Sleep apnea (was something else)
Julia Thompson wrote: Will you be undergoing treatment? That might help out on the mistake front after awhile. ;) (And improve your health in general, in all likelihood) I have another sleep study, to titrate for CPAP, schedule in October (the waiting was that long for the first study, too). I'm not happy about finding that our insurance only covers 80 percent of the cost of tests -- polysomnography (a lie detector test while you're sleeping, sort of) is expensive. Cheaper than Dave's MRIs though... But I am quite hopeful that I'll be a lot sharper if I can use CPAP. I'm sleepy much of the time and my memory annoys me, especially int the last year or so, but now that I understand all this better, I think it's been a life-long thing, quite probably related to ADHD. I really believe that part of the reason I've had a rather exciting life is that I chose high-affect activities (positive and negative ones, I'll add) in part just to keep awake. There's surgery that's 90 percent effective, but it involves moving one's upper and lower jaw forward, which means breaking various bones, then orthodontics to correct the bite... and adds up to being out of commission for a month. It's quite expensive and insurance is very, very reluctant to pay for it. CPAP compliance rates are around 40 percent -- most people can't tolerate it for one reason or another. There are some in-between surgeries, but their success rate is not great, except for one method that wears off after two years or so (that one stiffens the tongue via radio waves). For some people, losing weight improves things, but that's not much of an option in my case, since I don't have much excess. So far treatment has meant getting to bed by 10:30, getting 30 minutes of sunlight within 15 minutes of waking up (not sure how I'll do that in the winter, but I suppose full-spectrum lights are in order), and no alcohol within four hours of bedtime. We have a nice collection of wine, most of which came from the demise of one of the dot-coms, which is getting more aging than I would have expected. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep apnea (was something else)
On Sep 1, 2004, at 7:52 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: CPAP compliance rates are around 40 percent -- most people can't tolerate it for one reason or another. There are some in-between surgeries, but their success rate is not great, except for one method that wears off after two years or so (that one stiffens the tongue via radio waves). Having slept -- or tried to sleep -- next to a CPAP-using spouse for several weeks before she joined the ranks of the 60% of non-compliant patients, I can very well understand why compliance rates are so low. Think of trying to sleep with a plastic mask over your nose (and maybe mouth), elastic webbing around your head to keep it on, and a one-inch hose running to a bread box-sized machine on your dresser, and you'll have an idea of what it's like just to lay down to sleep. Now imagine trying to fall asleep during quarter-hour or so while the pressure ramps up (if you are fortunate enough to have insurance that covers one of the more recent devices that ramps up to operating pressure). At night, the ice weasels come. Or anyway, the face-farts. At least on my Japanese-descended wife's face, the masks (we went through three before she finally gave up) began to leak just about the time she began to actually fall asleep and the muscle tone in her face relaxed. The result is a continuous fart sound, which is annoying and funny enough, but then she starts laughing, and the fart sound changes from continuous (which is bad) to pulsing (which is worse, being much funnier). Eventually, if she was lucky enough to make it past the face-farts and fall asleep, then, her jaw went slack and the air rushing in her nose started leaking out through her relaxed lips, which was pretty unattractive and distracting for me, if not her. Nick's milage may vary, of course, as he is not (to the best of my knowledge), an Asian female. Sincerely, Dave ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep apnea (was something else)
On Sep 1, 2004, at 8:52 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: There's surgery that's 90 percent effective, but it involves moving one's upper and lower jaw forward, which means breaking various bones, then orthodontics to correct the bite... and adds up to being out of commission for a month. It's quite expensive and insurance is very, very reluctant to pay for it. Another surgical option involves a laser that sears the obstructing flesh. Unfortunately I tried it -- even with the codiene-based pain meds it was the worst pain I have ever known (and you're talking to a former cancer patient here) This hell went on for two weeks. It did work, though. But for only about six months. I was told that insurance wouldn't cover it because the effects were often temporary, but it sounded better to me than CPAP. Not worth it! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep apnea (was something else)
- Original Message - From: Dave Land [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 12:34 PM Subject: Re: Sleep apnea (was something else) On Sep 1, 2004, at 7:52 AM, Nick Arnett wrote: CPAP compliance rates are around 40 percent -- most people can't tolerate it for one reason or another. There are some in-between surgeries, but their success rate is not great, except for one method that wears off after two years or so (that one stiffens the tongue via radio waves). Having slept -- or tried to sleep -- next to a CPAP-using spouse for several weeks before she joined the ranks of the 60% of non-compliant patients, I can very well understand why compliance rates are so low. Think of trying to sleep with a plastic mask over your nose (and maybe mouth), elastic webbing around your head to keep it on, and a one-inch hose running to a bread box-sized machine on your dresser, and you'll have an idea of what it's like just to lay down to sleep. Now imagine trying to fall asleep during quarter-hour or so while the pressure ramps up (if you are fortunate enough to have insurance that covers one of the more recent devices that ramps up to operating pressure). I couldn't use the C/Pap for my sleep apnea. I would go to sleep just fine, but would wake up an hour or two later with an intense feeling of claustrophobia. I couldn't get that mask off fast enough. So far I just suffer through it. Frex: It took me 10 minutes to recall the word claustrophobia. It's frustrating. xponent On The Tip Of My Tongue Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
On 8 Jun 2003 at 21:10, Nick Arnett wrote: This is my favorite sleep apnea site: http://www.sleepnet.com/ I am now learning more about somnoplasty... Heh. I'm just plain insomniac and not only have doctors attempts to cure it miserably failed, most of the sleep tablets make me intensely nauseus. Such is life... (I'm also resistant to dental anesthetic and get some interesting side effects from general anesthetics - the last for the same reason I can't eat banannas :) ) Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
From: Nick Arnett [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] But I definitely pay attention (no joke intended)to news about connections between sleep apnea and AD/HD, etc. Since the information about that was posted, we started wondering if something like this might be effecting my daughter. She was showing some signs of ADHD and other behaviour problems. She was complaining about being tired ALL the time. It took a bit to convince my wife to take it seriously but eventually we brought her to someone to be checked out. It turns out that she is definitely not ADHD but does have a sleep disorder of some sort. The treatment is Benadryl! She's been taking it every night before she goes to bed for a couple of months now and it has done wonders for her. She's not complaining about being tired anymore. Her behaviour has improved markedly. It's wonderful. All because of a link posted to this list! That's why I stay on Brin-L! - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
Benadryl! She's been taking it every night before she goes to bed for a couple of months now and it has done wonders for her. She's not complaining about being tired anymore. Her behavior has improved markedly. It's wonderful. All because of a link posted to this list! That's why I stay on Brin-L! - jmh I would guess that the antihistamine in the Benadryl is stopping inflammation or swelling that was causing her to have difficulty breathing? My 9 year old daughter has ADHD and asthma and did a sleep study for sleep apnea. She sleeps poorly, has big bags under her eyes and is tired and irritable. I started watching what she was eating, put a HEPA filter in her room and use a waterproof slip cover over her mattress to help reduce any allergens that may be there. Her symptoms of ADHD have decreased dramatically. Her doctor explained that the sleep problems were greatly aggravating the ADHD. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. I have been using a bi-pap for over a year now and my life has changed dramatically. Aside from not feeling like a truck hit me every morning, my memory has started to return and my cognitive abilities have dramatically improved. My short term memory was to the point that I often could not remember where I parked or sometimes even my phone number without making a serious effort to concentrate on remembering it. Other changes I am experiencing - I stopped falling asleep at my desk and at stop lights, my blood pressure has returned to normal and I have been taken off of blood pressure meds and the most dramatic, and my favorite, is that I have started to lose weight. My family doctor has suspected for years that I had sleep apnea, but he didn't send me to the neurologist because he was not that familiar with the causes and treatments. His solution was to lose weight. But the irony is, that it was impossible to lose weight with the sleep apnea. My metabolism was slowed to the point that weight loss was nearly impossible. The metabolism slows to compensate for the lack of oxygen at night. My blood 02 content was below 47% at night during my sleep study. The neurologist said that, untreated, I had a 100% chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years - that is if I didn't kill myself falling asleep in traffic. So needless to say, I chose the treatment. Nick, if you suspect that you have any degree of sleep apnea, ask your family doctor to send you to a neurologist that specializes in sleep disorders. You won't be sorry. Since I have responded so well to the treatment, and I have started to lose weight, I have recently found out that once I lose a bit more weight, I can have a minor throat surgery and likely be completely cured of the apnea. The neurologist said that I would have had sleep apnea even had I not gained weight and aggravated the condition. The symptoms that originally took me to the doctor were rapid and unexplained weight gain, snoring (of course), severe heartburn at night (also vomiting in my sleep) , waking up gasping for breath, waking up exhausted, and the morning headaches. There is nothing like a headache induced by lack of oxygen. I would choose a migraine ANY day over that. Of course, there were the weird things like not being able to breathe in my dreams. Gheeze, and I thought it was all because my ex-wife was putting the pillow over my face at night :-) I finally decided in March 2002 to seek treatment when a former co-worker, who also had sleep apnea, vomited in his sleep and aspirated it into his lungs as he gasped for breath. His wife watched him die on their bedroom floor before the ambulance got to him. This is my favorite sleep apnea site: http://www.sleepnet.com/ Gary ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep Apnea
Hey John, I hope Debbi can add something to this. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, they are for allergies! One can get pneumonia due to dehydration (and aggravate asthma). This is true of all antihistamines. Maybe ask Dr. about Valerian root tea for the sleep condition? Camomille tea also helps but I guess those would be hard to get a child to accept. I don't mean to alarm you, it's just that I feel strongly about Doctors freely Rx'ing drugs as a quick fix (pardon the pun) or the solution to a problem. Also check: http://www.allergy-cold.com/conaffairs/benadryldecongestant.shtml http://www.dermnetnz.org/index.html Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: Horn, John [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 1:40 PM Subject: RE: Sleep Apnea From: Nick Arnett [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] But I definitely pay attention (no joke intended)to news about connections between sleep apnea and AD/HD, etc. Since the information about that was posted, we started wondering if something like this might be effecting my daughter. She was showing some signs of ADHD and other behaviour problems. She was complaining about being tired ALL the time. It took a bit to convince my wife to take it seriously but eventually we brought her to someone to be checked out. It turns out that she is definitely not ADHD but does have a sleep disorder of some sort. The treatment is Benadryl! She's been taking it every night before she goes to bed for a couple of months now and it has done wonders for her. She's not complaining about being tired anymore. Her behaviour has improved markedly. It's wonderful. All because of a link posted to this list! That's why I stay on Brin-L! - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
On 8 Jun 2003 at 14:52, Gary Nunn wrote: waking up exhausted, and the morning headaches. There is nothing like a headache induced by lack of oxygen. I would choose a migraine ANY day over that. Of course, there were the weird things like not being Agree totally. Of course, it's only happened a few times to me (if I try and sleep on aircraft, basically), but it's certainly memorable. Worse than mild concussion IMO. Andy Dawn Falcon ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
From: Han Tacoma [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] I hope Debbi can add something to this. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, they are for allergies! Diphenhydramine also makes you very sleepy. Very, very sleepy. That's the PM part of Tylenol PM. It's just Tylenol with Benadryl. So it is helping her sleep. - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
At 02:52 PM 6/8/03 -0400, Gary Nunn wrote: Benadryl! She's been taking it every night before she goes to bed for a couple of months now and it has done wonders for her. She's not complaining about being tired anymore. Her behavior has improved markedly. It's wonderful. All because of a link posted to this list! That's why I stay on Brin-L! - jmh I would guess that the antihistamine in the Benadryl is stopping inflammation or swelling that was causing her to have difficulty breathing? The same substance (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) is the active ingredient in many OTC sleeping pills because it causes drowsiness in many people. -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Sleep Apnea
Anyone here have, or known someone who has, sleep apnea? I am curious about the before and after comparisons after beginning treatment. Not the obvious of sleeping better, but the more subjective things like cognitive ability, memory, physical health (including weight), etc. Just curious. Gary Slept good last night Maru. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep Apnea
At 02:38 PM 6/7/2003 -0400, you wrote: Anyone here have, or known someone who has, sleep apnea? I am curious about the before and after comparisons after beginning treatment. Not the obvious of sleeping better, but the more subjective things like cognitive ability, memory, physical health (including weight), etc. Just curious. Gary Slept good last night Maru. I know four people with it. Three have had treatments, one had surgery, another needed his nose adjusted, the third uses a sleeping device like a mask the provides positive pressure while sleeping. The fourth finally is seeing a doctor in a few weeks. What treatment are you talking about? Of the three things you mention, only weight has not improved. All were told to lose weight first anyway and none did. Three of them were told to not drink alcohol as much especially drinking then going right to bed. None of them stopped that. So it does improve your life, as far as being awake during the day. Kevin Tarr Good luck ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Sleep Apnea
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Gary Nunn Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 11:38 AM To: Brin Mail List Subject: Sleep Apnea Anyone here have, or known someone who has, sleep apnea? I am curious about the before and after comparisons after beginning treatment. Not the obvious of sleeping better, but the more subjective things like cognitive ability, memory, physical health (including weight), etc. I have borderline sleep apnea, but since it's just borderline, Kaiser won't treat it. But I definitely pay attention (no joke intended) to news about connections between sleep apnea and AD/HD, etc. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: add, snoring, sleep apnea
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Gary L. Nunn ... My daughter actually had a sleep study done to determine if her ADHD was caused or aggravated by lack of sleep due to sleep apnea. After three years of chronic sleep depravation, it was determined that it was caused by the Ritalin she was taking.She was switched to Strattera (a non-narcotic, non-stimulant) and now it is a whole new world. She sleeps now, she doesn't have the highs and lows that she had with Ritalin and her appetite is back and she is gaining weight (she was chronically underweight). I was in the clinical trial for Strattera (atomoxetine). Any idea what it costs to buy it? Lilly is giving it to me for free for another five months, then I'll have to convince Kaiser to carry it, if they haven't already done so. But I would think that since it's the first non-stimulant for ADD/ADHD, parents in particular will be demanding it instead of Ritalin, etc. But I seem to do better with a combination of Concerta (sustain-release Ritalin) and Strattera. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
add, snoring, sleep apnea
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some hyperactive children thought to be suffering from attention deficit disorder may just be overtired because they are bad sleepers or heavy snorers, researchers said on Monday. To the parent, the message is if you have a kid who is hyperactive and snores, think about the possibility that the two may be connected, study author David Gozal of the University of Louisville said. In his study published in the journal Pediatrics, Gozal found roughly one-quarter of 5- to 7-year-old children with mild symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also snored. In some cases, the breathing problems reached the level of sleep apnea, where breathing is blocked repeatedly through the night and sleep is disturbed. Over the years, we have observed many of those cases who came off their ADHD medications once they were treated for their sleep apnea, Gozal said. As many as 5 percent of American children, a majority of them boys, are believed to be affected by ADHD, which is characterized by inattention, impulsiveness and overactive behavior. Gozal said some candidates for the disorder are prescribed drugs without a very thorough evaluation as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the pediatricians' group that publishes the journal. Pediatricians and parents should be aware that in a proportion of these kids, their hyperactive symptoms may be due to the presence of snoring and sleep apnea. Therefore, in this subset of 'hyperactive' children who have sleep apnea, treatment of the sleep apnea should lead to marked improvement if not complete disappearance of their hyperactivity symptoms, Gozal said. Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: add, snoring, sleep apnea
Subject: add, snoring, sleep apnea CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some hyperactive children thought to be suffering from attention deficit disorder may just be overtired because they are bad sleepers or heavy snorers, researchers said on Monday. My daughter actually had a sleep study done to determine if her ADHD was caused or aggravated by lack of sleep due to sleep apnea. After three years of chronic sleep depravation, it was determined that it was caused by the Ritalin she was taking.She was switched to Strattera (a non-narcotic, non-stimulant) and now it is a whole new world. She sleeps now, she doesn't have the highs and lows that she had with Ritalin and her appetite is back and she is gaining weight (she was chronically underweight). Gary ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: add, snoring, sleep apnea
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of The Fool Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 5:23 PM To: Brin-L Subject: add, snoring, sleep apnea CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some hyperactive children thought to be suffering from attention deficit disorder may just be overtired because they are bad sleepers or heavy snorers, researchers said on Monday. I've seen this correlation documented more than once before. And I have borderline sleep apnea, so I fit the picture... There are those who think that people with ADHD are just trying to stay awake! I'm fighting sleepiness right now after a long day of coding. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: add, snoring, sleep apnea
The Fool wrote: CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some hyperactive children thought to be suffering from attention deficit disorder may just be overtired because they are bad sleepers or heavy snorers, researchers said on Monday. I'd seen something about this before. It would certainly be something I'd look into before putting my own child on medication. plug And Breathe-Rite strips are OK for use by children as young as 6, IIRC, maybe even younger. :) (I was looking at the docs that fell out of the box last night as Dan was desperately trying to find one. He ended up using one that was a bit small (bought for me originally) because *anything* was better than nothing. He's slept significantly better since he started using them.) /plug Then again, I think I may be more gung-ho than average on correlating quality quantity of sleep with quality of life. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
