No Sleep 'Til CPAP
Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 2:22PM Sunday night was the beginning of a two night sleep study for me.
My cardiologist ordered it when he heard that a few years back I had shown slight sleep apnea according to a take home device my doctor sent me. Because it seemed so slight my doctor decided not to do a complete study.
Then the whole Heart Disease thing happened.
Now check this out. People with diabetes are prone to sleep apnea. People with diabetes are also likely to have heart disease. People with heart disease tend to have sleep apnea. And lack of sleep has been shown to cause insulin resistance.
GREAT huh?
So Sunday night a tech showed up at the house around 10PM. He hooked me up to a big old machine that was now sitting by my bed. He then attached wires all over my head, face, chest, and legs. He also put the most annoying little clip on my finger like they do at the hospital. When he was done he said to sleep as much as I could on my back and then he would be back at 5:30 AM to pick everything up.
Sleep? How? When?
All night I uncomfortable. All these wires everywhere and especially that stupid thing on my finger kept me up. I dozed off here and there but never did I feel like I slept.
**KNOCK KNOCK**
5:30 on the dot he was there.
"So how did it go?"
"Well I don't think I actually slept at all but it was fine."
He told me that with all the wires and stuff they use any little bit of sleep can give them the info they need. "We got plenty of good info for you so you did great!"
Of course because is a tech he cannot tell me exactly what he saw but he did say the info they needed was there.
Monday was a hard day to get through but I did.
Monday night at 10:00PM the tech showed up again.
"This time you are going to get some sleep!"
He hooked up all the wires once again but also connected me to a CPAP machine. The gentle air that was being pushed into my nose took some getting used to but after a while I was doing okay. The tech left and I went to bed having been so sleep deprived the night before.
And I slept. Not well but I did get some sleep in. I went to sleep quickly and woke up about 2 hours later. The pressure was a little high for me when I exhaled. I called the tech who had left his cell phone. He said from looking at the data I was opening my mouth now and then which typically means I needed an adjustment.
"I am gonna turn things down a little and lets see how you do." He was able to make changes to all the equipment remotely which I thought was pretty cool.
I laid back down and I fell asleep. Until 5:00AM! I was lying in bed thinking how crazy that night of sleep was and how long this may have been going on. Does another device mean I am getting worse? What is happening to my body? Should I be happy I am going to get treatment for something I didn't know I had?
**KNOCK KNOCK**
5:30AM on the dot he knocked. "So how did you do? Do you feel okay?"
"I feel great actually. I feel awake."
That moment made me realize that I never wake up feeling awake. I wake up but I could right back to sleep every day.
Now I wait to hear from my doctor to get set up with a machine. I am looking forward to it actually. Now that I know the difference it can make I am in 100%.
I have said before how important it is to know what is going on with your body. Now I have learned something else going on that needs my attention. It's okay. I've got this.
It's good to be aware.
It's good to be awake.
Soon I'll be both.
Reader Comments (4)
My husband also (finally) did a sleep test a few years ago and now - uses the cpap.
What a difference!
Yes, I often refer to him as Darth but - not only is he sleeping better but so am I!
It takes time to get used to.
We even take it with us when traveling.
(By the way - We're going to be in California next month...)
My dad has a CPAP. Two and a half years ago, I was on a trip with my stepmom and found out that not only does she snore, but that she stopped breathing in her sleep. For up to a minute. Um. OMG.
So I told her she had to have a sleep study and it was no surprise when the diagnosis came back with sleep apnea (her oxygen level was 50% when she slept!!!).
I'm glad you did the study and I'm glad you are getting a CPAP. I'm sure you will feel better!
And yeah. I snore too. Supposedly. I haven't heard it myself. ;)
I've slept with a CPAP machine for more than 15 years. When I began using it, I was not among the folks for which it was hugely life-changing. BUT, on those VERY rare occasions when I spend a night without it, I feel like I was hit by a truck
One thing to keep in mind if they haven't told you already: there are a number of styles of masks, so if the first approach you try isn't comfortable, there may be a better option for you.
I've had a CPAP for 10 years. Just got a brand new machine last year with a humidifier. It was life changing for me. My husband (who has CHF) got one a year ago. He never believed he needed it, as he didn't have the same symptoms I did. Now he can't live without the thing. Said he hadn't slept so good in years!