My night time OSA symptoms have gone – Your thoughts appreciated

[WhipMeGranny]

After undergoing an in hospital over night sleep test I have recently been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnoea ( AHI score of 35 ) and I am awaiting my insurance company's approval to purchase a CPAP device.

My night time symptoms were that after going to sleep I some times ( not every night ) suddenly wake up and have the feeling that I need to breath in more air , that feeling only lasts for 30 – 60 seconds and a feeling like there was a lump in the back of my throat ( voice box area ) then after I have just remained calm and lay in bed the feelings disappeared and I go back to sleep . This feeling generally occurs once a night but on occasion twice a night. When asleep I do not snore and my wife tells me that I tend to breath through my nose .

During the day time I have no symptoms at all and feel just fine , apart from the lump in the throat sensation .


The feeling of some thing being stuck in my throat is some thing that I have been continually experiencing for several months before I was diagnosed with OSA and that lump in the throat feeling is constant through out the day time.

Many years ago I underwent surgery ( Laparoscopic surgery - also called Nissen fundoplication) to help cure my then reflux acid problem , which it did , and that reflux acid issue after the surgery then never returned . But during that past reflux acid period I do remember experiencing similar feelings of some thing being stuck in the back of my throat , which then disappeared after the surgery.

So over the past week I decided to take a daily dose of Omeprazole ( used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease ) and within a few days of starting to take Omeprazole my night time symptoms have completely disappeared along with a definite feeling that what ever was causing the lump in my throat has now been reduced. ( The lump feeling , feels a lot smaller but currently still there )

I’m not really sure if my lump in the throat feeling was in any way connected to my recent sleep test results , all I can say is that since taking the recent daily dose of Omeprazole , my night time symptoms have gone.

Any thoughts , suggestions or advice most welcome

Thanks

[D.H.]

You need to treat your sleep Apnea! Even if the symptoms don't bother you, you are still at risk for the complications of Sleep Apnea.

Also, reflux is definitely tied to Sleep Apnea!

[LSAT]

The fundoplication doesn't last forever. I had the surgery in 2002 and at about the 10-12 year mark I noticed some Gerd symptoms returning. An endoscopy showed that the wrap was loosening. You could be having some mild GERD along with the Sleep Apnea. Treat both.

[WhipMeGranny]

The fundoplication doesn't last forever. I had the surgery in 2002 and at about the 10-12 year mark I noticed some Gerd symptoms returning. An endoscopy showed that the wrap was loosening. You could be having some mild GERD along with the Sleep Apnea. Treat both.

I did wonder about my past Nissen fundoplication surgery and if the original effect was wearing off in some way , So I will go and see a gastroenterologist and explain my current symptoms , but I still have trouble understanding why my original symptoms have completely disappeared after taking Omeprazole .

[WhipMeGranny]

You need to treat your sleep Apnea! Even if the symptoms don't bother you, you are still at risk for the complications of Sleep Apnea.

Also, reflux is definitely tied to Sleep Apnea!

Thanks for your comment its appreciated

As a recent sleep apnea sufferer I’m still not understanding very well why my original symptoms have completely disappeared after taking Omeprazole .

[TropicalDiver]

As a recent sleep apnea sufferer I’m still not understanding very well why my original symptoms have completely disappeared after taking Omeprazole .

We know you had sleep apnea because an objective study found that. The symptoms you attributed to apnea could have been solely gerd or gerd aggravated by apnea. In any event, Prilosec helped address the herd so you feel better.

As others have noted, untreated apnea has a negative impact on health even without overt symptoms. You have two separate problems; treat both.

[Janknitz]

GERD can cause apnea and apnea can cause GERD. A vicious cycle.

If you have apnea, the struggle to breathe can cause a negative pressure in the airway that pulls stomach contents up into the airway. Meanwhile if you have GERD, reflux can cause irritation and swelling in the airway, contributing to apnea.

While the Omeperazole might bring temporary relief of your GERD symptoms, consider yourself with severe apnea UNTIL A SLEEP TEST PROVES OTHERWISE. It's foolhardy to think your sleep apnea is cured without a confirming test. Even if GERD was the cause, it may not be the ONLY cause.

And yes, you should get the GERD addressed. Long term use of PPI's is bad news, they need to look at why your fundoplication is no longer effective (possibly because of the sleep apnea!).

[WhipMeGranny]

As a recent sleep apnea sufferer I’m still not understanding very well why my original symptoms have completely disappeared after taking Omeprazole .

We know you had sleep apnea because an objective study found that. The symptoms you attributed to apnea could have been solely gerd or gerd aggravated by apnea. In any event, Prilosec helped address the herd so you feel better.

As others have noted, untreated apnea has a negative impact on health even without overt symptoms. You have two separate problems; treat both.

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions .

[WhipMeGranny]

GERD can cause apnea and apnea can cause GERD. A vicious cycle.

If you have apnea, the struggle to breathe can cause a negative pressure in the airway that pulls stomach contents up into the airway. Meanwhile if you have GERD, reflux can cause irritation and swelling in the airway, contributing to apnea.

While the Omeperazole might bring temporary relief of your GERD symptoms, consider yourself with severe apnea UNTIL A SLEEP TEST PROVES OTHERWISE. It's foolhardy to think your sleep apnea is cured without a confirming test. Even if GERD was the cause, it may not be the ONLY cause.

And yes, you should get the GERD addressed. Long term use of PPI's is bad news, they need to look at why your fundoplication is no longer effective (possibly because of the sleep apnea!).

Thanks for you input , its appreciated .

The ‘’ shock ‘’ came after first taking the Omeprazole and my sleep apnea symptoms ( all symptoms ) then disappeared and have not returned , my original simplistic view was that due to taking Omeprazole that action its self then reduced the lump in my throat sensation and physical lump size ( the feeling that the lump has got a lot smaller ) and having read that sleep apnea can be due to the throat and tongue muscles becoming more relaxed , which in turn can cause the airway to become blocked . I was wondering if when asleep the lump in my throat was in some way the cause of my airway becoming blocked or partially blocked , thus causing my symptoms.


My sleep apnea symptoms ‘’do not ‘’ include -

chest pain
heart palpitations
struggling to breath
snoring
daytime sleepiness
lack of energy
headaches
forgetfulness

So if my GERD was a contributing factor to my sleep apnea symptoms , and now it seems that my GERD symptoms due to taking Omeprazole have subsided and the lump in my throat has become a lot smaller , why has my sleep apnea symptoms not returned the same as before ( before I started to take Omeprazole ) .

Could it be that as my original over night sleep test results were carried out while I had the lump in my throat symptoms, those test results may have been influenced in some way by the lump.




Or may be I’m getting it all wrong

[TropicalDiver]

Could it be that as my original over night sleep test results were carried out while I had the lump in my throat symptoms, those test results may have been influenced in some way by the lump.

Better question for your doc. That said, another sleep test would likely answer the question...

[WhipMeGranny]

Could it be that as my original over night sleep test results were carried out while I had the lump in my throat symptoms, those test results may have been influenced in some way by the lump.

Better question for your doc. That said, another sleep test would likely answer the question...

Thanks again , It may seem that I’m getting a bit paranoid about this , but I’m expecting my private health insurers to refuse my request that they pay for a CPAP machine and mask , so that means I will have to pay for the equipment my self .

Here where I live ( Thailand ) the cost of the recommended CPAP machine ( ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet ) is compared to other countries expensive .

Here in Thailand the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet machine only is on sale for around 63,000 Thai Baht ( about 2,000.00 US $ or 1,700.00 Pounds Sterling £ ) .

So I really want to be sure if I need to commit to spending that sort of money , only to find out that it may not have been necessary. I have an appointment in 2 weeks time with the hospital doctor who gave me the sleep test results , and I will outline to them my concerns relating to my throat lump situation.

Again thanks for your input , its really appreciated




.

[TropicalDiver]

Here where I live ( Thailand ) the cost of the recommended CPAP machine ( ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet ) is compared to other countries expensive .

Here in Thailand the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet machine only is on sale for around 63,000 Thai Baht ( about 2,000.00 US $ or 1,700.00 Pounds Sterling £ ) .

Any possibility you could buy used in the US and have it shipped there? The AirSense 10 Autoset, AirSense 10 Autoset For Her or even the AirCurve Vauto would likely all meet your needs. My guess is that you would pay $400 to $600 plus shipping and any import duty on your end...

[WhipMeGranny]

Here where I live ( Thailand ) the cost of the recommended CPAP machine ( ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet ) is compared to other countries expensive .

Here in Thailand the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet machine only is on sale for around 63,000 Thai Baht ( about 2,000.00 US $ or 1,700.00 Pounds Sterling £ ) .

Any possibility you could buy used in the US and have it shipped there? The AirSense 10 Autoset, AirSense 10 Autoset For Her or even the AirCurve Vauto would likely all meet your needs. My guess is that you would pay $400 to $600 plus shipping and any import duty on your end...

Thanks for the suggestion

Ive checked and there seems a few US company's that will ship CPAP equipment to Thailand , including amazon dot com . I would have to check what import duties may be applicable , but its certainly worth looking at .

[zoocrewphoto]

Sleep apnea makes my gerd worse. Both are bad enough that I have to treat both on a regular basis.

Before my sleep study, I was unaware of any symptoms that related to sleep apnea. I had several, but I thought of them as unrelated problems.

your gerd has gotten worse again, and maybe because of the sleep apnea. But treating the gerd will only help the gerd. The sensations you had were from gerd, so they improved with the medication. While sleep apnea can cause acid reflux to come up, and the medication can reduce that problem; the sleep apnea was not the direct cause the sensation in your throat.

For example, before I started cpap, I would wake up 2-3 times week, gasping and choking, often so badly that I would vomit. At the time, I thought it was "just" acid reflux, and I was being treated for that with prilosec, but still having problems. With cpap, it doesn't happen. I learned that as my airway closes, and I struggle to breathe, I basically suck the acid up my throat. So, while the acid reflux is caused by a seperate problem, my sleep apnea was making it far worse by bringing it up at night. With cpap, I do not have those nightly attacks, but I do still have problems and need to take prilosec. If I don't, I will have acid reflux during the day. I recently was changed from Prilosec to Zantac, and that was a total fail. I was having acid in my upper throat during the day at work. I am back on prilosec.

It sounds like you will need to continue treatment for both problems.

[LSAT]

The fundoplication may have solved your GERD problem in the Lower esophageal sphincter(LES), but your current problem seems to be in the Upper esophageal sphincter (UES). Check out this information on Larengopharyngeal reflex...
https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/gu ... t-reflux#1