My husband is in Brisbane's Prince Charles hospital at the moment. He is in the sleep study unit and they have confirmed that he has Sleep Apnea. Well I am no specialist but I could have told him that and have done for quite a few years!
He is being discharged this morning and phoned this morning very elated that his night on the oxygen gave him such wonderful slumber. Little snoring (but of course he never did admit to snoring!) no foot and leg twitching, waking feeling refreshed. He certainly sounded chipper!! His only problem was with the mask but he should quickly adjust to using it.
A positive for us all is that he needs to loose a little weight (which we all could do with :-) and get back to regular exercise. When I met my hubby he was an exercise junky. (Opposites attract....apparently!) As I am trying to get more consistent with walking and other gentle exercise it should be a good family project and won't hurt my basketballers to join in.
The only hitch I see is that Rocky is just so hot and humid from October onwards. It saps a lot of the energy out of you. I wouldn't walk around town on my own at night but perhaps with hubby as escort we will do that.
Would love to hear from anyone with experience of Sleep Apnea and how it affected your life or how successful treatment has been. Statistics and reports show that SA is a major cause of depression, irritability, stress, even to the point of marriage break down.
It's great he has a diagnosis and a plan. Hope everyone gets a good nigh's sleep from now on. Good luck with the exercising.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would agree with SA being a major cause of break downs. It can certainly cause a LOT of angst for the non SA spouse!
ReplyDeleteWRT exercise... wow! Is that kinda a coincidence? Both you are now need some gentle but regular exercise. What a bonus for you both... and for your family.
But honestly, my first thought when I read the beginning of your post was, "Oh wow, does life ever slow down for you guys?" I guess not! However do you manage to stay so calm?
I don't have it, but my mom was diagnosed with it. After struggling with the mask for quite awhile, and her sleep more interrupted because of it, she talked to her orthodontist (yeah - she didn't have braces until sometime in her forties) and he made a mouth guard that she sleeps with. Basically it's a guard that's form fitted to your teeth and it holds the lower jaw in a forward position. Since it keeps the lower jaw from sliding back and obstructing the airway, she gets plenty of oxygen while she sleeps, sleeps much more soundly and the snoring has stopped. (Not to spread tales, but in the past, when she'd stay at motels she's had people in the next room asked to be moved).
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't affected me directly, but my step-dad has it & sleeps with one of those masks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Susan, I think my heart meds help! They don't ;et me get too excited!
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, I was a much more stressy person before I became a Christia. God has been very good to me. I think He also endowed me with a positive personality. Having a good sense of humour helps ... a lot!
Oh Ruby, I'm with Susan. How do you cope?! Hugs to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand the issue of walking about in humidity, it is just like living in darwin and I found it so hard.
ReplyDeleteExercising in humidity. Oh, NO. I can't handle that and I am what you would call an exercise junkie even now. I love working out. But when summer and humidity hit I must be in air condition to workout!! I can't even handle walking to my car in it!!
ReplyDeleteHope and pray all will be well with your new plans and all and that your hubby will get all the sleep he needs.
Our oldest son suffers from sleep apnea. He's been sleeping with the aid of mask for a few years now and it seems to help a lot. And his wife said, Amen!
ReplyDeleteGod bless and have a nice day. :-)
BTW, Thanks for your recent comment on my Bounty Hunters post.
Chris has it... but we can't afford the mask! The pic showed a mask under the nose... the ones we have seen go over the face... I know he couldn't stand that! Are there newer models? Blessings!
ReplyDeleteNow that my husband is home, I know a little more. He found the nose only mask a nuisance and woke up a couple of times during the night so he is going to use the whole nose/ mouth model. We will hire the Cpap equipment (not sure of the cost) for two months and if he can show that he is using it consistantly he will be supplied with one by the hospital as he is a public patient.
ReplyDeleteHe says that the improvement he felt that one morning after the oxygen in hospital is worth the inconvenience of wearing the mask. (Most people say that do get used to it.)
Ruby, thanks for your recent visit to my blog! I used to have sleep apnoea from my twenties but in my case it was due to enlarged tonsils! I had them (tonsils) removed in my thirties and wow, what a miracle it was- instant cure for sleep apnoea (in my case!). Having been there, I do know how SA affects the quality of one's life:( Hope the mask works out well for your dh.
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