Yes. Over time I began to experience real healing from the ravages of sleep apnea. I gradually lost weight. I guess that was a side effect from getting more energy and being able to exercise more. I went from a fat, poorly-muscled size 50 pants (waist-size) to a 38. Yes, it did take some time... about a year.
I got sick with colds and sinusitis less too. That was what the doctor said would happen but I didn't believe it. True! Also when your body is generally healthier, it fights off germs and viruses better.
I used to have real bad problems with pollen and dust alllergies and so had serious doubts about starting an exercise program. I definitely noticed the difference,
although it helps that I ran mostly at night when the air is cleaner.
My weight also went down from about 285 lbs. and alot of flabby fat to about 225 lbs.
and more lean than I had seen since high school!
I will post more on my specific exercise techniques in another blog. Later!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
My Steps To Healing From Sleep Apnea, Part 3
The next surgery was on the nose. No, it was not to change the shape of my large schnozz, although I wish it could have been done. It was all internal parts cut away and moved around. Sounds gruesome, doesn't it?
It was a littler easier... less pain and sacrifice. It resulted in opening up the sinus area. A few days later, a few snips and stitches were taken out. Very little pain, no blood, no eating problems. Aaaahhhh, feels good, yes.
I decided to then start exercising. I had that extra time in the day that I wasn't spending trying to sleep. I would walk a block, then two, then half a mile, and more each week. Soon I started running a mile at a time. Nothing too difficult, just exercise that was good for me and I hadn't had in a long time.
I started losing weight too. That I would say was the best part of the whole experience. I also gained muscles in areas I never knew could get them. I then had to buy clothes in much smaller sizes, as well as new tennis shoes every so often. I really racked the miles on those shoes. It was a blessing to have a neighborhood where I could run around a set group of houses and it would be an exact mile. Also, there were no dogs to worry about. I built a little track around my house so that I could run at night without waking the neighbors. About 20 times around my small yard would make a mile. I worked nights at my job then too, so when I was off I would run, and run and run.
Amanda tells me she remembers those days well. When she heard the soft pounding of my shoes on the grass and dirt outside at night, it comforted her. She also knew I was doing something I really enjoyed, and could not do before because of my condition. I would return home with excitement about a new time I had made, or
the number of laps I had run.
As I lost weight, the need for the C-pap machine grew less and less. It seems the machine gave me the edge to catch up on sleep, it gave me an hour less of sleep so that I could exercise. The exercise helped even more, along with the surgeries so that I should not have to go back, or even look back.
One caveat though. The doctor said it is possible to backtrack. You can gain weight and your body can start regrowing tissue in those areas that will get in the way again. The key is to stay healthy, keep watching my weight, and keep exercising.
I learned later that this condition is common with large people. Many don't know they have it. A study was done of NFL football players and found that a large percentage of them have sleep apnea. They are people who are paid to be be big, and yet many suffer from it.
If you or someone you may know has trouble with sleep, staying asleep, staying awake, or is overweight and tired all the time, maybe you or they should speak with a doctor about this condition. I did, and I believe it saved my life!
It was a littler easier... less pain and sacrifice. It resulted in opening up the sinus area. A few days later, a few snips and stitches were taken out. Very little pain, no blood, no eating problems. Aaaahhhh, feels good, yes.
I decided to then start exercising. I had that extra time in the day that I wasn't spending trying to sleep. I would walk a block, then two, then half a mile, and more each week. Soon I started running a mile at a time. Nothing too difficult, just exercise that was good for me and I hadn't had in a long time.
I started losing weight too. That I would say was the best part of the whole experience. I also gained muscles in areas I never knew could get them. I then had to buy clothes in much smaller sizes, as well as new tennis shoes every so often. I really racked the miles on those shoes. It was a blessing to have a neighborhood where I could run around a set group of houses and it would be an exact mile. Also, there were no dogs to worry about. I built a little track around my house so that I could run at night without waking the neighbors. About 20 times around my small yard would make a mile. I worked nights at my job then too, so when I was off I would run, and run and run.
Amanda tells me she remembers those days well. When she heard the soft pounding of my shoes on the grass and dirt outside at night, it comforted her. She also knew I was doing something I really enjoyed, and could not do before because of my condition. I would return home with excitement about a new time I had made, or
the number of laps I had run.
As I lost weight, the need for the C-pap machine grew less and less. It seems the machine gave me the edge to catch up on sleep, it gave me an hour less of sleep so that I could exercise. The exercise helped even more, along with the surgeries so that I should not have to go back, or even look back.
One caveat though. The doctor said it is possible to backtrack. You can gain weight and your body can start regrowing tissue in those areas that will get in the way again. The key is to stay healthy, keep watching my weight, and keep exercising.
I learned later that this condition is common with large people. Many don't know they have it. A study was done of NFL football players and found that a large percentage of them have sleep apnea. They are people who are paid to be be big, and yet many suffer from it.
If you or someone you may know has trouble with sleep, staying asleep, staying awake, or is overweight and tired all the time, maybe you or they should speak with a doctor about this condition. I did, and I believe it saved my life!
My Steps To Healing From Sleep Apnea, Part 2
Yes, there was some surgery involved. The doctors said I had a very soft palate. This is the area around the throat, with being overweight, there was always some extra tissue that would get in the way. This tissue is what often blocked the air from coming in when I inhaled. This is what makes the loud snoring sound when especially large sleep.
And my nasal passages were kind of tight. I had always had problems with sinusitis. A deviated septum (the bone dividing the nose is more on one side than in the middle) was made worse when I broke my nose during a basketball game in gym class in 7th grade.
So, these things contributed to my need to have surgery to fix what could be repaired. I went ahead and had two surgeries. One was to enlarge the throat area, using lazers to cut away excess tissue, remove the epiglottis (thats the little hangy-ball thing in the back of the throat). The other was to enlarge the nasal passages to improve breathing.
Believe me when I tell you this. These surgeries were not pain free. I also had the best of narcotics and treatment, but I can assure you, it was not easy. There were positives and negatives about the whole experience.
One side effect of having throat surgery, is that you cannot really eat for about a week. No chewing, definitely no swallowing, and later when you are able to, it is painful, you lose any appetite you had. I needed the diet though, so it was good.
I remember one evening we took some friends out to eat. I thought I was ready for a nice, juicy burger. I was also up, out of bed and ready to get out of the house. We went to O'Charley's, where they have some of the best burgers in town! But, I could not eat. It all looked good, too! I settled for some soup broth and ice cream. But it was not the same... oh, I suffered... :(
Haha! Just kidding, I made it through. It was in fact good for me to develop discipline in this way. It was probably overeating that got me in this mess in the first place! My extra weight was weighing me down and restricting my breathing and living. I did not want to die young, but that is where I was headed if I did not change my ways.
I eventually healed from this surgery and started a normal, healthy diet. You can still see, though, the scar tissue in my throat.
Next post, I will discuss my nasal surgery. I always wanted a nose-job!
And my nasal passages were kind of tight. I had always had problems with sinusitis. A deviated septum (the bone dividing the nose is more on one side than in the middle) was made worse when I broke my nose during a basketball game in gym class in 7th grade.
So, these things contributed to my need to have surgery to fix what could be repaired. I went ahead and had two surgeries. One was to enlarge the throat area, using lazers to cut away excess tissue, remove the epiglottis (thats the little hangy-ball thing in the back of the throat). The other was to enlarge the nasal passages to improve breathing.
Believe me when I tell you this. These surgeries were not pain free. I also had the best of narcotics and treatment, but I can assure you, it was not easy. There were positives and negatives about the whole experience.
One side effect of having throat surgery, is that you cannot really eat for about a week. No chewing, definitely no swallowing, and later when you are able to, it is painful, you lose any appetite you had. I needed the diet though, so it was good.
I remember one evening we took some friends out to eat. I thought I was ready for a nice, juicy burger. I was also up, out of bed and ready to get out of the house. We went to O'Charley's, where they have some of the best burgers in town! But, I could not eat. It all looked good, too! I settled for some soup broth and ice cream. But it was not the same... oh, I suffered... :(
Haha! Just kidding, I made it through. It was in fact good for me to develop discipline in this way. It was probably overeating that got me in this mess in the first place! My extra weight was weighing me down and restricting my breathing and living. I did not want to die young, but that is where I was headed if I did not change my ways.
I eventually healed from this surgery and started a normal, healthy diet. You can still see, though, the scar tissue in my throat.
Next post, I will discuss my nasal surgery. I always wanted a nose-job!
My Steps To Healing From Sleep Apnea, Part 1
I was working at a local trucking company back in 2000, and had real good medical benefits. I started to have real difficulty staying awake as well as trouble sleeping overall. In fact, I would fall asleep while driving, usually at traffic lights and while on the computer at work. Much of my work, as a billing specialist, was on the computer. I would process freight bills of lading and saw my work starting to suffer, my speed going down. Speed is very critical in the billing department, I was to learn later... (another blog)
I was nagged by my wife to go see a doctor. I went to the family doctor who gave me a referral to see a sleep specialist. Amanda insisted she saw me stop breathing during the night and it freaked her out. She wanted me to get the help I needed and signed me up for a sleep study. Nonetheless, it wasn't gonna be easy to let anyone stick those probes on me and have all those wires and thingamabobs hanging off me and find out what was going on.
But that is what I did, and am grateful to this day for doing so.
The appointment came (it was at night, of course) to come to the sleep disorder clinic. I was told to eat a good meal beforehand, so I of course stopped off at the local Hardees and had one of those big, greasy, sour-dough burgers they used to have and curly fries! Yes! I then went in and had a little trouble actually getting to sleep. I don't think the 20 oz. Coke helped much, though. But eventually, I did, and they were able to get some good readings.
It turned out that I had severe sleep apnea, where I would stop breathing about 90-100 times an hour. This in turn limited the oxygen my body needed to function, and get the rest it needed. It also caused slight enlargement of my heart. I recognized the problems I was having during the day: being drained of all energy, never catching up on sleep. Plus, I was severely overweight.
I agreed to go in for treatment. It began with a C-pap machine. This thing straps around your head like a Darth Vader mask and it compresses and forces air up into your nasal passages. It attempts to keep those pathways open. It is attached by tubes to a machine that you keep on the nightstand or floor under the bed. This machine has some wires, dials and more tubes. You can dial it in to a comfortable setting.
I must say it was difficult getting used to it at first. For instance, I am not used to breathing through my nose, I do so through my mouth just fine thank you. But with this machine, it was set up only to breathe through the nose. I had to retrain myself. Others might not have this problem. Also, I was uncomfortable at first with having this contraption on my face, it was kind of claustraphobic, to me. I eventually got over it, though, as it got easier and actually helped me later.
Over time, I got more and more used to it. I felt more refreshed, as I knew I was getting much more of that oh-so-important oxygen to my brain, lungs and blood vessels. Before this time, air was being blocked and I suffered for it. Now, I started to get more and more energy, about an hour more a day.
I improved to the point that my health improved. I could go on the next step in treatment: surgery. More on this next time.
I was nagged by my wife to go see a doctor. I went to the family doctor who gave me a referral to see a sleep specialist. Amanda insisted she saw me stop breathing during the night and it freaked her out. She wanted me to get the help I needed and signed me up for a sleep study. Nonetheless, it wasn't gonna be easy to let anyone stick those probes on me and have all those wires and thingamabobs hanging off me and find out what was going on.
But that is what I did, and am grateful to this day for doing so.
The appointment came (it was at night, of course) to come to the sleep disorder clinic. I was told to eat a good meal beforehand, so I of course stopped off at the local Hardees and had one of those big, greasy, sour-dough burgers they used to have and curly fries! Yes! I then went in and had a little trouble actually getting to sleep. I don't think the 20 oz. Coke helped much, though. But eventually, I did, and they were able to get some good readings.
It turned out that I had severe sleep apnea, where I would stop breathing about 90-100 times an hour. This in turn limited the oxygen my body needed to function, and get the rest it needed. It also caused slight enlargement of my heart. I recognized the problems I was having during the day: being drained of all energy, never catching up on sleep. Plus, I was severely overweight.
I agreed to go in for treatment. It began with a C-pap machine. This thing straps around your head like a Darth Vader mask and it compresses and forces air up into your nasal passages. It attempts to keep those pathways open. It is attached by tubes to a machine that you keep on the nightstand or floor under the bed. This machine has some wires, dials and more tubes. You can dial it in to a comfortable setting.
I must say it was difficult getting used to it at first. For instance, I am not used to breathing through my nose, I do so through my mouth just fine thank you. But with this machine, it was set up only to breathe through the nose. I had to retrain myself. Others might not have this problem. Also, I was uncomfortable at first with having this contraption on my face, it was kind of claustraphobic, to me. I eventually got over it, though, as it got easier and actually helped me later.
Over time, I got more and more used to it. I felt more refreshed, as I knew I was getting much more of that oh-so-important oxygen to my brain, lungs and blood vessels. Before this time, air was being blocked and I suffered for it. Now, I started to get more and more energy, about an hour more a day.
I improved to the point that my health improved. I could go on the next step in treatment: surgery. More on this next time.
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