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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Please help me...surgery didn't help my sleep apnea.
Answered by
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Please help me...surgery didn't help my sleep apnea.
by Nick009, Apr 10, 2004 12:00AM
Two months ago i had a surgery for sleep apnea.The doctor removed the tonsil,uvula,some surrounding tissue he called "little curtains" and had my nose sockets cut with cauterization (excuse me if the terms i use are not correct).
I had this because i suddenly kept waking up in my sleep feeling my throat was closing and i could not breath the air in.
I have also been having since last April a very persistent cough that was attributed to EIA but neither Tilade nor Seretide discus fixed it.As soon as the coughing stopped last February the problem in my sleep appeared.
Anyway,i managed to start sleeping for 6-7 hours every night about 15 days ago but in 2-3 hour "pieces" and not straight 6 hours.
It's been 2-3 days now that the suffocation feeling has come back (as if i never had the surgery)and this has really frustrated me.
-After the surgery i tried the CPAP in order to get additional help to sleep but it didn't help at all
-I searched info about VCD and most of what i experience is like VCD but i can voluntarily replicate this choking sensation and from what i understand VCD cannot be replicated voluntarily.Could this problem be VCD and appear as sleep apnea?
-Could this be due to reflux and how will i find out?
-Would it help to get a throat x-ray during me voluntarily replicating this closing of the airways so as to see where excactly this occurs?
-What could this problem be after all and what can i do about it from now on ?
Thanks in advance for your help.I would greatly appreciate ANY help before this problem starts jeopardizes my mental health too...
I had this because i suddenly kept waking up in my sleep feeling my throat was closing and i could not breath the air in.
I have also been having since last April a very persistent cough that was attributed to EIA but neither Tilade nor Seretide discus fixed it.As soon as the coughing stopped last February the problem in my sleep appeared.
Anyway,i managed to start sleeping for 6-7 hours every night about 15 days ago but in 2-3 hour "pieces" and not straight 6 hours.
It's been 2-3 days now that the suffocation feeling has come back (as if i never had the surgery)and this has really frustrated me.
-After the surgery i tried the CPAP in order to get additional help to sleep but it didn't help at all
-I searched info about VCD and most of what i experience is like VCD but i can voluntarily replicate this choking sensation and from what i understand VCD cannot be replicated voluntarily.Could this problem be VCD and appear as sleep apnea?
-Could this be due to reflux and how will i find out?
-Would it help to get a throat x-ray during me voluntarily replicating this closing of the airways so as to see where excactly this occurs?
-What could this problem be after all and what can i do about it from now on ?
Thanks in advance for your help.I would greatly appreciate ANY help before this problem starts jeopardizes my mental health too...
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Apr 13, 2004 12:00AM
, Apr 13, 2004 12:00AM
The asthma meds would not have worked if the cough were incorrectly diagnosed as EIA. If the suffocation feeling occurs when you are awake, it could be VCD, but VCD does not mimic sleep apnea. This could be due to reflux and either a pH probe study or esophagoscopy would be the right test for that. A throat X-ray would be helpful only if it were of the type designed to measure the dimensions of your upper airway. I suggest that you give the CPAP another trial. Be sure you are working with a knowledgeable sleep lab technician.
Member Comments (2)
by ozark, Apr 10, 2004 12:00AM
you should probably hve another sleep study done with the cpap and see if there is a problem....you may now to have your pressure decreased since there is probably less obstruction....good luck
