Posted by Jennifer on June 5, 2000, at 4:53:14
In reply to Re: Indigestion and SOB-Noa, posted by Noa on June 4, 2000, at 12:46:36
Thanks for the info. Hypothyroid has been completely ruled out..no chance there. I haven't been to the sleep forum site, so I'll give that I try. Thanks again, Jennifer
> I also had very little REM sleep--about 25% of normal. No wonder I was craving sleep all the time, but could never seem to get enough. My oxygen saturation went down to about 88%, which is significant, although nothing compared to bob's, which was really low--in the 60's, I think. Essentially that means starving your brain of oxygen for much of the night.
>
> I had an average of 43 events/hour. When I found that out, I was stunned. The idea of not breathing that many times per hour. Fortunately, my apnea events were not cosidered to be that long in duration (hence not having terrible oxygen desaturation)--long enough to be called apnea, but not as long as some folks.
>
> BTW, in addition to the links among/between apnea, reflux, asthma, depression, headache, etc., there is also a connection with hypothyroid. Here's my very unprofessional understanding: apparently, when you are hypothyroid, your tissues can swell, which can contribute to airway blockage. Also, if your hypothyroid causes enlargement of the thyroid gland itself, that can contribute to airway blockage, because there is only so much real estate in the neck area, and when one thing takes up more than its share, well, you get the picture. I also have heard the idea that apnea can in turn exacerbate hypothyroid, too. Don't know.
>
> So, you can see how intertwined all these systems can be and how subtle the connections can be and how easy it is to overlook a problem that might be contributing to other problems.
>
> Good luck with your endo follow up, and with the CPAP. Have you been to the sleep forum site--there is lots of good info there. I also got info from a book called Snoring and Sleep Apnea : Personal and Family Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment
> by Ralph A., Md Pascualy, Sally Warren Soest
>
> After doing some research on my own, via the internet and this book, and meeting some good people at a support group (which has since disbanded due to dwindling participation), I felt I knew more than my GP, who kept giving me the same canned blurb about apnea each time I saw her. I like her but she didn't know much about this. But I had to go through her to get my sleep test.
>
> Anyway, good luck.
poster:Jennifer
thread:4513
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000603/msgs/36071.html