Diabetics with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

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Comment by Martina H Milligan on August 7, 2009 at 2:32am

I have OSA plus Type 2 diabetes, I was DX with both in 2005 i use a CPAP Machine at night

Comment by debb on February 16, 2009 at 3:22pm

thanks mike, i'll check it out.

Comment by Mike on February 16, 2009 at 3:04pm

i had to cycle through not only different mask sizes, but many different masks, before it stuck for me. now i can't imagine sleeping without it. a lucky few find it works right away for them, but for most of us, it takes a lot of trial and error; i write about my experiences a lot on the sleep apnea forum i created, if you want to take a look.

Comment by debb on February 16, 2009 at 2:58pm

i've been on the cpap for two nights now. i'm more tired now then i was before.
this is going to take a bunch of getting use to. i have sinus problems and the mask pushes on my cheek bones. i have high cheek bones. then the bottom of the mask keeps trying to push my upper lip up inside of it. we already tried the mask sizes on each side of this one and the one is too small and the other is too big. so i don't see any help with changing masks. i'll keep trying. maybe i will have to play with the tightness or looseness of the straps to see if i can adjust it better. hopefully i will be able to return the machine after the gastric bypass. i've heard both sides of the coin. some just love it and can sleep with no problem and others hate it and just can't sleep with it. have any of you adjusted to it? and how long did it take?

Comment by herman on January 31, 2009 at 11:36am

I wa dx with T2 about 10 yrs ago. For the last year or so I've been having trouble sleeping at night and drowseness during the day. My doctor gave me a prescription for one of the popular sleeping aids.. It worked OK but overall I didn't care for it, so I went back to the doctor and he suggested a sleep study.
The results of the sleep study was severe SA with AHI of 24.8. Total number of respiratory events was 54 and O level dropped 11%. So now I'm on a CPAP/Bilevel machine which I believe is going to take awhile for me to get adjused to at night. Will let you know more later.

Comment by Rik Wade on January 10, 2009 at 9:16pm

Hello All
I am a diabetic with mild OSA. My AHI was 6.5 the first time I did the study. The last (2) time my AHI has been around 4.5. I do no use PAP therapy at this time. I do have some knowledge on OSA and other sleep related issues. I am the scheduling cordinator for a large sleep organization in Northeast Ohio. We have 4 labs and conducted or did the professional componant on more than 5000 studies in 2008. I am also familiar with PAP therapy because we started our own PAP division in 2007 to meet the needs of our patients that other HME companies were not providing. I deal with CPAP, BILEVEL, and ADAPT SV. My division is only one of many that are part of a Neuroolgy and Neuroscience Group. I have been interested in PAP not only in diabetics but people with neuro muscular issues like ALS, MS, Post Polio, and spinal injury patients. Sleep apea is very serious and if it goes untreated it can kill you. As diabetics know we are already at risk for stroke and heart disease then to couple that with untreated OSA you are doing damage to your bodies that can not be reveresed! I you have any questions please feel free to message me. If I can not help you I will get you to somebody that will. God Bless

Comment by debb on January 6, 2009 at 1:02pm

hi graig, if your interested i am keeping a journal (sort of) in groups. it's called gastric bypass--- the last resort. it will kind of give you an idea on what to expect. thanks for the iinfo on the cpap. i'm a little nervous about it. to tell the truth my cat snores worse the i do. she even snores when she is awake. she always has, right from when she was a kitten and i had to bottle fed her. she was abandoned by her mother. i feel very comfortable about the gastric bypass, i have been putting off thinking about it for years because my husband never would have allowed it. after he left and i could make my own decisions i decided to check it out. the one thing that the bariatric doctor stressed was that we can change our miinds right up to the day of the surgery. i have already lost the 10% body weight that i need to lose (12 pounds) and a little bit more. the insurance company covered all but the co-pay. but then there are all the other co-pays that you will have. your regular doctor, the physch test, the colonoscopy (if you haven't already had one), blood work (my insuraance covers all of that one), you already have the sleep apnea done so that's taken care of. anyway check out my wanderings and if you have any questions ask away.

Comment by Craig on January 5, 2009 at 8:17pm

Hey debb, I too am looking into gastric bypass. Though my doc was telling me I was a perfect candidate without ever mentioning OSA. I happened to bring it up one day because my wife and I were discussing all those things you "think" you should mention but never do. In my case, I didn't think it was a big deal, but when I mentioned it to him, he suggested that I should go and see a pulmonologist. Though I recall having the stopping-breathing-when-I-sleep issues before I ever became obese. In high school I was very active, played sports, practiced martial-arts, etc. It was not until my mid-20's that I really started adding pounds. I don't know if my OSA has gotten any worse since then, but I wonder if it will ever go away--even if I lose the weight. Just today I saw my doctor, and his office is going to schedule an appt. for a consult on the gastric. I'm a little nervous about going this route, but I think it is the better scenario to get the weight off ASAP and get those years tacked back on to my life expectancy, so I can be around for my family. Who knows where I'll be a year from now otherwise.

As far as the machine goes, mine is awesome. I have a Resperonics REMstar Plus and it is very quiet, even for a partner (in my case, my wife). I quickly became accustomed to the mask, and I don't even know it is there half the time. My problem is that I like to watch a little TV while I go to bed, and the mask obstructs my vision (I have a Respironics Comfort Gel nasal mask), so I don't always put it on right away and have fallen asleep without it on a few occasions. I can really feel it the next morning.

Comment by debb on January 1, 2009 at 8:50pm

because i am going to have gastric bypass done the doctor insisted on sleep apnea tests. i had the first one two weeks ago and was dx'd with apnea. i was told i was not breathing about 18.9 times an hour. tomorrow night i go back for the second appt with a cpap. the doctor tells me i can stop using the cpap machine after the surgery if i want to and then about a year after the surgery i will need one more test to see if i still have sleep apnea. he said 98% of all tpye-2 patients who have diabetes and have gastric bypass no long have sleep apnea. what a nice bonus if it happens. i live alone so i really have no one to bother with a machine on my face but i hate anything coming near or on my face. i have literally flipped out when anyone tries to touch my nose or mouth.

Comment by Nancy on October 21, 2008 at 9:24am

I was diagnosed with severe OSA. I have a VPAP and love it.
I sleep 8-9 hours now with rarely a bathroom break. I don't fall asleep while watching TV with hubby. I don't wake with severe headaches. I don't have the nightmares like before. and the best...my hubby doesn't have to wear earplugs to bed anymore.
I also have severe restless leg syndrome. I knew I had it but it was verified during my sleep study.
I was taking meds also for depression. My doc put me on Mirapex for the RLS and took me off my depression med. A little research shows that Mirapex is now being tried and used for depression. It works! I don't wake with cramps in my legs and I have a better mental outlook. I am on the lowest dose possible; It is taken at bedtime because it causes drowsiness. I guess it is like a little sleeping pill also.
My problem is that my fasting sugars have gone up instead of down. Not sure why. Maybe because I sleep longer?

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