Sleep Apnea - what to do

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Rider77

New Member
A few years ago I was diagnosed with atrial fibrilation. Before I even got out of the clinic I was getting a call to test me for sleep apnea, which I thought was pretty odd. My philosphy has always been that if you go to a doctor you listen to their guidance and usually follow the advice and recommendations offered. Long store quite a few days down this road I now have an Inspire Sleep stimulator implanted in my chest with leads to a nerve that clears my airway. That is the way this thing is supposed to work. If you take time to do some research you will quickly learn it just isn't that simple.

The device requires multiple iterations of monitoring and tweaking of the settings. As in my case when there have been delays and confusion about what was coming next I don't think my current condition has me sleeping better than I did prior to the beginning this process. I may be an exception, but the fact is if I had known at the time this diagnosis the facts of what I now know and have experienced I probably would have said just forget it. And that doesn't even consider the numerous clinic visits and money expended.

Sometimes talking to other Inspire patients as well as CPAP users I wonder if the sleep apnea broad brush diagnosis is blown out of proportion. I absolutely have never heard of a signal instance where sleep apnea was ruled the cause of death, unless you consider those few who were shot by non-snoring companion.
 

They say something like 1 out of 4 people have Apnea to some degree. Apnea leads to lack of sleep which leads to all other kinds of health issues. Mr Dr. said nobody dies from it. I replied unless they fall asleep at the wheel. I have never heard of your inspire device. I was only diagnosed in May and I am currently battling Medicare who is fighting me tooth and nail refusing to pay for a CPAP to help me breathe when sleeping. It's fighting bureaucratic nonsense which you cannot win.

So I decided I'd better get off my butt and do something about it because my doctors answer is CPAP which helps with breathing while you sleep but it doesn't do anything towards curing or reducing it which is what I want to do. I am trying to get healthier the old fashion way. First I am trying to lose weight, not with Ozempic (Medicare wants a $530 co-pay every 3 weeks). My BMI says I am overweight and I read that can be a cause of or exacerbate Apnea. I know several people that lost weight and no longer needed the CPAP. I have lost 15 pounds since the middle of July by switching my diet and doing strength exercises.

It seems that I still eat a lot but it's mostly fruit and veggies with chicken and fish thrown in. I was surprised how doable it was. I am aiming at a 30-40 pound weight loss, it will get harder as I shed the pounds.

Also, and this sounds crazy but it makes perfect sense, I was reading how breathing exercises can help reduce Apnea by toning that affected part of the body. I went looking for Apnea breathing exercises and read about people experiencing improvements by playing a wind instrument and especially something like the didgeridoo, which can produce the breathing exercises needed. I already know how to play the didge so I dusted mine off and have started using it for a half hour or so a day. It's been less than a week so no great improvements yet, but I'm enjoying it and my wife loves the sound. Or so she says.

Time will tell. That's all I can think of to do on my own. Good luck with your battle.
 

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Rider77 said:
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Sometimes talking to other Inspire patients as well as CPAP users I wonder if the sleep apnea broad brush diagnosis is blown out of proportion. I absolutely have never heard of a signal instance where sleep apnea was ruled the cause of death, unless you consider those few who were shot by non-snoring companion.
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The part i made bold, that is likely because the COD gets listed 'natural causes' and autopsies only ordered if some reason to suspect foul play. When you consider that those with severe apnea enough to cause death are often elderly, very overweight &/or have other health issues unless a family member or life insurance company requests an autopsy if no signs of murder or suicide an autopsy doesn't happen.

If you're not getting sufficient oxygen your heart can stop, perhaps someone with medical training can clarify, but if it happened due to apnea there would not be the signs that happen if someone loses Oxygen due to strangulation or a pillow over the face, so the only clear COD would be the heart stopped.

Is it over diagnosed? Most likely, a lot of things are for various reasons. But when you consider that lack of sufficient oxygen can be a factor in declining brain function i'd recommend weighing the risks. There are two types of apnea one of which can be reduced by things like losing weight and sleep position.

I've been on CPAP for years. It helps me. But when i experimented with sleeping sitting up is when i got the most relief. My AHI (# of times per hour i stop breathing) had been just below and occasionally a little above the 'acceptable' 5 or less. For two years it has been most often under 3, sometimes even less than 1, and only twice in that time above 5.

As long as i have an affordable co-pay or can otherwise afford it, i'll keep it. One thing i like about it is that when i have must do heavy chores, especially on humid days and i start feeling my breathing is compromised i can get on it briefly to raise my blood/oxygen level. But if i ever have to give it up i will continue to sleep sitting up and further reduce how much and when i do heavy chores and hope for the best.
 
Years ago I had asked the sleep apnea doctor why i didn't have the problem in my twenties. He said when you gain weight on the outside you also gain body fat on the inside, so genetics that had my breathing pathways smaller had a bigger problem to deal with. I lost weight, slept on my side and was able to get off the machine.
 

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