Living life is hard when you are feeling tired all of the time. I couldn't understand why even if I went to bed a decent hour I was tired all the time. I couldn't even lay down to watch TV without dozing off.
When you are tired all the time you simply don't have the energy to do what you should be doing, want to do, etc. After talking to my husband we decided I should say something to the doctor. So I did. The doctor recommended me to a sleep specialist, who after seeing me decided I should have a sleep study done.
What did the sleep study reveal? I have severe sleep apnea. Severe. My AHI score was 52 and my O2 levels dropped down to 70%. I still don't fully understand what AHI means and how they came up with that score. I just know that an AHI score of 0-5 is normal and that anything over 30 is considered severe. I also know having the 02 drop too is a huge issue.
I was fitted with a CPAP machine this week. I have had it now for 4 nights. I wish I could say it is making me feel better -- it's too early to feel any differences; it's only been 4 night, but I do know from my (afflink) Garmin Vivofit that I'm getting more deep sleep the last 4 nights then I have ever gotten -- ever! So even though I'm not feeling any differences, not yet, the fact I'm getting more deep sleep should mean something.
I know from reading up on CPAP and from family and friends that have a CPAP it takes some time to get use to it. Overall I'm adjusting okay. The first night was horrid. Much like the night of the sleep study, I was having a hard time. The second night didn't bother me much and the last 2 nights haven't bothered me much. Having the mask on, the pressure, all of that isn't so bad -- what is bother me is the tip of my nose and nostrils. It's not dry nose; it's not congestion (all though I did have that the first 2 nights), it's the tip of my nose and nostrils. -- they hurt and are sore to the touch. I don't know why. It's odd and hard to explain.
I at first thought it was the nose mask I'm wearing. It has nostril plugs. So I switched to another mask for the 3rd night -- one without nostril plugs -- but I still had the same issue. Actually, I had more issues. The mask without the nostril plugs leaked too much and made me have more restless sleep.
I was given a sleep coach -- it's her job to make sure I become complaint. The insurance requires I wear the CPAP and it's her job to make sure I do and give me tips, help, advice so I become complaint. Thanks to modern technology, wifi, 3g/4g networks, and wireless devices they know if I'm being complaint. got.
Yesterday, I was at lunch with my hubby at a local restaurant and during lunch, my phone rang. It was the sleep coach. Here I am out to eat with my husband and here she is able to tell me exactly what my settings on my machine are at, adjust them, and how long I have been using it, if I have air leaks, etc. It was so weird and a bit scary for me for her to have all this info.
If you have been following me for a while you know I hate data mining and avoid many things because of data mining, but here I am being forced to use a machine that does exactly that. It records when I go to bed, when I wake up, and now I have the doctors and insurance company accessing it.
Yes, I use an activity tracker and yes that is a form of data mining. However, the key difference is that activity tracker is for my eyes only -- I have more control over who sees it, if they see it, when they see it, what they see. With the CPAP I don't have choices or control really. The doctor has access, the sleep coach has access, the insurance company has access, and the home health care facility that issued me the machine has access.
Well anyway, that is where things are currently at with the CPAP and the Apnea.
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