question on bipap/cpap

[billyd]

Decided to post in quest of info. Result of my sleep study was some obstructive sleep apnea that neuro said was not from diaphragm weakness. I go for swallow study Wednesday due to that issue. I do not snore and am not overweight so am curious about causes of obsa and if anyone has knowledge about the bipap versus cpap. Thanks for any info.

[lhagsjr]

Please dont worry about bi-pap or c-pap yet...you dont even know whats wrong yet.

[CindyM]

Sleep Apnea is something that I actually know a little bit about! So finally I get to put in my 2 cents!

Obstructive sleep breathing is often found in over-weight middle ages folks but not always. I have had it since my teen years and I am on the trimmer side. Most folks do not take sleep disorders seriously enough, but if treated properly your quality of life improves terrifically. This is because when the roof of your mouth collapses, your body has to fight for air. Thus you wake up (you don’t realize it but you do) several times a night. This constant startling you to wakefulness causes lots of side effects. You miss out on important REM sleep; you become oxygen-starved, and your heart begins working harder.

A CPAP makes a big difference. It can even cut down on night sweats and night terrors. And if you have neuromuscular problems, my ALS clinic discovered, it makes your symptoms much more manageable. My sleep clinic claims that only about ¼ of the folks who need a CPAP have one.

I struggled for years, falling asleep in meetings, at class, at traffic stop lights. Back then there were no sleep labs and nobody knew how to help. Now, my community has about 3 sleep labs, although I get lots more information and more in-depth treatment at the one associated with a major teaching hospital.

Hope this helps. Sleep disorders are understood much better these days. You should find reams of website dedicated to the issue. Good luck. Cindy

[crystalkk]

Billy,

I know you were really scared do you feel better now knowing the answer to why you are waking up.
Are they going to put you on the cpap or bi-pap.

[billyd]

I feel better knowing that there is a reason something is waking me up, other than just anxiety. But like lhagsir said, I don't even know what the problem is or more importantly, how do you tell.

PCP said "you have osa and you can treat it if you want". McCluskey said "you have osa but I don't think its your diaphragm". So because of the difficulty swallowing I go for a modified barium swallow and maybe that will tell us something else about the throat? I am kind of at a loss as to what to do. I need to get on some kind of track so I can at least work, but it has been tough with the calve and leg cramps (I do alot of walking on inspections and I just can't make it for any lenghth of time) and sleeping swallowing stuff among others. What is wrong may not have anything to do with mnd, but is certainly muscle nerve related. Thanks for listening.