Catchup: Health

[womzilla]

I'm sick: a bad head cold with some lung involvement, which is making it nearly impossible for me to sleep.

I am borderline sleep apneaic when I'm not congested, and serious congestion pushes me into the world of No Good Sleep. I am finally going to address this, starting this week. First, I am going to return to my Ear/Nose/Throat doctor and get my deviated septum repaired, which I've been putting off for a decade. (The first time I saw him--for an ear infection--his first words to me were, "So, how badly do you snore?" Given my weight and my septum--apparently as visible across the room to a trained professional as my weight is to most people--there is no way that I wouldn't snore like an eighteen-wheeler full of chainsaws. Which I do.)

Then I'm going to a sleep clinic to determine what treatment is right for the apnea. I'd be amazed if I didn't come away with a CPAP, but who knows? Maybe the septum repair will be enough. I don't have any objection to a CPAP, so I'm not particularly concerned.

More details later when I know more. Must go to bed.

Comments

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

awwww!

*makes you SleepyTime tea*

I hope they can fix it up nicely, that's got to be exhausting.

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

I'm not a great sleeper myself so I can both sympathize and emphasize. I'm sure they'll need to fix the deviated septum first before the sleep clinic can do its thing but as you are probably aware, the CPAP does tend to help a lot. I've got a friend here who was constantly exhausted and falling asleep in meetings and he's seriously a new person since he got his. Hope you feel better soon. Hang in there!

[davidgoldfarb.livejournal.com]

As you may remember, I got a CPAP machine about two years ago, and it improved my quality of life tremendously. Good luck figuring things out.

[laurel]

I hope you feel better soon. And good for you for seeing the Ear/Nose/Throat doc and starting to deal with stuff.

If it turns our you do need a CPAP of some sort, I highly recommend checking out the CPAPTalk forums; I've also had really good luck getting equipment from cpap.com (and their sister site billmyinsurance.com). Some of the FAQs at cpaptalk might be useful pre-sleep study.

I'm always happy to answer any sleep apnea or cpap related questions as I've done a ton of research and like to be helpful and put that knowledge to good use.

[sarah-ovenall.livejournal.com]

Everyone I've ever talked to who has a CPAP says they were amazed by how much better their life became. I hope that if you go that route, you experience the same improvement. We are dealing with sleep issues in our home too: snoring and restlessness (his) causing loss of sleep (mine) so I'm very interested in hearing how this goes for you.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

I hope this doesn't come across as a downer, but just as a caution:

Despite testimonies above, not everyone who uses one takes to the CPAP. Some find it uncomfortable and annoying.

And even the one I know best who is devoted to it, finds it difficult to use when she has nasal congestion.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

... anyway, good luck and I hope you find something that works for you, whatever it may be.

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Understood. Thanks; I hope I'm one of the lucky ones.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Best wishes for getting good sleep soon.

I guess I'm curious if the ENT thinks that snoring is always a sign of a problem, or is ever considered normal.

K.

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Well, supergee used to snore much worse than I do and went through a round of apnea testing. He wasn't, so he didn't get anything done. As he's gotten generally more fit (and gotten better treatment for his asthma), he's snored less.

My ENT views snoring as a cosmetic problem as long as it isn't involved with some more severe breathing problem. In my case, it appears that it is. He also thinks I'd just be happier with it fixed--generally breathing easier awake or asleep.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Remembered you had some posts I wanted to catch up on--hope you get the right treatment to make you a more comfy well-rested wombat! *hugs*