I have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea – Looking for general advice and suggestions about buying a CPAP mask

[Isaanbiker]

OP, how's the night without Lorazepam? 

[Sheryl]

12 hours ago, tomgreen said:

Many thanks to all who found the time to comment and offer advice on my sleep apnea . That is much appreciated .

 

So this is today's update 

So last night for the second time in a row I took 1 mg of Lorazepam before going to bed and slept continually all through the night until to day where I awoke at 5.30 am. On waking up the feeling of having an unbroken good nights sleep felt absolutely wonderful ???? .  The general feeling I am now experiencing to day is one of over all calmness and relaxation but all my physical actions and movements seem to feel like they are being carried out in slow motion. 

 

Its a strange new feeling for me  ????, when I earlier walked around our local out doors market this morning it felt like I was in a wonderful happy dream , smiling and not a care in the world ( which is not normally the way I feel ) but as time went on that euphoric feeling slowly changed to a feeling of being slightly un well . So I returned back home and generally zonked out and I then slept for several hours. 

 

As suggested by another forum member Ive tried to not Google my symptoms , as I’m sure the vast range of results would only add to my all ready mounting stress level. 

 

I’m now going through all the suggestions and advice that other posters here have kindly offered and trying to get to the bottom of my symptoms and what course of action I should eventually take .

 

I am a non smoker and not really that overweight and have no other medical conditions ( apart from stress / anxiety )  I exercise on my home treadmill most days,  and until I was diagnosed with this sleep apnea , I liked the odd bottle of red wine ( which I now really miss ???? ) .

 

My symptoms which originally commenced on the 23rd of last month have over time slowly changed to these current symptoms .....

 

The current feelings I experience once I have woken up range from having light heart palpitations / I feel the need to breath in more air / a funny feeling that what I’m experiencing is really a dream / and always a strong thought going through my mind that I’m about to die. These feelings generally continue for around 30 – 60 seconds and then slowly fade away . I normally then get out of bed and have a drink of water and then go back to sleep . My symptoms when being woken up do not include any sweating / headaches / difficulty returning back to sleep / and I do not snore while sleeping . One other intermittent symptom I some times experience when being woken up is a feeling that I have some thing stuck in my throat ( a small lump ) 

 

So tonight ive decided not to take any Lorazepam before going to bed and I will post tomorrow how things work out .

 

Again , thanks to every one 

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

Be very careful with the lorazepam, it is highly addictive and will also stop working unless you up the dosage

 

Taken just once or maximum twice a week (and never 2 nights in a row) should be OK though I would suggest 1/2 mg not 1 mg especially if yo uhave spaced out feeling or dizziness in the mnorning

 

I also strongly suggest you get counselling to deal with your stress and anxiety as they are clouding the physical picture and make it hard to determine what, if any, physical problems you have. Try one of these:

 

NCS New Community Services
61/1 Soi Intamara 3
Sutisan Road
Phaya Thai (Sapan Kwai Area)
Tel.: 0-2279 8503
http://ncs-counseling.com/


Psychological Services International
9/2 Sukhumvit Soi 43 (near Phrom Pong/Emporium)
Bangkok 10110,
Tel: 02-2591467
http://www.psiadmin.com/

[tomgreen]

1 hour ago, Isaanbiker said:

OP, how's the night without Lorazepam? 

Hi and thanks for asking.

 

Well last night I went to bed around 11 pm without taking any Lorazepam . I woke up at around 1.15 am , I had no symptoms at all just a feeling of being thirsty. So I had a drink of water and went straight back to bed. I then slept soundly with no interruptions until around 5.30 am when I woke up.

 

All I can say is that compared to yesterday when I went to bed and took 1 mg of Lorazepam , today I feel a lot better . More alert , energetic and no side effect signs of Lorazepam. 

 

May be there’s small traces of Lorazepam still In my body and that possible residue is still counteracting my past sleep apnea symptoms.  So tonight I will repeat the same routine as last night and not take any Lorazepam before going to bed. Its going to be interesting to see the outcome of again of not taking Lorazepam . 

 

 

Tom 

[tomgreen]

28 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Be very careful with the lorazepam, it is highly addictive and will also stop working unless you up the dosage

 

Taken just once or maximum twice a week (and never 2 nights in a row) should be OK though I would suggest 1/2 mg not 1 mg especially if yo uhave spaced out feeling or dizziness in the mnorning

 

I also strongly suggest you get counselling to deal with your stress and anxiety as they are clouding the physical picture and make it hard to determine what, if any, physical problems you have. Try one of these:

 

NCS New Community Services
61/1 Soi Intamara 3
Sutisan Road
Phaya Thai (Sapan Kwai Area)
Tel.: 0-2279 8503
http://ncs-counseling.com/


Psychological Services International
9/2 Sukhumvit Soi 43 (near Phrom Pong/Emporium)
Bangkok 10110,
Tel: 02-2591467
http://www.psiadmin.com/

Thanks Sheryl .

 

As you suggest I’m going to seek counselling to try and address my stress and anxiety issues , although my sleep test results confirm that I am suffering from sleep apnea . I think my stress and anxiety is either trying to convince me that its my stress and anxiety which is causing my waking up symptoms ,  or Indeed I do suffer from sleep apnea . One other question that I keep thinking about is , the hospitals Pulmonologist doctor who told me my sleep test results prescribed me some Lorazepam to take before I go to bed. If The sleep test results confirmed that I actually was suffering from sleep apnea . Surely the only route would be to use a CPAP machine and mask ( then no need to prescribe Lorazepam ) 

 

 

Tom 

 

[Sheryl]

27 minutes ago, tomgreen said:

Thanks Sheryl .

 

As you suggest I’m going to seek counselling to try and address my stress and anxiety issues , although my sleep test results confirm that I am suffering from sleep apnea . I think my stress and anxiety is either trying to convince me that its my stress and anxiety which is causing my waking up symptoms ,  or Indeed I do suffer from sleep apnea . One other question that I keep thinking about is , the hospitals Pulmonologist doctor who told me my sleep test results prescribed me some Lorazepam to take before I go to bed. If The sleep test results confirmed that I actually was suffering from sleep apnea . Surely the only route would be to use a CPAP machine and mask ( then no need to prescribe Lorazepam ) 

 

 

Tom 

 

 

It can be both things. or, you may have sleep apnea but that may have less to do with your symptoms than anxiety. Many people have sleep apnea with no apparent symptoms.  And many people have night terrors without sleep apnea.

 

If you want to be more sure see if you can rent a CPAP and try a month on it with no medications.

 

But regardless I think you should get counseling to deal with your anxiety.

[NancyL]

About a month ago Hubby and I bought one of those fancy electric beds where each side has an individual control to raise the head and feet.  The brand is Lady Americana and it's made in the region under license from a company in Tulsa, OK.  I've seen them at Home Pro, Baan and Beyond and Robinsons.  It wasn't cheap, but it's been well worth it.  Our snoring has disappeared, along with my ankle swelling, a side effect of one of the blood pressure meds I take.  

 

Someone on this thread mentioned how he sleeps better in a recliner chair than in a flat bed and this adjustable bed is even better than a recliner since you can make infinite adjustments. 

 

If there is some way for the OP to elevate the head of his bed -- not using pillows because that just messes up your neck -- then that might improve the quality of sleep. 

[Misty]

2 hours ago, tomgreen said:

Thanks Sheryl .

 

As you suggest I’m going to seek counselling to try and address my stress and anxiety issues , although my sleep test results confirm that I am suffering from sleep apnea . I think my stress and anxiety is either trying to convince me that its my stress and anxiety which is causing my waking up symptoms ,  or Indeed I do suffer from sleep apnea . One other question that I keep thinking about is , the hospitals Pulmonologist doctor who told me my sleep test results prescribed me some Lorazepam to take before I go to bed. If The sleep test results confirmed that I actually was suffering from sleep apnea . Surely the only route would be to use a CPAP machine and mask ( then no need to prescribe Lorazepam ) 

 

 

Tom 

 

Tom,  I have a relative who was diagnosed with sleep apnea and has been using the CPAP mask/machine for a couple of years now.  He says it has made a huge difference and thinks a number of what appeared to be unrelated health issues have been significantly aided from using it, which is a huge blessing.   Separately (and maybe not that importantly) I noticed on this visit that he now sleeps as quiet as a mouse.  It used to be you could hear his snoring between several closed doors and down a hallway.  Can't help but think he is sleeping much better now!

[kiteman9]

Hello

   Do you breath through your nose all night? If not and you find you are breathing through your mouth you could have the same sleep apnea problem I have. I have tried all kinds of cpap masks and machines with no help because of several reasons. Mostly because of the hassle of putting on and off the gear, being I have to go pee 2 or 3 times a night and also I like snuggling with my wife. Please leave a personal contact for some of my tips on dealing with your sleep apnea.

[JAS21]

On 8/26/2019 at 4:14 PM, tomgreen said:

Several things are now running through my mind , which I'm about to post 

I have a brand new large size mask that is no good to me as I should have ordered the M size .....