One thought has been nagging me since the first week: Am I sleeping better? I know that the answer is yes. So, the real question is, how much better am I sleeping? Is my apnea "cured"? Or, at least, better to the point where it's not really a problem? I wish I could answer those questions. I'm writing about it today because I feel that same, familiar apnea-driven malaise that plagued me for so many years. It's sort of a compulsion to head back to bed and lie down, the type of sleepiness that a 15-minute micro-nap will usually cure. I slept for about eight hours last night, though not straight through. I'm still waking up an average of two to three times a night, though not for very long. I also expected to have more vivid dreams and, though I've had a couple, most of them are still sort of indistinguishable from the faint, jerky, static-y ones I had been having before the surgery.
I've also noticed myself snoring, though not like I did before. The snoring I've noticed has seemed to be entirely on the exhale and entirely nasal. So, it might be connected, at least in part, to the congestion that remains from the surgery.
So, did the surgery work or not? I browsed some other blogs and boards to see what people's experiences have been. Some report better sleep within the first couple of weeks. Others take much longer. So, that's not much help. I know that my body is still recovering. And, I'm sure I'm not resting as well as I could be if my jaws weren't locked shut and I didn't have this splint in my mouth. I still haven't tried using ambien or any other sleep aid, so that's still a possibility. Tonight, I think I'll give melatonin a shot. I have some capsules that I can open and mix into water. It doesn't taste like anything, really, so I won't notice it.
The whole point of this was to unlatch the vampire that's been sucking away my energy for so long. I know that I've had some days where that seems to have happened. I have energy and ambition and I want to get things done. But, I've also had days like today where it's hard to tell whether I've had much impact at all. I guess I'll have to stay patient and wait to see what happens. After all, it'll only be three weeks this coming Tuesday. I know I'll be scheduled for another sleep study in the coming months. We'll see if, as Roger asked, I get to change my username from 57rdi to (that's a zero->) 0rdi.
About Me
- 57rdi
- North Carolina, United States
- RDI, or respiratory disturbance index, is one of several factors used in sleep studies to rate the severity of sleep apnea. Essentially, it is the number of times an hour breathing problem occur. Measures vary, but anything over 30 is usually considered severe.
3 comments:
Hey Vaughn, I like all of your recent posts, especially the food tips and the one about the things you worried about. But this issue I'm sure is the biggie for you, whether going through all of this has cured your sleap apnea. I'm sure Brandy (and others) are eager to know the answer. My guess is that its probably much too soon to tell. My surgeon had told me it would take a year to heal entirely from the surgery, so I imagine that you will have to wait until all of the swelling is gone, until everything has settled. I do have a few suggestions. First, I would highly discourage any use of sleep aids, especially ambien or anything that is a benzodiazepine. These medications are highly adictive and depending on your nervous system, can practically ruin your life. You can go to benzo.org.uk or the Yahoo Benzo group to see people who suffer from this, some of them taking these drugs, including ambien, for only a very short period of time. I would recommend that you get off of all caffeine if you drink any, not just coffee, but sodas, etc. Caffeine has a 6 hour half life. For sensitive people it can definitely keep you from experiencing deep sleep. Most likely you don't drink coffee, but I thought it worth mentioning. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you continue to improve your sleep. Mary
Mary,
Thanks for the encouraging words and the praise.
Actually, I do drink coffee. Not a lot, in my opinion. The equivalent of about a cup or so. But, you're probably right. It couldn't hurt to cut that out and see what happens.
You're also right about ambien, which I've used before. It gave me some strange side effects (having conversations that I don't remember, for example) and it has a pretty mean rebound effect. But, it did help me sleep when I was using a TAP device, which is an anti-apnea mouthgear contraption that is pretty uncomfortable. I'll keep it on hand as a last resort.
I have used melatonin on several occasions and it does help. I'll probably stick with that for now.
Overall, I know I just have to be patient. But, it's hard ... .
Hi Vaughn,
I just had MMA surgery two weeks ago with Dr. kasey Limin California. I didn't see any posts to your very interesting blog after May 31 and was very curious to see how the surgery helped with your sleep apnea, both how you feel and your sleep study results. I was very surprised that your doctor only advanced your jaw 3mm and that he didn't check up on you intermittently over the first 10 days. Dr. Li typically advances the jaw 10-15mm. I was wondering if even a much smaller advancement was good enough to improve your quality of sleep. If so, how did the improvement progress?
I hope you are doing better and the surgery was a success!
Thanks
Post a Comment