Sleep apnea???

Everyday living
1

Hi everyone,

I have RRMS diagnosed 2010.

I wake up every morning with headache.

I snore really loud, wake up with dry mouth.
Headache at back of head and top of head.
This has been going on for a while.

Doctor said i dont qualify to be tested for sleep apnea, as he did a questionnaire and said as i dont fall asleep during the day, he cant send me for further test.

Any advice please ?

As waking up with headahes everyday is horrible.

Thanks for any help.

2

The NHS site only mentions ā€œfeeling very tired during the dayā€, so might be worth another visit to your GP.

See a GP if:

You have any of the main symptoms of sleep apnoea, such as:

  • your breathing stops and starts while you sleep
  • you make gasping, snorting or choking noises while you sleep
  • you always feel very tired during the day

If someone else has seen you have the symptoms, it can help to bring them with you to the GP.

Sleep apnoea can be serious if itā€™s not diagnosed and treated.

Sleep apnoea - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

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3

Not a great effort from the GP, is it? Are there any at your practice with a bit more backbone and confidence in their own professional judgement?

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4

Must confess, this isnā€™t something Iā€™ve investigated before as thereā€™s enough going on as it is! However, I meet the profile for both OSA and CSA on a number of fronts. This article: Sleep Apnoea and MS makes for interesting reading. Time I spoke to my MS Team and GP. Not sure who would have primacy on this one?

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5

What an informative article - thank you. Looks like a great publication overall - Iā€™m off to subscribe now. Thanks!

6

Iā€™m in the US, and we do a lot of things differently here, but Iā€™ve never heard anyone say that ā€œfalling asleep during the dayā€ is a requirement for having sleep apnea! Is it possible to find another doctor?

My son and I both have CPAPā€™s now, and theyā€™ve made a world of difference in our sleep.

7

I know the US healthcare system has a world of troubles of its own - massively expensive and astounding poor value for money by global standards, for starters - but it is surely not quite as rubbish as the NHS at preventative medicine, which the NHS is often hilariously uninterested in (as in this case), despite its straight-faced claims to the contrary. :slight_smile:

8

Some time ago, before being diagnosed, I suffered from some frightening symptoms that cleared after I was given prednisolone. My airway, chest and nose felt totally clear, but during the day I would feel like I just wasnā€™t quite getting enough air and felt the need to take a deep breath now and again throughout the day. At night I would wake up gasping several times, like Iā€™d somehow forgotten to breathe. I would wake up with a banging headache and feel very groggy. It was very frightening and at the time they put it down to panic attacks, stress and anxiety. I really felt robbed off by everyone I spoke to. One day I went to the walk in centre in desperation convinced that if someone didnā€™t do something, I might die in my sleep. The nurse gave me a small and short course of prednisolone thinking that I could be having an allergic reaction. It was 4 tablets a day for 5 days. On the 2nd night I didnā€™t wake up and slept soundly. It came back once after that a few months later, had prednisolone again, and (touch wood), Iā€™ve never had it since.

Itā€™s also worth mentioning that I also suddenly suffered from extremely dry eyes at that time, that lead to them being horrendously blood shot and an ulcer and slight difficulty in swallowing. I was told that the problem with my eyes was just ā€˜one of those thingsā€™ and I would need drops for life. Swallowing was also put down to stress, anxiety etc. Both of these issues cleared up too and have never been back.

Since being diagnosed, I have asked several medical people about this and they have categorically said that it was NOT due to the MS. Now Iā€™ve read that article, I wonder why they are saying that still?

I now know that I have two tiny lesions on my pons (an area that deals with regulating breathing, tears and swallowing) and wonder if that was what was happening at that time.

Jx

9

Ncm123

Hi there,

I was diagnosed as having sleep apnea 2 years ago i do go to sleep in the afternoon everyday which i cannot help.
I was given a cpap machine but i cannot use it as when i was born very premature i had to use a cpap machine as a baby and it makes me chlosterphobic i cannot wear the mask.

Amazingblazing62.