Let me start off by telling ya'll that me and my dad are VERY close .. I talk to him more than once a day, and I go to him for EVERYTHING!! One day a friend's car broke down and I'm in Louisiana and I'm calling him in Texas to fix it lol

Now, let me also add that EVERYONE of my dads sisters and both of his parents have diabetes or are borderline diabetic (my dad), are overweight, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol ..


My dad is a VERY stubborn man and we finally got him to go see a Dr last year, well the Dr had NOTHING but bad news. My dad got with the game plan and changed his way of life. He stopped eating sugar and flour .. it was CRAZY how strict he was and how he stuck to it .. well, he went to the Dr a couple months later and the Dr was so proud of him and his new "levels" .. then the 2 hurricane's came, Gustav and Ike .. He has to stay underground and only had NASTY stuff to eat .. so all his levels went BACK up .. he is now back on his diet and is going to start going to classes, etc .. Since he finally go this taken care of, I decided to start on him about going to a sleep Dr .. he never rests .. stores VERY loud .. and sometimes sounds like he's dying in his sleep .. he falls asleep on the couch everynight and his neck has to hurt .. he can fall asleep at the drop of a hat ..

Well, he went in FINALLY and the results came back that he has sleep apnea .. He's been down in the dumps about his health lately because he WAS doing so great .. and it's like all that was for nothing ..

Do ya'll have any advice on what I can say to him .. ? or tell him to help him out .. I understand what sleep apnea is, he stops breathing in his sleep .. he's going back February the 8th to get "treated" .. but he just needs a good laugh or a break! Do any of ya'll know what sleep apnea is or deal with anybody that has been diagnosed with it? \

I would appreciate ANY and ALL comments! Thanks

My husband has it and now has the CPAP machine...he's getting alot more sleep now thru the night (so am I!)

The reason he is so tired is because during the night, he finally gets to sleep, then stops breathing for a few seconds and the brain automatically wakes him up, then he goes back to sleep till the next episode. For most people this happens many, many times during the night, so they never get a good, restfull night's sleep. And that's why they're shot all day.

I've heard cases where some people die in their sleep from this....so he needs to know how serious this can be. Tell him you want him around for a good long time to come...so he better get his butt in there for this!!

for some reason I posted twice..crazy computer

My dad has sleep apnea and was placed on a cpap machine but he is so stubborn!!!! He refuses to use the machine because he feels claustrophobic....well, he snores sooooo loud ( with long episodes of apnea), actually all of my dads brothers and sisters snore really loud. It is impossible to get any sleep when they are all under the same roof ...like diabetes, sleep apnea can be treated...your dad sounds just like my dad...it's tough for a dad to admit they are not invincible to their child...I will keep your dad in my prayers and thoughts....just show him support best thing you can do.

JMHO...Tell your Dad how proud you are of him for getting on track "twice"...Tell him you'd like him to someday walk you down the isle; and, you'd like for him to still be around to do it...My Dad's as "hard headed" as they come...When, the doctor told him he had diabetes; and, he had to get it together or the ending would not be pretty...He got it together!!!

Just a suggestion...You might suggest he put a humidifier in his bedroom...I don't have SA (thank God); but, I toss constantly while I sleep...Since, I started leaving the humidifier running while I sleep; I sleep much better...I usually end up waking up in the same general position I fell asleep in...Just a suggestion!!!

Have heard of the condition, but don't know too much about it. I usually do a ton of research on the internet to learn about things, sometimes to a fault even. Good luck to your Dad & I'll say a prayer for you all.

thanks for the info, i really appreciate it!! i'm going to PM you -- i have a question!

bbrown -- i have a feeling if this is the dr's "treatment" he will do the same thing -- he's going to tell the doc he'll try it -- and NOT DO IT because it's too much trouble thanks for the info and support!!

lasmaj -- thanks for the advice -- i did tell my dad today how proud i am of him -- he sends me texts constantly telling me how proud he is of me and when i saw your advice i was like "wow i never do that!" so thanks!!

and i will pass the info about the humidifier!!

bozjovi -- thanks, i have been doing research in between all the school work, thanks for the prayers -- i'm just ready for him to get his butt to his appointment!

My nine year old was tested for this, and they monitored him while he slept for eight hours. They didn't think he had a problem that needed a monitor but if your Dad is falling asleep he is most likely very tired form not getting good rest a monitor would wake him up if he stopped breathing. Make sure he gets tests for this cause he could not wake up. It is something to look into even if they don't find anything. He needs his rest.

My Dad has had this for a while so I know how you feel. I'll be keeping your Dad in my prayers. Good luck finding the right treatment for him.

LOL, dad's can be soooo stubborn. This I know, only too well.

My husband also has sleep apnea, he now uses the CPAP machine every night and has for a few years. When he was tested they found that in a 4 hour test he was only actually getting good sleep for about 1 1/2 hours. He did struggle with using it at first but now has a hard time sleeping without it. I highly recommend that he tries it. Also, interestingly they are linking weight issues to lack of sleep. So, that being said your dad's health could significantly improve with the use of the CPAP.

Good luck! Let us know how he's doing with all his stuff.

he did have the test, the test confirmed the sleep apnea! he has an appointment at the beginning of february for "treatment" .. so we'll see what happens then! thanks, for the info! yes, he does need rest - poor guy has mood swings because of the lack of rest (lol)



thank you, i'm just really worried about him! and like i said, he's stubborn so i might have to go stay with him for a while to make sure he follows the treatment!



i'm hoping he isn't stubborn with the machine -- i am going to his appointment with him to make sure i hear what the dr says so i can make sure he does it!! lol thanks for your info and i will keep yall updated!

WOW! I could not believe when I read your post! It sounds like you are discribing my life to a Tee!!! I too suffer from uncontolled blood pressure, diabetes, and overweight. I have lost weight and put it back on and get really frustrated. So I understand what he is going through. I also have sleep apnea. I was put on my CPAP machine five years ago and it is the best thing I ever did!! I now sleep so much better! I used to go to sleep when I stopped at a stop light! Or when I was sitting there carriying on a conversation, all of a sudden-I was out of it!! Before I got the machine my ex used to tell me that I was like sleeping with a grizzly bear!! He would lay there and watch me at night to make sure I would breathe! Then after I got the machine he would say I looked like a klingon!!! But I don't care what it looks like! It is my life line now! I refuse to sleep without it! So tell your dad good luck and I will be thinking of him as he begins this. I am sure they will give him the machine also. If he is too clostorphobic tell them to ask if he can use just the hoses that go to the nose like an Oxygen hose instead of the full mask. This is what I use and it is so much better than that big ole mask on your face! Well, best wishes to your dad! Let me know how he does with it!

Vicki,

my dad also can fall asleep at a stop light .. he will fall asleep while driving for a split second .. he is all the time falling asleep in the midst of excitement .. he can have 20 people at his house and fall asleep in his recliner .. mid conversation too!

and YES HE IS A GRIZZLY BEAR! lol when i lived at home and friends stayed over they would always say we would never be able to tell if a hurricane or tornado was coming! lol

while he sleeps, he looks miserable -- so i'm glad to hear first hand of someone on here who's experiencing this! hope you don't mind if i PM you with questions lol!

as far as the mask goes .. he gets up SOOO much at night so i don't see him using the mask because he will have to take it off, etc .. BUT then again with his treatment he may stop getting up so much at night!!

thanks for everything!!

My husband now uses the mask like you...where it goes just to your nostrils and I think he likes it much better. I think his machine is his new best friend. And i don't make fun of how he looks in it!!!

I really hope the machine works out for your dad. My husband had sleep apnea and they put him on the machine also. He struggled with it badly and they ended up doing a surgery that widens the breathing passages in the nose and throat. It is a rough surgery. Unfortunately for him and I, we did not know he suffered from heart disease and between the surgery and the
drugs they give you, he did not make it. He died at 31 years of age. Please urge your dad to take this seriously and if the machine does not work to make sure he checks all his options and his HEALTH before anything else!
On a positive note, I was blessed with a new husband to take over the daddy role and I was able to have another child. Wild thing is, my oldest begged for my child to be born but it would have been very premature and wouldn't ya know it, my baby was born on my oldest daughter's birthday. I think of it as her having some pull up in heaven. If only I had thought to have her get me the winning lottery numbers! Take care and God Bless!

AFter I read my post I realized that it sounded real scary. I am very sorry if I alarmed you or anyone else. Honestly, my husband's case was a rare and isolate incident. He would have survived had it been just the sleep apnea. His type of heart disease was masked by other health issues. Again, I hope I didn't scare anyone with that but just make sure you get all the facts no matter what!

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your first hubby.My doctor wanted me to have that surgery too and I said No Way. I have had enough surgeries in my life that I didn't feel like that one was necesssary (spelling?) when I had an alternative, which was the C-pap machine.

I'm going to have my dad ask his doctor about changing to just the hose...he says he can use the machine for an hour then he has to take it off...I don't want him to have the surgery because he does have heart problems and diabetes...I'm still working on my dad