Hall of fame football star Reggie White dies from complications arising from sleep apnea. He was diagnosed and non-compliant with CPAP therapy. www.sleepgs.com

I have been coughing for 15 or more years so bad that I thought I broke my ribs in coughing spells that lasted 4 plus hours. this actually had thrown out my back and the pain radiated around the ribs I later discovered) Just violent attacks that came and went (no cold symptoms with it–worst when lying down

it comes and goes.

For years I thought I had chronic breonchitis, then I thought an allegy to mold, one doctor thought it was post nasal drip

Yesterday, I had an upper gi test. I was told I have “high level gastroesophigial relux” multiple instances. He said it was bad and going up to the throat or something.

A doctor doing a biopsy said my glbbus sensation (lump in throat that sometimes causes choking and coughing.

The coughing is worst when I lay down.

I was recently told by a doctor doing a thyroid biopsy on me that he thought I had larengoesophigeal reflux and the problem was likle ynot my thyroid.

In researching I saw that this disorder causes a lot of clear phelm to be coughed up. It has been so bad I could not breath for a minute last week as my throat clogged up with phelm and now think it is causing or exacerbating my sleep apnea which is destroying my life as I am getting little rem and stage 3-4 sleep despite a bipap pressure setting of about 20. I figure when I am asleep I am not coughing due to wearing a large full face mas and without consciuous, it is staying in my throat and causing me to not breath. could the two be connected. I heard there is a correlastion.

One of my querstiuon is (no 2 docotrs did not know or answer)

all this clear, kinda sticky phelm I am coughing up, is it from my lungs or stomach?

Could it be a protective mechanism of the body to coat my throat to sooth and lessen the damage tot he esophagus from the acid burning it form the reflux

questions

1 where is it coming from (stomach, liungs or body’s portective mechanism)

2 could this be causing or exacerbvating my sleep apnea (I sleep on my back as only way I am comfortable)

3 can any kind of lung test detrermine if something is going on with my lungs

4 is there any way to heal the esophagus, or fix this sphincter muscle that is letting it reflux up naturally

I am afraid to take the drugs for it, and he said the surgery is rarely done and risky and they probably would not cover it but drugs. Can I heal this naturally

If I took a ppi drug, would I need to be on it for lifetime or can t be fixed in 6 months (a doctor who made other factual errors told me this so not sure I trust her). Would the drugs make the esophagus heal and if I then went off wouldn’t it come right

5 will this eventually become acid reflux with heartburn or cause barrett’s esophagus if untreated

6 does one have too little or too much stomach acid or does this not matter..don’t those drugs lower your stomach acid.

Specialist today would not answer questions..have not seen family doctor yet but she had mentioned drugs which I read bad things about.
left out a sentence

A doctor doing a biopsy said my globbus sensation (lump in throat that sometimes causes choking and coughing. WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE FLAP IN THE THROAT EENLARGING TO TRY TO COMPENSATE

AN ENDROCHROGOLIST I SAW TODAY CONCERNING MY THYROID SAID IT WAS 995 SURE TO BE CAUSED BY THE REFLUX (THE LUMP IN THE THROAT SENSATION THAT SOMETIMES HAS ME COUGHING AND CHOKING AND IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN IT IS HERE BUT IT COMES AND GOES..NO SENSATION FOR 2 weeks
sorry about typos hope it is legible

There are 3 distinct kinds of sleep apnea. Obstructive, drastic and mixed. Obstructive Apnea happens when there is a total or partial blockage of the air passage by the soft tissue at the coming back of the throat there by causing seizure of breathe. Sleep Apnea Death

This above all comes about with the elderly and obese individuals. In the case of central apnea the brain is unable to fully control respiration and there are lapses in breathing during sleep. This seizure of breathe could occur for seconds at a time. People with mixed sleep apnea simply suffer from both obstructive and central.

Can Sleep Apnea really cause Death? In whichever case of this condition the brain and heart are deprived of oxygen and if this condition continues for a long time and the amount of oxygen drops very low and carbon dioxide increases. The brain needs oxygen to survive and when it lacks brain damage could set in or even death. The same goes with the heart, it could begin to swell and could lead to a heart attack and even death. Research shows that people who snore are very likely to develop sleep apnea overtime. Sleep Apnea Death

Also people who suffer from sleep apnea feel very tired during the day and have very slow reaction time. They cannot response quickly to things around them. This is a major cause of accidents, fires and accidental CO poisoning. Not all cases of this condition leads to death. With proper diagnosis and treatment such as c-pap machines it can be managed fully and many victims live long. When is the last time you have a good sleep? Why don’t you try the Web Number #1 Sleep Apnea Death program now!

OSA is characterized by repeated episodes of reduction or cessation in breathing during sleep which is caused when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. These episodes can sometimes occur up to a hundred times a night and can last for a minute or more. Loud snoring is just one sign of OSA others include, abrupt awakening accompanied by shortness of breath, morning headaches and difficulty staying asleep.

We now know what OSA is and its symptoms, but the most important question is who is at risk. This disorder is found to be more common in males that are overweight and over the age of forty. OSA is more commonly diagnosed among the elderly, but this is not to say the young cannot suffer from it as well. Another important factor is the size of your neck. Males who have a neck size 17 inches or greater and women whose necks are 16 inches or greater are more commonly at risk. This disorder can also be associated with family history and people with large tonsils.

Complications from OSA include, high blood pressure, heart disease, risk for stroke and an increased risk for early death. Other side effects can be poor performance in everyday activities, such as work and school.

There are different treatments that range from conservative measures to more invasive procedures. Losing weight, stop smoking and changing your sleeping position are a few of the less invasive. Another option is the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This treatment involves a mask that is worn over the nose and/or mouth while you sleep. It is attached to a machine that carries a continuous flow of air into the nostrils. This treatment is effective, however, many patients find this to be very cumbersome and remove it during the middle of the night. Obviously when this happens they are putting themselves at risk. We have found that dental appliances are having a very high success rate. These appliances, SomnoDent Flax, help to move the mandible (the lower jaw); keeping the airway open while you are asleep.

If you are unsure if you have OSA, there is a new device that can help determine if you are a candidate. The device, The Watch Pac, is a non invasive device that is placed on your wrist with a lead plate attached to your finger and worn overnight as you sleep. This monitors the apnea/hypopnea, repertory disturbance, oxygen desturation index and your REM sleep stage (Rapid Eye Movement). When possible to look at all these factors we are able to determine which is the best form of treatment.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is treatable. Dentistry plays a major role in sleep medicine. If you think you or a loved one might suffer from OSA it is important to look into your all of the options. It can save a life. And remember dentistry can be the portal for you to get started on your way to a better nights sleep.

Sleep apnea is a very serious disease. It causes the airway tightening and finally ceases the breath. To make you breathe again, your brain sends signals to wake you up and begins the breathing process again. In a night, this can happen several times.

According to the research, untreated sleep apnea significantly associated with increased risk of death. The death can be caused directly and indirectly from this sleep deprivation.

1. Direct cause:

- Heart failure

People who have both sleep apnea and heart failure must take attention to the possibilities of complication between these two diseases. Heart has function to pump enough blood per minute to supply the entire body’s need for oxygen and essential nutrients. Meanwhile in sleep apnea case, the supply of oxygen is reduced. When both of these diseases exist in a person, the failure of meeting necessary oxygen requirements is doubled to a dangerous degree. This condition increases the risk of someone with heart failure dying during sleep.

- Serious damage to major organs

To work properly, our organs need enough oxygen. If your body lacks of oxygen several times in a night and it happens continuously, this will lead to serious damage to major organs. Thus, the risk of dying also increases.

2. Indirect cause:

- Accident

Because your sleep is constantly interrupted, 20 to 30 time every night, no wonder if you feel extremely sleepy during the day. Therefore, the possibility to have a car accident is high. This applies to people who have mild as well as severe sleep apnea.

- Depression

Depression is easily happened to those who have no enough sleep. You can imagine what is going on to people who have depression. Their emotion is unstable and sometimes this can lead to the suicide thinking.

The most commonly used form treatments for sleep apnea is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). The patient will be required to wear nasal mask which will pump air at constant pressure. It also comes with a humidifier to avoid the nasal passage from drying up.

If you have a question like this one: Can sleep apnea cause death while the patient is using CPAP, I will answer yes. Basically, human can die at any point in time. So, no one can guarantee the patient won’t die even when wearing CPAP. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure can help you to sleep better and may reduce the risk of death in people with severe sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is an extremely dangerous, and sometimes deadly disorder, if not properly treated.

How can sleep apnea cause death? Death can result directly from apneic events or indirectly from health issues adversely affected by the sleep apnea. Death can also result from accidents that are due to exhaustion from sleep apnea.

Oxygen is needed for cells to survive. Oxygen enters the body by respirations. Respirations are voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary is when you consciously control a function. Involuntary is when a body function is automatic. You can stop yourself from breathing, but only until you pass out, then your autonomic system takes over and tells the body to breathe. When sleeping, we automatically breathe.

Oxygen intake is interrupted in the patient who suffers from sleep apnea. Sometimes the apnea is caused by a short circuit in the brain. The autonomic system isn’t being told to keep the body breathing.

Other times the apnea is caused by an obstruction of the tongue or collapse of the airway. If air doesn’t enter the lungs, oxygen cannot be extracted and after about 4 minutes cells will begin to die. If enough cells die, the body will not be able to compensate and it will result in death.

Hundreds of short breathing cessations each night harms the body. Oxygen saturations drop over and over again while carbon dioxide builds up. This puts stress on the heart.

The heart will enlarge over time if the sleep apnea is allowed to go on untreated. Blood vessels constrict causing high blood pressure. Sometimes it will also result in a stroke if too much pressure causes a vessel to burst. If the bleeding from the stroke cannot be controlled, it will also result in death.

How else can sleep apnea cause death? Lack of sleep causes our bodies chemicals to become out of whack. People suffering from sleep apnea live continuously with off balance chemicals that never get a chance to regulate, therefore sleep deprived people often suffer from depression. This depression can lead to suicidal thoughts.

Impaired judgment and slow reaction times can cause accidental deaths from automobile crashes or falls. Sleepiness and inappropriately falling asleep has resulted in fires and accidental CO poisoning.

There have been athletes, actors, authors, and other famous people who have died due to sleep apnea. the most recent and well known is Reggie White, a NFL Hall-of-Famer who died at 43 years of age from an arrhythmia caused by sleep apnea.

So can sleep apnea cause death? Certainly. Can a person with sleep apnea prevent death? Definitely. Early diagnosis, proper treatment, and treatment compliance is crucial for saving your own life.