My husband went to a sleep clinic today for a consultation.  They
told him that he definitely has sleep apnea and that the air tube
would help.  I vaguely remember some of you telling me that it wasn't
the greatest solution.  Please tell me more.  The other option is the
laser surgery that many of you mentioned, but the doctor definitely
wants to try the nonevasive method first.

Thanks for whatever info you can offer.

David Nye, MD * Neurology Dept., Midelfort Clinic, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
One out of four American children under the age of six now lives in
poverty.  Nearly 1.5 million of them are malnourished -- Census Bureau

EJ->My husband went to a sleep clinic today for a consultation.
EJ->They
EJ->told him that he definitely has sleep apnea and that the air
EJ->tube
EJ->would help.  I vaguely remember some of you telling me that
EJ->it wasn't
EJ->the greatest solution.  Please tell me more.  The other
EJ->option is the
EJ->laser surgery that many of you mentioned, but the doctor
EJ->definitely
EJ->wants to try the nonevasive method first.

  The sleep specialist SHOULD have made some recommendations to help
relieve the sleep apnea.....weight loss, no drinking {*filter*} prior
to going to bed, etc.  The suggestion to try non-invasive treatment
is a good one, for now.

  The nose tube you refer to is called a nasal airway or nasal
trumphet.  It should be available at any medical supply house or
aplace that sells emergency medical equipment.

  The other device mentioned is the CPAP mask...this is available
only with a prescription from your doctor....it is usually d\set up
and run by a home respiratory care agency.

  I hope this helps.  If anyone knows...I am sure there is a sleep
apnea support group around somewhere.....

What is wrong with CPAP ? (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.)
I thought that CPAP was the standard thing tried first.

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   >My husband went to a sleep clinic today for a consultation.  They
   >told him that he definitely has sleep apnea and that the air tube
   >would help.  

   I don't know about a tube *through* the nose.  Don't you mean nasal
   continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), administered by a mask
   *over* the nose?  This is the standard treatment, and works in the large
   majority of cases.  It is harmless, unless he has right heart failure,
   and should definitely be tried first.

A sleep center diagnosed me with obstructive sleep apnea last
spring. The doctor told me there were three treatments, in this
order of effectiveness:
        1) Lose weight.
        2) CPAP.
        3) Surgery.
and then said "Most people can't lose weight, so I'll tell you
about CPAP..." Once he learned that my insurance would cover it,
he acted like my case was closed.

Well I decided to try losing weight instead, and within 2 weeks
my apneas had almost completely disappeared. They have stayed
that way.

The CPAP approach seems to be getting strongly pushed by the
manufacturers of the equipment, and at the same time, many
doctors seem to have given up trying to convince people to
live a healthy lifestyle.  Up and down the line, from books
on sleep apnea, to newsletters from the sleep apnea association,
to newspaper articles and this network, you hear about CPAP
as if it is the only way to treat sleep apnea. But at the
same time, any doctor will tell you that weight loss is
recommended as the best first treatment. (Or at least
that is what I have heard from multiple sources.)

Personally I would rather not be connected to a machine for
the rest of my life. All it takes me is trading 1/2 hour of
TV a day for 1/2 hour of exercise, and reducing the fat
in my diet. I haven't felt as good in years.  Yes, it's
hard work, but it's much better than the alternative.
--

 ~~~  _`\ <_         Mark Dionne, Interleaf Inc.
~~~  (*)/ (*)           9 Hillside Ave, Waltham, MA 02154
------------------------(617) 290-0710 x5551

The basic setup is a box that pumps air through a tube ending in
a mask that fits over the nose. The sleep clinic (most likely)
will have to work out what air pressure is appropriate for your
husband. If it is too low then the treatment won't work. I've heard
(but don't know if it is true) that too high a pressure may make
the problem worse.

I had a lot of trouble finding a mask that would fit me properly,
but the sleep clinic seemed to think that it was unusual to have
as much trouble as I did.

The pump makes some noise which both partners will have to get
used to. It took my husband a week or so.

The ENT specialist didn't think that surgery would do me any good,
and the CPAP machine (even with it's inconveniences) makes a big
difference to my life, so it is worth having although not ideal.

                Lucy Chubb.

Disclaimer: I have no medical training, but I do suffer from
        sleep apnea.

Softway Pty Ltd,                Phone: +61 2 698 2322;
P.O. Box 305,                   Fax: +61 2 699 9174;

NSW 2012,
AUSTRALIA

David Nye, MD * Neurology Dept., Midelfort Clinic, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
One out of four American children under the age of six now lives in
poverty.  Nearly 1.5 million of them are malnourished -- Census Bureau

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