Obstructive sleep apnea happens when muscles in the back of the throat relax too much
during sleep and block the airway. This results in low oxygen levels, stress on the heart,
and sudden waking with shortness of breath. In all, it’s pretty serious stuff. It can cause
cardiovascular problems, daytime sleepiness/fatigue, and complications during surgery.
Mine was diagnosed as part of my pre-operative testing for weight loss surgery, as obesity is a leading cause of sleep apnea. The treatment is simple in theory: a CPAP Mask forces filtered room air into your airway, preventing it from closing. Simple. Unless you cannot, no matter how hard you try, sleep with the *&%#$ mask on.
And that’s my problem: My CPAP mask isn’t helping my sleep apnea because I lay
awake while I have it on and only sleep when I take it off. The daytime sleepiness
has gotten worse because I’m now sleep deprived. I’ve consulted with the respiratory
therapists and tried three different masks. I’m at a loss.
This is a big problem because:
*I need to treat my sleep apnea
*Compliance with the mask is a condition of my surgery
*I will not be allowed to refuse to wear it in the hospital
Help please! I need to use this previous to and after my upcoming surgery. Short diary,
but Nurse Kelley suggested I go to the community for suggestions. Got any?