Low Oxygen While Asleep

[Stufftie]

I have had this ongoing severe muscle pain for a year now.  I thought once I found the right dose of thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism this would resolve.  (Armour 60 mg) The worst of the pain did resolve but I still battle with severe arm and leg cramps, muscle knots, and quick sharp pains.  My doctor gave me a pulse ox and that night  I spent 22% of the time below 88% - a one time drop to 69%.  My heart rate was 140 bpm at the lowest oxygen drop.
During the day I am around 97%.  

She is putting me on oxygen at night until the sleep study, which I start on Monday. I was impressed she went this route and I finally had a test that didn't come back as normal.  From previous physicians I grew tired of hearing, Nothing is wrong.  Why won't you take pain medicine or an antidepressant?"

I am a 35-year-old female, 5' 8", 135 pounds. And I do smoke - Working on quitting.

I am usually exhausted during the day but the muscle pains varie in intensity throughout the month.  Some days no severe muscle pains at all.   So I am really confused as to why there is a "cycle of pain".  I once thought it was worse during estrogen spikes before ovulation and menstruation.  I thought my muscles were not recovering after these painful days.  

We recently vacationed in San Antonio, Texas and I felt really good.  I live in Colorado.  

Anything else I should be looking into for low oxygen when sleeping. Starting three years ago I was having daily severe headaches a CT scan revealed a deviated septum.  The headaches are better now with Armour thyroid medication.  

I also have allergies so I wake up with a stuffed nose.  Can the allergies and deviated septum be causing the low oxygen?  Should I just wear a breathe right strip and use a nasal wash before bed?
Starting oxygen at night and a sleep study seems like a lot if it is a simple fix.  My doctor is on vacation right now.

Maybe I don't completely understand oxygen drops.

Due to a ton of blood work and several specialists it is not vitamin related, muscle damage, MS, etc....

[Stufftie]

Just thought of this too!

If I remember them right some women with hyperthyroidism were given a radioactive iodine or a complete thyroid removal after diagnosed with autoimmune hyperthyroidism to finish off their thyroid.  Apparently it was supposed to make them hypothyroid.  Which eventually a thyroid will get there after the body "kills" it off.
A lot of them say it was the worst thing they have ever done.  Make sure to ask them about that too if it is autoimmune and the doctor wants to either of the above.
I am not versed on that stuff very much.

[Stufftie]

Sorry I just reread your post and you said your TSH was low...how did I not catch that?

Your correct a too low TSH is your thyroid putting out to much thyroid hormone.  HYPERthyroidism. And that will definitely cause heart palpations and other symptoms.
As a thyroid patient I can tell when I am on to much thyroid hormone because my heart pounds.  I will also have a terrible time trying to sleep.  I know a lot of other people have an enormous set of symptoms if their hyperthyroidism is due to an autoimmune condition, like Hashimoto's.  
There is a couple of tests for that.  
From what I know about autoimmune thyroid your body slowly kills off your thyroid and as tissue dies it releases to much hormone into your bloodstream.  You will bounce from hypo to hyper.  Leaving you feeling terrible all the time.
Get a list of blood work and ranges from the ladies on the thyroid boards before you go into a doctor. Often the right tests are not ran and we are told everything is normal. But we leave still feeling terrible and hopeless.  

My first doctor even told me, "There is no reason your in so much pain."

The thyroid boards are extremely helpful and supportive when you are trying to figure things out on your own.  

[Stufftie]

When was the last time your thyroid was checked?  I ask because in the last couple of years the high range has been dropped from 5.1 to 3.1  A TSH 3 and above will give you hypo symptoms.  A lot of people were left suffering with the old range.
Thyroid hormone has helped me tremendously.  When we first discovered my TSH was 5.8 so with the old ranges some doctors wouldn't even treat it.......My doctor started me on a very low dose of synthetic hormone, but I kept getting worse. She blamed my symptoms on a number of things from MS to endometriosis.  
After 3 years of her sending me for unnecessary and expensive tests I found a wonderful doctor that tested my Free T3 and Free T4 - thyroid hormones that are available to my body.
Even though those numbers were within range they were low. She has me on a natural desiccated thyroid hormone (Armour) and the correct dose.  We test my numbers often because a normal body can adjust your hormone but not ours.

Armour is a medication that is identical to what our thyroid would be putting out.  Lots of people don't do well on the synthetic, which a lot of doctors prescribe.  I made sure to find one that would prescribe Armour.  It is extremely difficult to find a good thyroid doctor.  I walked away from doctors that didn't prescribe a NDT (natural desiccated hormone) and ran from the ones that pushed pain and anti-depressants)  I have been told numerous times that an anti-depressant would change my perception of pain. I don't want to change it - I wanted it gone!

Stop the thyroid madness has a list of doctors though. I live in Colorado and there wasn't one close to me.

Do you have your TSH numbers?  The one thing thyroid patients will keep is every blood test.  We learned that we cannot always trust that we are "within normal range".  I would have been left with progressive fibromyalgia.  I hurt terribly being non/undertreated.

Thyroid hormone also helps regulate the heart among a while array of other functions!  Anything to far up or down will give you some symptoms that at first you may pass off *** aging or other.....

[ill13632]

apnea can cause arrythmias.  has anyone found a cure?  my TSH was a little low (high thyroid hormones).  could thyroid drugs help?
I tried cpap but it didn't work so I switched to asv which is somewhat better with oxygen and I was desatting to the 70s which has a terrible effect on learning and memory and exhaustion.  I don't know why I'm not cured on cpap/asv.  
one ENT surgeon finally told me my jaw is recessed, mouth is small so my airway is kind of obstructed, but the trach I got isn't helping that much, I was so exhausted after the surgery and in pain  

[Stufftie]

Did the apnea cause the heart condition?

My husband is 6'4 and 225 but I wouldn't consider him to be obese or overweight.  He is proportioned correctly.  I bet, though, if there was any type of medical condition weight would be the first conversation.  

I think the chart for overweight is skewed.  My daughter's doctor mentioned that she is on the verge of overweight!  She is a very tall 7-year-old.  She is mistaken for a 10-year-old all the time. Towering over the other children in her classroom. That is something her doctor didn't take into consideration and that she grows out then up. Made me angry because we have a good vegetable and fruit policy with a good amount of exercise.    But I am happy to hear the weight loss is helping with your sleep and oxygen!

I will ask him if I twitch or anything else in my sleep.  I know both of us are going to be more aware.

Funny you say we are traditional. We are newlyweds compared to 50-years Congratulations! ~ Just passed 10 years.  I swear he and I were supposed to live in a different era. I know some people don't agree with our stay-at-home Mom and working Dad lifestyle. I take care of the house and he on the outside.  
Both he and I know I can take care of myself - I know my way around a toolbox -with things like garbage disposal repairs, oven repairs (those things seem to happen when he is out-of-town) oil changes, mowing, etc.  Although I am out of practice I can operate a front end loader, tractor, 13-speed, skid steer, etc..  I choose not to and he prefers that. We love the way we live.
Although, I have to admit, he is a way better cook than I am!

Jerry, Thank you again for your guidance.  My medical issues are not thoroughly known to our families for personal reasons so it is great these boards are here!

[Jerry_NJ]

You husband has described the classic symptoms of sleep apnea, obstructive is just one type, the most common type.  

Nice to read a post by a traditionalist, most times when a bed partner is mentioned it is my boy friend or the like.  I have been married to my first wife for over 50 years.  No wonder I have old fashioned ideas.

Try to sleep on your side, avoid sleeping on your back.  Ask you husband about your position (that is one of the parameters monitored in a sleep study, body position).  I could look it up but I recall there was a correspondence between my low oxygen periods and being on my back.  I tend to sleep on my side, either side, and the sleep study did show me on my side about 70% of the time, again going from memory.

I think a small person would run a higher risk of OSA due to having a smaller throat, breathing tube.  That said I suppose the throat object.organ, forget what it is - you can see it sticking down from the top of the mouth when you look down your throat in the mirror, you may need a flashlight.

I am trying to get by with losing weight.  I am still over 6' 5" and weighted abouit 245 pounds when I had the sleep study.  The Pulmonary Specialist (that's the field that runs sleep studies here) looked down my throat on my first visit and said:  "my air passage may be blocked due to my obesity".. those may not have been the exact quote but the meaning is what he said.  Boy!  Overweight, sure, before my heart stopped me from running for exercise at the age of 67 I weighted closer to 230.  

I told my doctor I wanted to try losing 20 pounds over the next two months, so far I have lost 10 pounds and I already notice I no longer wake up in a panic feeling like I am suffocating.  If I even make the 15 pound level I will request he prescribe the over night Recording Oximeter test be done again before we talk more about the CPAP device.  I am somewhat optimistic.  

Hope the above makes some connection to your question, it is my attempt to relate to you small physical size with my large physical  size   : )

As your husband if he has observed an snoring, or twitching, leg movement would be the most noticeable. These are other symptoms of sleep apnea.

[Stufftie]

The Doctor told me that since the lack of oxygen I damage my muscles each night. She looked into this because there was no other reason I should be in pain.....I have been scanned, tested, poked, and shocked...LOL  It is not vitamin deficiency, muscles, nerves, brain....

I called about the sleep study ~like my doctor told me to~when we returned from vacation and the nurse said she couldn't find the orders.  She has the oxygen orders.  I won't know why the sleep study orders are "lost" until Tuesday when my doctor returns from her vacation.

That has got me a little concerned that she is going to jump to the lungs straightaway. The more I read about COPD and other lung issues are a little unraveling.  

My husband said he listened to me sleep last night and said there was a strange throat noise and then I would stop breathing for a little bit.  
He must be concerned because he doesn't wake up for anything. LOL

I wish this testing went a lot quicker.

I am comforted to know that I do have small features....At the dentist for x-rays they use the child size for bite downs.  So maybe the small size  carry's down to the throat?  Maybe that is a possibility?

I can't tell you Thank You enough for answering my questions!! What a little bit of a scary process not knowing!

[Jerry_NJ]

OSA = Obstructive Sleep Apnea and it is a physical problem associated more with older people, not necessarily seniors, but late middle age and older.  I suppose some of the younger have the problem and you O2 deficiency suggests the possibility.

OSA is most active when we are sleeping on our backs, when are muscles are the most relaxed and gravity works to pull the throat closed, or at least restricts airflow to the lungs.  It is in the "wind pipe" so breathing through the mouth doesn't help - something I do because of nasal congestion.

Again, I have not heard or read anything that would associate you pain problems with OSA, but I am no doctor, not even an expert witness.

In my case cancer was not suspected, but maybe physical damage to the lungs due to past smoking, I quit over 25 years ago so my lungs have had time to heal, still... only X-Rays were taken and there was not sign of lunge damage.  I believe it takes a CT scan, maybe an MRI to spot cancer nodules, many nodules are not cancerous.  If nodules are spotted the next step to my understanding is to get a biopsy, and if possible it is done with a needle through the back (maybe chest too). This procedure to my knowledge is a day (or out) patient basis, not many after effects.

[Stufftie]

Thank you so much for the information Jerry!  

I posted again in the doctor forum because I wasn't sure I was in the right place.  But thanks to your answer I know I am!

In the back of my mind I am worried about a lung problem.  My Mother passed away at 52 from lung cancer that spread to a brain tumor.

I will start reading about OSA.....Being so new to this my web searches has not resulted in much information. Especially about muscle pains with low oxygen....

Right now I don't even know what OSA is!

[Jerry_NJ]

Scanning down the list I see an older post by you that looks to be the same as this one, so I'll just add here.

I also have chronic nasal congestion, but only an night. It does not seem to be related to my Oximeter readings and when I check with my personal Oximeter I do not see any relationship between congestion and low O2 levels.  

Your lungs also need to be checked, and perhaps they have been.  Lung problems are in general worse than OSA.

[Jerry_NJ]

Reads like classic obstructive sleep apnea to me.  The sleep study will give a clear diagnosis.  They will again record your O2 saturation, a key indicator.  They also record sleeping position, sleep level, and a few other items.

It sounds like you have full-blown OSA, I have been diagnosed with mild OSA and am now trying to lose some weight which may solve my mild problem.  I will guess a CPAP (sleeping mask that puts positive air pressure on your breathing to keep the passage open) will fix your problem.  I have one friend who had symptoms similar to yours and he said the CPAP fixed it, he loves the CPAP because he now feels much better when awake.

In my case I have lost 10 pounds and see an improvement in my sleep pattern, I own a simple Oximeter and check if I wake up during the night.  I have posted on this subject elsewhere on this family of communities.  My doctor will run another Oximeter test at home when I get a total of 20 poiunds off.  I promised to do the 20 in two months, I am right now stuck at a 10 pound loss and just past the one month point, guess I'll have to cut out the ice cream or beer  : (