Sleep apnea

[CLARAmay]

Hi everyone, I have now found out I have severe sleep apnea as well as copd, tomorrow is my 1 year of quitting smoking, I stop breathing 35 times an hour in the night.

[CLARAmay]

Hi Redsox, thanks for your positive feedback, does the machine cost a lot in your country? It’s around $1,700 here. May I ask you if you are male or female and how old you are? It’s now 5.20 am here not sure what the time is there?

[CLARAmay]

That’s fantastic, how long ago did you give up smoking?

[CLARAmay]

Oh that’s so good I thinks as time goes on we will feel better and better

[Feelingblessed2013]

I too have emphysema as well as moderate sleep apnea. I stop breathing 33 times a night when I sleep on my back, 22 if I sleep on my side. But my biggest problem was that my breathing would get so shallow that my oxygen level would drop too low. At one point, it dropped to 76%. I used a cpap machine every night until after my second lung cancer surgery. Once I was down to 3 lung lobes I started having issues with the machine, so for now I am on overnight oxygen.

Congrats on being an ex-smoker.

[CLARAmay in reply to Feelingblessed2013]

Hi KatherineK, oh I’ve only started sleeping on my back this year as i always slept on my side, yes it scary as I’ve woken up delusional and because I live on my own it’s even more frightening. I’m going to try and start sleeping on my side, at the moment I need to save to buy the c pac machine, but have app in April, when did you give up smoking?

[Feelingblessed2013 in reply to CLARAmay]

I don't know where you live, but have you reached out to your health care providers to see if there are any kind of programs that you can apply for to help you cover the cost of the machine. If your sleep apnea is marked as severe, you need to have the machine as soon as possible. Maybe talk to the Doctor who diagnosed you, let him or her know that you can't afford the machine.

Here in the states, most medical help cover the cost. I am on medicare, they pay 80% and the patient has to pay the balance in monthly installments (with a down payment).

I quit smoking 18 years ago, after having a chest x-ray for pneumonia. The doctor who was treating me told me that for a 30 plus year smoker, my lungs were surprisingly clear. Thirteen years later...emphysema and lung cancer. Ain't life grand 😁😊