Snoring? It could be sleep apnea - Truckers' Trucking Forum

Cybergal · **^ Top** #1 01.07.2008

Snoring? It could be sleep apnea
1/7/08

Quote:

WASHINGTON - Loud snoring doesn't just annoy your spouse. It could signal dangerous sleep apnea, yet millions go undiagnosed.
A government move may help change that: Medicare is poised to allow at-home testing for sleep apnea — letting people snooze in their own beds instead of spending the night in a sleep laboratory.
It's a controversial proposal, but potentially a far-reaching one. Some 18 million Americans are estimated to suffer from sleep apnea, yet specialists think fewer than half know it.
"It's been awkward and inconvenient and expensive to get a sleep test, and now that should be improved," says Dr. Terence Davidson of the University of California, San Diego, a longtime proponent of home-testing.
Today, Medicare pays for sleep apnea treatment — called CPAP, a mask that blows air through the nose while sleeping — only for seniors diagnosed in a sleep lab. Last month, Medicare proposed covering those diagnosed with cheaper home tests, too. The public may comment on the proposal until next week; final approval is expected in March.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/sleep-...KTAQ4Sod1a24cA

Mastertech · **^ Top** #2 01.07.2008

I HAD sleep apnea. My ear, nose and throat guy cured that problem...

bullhaulerswife · **^ Top** #3 01.07.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastertech

I HAD sleep apnea. My ear, nose and throat guy cured that problem...

How? Did you have surgery? Or are you on the CPAP machine? I think hubby has it. Some nights between that and the RLS, I have to move to the couch.

I'm pretty used to the snoring, but the RLS drives me nuts. LOL Our next mattress is going to be the memory foam type.

Mastertech · **^ Top** #4 01.07.2008

Yeah, I had surgery. He went in and fixed my deviated septum, trimmed my turbinates, trimmed my pallet, removed my uvula and took out my tonsils all in one shot.
The very first night after surgery the snoring stopped, and I haven't stopped breathing in my sleep since. Heck I can't even make a snoring noise if I try to....LOL
I had this done just this last April.
I tried the CPAP machine and it messed up my sinuses real bad and the mask I had to wear was a royal pain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullhaulerswife

How? Did you have surgery? Or are you on the CPAP machine? I think hubby has it. Some nights between that and the RLS, I have to move to the couch.

I'm pretty used to the snoring, but the RLS drives me nuts. LOL Our next mattress is going to be the memory foam type.

bullhaulerswife · **^ Top** #5 01.07.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastertech

Yeah, I had surgery. He went in and fixed my deviated septum, trimmed my turbinates, trimmed my pallet, removed my uvula and took out my tonsils all in one shot.
The very first night after surgery the snoring stopped, and I haven't stopped breathing in my sleep since. Heck I can't even make a snoring noise if I try to....LOL
I had this done just this last April.
I tried the CPAP machine and it messed up my sinuses real bad and the mask I had to wear was a royal pain.

Wow, I bet you were a hurting unit for a while after all that.

Glad to hear it was successful. Did your insurance cover it?

Mastertech · **^ Top** #6 01.08.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullhaulerswife

Wow, I bet you were a hurting unit for a while after all that.

Glad to hear it was successful. Did your insurance cover it?

It actually wasn't as bad as I expected. One thing that really helped was I had a VERY skilled surgeon, IMO that makes all the difference in the world.
Also the liquid pain meds helped...

Anybody that has sleep apnea that doesn't care for the CPAP machine I recommend having the surgery done as it's not that bad, and this comes from a person that had never had any kind of surgery before.

Scarecrow03 · **^ Top** #7 01.08.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastertech

Anybody that has sleep apnea that doesn't care for the CPAP machine I recommend having the surgery done as it's not that bad, and this comes from a person that had never had any kind of surgery before.

The surgery doesn't work for everyone. As a former sleep lab tech (professionally known as a Polysomnography Technologist), I had a half dozen patients in the short 8 months I worked at the sleep lab who still had sleep apnea. Specifically obstructive sleep apnea which is what is described in the article above.

Here's what is said of the success rate of the UPP sugery (which is what Mastertech had done) as published by the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Center in a pamphlet entitled "Surgery for Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)".

Quote:

Success rate for patients with OSA depends on the surgical
technique and on careful selection of patients. If you have a long soft
palate which lies close to the back wall of your throat, you are
more likely to get a good response to the surgery. UPP surgery for
OSA is reported to be successful in 50% to 80% of patients. However,
success does not necessarily mean a total cure of all apneas.
Successful surgery usually results in you sleeping more soundly
and having less daytime sleepiness. Repeat overnight monitoring
is required about 3 months after your UPP to determine whether
you still have apneas. Surgical success seems to be maintained
over time unless you gain weight.

Mastertech · **^ Top** #8 01.08.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarecrow03

The surgery doesn't work for everyone. As a former sleep lab tech (professionally known as a Polysomnography Technologist), I had a half dozen patients in the short 8 months I worked at the sleep lab who still had sleep apnea. Specifically obstructive sleep apnea which is what is described in the article above.

Here's what is said of the success rate of the UPP sugery (which is what Mastertech had done) as published by the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Center in a pamphlet entitled "Surgery for Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)".

THe OSA is what I had, I have been REALLY pleased with my results, no more waking up gasping for air and I don't keep the wife awake with my snoring.
I know when I made the decision to have my surgery done they told me up front that there was a 50% chance it wouldn't cure the OSA, IMHO it is worth taking the chance.
I think that your chances for favorable results are better with a very skilled and experienced surgeon also.

Cybergal · **^ Top** #9 01.08.2008

YOU would think my husband would get tired of me saying; "Please Turn on your side"

Scarecrow03 · **^ Top** #10 01.08.2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastertech

THe OSA is what I had, I have been REALLY pleased with my results, no more waking up gasping for air and I don't keep the wife awake with my snoring.
I know when I made the decision to have my surgery done they told me up front that there was a 50% chance it wouldn't cure the OSA, IMHO it is worth taking the chance.
I think that your chances for favorable results are better with a very skilled and experienced surgeon also.

I suppose I should have made it more clear that I wasn't trying to discredit you in any way. I was merely wanting to highlight the fact that it doesn't work on everyone. Personally, I would rather have the surgery if I was ever diagnosed with sleep apnea as well. I had to sleep with a CPAP mask on (just the mask, not the machine) as part of my on the job training to experience what my patients would experience. That was one of the worst nights sleep I've ever had.

Of course your changes for favorable results are better with a skilled and experienced surgeon. Just as with any other surgery. My step dad had to have his cancerous left lung removed and only the best surgeon in the state of Indiana was able to do it. He entered the operating room (in June of 1997) with a 10% chance of survival, and he's still alive and kicking today. There's no way you can put a price on having the best when it comes to your health, regardless of how serious or mundane a procedure might be.

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