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I have sleep apnea, and I guess I'd suggest trying the CPAP or BiPAP before going straight to surgery.  It takes some getting used to but now I don't even notice the mask unless I'm sick and have a stuffy nose.

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Stuffy nose, is that a problem for you Big Mike. I have a concern about that because of allergies.



Hi fierynette ,  nice to see you again.


I plan on getting the CPAP. I just got home from the second part of the sleep test. Six hours of sleep is usually not enough but I don't feel too bad this time. The nose piece was brilliantly designed to have no leaks at very little pressure. I didn't know they could make a plastic appliance so soft.

The last time I went was two weeks ago. The oxygen sensor kept coming off of my finger and the technician would come running into my room thinking I might have died. The urgency in their eyes gave it away.

I actually wear a full face mask with My BiPAP machine.  In case they didn't mention it to you, BiPAP is when the machine gives a different pressure on the inhalation as the exhalation.  Here's the mask I use:

http://www.cpap.com/viewImage.php?PNum=1807&Image=UltraFullFace2.jpg

I use full face because I am generally a mouth breather when I sleep due to allergies and such, and besides that the nasal masks just plain freaked me out!  The only time I really don't wear it anymore is when I've got a runny nose.  Apparently when I sleep normally and my nose runs I must wipe it off without waking up.  In the mask, I can't do that and the little rivulets of water running from my nose wake me up every few minutes. [/url]

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Thanks Babs for concern. It was one of toughest challenges of my life but I made it through and made me a better person becasue of it, both physically and mentally. What's sad is so many people go through life without realizing that they have apnea, like my father, and it contributes so much to the health of the person. I think if anyone snores loudly, they need to go check it out.

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I wonder if it is hereditary? I had a deviated septum fixed when I
was in HS. (No not a nose job. I hate when people think that. The septum is on the
inside of your nose. In fact I think my nose was bigger after.  LMAO)
Anyway, my dad and his dad both had bad deviated septums.

My father just had an extensive surgery for polyps. They literally pulled back
his face to clear out polyps from the back portion of his sinuses. (5 hour surgery)
I am terrified I will have to do this too. They were so bad that now the surgery is
done he can hear better. I have horrible sinus problems like chuck, but thank goodness I don't have sleep apnea.

BTW - my deviated septum grew back the way it was. I can barely breathe through
the left side of my nose. I don't mind it. I did it back then because I was hoping for a
career in music. Now that I know I'm not going to be the next christina Aguilara it doesn't matter  LMAO I work around it when I sing. I can't hum or do mmms.

sorry for the Babbling - I just got on a roll  :hug:

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Did/does your dad smoke?.....there is a link between nasal or sinal polyps, and smoking.....sinus polyps are much harder to remove.......gee, I guess that's just one more reason among billions to quit smoking....

Mine did. He was able to quit many years ago but only 2 years befiore I started.

My dad never smoked in his life. I think it's hereditary. I got a lot of his bad health issues from him. He used to snore so loud that I heard from two rooms down.

It's definitely growing problem or maybe it's more diagnosed than before.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

My father smoked cigars a few years when he was younger. (Nothing
significant though) I remember when I was young he used to sleep with
his thumb in one side of his nose to breath when he slept. He always snored.
This was from the deviated septum. He had his septum fixed twice and now
he has to go back to surgery to get out more polyps because they were unable to get them all the first time.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Are these polyps on the vocal chords?

Sure sounds like there might be a heredity factor in your case. An ocassional cigar, wouldn't be considered smoking, but one or more every day would be. They are as bad as cigarettes, with all the detrimental effects, but they swap some of the lung problems(if you don't inhale) with oral ones.
Sometimes they go through the roof of your mouth, or your gums to remove polyps from your sinus cavities.....usually for the Maxilary ones.
I had my septum straightened a couple of years ago......didn't help my sinus problem.....and you could plainly see.....my nose isn't any smaller....
Face it, many of us have problems that we didn't bring on ourselves, and we are not all created equally.......just one of the reasons why life sucks sometimes

Johnny I swear the sepyum problem runs in Italians - no kidding.

Chuck - al my dads polyps were in his sinuses. These were the doctors exact
words. "I had trouble with th ones in the back of his head"

I didn't know your sinuses went all the way to the back of your head.  :O

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Me neither.

So you're Italian, huh?

Good thing you live in Illinois.

Don't worry I'm no mafia princess or anything.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Maybe not personality wise....but you look the part....

I don't think there are any sinuses in the back of the head, but there is the back side of the sinus cavity.......I could be wrong.....the epithoid, between the eyes are a bit deep.....they're small  compared to the frontal, and maxilary.....might have spelled everything wrong, going by memory.......I'm lazy

I have SHEEP apnea.   Baaaaaa      There will never be another EWE.  

Sorry to hear about all you folks with these health problems. That sucks! Hope you are all better soon.

I've heard I snore very loudly, but I've really never noticed cause I usually sleep through it, or at least I thought I did. Various health issues (like being fatigued) made me wonder if I had the apnea. I did a sleep study and I didn't have apnea where you stop breathing, but they said I had like 1000 episodes of waking from the loud snoring. They said I was the loudest they had ever recorded - !

Reminds me of an old story, back in college I went camping with some of my friends in Colorado. We're all sleeping, and about 4 am one of my friends is pushing on us all and sheeshing us while freaking out. I'm like 'what'? He's shining the flashlight out the door, saying 'I think there's a bear outside. I keep hearing this growling'. Later somehow I guess when I fall back to sleep he finds out it's me. He's pushing and slapping me - 'That was you!'.

Anyway, I seem to survive alright with it, but could be better I suppose. Strangely I already had a tonsillectomy when I was a kid. They must have messed me up. I will tell you that breathe right strips and that breathe right anti-snore spray help some. I've had pneumonia once, and that is tough combined with breathing difficulties while sleeping.  I think I do occasionally have the breathing problem too, as I sometimes wake myself up after dreaming of drowning, or something similar.

My Mom does have sleep apnea. She was having health issues both physical (such as heart flutters), and even some mental such as depression and anxiety. That is very unusual for her because she is normally one of the cheeriest people you'd meet. She eventually got the Cpap (a very comfortable one she claims) and she sleeps restfully like a baby now. Those side affects have gone away. She also gets supplemental oxygen with hers that she says also helps.

I should probably do something about my snoring, but am allergic to knives.

Speaking of allergies, you folks with allergies need to really treat them aggressively. I used to have them bad for years, but seems mine have finally gotten better. Not sure why. However keep your environment clean and dust free. Use and regularly change HEPA type allergy filters. Try and drink pure water, and good food. Avoid pesticides in the house, or in the walls. Eat plenty of salads, veggies, nuts, fruits, along with lean meats. Get regular exercise. Don't smoke. Try and avoid anti-biotics unless you absolutely need them. Most of your immune system is in your gut, and if you kill off your friendly flora and fauna it takes about 3 months to get them back. That opens you up to all sorts of problems. Oh yeah, see and allergist too, and take Claritin, or Zyrtec. Just drink plenty of liquids with the antihistamines or they can dry you out and be tough on your kidneys. PS: Nasal saline spray twice a day seems to really help too.

So, I'm all over the place here with all these topics, but I hate to hear of anyone sick, it just makes me mad. Don't be lazy. Whatever it is make yourself work the problem, and don't rest until you have a solution that you can live comfortably with. Best of luck Chuck, and the rest of you.

Bill

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Thanks Bill and I promise that I won't rest until my sleep apnea is resolved.

Rich had polyps.  Remember the night G and I were going to have our first girls's night out.  Rich drove himself to the hospital and they thought he had a Babyruth stuck in his throat.......anyways, he ended up having some polyps removed from his vocal chords...All is fine now, but now his voice is much lower and it is hard for me to hear him sometimes....

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

I think it is because of removing the polyps that he sounds so cool doing the higher tunes he's been doing lately.

The doctor ordered my CPAP machine yesterday so I'll have it soon. Hopefully getting actually rest at night will help me focus better and stick to the subject more. Lately I've just been posting as little as possible to avoid aggravating people.