Freaking out - anxiety or Sleep Apnea?
 

I mentioned to the doc that I've been having episodes where I will be falling asleep, and just as im drifting off, my heart starts feeling like its beating irregularly, and i cant breathe. I come half awake sort of feeling like im going to die because I can't breathe, you know the feeling you get when you have been underwater too long, and then i force a few short breaths(very very short, like not even half a second of breathing in, its all I can get) and this has to be done several times until i wake up, and the feeling goes away as I wake completely. Oh, and when im half awake and cant breathe, i dont have the ability to move completely. Its as if my body is under a huge weight. Not quite paralyzed.

this is now three nights in a row this has happened, im terrified to sleep! It has happened to me in the past, but its been transient, never this severe.

I don't know if i should be going up to the hospital tonight or what I should do. Im freaked right out. I just tried going to bed with my baby son and it happened over and over and over. Everything I am reading is that I have sleep apnea, which makes sense,because I both snore and am overweight.

Doc even gave me 2mg of klonopin a day, its not helping I read that it can actually make apnea worse.

I called into one of the nurses at the hospital and explained everything, and she said to come in tomorrow morning and see my regular doctor, he will be at the hospital at 10am. She said it definetly sounds like sleep apnea to her, but that because I have been having it for a few days im probably ok to wait. She said if i have any other symptoms to call back and they will assess if i should come right in, and also of course if i feel its emergent then to come in right away.

I am exhausted, i just want to sleep but I am scared of the bed!:eek:

Welcome to NT, Rainbowzz.

Would it help to sleep in a recliner, so that your head was a little elevated?

I wear a CPAP, but don't remember anything like what you describe, only needing to inhale. Good luck to you!

I was going to suggest a recliner, also. If you don't go tonight, Be sure to get checked tomorrow. Good Luck and welcome to NT.

Thank you everyone.

I have actually taken the matress and put the head at an incline.. unfortunately baby boy is so used to sleeping with me that he won't allow me to sleep anywheres else and get a decent sleep.(my fault, i spoil him:rolleyes:)

But i stuck some books strategically under the matress near the top so i am reclining.

And i definetly will get to the doc tomorrow, because something funky is going on.

thank you for the welcome as well!

I had a good long chat with a friend with apnea, and she calmed me down quite a bit, still can't sleep yet but i feel less emergent than I did. So tonight is okay for now.

Sometimes look into the alternatives.
 

I have sleep apnea, the worst. When I was finally diagnosed I was so tired I would fall asleep driving, standing, talking to people..etc...when I had my sleep study done the people hooking the wires up to me told me most people had problems falling asleep with all the wires...I was asleep before I hit the pillow.

If you loose weight it helps. My doctor told me he never saw a skinny person with sleep apnea. I have been wearing my c-pap 10 years and will not go anywhere overnight without it. I dream someone is choking me when I fall asleep without it. I'm 40 pounds over weight is all.

This could be two totally different problems.

The other problem you spoke of. I did not experience but my mom did. She thought she was going crazy and the doctors had her taking all kinds of tests and trying all kinds of medicine. Nothing worked or seemed to be wrong and they finally told her it was in her head. She thought she was going to die every time she would lie down...really! She was afraid if she went to sleep, she wouldn't wake up this went on for two years.

Someone told my mother of a homeopathic doctor and out of desperation my mother went to see her. The first visit my mother had with the homeopathic doctor, the lady suggested my mother take a sealed and labeled mixture of herbs sold from her organic vitamin store. My mother bought the herb mixture and took them for three months...after two months my mother had no symptoms or signs of the heart palpitation or any of the other symptoms. She continued to take the herbs for the whole three months... my mother is cured and has never had to take the herbs again and she has been fine for three years now. The herbs were only about $20 dollars and since the homeopathic doctor owned the organic vitamin store, her services are free.

When all else fails. . .

Rainbowzz
Be careful, I have a TBI< and got sleep apnea.
I use a CPap now, after a sleep study.
I have what you describe almost exactly, if I sleep without it.
It's absolutely shocking. Terrible.
My neuro, ( a genius ) described it as the brain, realizing a alack of oxygen, forces you awake, then the gasping for air, and the nasty dreams, and on etc...

I would think that your doc would order a sleep study.
I also think, that you'd do best to follow their suggestions!

Pete
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