My sleep study follow-up was yesterday and even though I have been told by my
sleep partner that I probably have sleep apnea, I didn't expect the doctor to
say "severe OSA" which stands for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. He proceeded to add
Central Apnea, Sleep related Hypoxia and Restless Legs Syndrome to the
diagnosis.
I won't bore you with the numbers but let me assure you that I am
not thrilled. But maybe it is best to know so that we can now deal with a c-pap
type machine at night..
Central Apnea is the main concern because breathing is
disrupted regularly during sleep because of the way the brain functions. It is
not that you cannot breathe (which is true in obstructive sleep apnea); rather,
you do not try to breathe at all. The brain does not tell your muscles to
breathe. This type of sleep apnea is usually associated with neurological
diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and ALS ( Lou
Gehrig's disease) and as we can see, MSA.
In very simplistic terms, Hypoxia is
not enough oxygen getting to the brain causing confusion. Having only 84 % is
cause for concern!
Our next step is an overnighter on November 28th. This time the
technician will be trying out several types of machines and calibrating them to
my exact need all while I am suppose to sleep.
Wish me luck. There
definitely will be more to come.
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