Mild OSA. Severe symptoms?
Recently turned 18,Male.I was so excited when I came across slept apnea because all of the health conditions including treatment resistant mental health ones that were unusual for my age made sense so I got a sleep study which I paid out of pocket for. I got Mild OSA (AHI 😎on the test and doctor said it was absolutely nothing and I've been "googling" things too much and have an obsessive personality. It does not need to be treated nor would I benefit from treatment of any sort. I was shattered.
Sleep study statistics:
Recently turned 18 year old.The AHI was 8 (36 hypopneas over 4.5 hours, No apneas) with lowest saturation during sleep being 93%. Sleep efficiency : 49%.Though my symptoms are anything but mild and so disabling.
If we apply the paediatric criteria then it'd be considered Moderate OSA which is a possibility here because my lungs aren't fully matured yet.
I'll reiterate the symptoms:
- Treatment resistant anxiety.
- Severe daytime sleepiness during driving and pretty much every other activity. Fatigue.
- Hungover without drinking.
- Treatment resistant tension headaches which start right after waking up are pretty much gone by night time.
- Finding it extremely painful hard to wakeup, never feeling rested.
- Worsening amnesia - Impaired working memory.
- Inattention, brain fog.
- Severe Procrastination - despite mood being normal and waiting to perform that task.
Partial response to provigil/nuvigil - quit due to severe crashes. Caffeine works well but causes anxiety during the crash.
Do cases like these benefit from CPAP therapy in your experience especially since I have Mild OSA and no real apneas as per the doctors
And I got prescribed Ambien and melatonin 5mg because my REM sleep is very low (12.4% of total sleep)
Hi. Sorry you're going through all this! It's worth noting that there are a number of other sleep disorders besides sleep apnea, so I would echo Lori that it is certainly your right to discuss CPAP or other treatment with the doctor. If you don't get anywhere, it might be in your best interest to seek a second opinion. You need to be with a doctor that understands your concerns and is willing to explain why they feel further treatment isn't needed. And all of this should be done with respect and room for you to ask questions.
That said, I have some other questions for you. Have you had a full physical exam with your regular doctor? How did that go, and did they recommend that you have the sleep study? What about your headaches and other concerns?
Additionally, did you have a family member or someone else with you for these appointments? While you are a legal adult, it can be helpful for people of all ages to have someone come along to back you up, so to speak. If someone else can vouch for the way you've been struggling, you may be taken more seriously, especially if they're a parent or guardian. It shouldn't have to be that way, but it's worth a try.
Keep us posted, okay? Fingers crossed for you. -Melissa, team member
Hi
. We are not medical experts, so it's hard for us to say whether a CPAP will help. A CPAP would not likely hurt though. If your doctor is willing to prescribe one and you think it might be helpful, it might be worth a try. It is not uncommon for doctors to tell patients their symptoms are psychiatric when they can't figure out what is going on. You know your body better than anyone. So, if you really feel this doctor is going down the wrong path and isn't listening to you, you might want to consider finding someone new. You pay for the doctor's services, whether through your insurance or out of pocket. You deserve to be treated with attention, empathy and respect. This article about gaslighting is from our narcolepsy community, but I thought it might interest you: https://narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net/living/medical-gaslighting. Please keep me updated if you don't mind. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member)
