Hi!
First off, if only 9 percent of your arousals were caused by breathing, my guess is that apnea is not your primary problem, at least right now. But you need to get a copy of your sleep study, which you and your insurance company paid for and are entitled to have, to see what else is going on. Sounds like 91 percent of your arousals are caused by something else and I would suspect it is your sarafem.
Did a quick peak at serafim side effects and found that sarafem may cause insomnia and other sleep problems like a decrease in REM sleep, a disruption of the sleep cycle, changes in rapid eye movement sleep, drowsiness, and other sleep disturbances.
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I am to bring my CPAP in with me and there is a card that they read that gives them data. I thought it would also indicate any leaking/breathing abnormalities??
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Good! Yes the smart card should reveal any leaking, snoring, abnormalities...they use the data from the smart card to determine if pressures need to be adjusted, also.
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..I do take Sarafem, and am going to consult my PCP about dc'ing to see if that will help my sleep. I have had sleep problems way before I started taking, that though.
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Keep in mind that pcps and specialists are notorious for overlooking side effects or denying they exist!! Do your homework beforehand, and get documentation to support your suspicions. Again, my pcp and my sleep specialist denied my restless legs were due to my blood pressure medication but the info I found suggests it is a common problem. Better to try another med than to add a med to treat side effects.
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... Well, I just kept increasing and increasing with no help for the RLS, but did have some strange side effects that I wasn't willing to deal with, so I have stopped that as well and am waiting to hear back from the sleep dr.
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I don't know what you were taking for your rls, but I was taking Mirapex and it did nothing except make my rls worse. My sleep specialist said that when rls gets worse with Mirapex, it is because the dosage is too strong, and he had me cut back my dose, which helped as I stopped having movements in the afternoon and evening, but continued to have them at night. I found that two different meds caused my rls...hydrochlorothiazide (a water pill) and benicar/hct.
I tried the caffeine thing, too, but no effect. I indulge in my coffee and cafe lates freely now and have no problems whatsover.
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....I was so exhausted from no sleep at the study, when I met with her that same morning, I just kind of sat there.
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Brings back memories...i was so exhausted at my follow ups that I didn't have the energy to tell my sleep doctor that I was too tired to shower, to dress, to eat, to return phone calls, etc...and it amazed me that he would tell me my pressures and everything else were great and then send my on my way without asking how I was feeling. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being exhausted, I was a 20. With that in mind, it may be helpful to tell your doctor how you feel on a scale of 1-10 or things may be overlooked.
Finally, although you may have had sleep problems before, they may have been aggravated by depression and therefore a poor diet and exercise lifestyle. Sometimes medications can aggravate these conditions...meds that cause sleep disturbances can indirectly cause depression which in turn can cause more sleep disturbances.
Oh dear, I'm probably not making any sense at all...but my point is, your apnea may be a problem (as was mine since I was a child) but it may be made worse by something else.
Bethsheba
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