allow the machine to its thing. Til you surrender that feeling.. your going to fight it every night.

[Robert D Taylor Jr]

Originally Posted by Frank E Morel

how are you with things like trazadone or remeron?

Sync your breathing is the tough part .. without a doubt. One has to shut off their brain and just allow the machine to its thing. Til you surrender that feeling.. your going to fight it every night.

No, I'm probably not going to fight it. I'm going to get the surgery and the powerlung and maybe breathe right strips, the machine seems like an adjunct or something to use when other methods have failed. Taking sleeping meds to avoid the drowning feeling I get is not a sound idea for me. Frank, I'm too experienced with the negatives of them. I've never been exposed to Remeron but Trazadone is mood altering. My own patient experiences with sleep meds have colored my views of them. Frank, I DO appreciate the time you've spent on this topic with me. Please read no defensiveness in this response from me, but the more I learn the more I think the alternatives are my path.

[Frank E Morel]

Originally Posted by Robert D Taylor Jr

No, I'm probably not going to fight it. I'm going to get the surgery and the powerlung and maybe breathe right strips, the machine seems like an adjunct or something to use when other methods have failed. Taking sleeping meds to avoid the drowning feeling I get is not a sound idea for me. Frank, I'm too experienced with the negatives of them. I've never been exposed to Remeron but Trazadone is mood altering. My own patient experiences with sleep meds have colored my views of them. Frank, I DO appreciate the time you've spent on this topic with me. Please read no defensiveness in this response from me, but the more I learn the more I think the alternatives are my path.

None taken.. You do what you think is right for you to overcome the problem.

[Mark Griffith]

I had sleep apnea. Confirmed by sleep study.
I tried the CPAP, and could not sleep with it on.
I finally got this simple sling you see advertised that gently holds my mouth closed.
I think it was ebay for like $30.
My wife says I don't even snore anymore, let alone stop breathing!

So I have a really good CPAP for sale I paid a grand for!

[Frank E Morel]

Originally Posted by Mark Griffith

I had sleep apnea. Confirmed by sleep study.
I tried the CPAP, and could not sleep with it on.
I finally got this simple sling you see advertised that gently holds my mouth closed.
I think it was ebay for like $30.
My wife says I don't even snore anymore, let alone stop breathing!

So I have a really good CPAP for sale I paid a grand for!

snoring is not sleep apnea.. its only a sign of it. You maybe have stopped making noise, but not the obstruction that is occuring in the back of the throat. Having you seen whether or not your oxygen level remains normal with the sling? Otherwise your brain is oxygen deficient during sleep.

[Frank E Morel]

If you are looking for replacement parts or a machine. I have to give thumbs up to this biz. Has gone above and beyond call of customer service. Via telephone and online chat. Plus the owner has sleep apnea.. for 13 years

A Canadian vendor is charging 125 Canadian for a water chamber replacement... these guys 20 bucks usd even with shipping and exchange rate comes in far far less.

wfs washington state vendor
http://www.cpap-supply.com/

[Mark Griffith]

Originally Posted by Frank E Morel

snoring is not sleep apnea.. its only a sign of it. You maybe have stopped making noise, but not the obstruction that is occuring in the back of the throat. Having you seen whether or not your oxygen level remains normal with the sling? Otherwise your brain is oxygen deficient during sleep.

Didn't say it was.
Indicators that I had apnea are gone. Wife says she no longer hears me stop breathing. Blood pressure has dropped. I sleep shorter and am more rested. I no longer awaken with a snort. I'm not going to have another sleep study to confirm. It cost me alot the first time.

And for anyone considering surgery for the obstruction - my doc told me it is rarely effective. Like 10% or something.And it's very painful. You will do much better to lose some weight. Even 5 - 10 lbs can make a difference.

[Matt Berardi]

Originally Posted by Mark Griffith

Didn't say it was.
Indicators that I had apnea are gone. Wife says she no longer hears me stop breathing. Blood pressure has dropped. I sleep shorter and am more rested. I no longer awaken with a snort. I'm not going to have another sleep study to confirm. It cost me alot the first time.

And for anyone considering surgery for the obstruction - my doc told me it is rarely effective. Like 10% or something.And it's very painful. You will do much better to lose some weight. Even 5 - 10 lbs can make a difference.

Thanks for posting that! What is the device you had success with called?