To ask if sleep apnea is an emergency?

[Sleepapneaproblems]

I have undiagnosed sleep apnea and am awaiting the sleep study for official diagnosis. After being in hospital for something unrelated the consultant I saw expedited the referral because I was struggling to wake and kept falling asleep during conversation.

I will fall asleep sitting up, sitting on the floor, with a coffee in my hands, eating etc, it’s getting really bad.

I get dizzy often and feel like I’m going to pass out when I stand up. I have a headache all day every day. I also get a frequent thundering in my ears which comes with waves of pressure.

this week the earliest I have woken is 1pm, my partner cannot physically wake me up and he’ll tell me he tried multiple times and I have no recollection of this.

This week has been particularly bad and I’m getting worried. I didn’t wake until 4pm and despite this still slept until 2pm today and im still exhausted. I had a fall two nights ago when I briefly woke up, stood up to go get some water and fell and face planted the floor. Currently have a nice big bump on my head.

Today im really feeling quite out of it and im getting a lot of palpitations and dizziness, and even standing makes me feel nauseous because of how light headed it’s making me.

I’ve barely moved off the sofa today because it’s literally exhausting me to move.

Really panicking about tonight/tomorrow because I hate not being able to wake up.

When does sleep apnea become an emergency, and is this something I should just wait to see GP/continue waiting for the sleep study?

Please go back again OP. You are being treated appallingly. They should not be turning you away like this. Can you take a friend or relative with you? To speak up and say you are not hysterical?

I know this may not help
but if you don’t drink enough water 6/8 tumblers a day you will dehydrate, which is probably why you have headache . If you don’t think enough it could cause all sorts of problems for you
dried out
brain, kidneys , spine/disc so back ache
so whilst you manage to be awake drink

Unfortunately, if the OP has heart failure and her lungs are overloaded - which seems possible given her chest X-ray - additional fluids will exacerbate her condition.

A suitably qualified HCP needs to advise. All the more shameful that she hasn't received that advice and is having to ask the internet.

The NHS is truly awful now. I hope you are okay OP.

Hi everyone thank you so much for your kind words.

Didnt wake up until 3pm today. Again DP said he kept shaking me but I couldn’t wake. Very drowsy when I eventually did.

i had my echo today. My heart rate was 110 and wouldn’t go down, but they said it’s not irregular which would be the first concern. I kept asking if it was ok and all he could say was it’s not life threatening right now so I don’t feel I need to send you to see a doctor straight away. He wouldn’t tell me the actual results because he said they need to go to my doctor first who will contact me.

They did then send me for an ECG, and the man doing it looked concerned. I asked if everything was normal and he said no. He then kept looking back at it and started asking me questions such as am I tired, breathless, dizzy etc throughout the day.

Again he didn’t say I needed to go to the hospital but that I would need to contact me doctor - but clearly he had something in his head if he kept looking and started asking those specific questions? I don’t know. I’m going to call my GP tomorrow. The blood test BNP he did came back as ‘unlikely heart failure’ and to confirm with the echo.

he did say most of my tests were ok but all of my infection markers are up.

Maybe your doctor can fit you with a portable ECG. It’s hard to catch irregular heartbeats when you are lying still in a short window. Sometimes they need to put one on you to wear for a few days as you do normal activity and then look at the data.

I think there is definitely something going on, but the tests are hopeful in that you are perhaps catching it early. That would explain you being treated so poorly as well. We often know when things are not right before the doctors can pick up on it.

Did they give you a bnp level?

As others have said, there is more going on here, and it urgently needs checking out. Could you have very low iron?

Hi @Sleepapneaproblems I’m glad that at least you have had the tests. Please ring your GP first thing today to get moving on the results. Great that your echo and BNP seemed normal, but you clearly have an infection at the very least if your markers are up. I’m sorry you’re having to fight so hard, but at least things are moving now.

Cone back and let us know how you get on. Lots of strangers on the internet are rooting for you!

Hope you get some answers today. X

No update yet. Slept until 1pm - woke up on the living room upright next to the sofa. Partner said he kept trying to wake me and I would stir drowsily and then be back asleep within 20 seconds. GP called me at 8am. He asked me something and I started talking - I can remember myself talking but I don’t know what I was saying, I just remember him asking me whether I was sleep talking and me saying I’d call back.

Anyway, no updates - he was just ringing to let me know he might not hear anything before christmas because of the junior doctor strikes.

He said in the meantime until we have these results back there’s not much he can do and to try to rest over Christmas… even though that seems like all I’m doing anyway.

Was supposed to be going up to the midlands tomorrow for a christmas lunch with my family, but had to cancel and feeling awful about it. There’s no way I’d be able to get up at 6am for the 12pm lunch and I don’t want to let anyone down on the actual day. Really gutted though as was really looking forward to it. I don’t want it to be a miserable christmas but I know it’s going to be.

*on the living room floor.

Sounds more like narcolepsy than sleep apnea. I thought sleep apnea was where you kind of stop breathing briefly in your sleep and it’s usually treated with various things like cpap machines or mouth guards. Although if you’re also getting the waking up when you stop breathing then I guess it has a knock on effect.

Dizziness could also be something like labrynthitis which is horrendous and often last a week but I had it for several months and couldn’t get out of bed. Usually also comes with sickness as well.

I’d definitely be contacting the gp again though.

Gosh I'm so sorry you're being left in the dark over Christmas:(

Just been thinking of you. Hope you have some answers or someone has a plan?

How worrying for you, especially now we are in to the holidays. I hope you get some resolution soon.

Thinking of you too, and hoping you can salvage a bit of joy over the holidays. If you do get worse, it’s fair to go back to A&E.

How are you getting on OP?

@Sleepapneaproblems

How are you doing now?

How are you OP?

Hope you get some answers soon op, you sound very unwell x

OP, how are you?

Yes, I've been wondering too. Hope you're okay!

@mumsnet are you able to check in with the OP? Is that something you do?

She sounded very unwell.

I was wondering yesterday while in hospital myself for weird ongoing symptoms.