Dave's been doing the doctor rounds these past couple of months trying to find a way to help with his snoring and sleep issues. His general practitioner referred him to an ENT who put him on allergy medicines first and then referred him to a sleep clinic. The result of his sleep study was a diagnosis of Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea. He was stopping breathing over 50 times in ONE HOUR! That sounds severe to me! The diagnosis wasn't a big surprise. In fact, we were both relieved that there is a name for his problem and also a treatment.
The past two nights, Dave's been using his new CPAP machine as he sleeps. The machine is little smaller than a shoe box and makes a continuous white noise during the night. A bit like if you have an oscillating fan turned on high. Dave wears a small mask over his nose and tries to keep from knocking any tubes loose during the night :) So far things are going well. He doesn't snore (even on his back!) and the machine's noise doesn't bother me at all. Hopefully his energy levels will rebound soon now that he's actually sleeping through the night!
(It was also suggested that he have surgery to remove his tonsils, adenoids and (possibly) part of his soft palate. He's trying out the machine first to see how it works. Maybe after we get settled in after Dax's arrival, he can revisit the surgery option if needed.)
[Also, I had no idea how rough this is on your body. Sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart attack, complications during and after surgery, depression and accidents. Plus it turns into a vicious cycle of being too tired during the day for any sort of physical activity which increases your chance of weight gain which makes your sleep apnea worse! Eek!]
2 comments:
My parents both got CPAPs a couple years ago, and noticed a HUGE difference in their health, energy, and mood. My mom has fallen off the wagon and quit using it, and I think her health has suffered for it. Stay on Dave to keep using it, even if it is a little inconvenient.
If it works as well as the doctor hoped it would, it will take very little encouragement from me to have Dave use it. He was SO irritated about being so tired all the time and not being able to get things done and spend time with Julia. Hopefully his machine will work as well as your parents.
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