Junior And His Bi-Pap

Junior and I have no slept in a bed together in about eight years, maybe even longer than that. It's not because we are having marital issues, it's because he snored. He snored loud enough that I wasn't getting any sleep. He was working third shift at the time, and the night he worked I slept great. The nights he was off I would be up all night, shoving him to roll over so he would stop snoring for just a few minutes. Then one night he fell asleep on the couch, and I left him there. The next morning he said he was comfortable sleeping there, so that's where he ended up.

Eventually we decided to talk to the doctor about having a sleep study done, to find out why he snored so bad. Turns out he has sleep apnea. When they were doing the test, they had him hooked up to a lot of different machines. One of them was one that measures your oxygen level. His was so low that they thought the machine was broken, so they woke him up to switch it out with a new one. The readings were the same. His oxygen level fell to 46 while he was sleeping.

Normally they send the results to the doctor, and you go into his office to get the results a week or so later. In Junior's case, they called the doctor to come to the hospital. He sat down with Junior and told him that he was lucky to be alive, and that he didn't know how Junior hadn't already had a stroke or a heart attack in his sleep.

Junior came home that night with a sleep apnea machine. It's called a bi-pap. Most people with sleep apnea use a c-pap, but Junior needed constant air pressure while sleeping, and that is what the bi-pap provides. He was told that he can not even take a nap without wearing it, or he could die in his sleep. This becomes a problem when the power goes out. We are looking into getting one that can also run on batteries. That would also make it easier on us when we go camping. Right now we can only go to campsites that have power hookups.

I am so thankful that he went for the sleep study when he did, because if he hadn't, he might not have lived much longer.

Sleep Apnea

My husband had a sleep study done years ago. For those of you who don't know, it's where you go to the hospital overnight, and they hook you up to machines while you sleep, checking your oxygen levels and breathing. When Junior went, they thought the machines were malfunctioning, because his oxygen level was reading 46. When they brought a new machine in, it gave the same results. He also stopped breathing every few seconds, which they were extremely concerned about. They diagnosed him with severe sleep apnea and sent him home with a bi-pap machine. Whenever he sleeps, even napping on the couch, he has to wear this mask over his face that forces air down his throat, keeping his airway open. The first night he used he, he slept like a baby. He got up the next morning and said he hadn't slept that good in years.

Recently, he has started snoring again, even with his mask on. This is a sign that he either needs a new study done, or a new mask. I know the seal on his is ripped, and that could be part of the problem. It's just that the mask costs around $400, and we don't have that right now. I'm hoping when he gets back into the clinic, they can replace it for him. It's so important that his machine works properly to keep him alive. Sleep apnea is not something you want to take lightly. If you or your spouse snores, look into having a study done. It could save your life.