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Always Get A Second Opinion
By Louie Ferris
Reading This Article Can Save Your Life Sleep apnea can lead to some very serious health problems, throughout time and if not treated in time, can even terminate your life. Why? Because one stops breathing, while sleeping, many times during the sleep cycle, which means that one is suffering from oxygen-deprivation. Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues. Sleep apnea, if caught in time, is reversible and curable. I should know. I have it. It all started four years ago, when I started having panic attacks, constantly sleepy and became very lethargic. At first, my fiancée, Valerie, thought that I was just over-worked. Val got me to see a Doctor and after being poked, prodded and tested, I was told that nothing was wrong with me. I was even sent to the hospital for further testing and was told nothing was wrong with me. I’ll spare you all of the unnecessary details and just tell you that a second-opinion Doctor said that I might have sleep apnea and recommended that I should be tested. After the Doctor explained what the testing involved, I agreed to go. I mean how hard could it be? All I had to do was go to a nice, comfortable room and go to sleep. No pain. No fuss. And guess who was right there with me? :0) About the sleep test: All you do is get prepped by having wires attached to strategic parts of your body. My prepping took about two hours and is absolutely painless. Once you’re ‘wired’, you get hooked up to an oxygen-generator, have an oxygen mask placed over your nose and mouth and you go to sleep. If you don’t like a mask over your face and mouth, they do have other types that you can choose from. However, from the time you get into bed until the time you wake up, you’re monitored. You’re given five star treatment and the staff do everything they can to make you as comfortable as possible. After my nap: I woke up three hours later, I felt absolutely charged. Wow! The oxygen revitalized me in just three short hours. I felt as though I were brought back to life. And to make matters even better…beautiful Valerie was sitting right beside me, waiting for me to awaken. She was sitting comfortably in a chair that was brought in just for her. We were informed that we could go home and we will be notified when the test results were in. About three days later, the Dr. called and told me that I did have sleep apnea and his treatment called for me to sleep every night, with a face-mask, attached to an oxygen generator, just as I did at the hospital. Hey! I had no problem with that. This oxygen therapy made me feel like I was 20 yrs. old again. Now, the generators that are prescribed are either a B-PAP or a C-PAP. Your Dr. will decide which one you should have. I use my generator sometimes even when I’m not asleep. Very refreshing. Some people take coffee breaks. I take oxygen breaks. It’s terrific! Oh! Forgot to tell ‘ya that my panic attacks were not caused by emotional-stress, as some of these so-called doctors told me I had, (that’s their way of saying they don’t know the answers, so they blame it on emotional problems). These attacks were caused by oxygen deprivation. I was also told that it’s a miracle that I’m still alive after what I went through. I told ‘ya I left out a lot of details. Maybe I’ll use those details for another INTEL! I hope this article can be of some help to someone. I just didn’t write this for points. Moral of the story: You could have sleep apnea and not know it. In time, it can kill you. If you catch it in time, it is reversible and curable. Get tested. Ask your Dr. questions and if his answers or lack of answers don’t satisfy you, always get a second opinion. If your body tells you something is wrong then something is wrong P.S. Thank you lovely Val for being there for me.
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Wow, glad you got that figured out! I've always wondered if it would be uncomfortable to sleep with these masks.
This is a 5, Louie.
Thank you for the great detailed information. I think that a lot of people will recieve very good advise when they read this story.
Thanks for sharing.
Frederick
I have several friends who had this problem. It causes a lot of stress on the spouses too until it is resolved. Thanks for the great Intel.
Thanks for the intel Louie. It is definitely useful.
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This intel was contributed by Joecop
Joecop
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May, 2012
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