I have about 3 years left on my contract.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 3 years ago out of the clear blue sky. I was 38 years old and never had any major health problems. From what I read it is hereditary but no one in my family has this. I hear it could lead to stroke, heart attack, etc. How in the world could such a disease just come out of the clear blue sky!!!! I am totally confused and need to know how to CURE this disease!!!!!!!!!

I get dizziness, short term memory loss, disorganization and fatigue daily. I’m trying to figure out what is going on with me. I exercise regularly- except lately I have been feeling really run down, I eat well, drink water, take multi-vitamins, get enough rest, etc. When I get enough rest and I have slept well, I can still fall asleep easily! Like in a meeting at work, or while driving even, and I don’t snore or have sleep apnea. What the heck is wrong with me? I’m 5’3 and 150lbs, so I am not obese. Is it Anemia or low iron possibly?
if you tell me to ask a doctor right now, I won’t because I can’t afford a non-insurance doctor’s visit.
I should add… I had a partial thyroidectomy 3 years ago. I have had my thyroid and TSH levels tested recently. The results came back with normal level, 3.1–3.4 the last results I had just last year.
27 not pregnant/not possible.
I am not all that stressed, but I think I fight depression. The depression got better when I started exercising and I am to the point where I can run 5 miles three times a week, and bicycle 12 miles three times a week, also weight-lifting. I am just so sick of feeling like an air-head. lol
I had mono last June of 07, can’t be mono, I know what that feels like.

sleep apnea, i developed something after i had my son 3 years ago when im tired and get a hell of fright and sleep weirdly throughout the night ,its really scary and the docs couldnt put their finger on it,is it sleep apnea?, i thaught i would ask all you fine knowledgable folk out there, please share any knowledge of this condition or do you know the condition i am explaining, becasue no-one else does,its very frightening, and i hate it, my heart like skips a beat , im only half asleep and i keep getting frights,sometimes i have to stay awake so im not disturbed by it????any clues anyone??

I used to have really painful and frequent heartburn when I was younger. I went to my doctor and they put a camera down my throat and into my stomach where they found a large amount of redness and bleeding. My doctor diagnosed me with gastritis and put me on medication to treat it. It worked for a while but shortly after I was unable to afford the medication and I didn’t think I needed it anyways as I was experiencing no more symptoms. Recently (last 3 years or so) I have been getting the heartburn more and more and I have noticed other symptoms. When I was in high school I was a great student, 4.0 GPA, sports, extracurricular activities, etc. During my senior year I lost my motivation to do…anything basically. Im 20 now and I’ve since flunked out of 2 colleges due to an inability to concentrate. When I was reading my textbooks I couldn’t remember even the last sentence I had just read. I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea to which i contributed the loss of concentration but I remember having all the symptoms of sleep apnea well before my lack of concentration. I was reading up on anemia and possibly saw a connection with the slow bleeding in my stomach from the gastritis and the recent lack of focus. Does anyone have any other ideas or advice for me?
Unfortunately I’m not on the medication, I haven’t been able to go to the doctor due to the fact that I no longer have insurance because of flunking out of college. So I haven’t been able to afford a visit yet.
yes i do feel weak and tired but i just piled this into the sleep apnea category. So basically what you guys are saying is I need to go to the doctor asap?

Have been using cpap machine for 3 years but have just lately have been waking up really drousy. do not use any sleep aide drugs. Could the machine be set wrong. I have lost weight and have been getting into better shape physically.

I’m going to an AME for the first time. If you had a condition that required a "special issuance", had all the appropriate documentation to present at the time of the examination, what time frame are we talking about to actually get the student pilot and 3rd class medical? The condition is sleep apnea, well controlled, documented electronic compliance with therapy at 100% for 3 years, letter from physician treating it, stating that all pre-treatment conditions (sleepiness, headaches) are resolved, and all paperwork in hand from polysomatographic studies. Is this something that the AME can do? Will they have to defer to the regional flight surgeon? or to Oklahoma City?

Not sure if any of my history is related or not but:
WIth a history fo joint muscle pain undiagnosed since 18
I now since having children 3yrs ago have started to have major energy issues some days are fine others I go a week or two feeling tired all the time. Every time I go in they find something new as listed above. I have been diagnosed with all 3 diseases in the last 3 years and even with proper treatment am still have energy issues. I cant help but wonder that they are all related. Any Doctors out there who like to problem solve…I just cant believe I have 3 conditions that cause fatigue and am only 29 and healthy weight 5’8 145lbs and atop of all this am still not cured. I just want my energy so I can play with my girls. Im sick of it.
I am on an APAP and my leak rate is 0 and Im doing quite well with treatment.

My TSH levels are in the normal range – I have recently switched to another sciprt (Thyrolar) wich will treat my T3 and T4 indvidually vs treating the T3 to help the T4 to see if that helps with the fatigue and my levels were checked a few days ago no results yet but Im guessing theyll be normal since its the equivalent amount that I had for my Levoxyl.

Due to the fatigue seeming after I eat at times they did a fasting and reactive test which showed I was in the ? I thnk it was the 40s but after I ate my levels were fine (low 100s) Told me to eat protein with my carbs. However for instance when I ate today I felt exhausted and tested and was 163 – the rise bfore the fall Im guessing?

I’m a nurse, so I’m well aware what sleep apnea is, what causes it, and what the treatments are.
My problem is that my best friend (age 53) has SEVERE sleep apnea, he goes for 30-45 seconds without breathing (while asleep). Its affecting his mood, his lack of feeling rested during the day, his extremities turn pale and/or gray while he sleeps, and one of these days I’m afraid I’m going to find him dead in his apartment.
He has seen a doctor, he’s had multiple sleep studies done, he even owns a C-Pap machine (which he refuses to use).
He had a heart attack 3 years ago, and had cardiac cath with 3 stents placed, and I’m certain that the sleep apnea is doing much additional damage to his already damaged heart.
I’ve BEGGED him to see a doctor, he claims that "all the bloodwork comes back normal", and his yearly stress test results are always "within normal limits". Still, I worry for his life, he is my BEST FRIEND, and I don’t know what else to do. I’ve slept over many times, watching him sleep, and when his breathing stops, I often wonder if it’ll start again, I count the seconds, and breathe a sigh of relief when he gasps for another breath.
He’s almost 100 lbs overweight, a former smoker, and bipolar.

my wife is on a C-PAP machine and 2 liters of O2 but she still stops breathing,i lisens to her breathing ever night, i don’t get much sleep.How is Sleep Apnea treated?
I assume she has had a sleep study done on her. if the doctor recommended c-pap or what I use bi-pap, doesn’t do the trick, you should ask if surgery is an option.
can’t have surgery? and she is due for her next sleep study.last one 3 years ago.

i am going to be getting a sleep and nap study in mid january to test for narcalepsy and sleep apnea. the narcalepsy symptoms i have are REM Disorders (vivid dreams in 10 minute naps) since i can remember, always tired and lethargic since elementary school, always wanting to take naps and sleep late (ask my teachers and work) and started having sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations 3 years ago. i am 28 years old by the way.

i know that sleep apnea can cause excessive daytime sleepiness. i’m not sure i have sleep apnea but i snore tremendously and my husband notices i stop breathing sometimes, but not for very long. My question is, can lack of sleep cause narcalepsy and sleep paralysis to worsen or appear? i know it’s neurological but If one has sleep apnea for years and years, can this lead to sleep paralysis and narcalepsy symptoms? I can’t find anything to answer this question and would like to be as informed as possible before seeing my sleep doctor again. Thank you
to rosie
u didn’t answer my question
i’m pretty sure i have sleep apnea
but if i have it, can it lead to slight symptoms of narcalepsy and full blown sleep paralysis like i have been experiencing my whole life??

don't just say go to the doctor as he was wrong and I wore cpap for 3 years and they later found after years of my insisting the results from the sleep study were not right (as I only slept a half hour due to them testing me when I normally was awake (I havedelayed sleep phase syndrome and am up in daytime) and finally convincing them to repeat it when I normally slept) they found that for three years I was getting almost NO rem sleep or stage three or four restorative sleep and the setting was way too low and although I looked like I was sleeping had essentially no benefits from sleep and still had all symptoms of sleep apnea..so I don't trust them..even after they upped setting– still no benefits I can detect except no morning headaches

Now I have a new machine that can be set higher and want to know HOW can I tell if it is TOO high. The tecnicians said I'd have chest pains and not be able to sleep or fall asleep..anything else or more details on this is what I m seeking.Thanks

I've had treatments for depression for about 3 years now. None of the depression treatments such as medication and ECT helped.

I recently suspected sleep apnea and went for an overnight sleep study. They confirmed that I was experiencing sleep apnea, and I had a partial night's rest using the CPAP machine at the testing location, but it wasn't a full night's rest using it.

The test was last weekend, and they said it would be 7-10 days for a doctor to analyze the data and get back to me. I won't know how severe my sleep apnea is until I hear from the doc…

I was wondering if anyone would like to share their sleep apnea problems and solutions, and how well they did (or didn't) work. I'm especially interested in anyone's story involving depression, either due to or made worse by sleep apnea.

I'm not terribly overweight, 6ft 1in and 220 lbs, but the doc said I have a very narrow throat, and my severe allergies and sinus problems play a role.

I appreciate anyone's storys!