First of all, I am not a medical doctor. I am just relating my experiences in hopes that they might benefit the participants in this forum.
I now realize that I was exhibiting symptoms of sleep apnea for a lot of years. My uncle told me he observed a number of sleep stoppages when we were on fishing trips and when I would fall asleep in his recliner chair. It became somewhat of a joke here in town about how I would fall asleep sitting straight up at the American Legion and VFW bars. The manager of the VFW almost threw me out a few times, probably because he was afraid I would fall off the stool and hurt myself.
I have been informed that there is a connection among sleep apnea, heart disease and diabetes. I hit the trifecta on them. But for a long time I didn't follow up because I couldn't quantify the problem in my mind, I didn't like the prospect of going to a sleep clinic and getting hooked up with a bunch of electrodes and having a bunch of people studying me, and at times I had other medical issues that I thought had priority at the time.
Finally, the scope of my problems were brought to my attention. I had a regular appointment with my cardiologist, and his office gave out a questionnaire from the local sleep clinic to every patient who came in. When I filled out the questionnaire, I realized that I had a serious problem and made an appointment with the sleep doctor.
The process to diagnose sleep apnea has changed greatly. Instead of spending a night in a clinic, I was able to take a sleep monitor home and sleep in my own bed for the night. I have to be honest, wearing that monitor was not a pleasant experience. But it recorded enough to allow the doctor to see how bad my problem was.
I received my CPAP machine to assist my breathing at night 4 months ago. It took a couple nights but now I can wear the mask at night in comfort with a good air seal.
The results have been amazing. I have more energy and ambition. I have done more decluttering and organizing of stuff in the house in the last 2 months than I've done in the last couple years since I retired. From the records I keep, I see that I've lost some weight (maybe because I'm doing more activity) and my blood sugar appears to have improved.
I probably should have done something sooner, but that's water under the bridge. This is probably a long post for me, but I wanted to spread the word to our forum members so they can benefit from my experience and take steps to take care of themselves. Thank you for your indulgence.
I now realize that I was exhibiting symptoms of sleep apnea for a lot of years. My uncle told me he observed a number of sleep stoppages when we were on fishing trips and when I would fall asleep in his recliner chair. It became somewhat of a joke here in town about how I would fall asleep sitting straight up at the American Legion and VFW bars. The manager of the VFW almost threw me out a few times, probably because he was afraid I would fall off the stool and hurt myself.
I have been informed that there is a connection among sleep apnea, heart disease and diabetes. I hit the trifecta on them. But for a long time I didn't follow up because I couldn't quantify the problem in my mind, I didn't like the prospect of going to a sleep clinic and getting hooked up with a bunch of electrodes and having a bunch of people studying me, and at times I had other medical issues that I thought had priority at the time.
Finally, the scope of my problems were brought to my attention. I had a regular appointment with my cardiologist, and his office gave out a questionnaire from the local sleep clinic to every patient who came in. When I filled out the questionnaire, I realized that I had a serious problem and made an appointment with the sleep doctor.
The process to diagnose sleep apnea has changed greatly. Instead of spending a night in a clinic, I was able to take a sleep monitor home and sleep in my own bed for the night. I have to be honest, wearing that monitor was not a pleasant experience. But it recorded enough to allow the doctor to see how bad my problem was.
I received my CPAP machine to assist my breathing at night 4 months ago. It took a couple nights but now I can wear the mask at night in comfort with a good air seal.
The results have been amazing. I have more energy and ambition. I have done more decluttering and organizing of stuff in the house in the last 2 months than I've done in the last couple years since I retired. From the records I keep, I see that I've lost some weight (maybe because I'm doing more activity) and my blood sugar appears to have improved.
I probably should have done something sooner, but that's water under the bridge. This is probably a long post for me, but I wanted to spread the word to our forum members so they can benefit from my experience and take steps to take care of themselves. Thank you for your indulgence.
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You can do it & not even realize/remember it happened. When your body needs sleep it will still shut down at inappropriate times, now you know to be careful. How my old hunting buddy's ever slept with my snoring is still a mystery. I can still rattle the windows if I fall asleep without putting on the mask. Expect plenty of elbows from the wife about putting on the mask, or it's whistling from a leak (bad fit). Good luck.
The first patient I ever used a stethoscope on had bad sleep apnea & was asleep. The ba bump ba bump, then NOTHING for the longest 20-30 seconds of my life. I thought for sure he died. 
She would NEVER have married me with having to sleep in another room.
