Think I have Apnea and I'm Frightened

[Heartfright]

I just got up the courage to find some message boards and find out if I'm not alone with my problem. I live alone and think I have sleep apnea. I snore so loudly that I wake myself up all the time. I even snore the second I fall asleep - even if I'm sitting up and dozing in a chair. I also occasionally wake up with my heart pounding wildly and I'm unable to catch my breathe and I'm frightened to go back to sleep. Sometimes it's over 5 minutes before my heart slows down. Lately my pulse is rapid all the time (I think I'm stressed out about this - it's been 112 to 120 pbm) and lately I can feel my pulse in my throat constantly. I feel uncomfortable talking to my family doctor about this for a few reasons - he knows my mother and I don't want to frighten her and the one time I mentioned that I snored really badly and had problems breathing he asked me if I was aware of sleep apnea, I told him I was and he said I probably had it and never said anything else. Since then it's gotten MUCH worse. I'm also afraid to speak to anyone in my family about this.

Is there a self-test I can take at home or something that I can do (a way of monitoring my breathing and heart rate, for example) to see if I have sleep apnea so I can go to my family doctor with something concrete so he can take me seriously? I think he thinks I'm exaggerating or neurotic or something - and this is getting to be problematic for me. Right now I can feel my heart racing as I talk about it. HELP!

[Talismom]

Hi Heartfright,

I have Apnea myself and some of your symptoms sound familiar to me. I cannot, of course, tell you that you do or don't have apnea.

I would suggest that you make an appointment with your doctor and tell him/her exactly what you've said here. Ask for a sleep study and if the doc isn't prepared to help you demand that he/she does.

Having treatment for Apnea makes a huge difference in your life.

Hugs,
Talismom