Patient Stories - Marge's Story

A Teacher's Story of Life Threatening Sleep Apnea

Having had sleep apnea for a long, long time, I was not officially diagnosed until August 1999. Since then, I have been successfully treated with CPAP. This school term, I will be celebrating thirty years of teaching.

Shortly after graduating from college in 1971, I returned to live in my parents' home. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, choking and gasping for air! My Dad insisted I go to the doctor. That doctor told me I had a thick neck and his prescription was, "lose weight and use two pillows".

I spent the next twenty plus years dedicating my life to teaching, volunteer work and traveling. My traveling companion and I used to joke about my snoring. She told me I often stopped breathing. It never bothered me in the daytime, so I was not concerned about it and we continued to laugh about my snoring.

In 1990 my life changed. After living with my parents since graduating from college, I married at the age of 39. My marriage was a package deal; I got a husband, three young daughters, two dogs and a mother-in-law next door! Although I had never been happier, the adjustment of sharing my life with all these people created stress.

Two years later, I lost my mother to cancer and within the next four years I lost my father and nine other family members and friends. Although my husband told me I had sleep apnea shortly after were married, we blamed my moodiness and tiredness on all these sad things happening in our lives.

By spring of 1999, my health was at its worst. I gained a lot of weight since my marriage. I blamed my weight gain for the shortness of breath I was experiencing. It was so bad, I had to stop every two or three steps when climbing stairs. Getting around the house became a chore and I dumped more and more work on the girls.

When we went out, my husband would have to drop me off at the closest door. Walking the mall was out of the question. I continued experiencing extreme mood swings which I blamed on menopause. Although I could hold myself together when I was at school, at home I was not pleasant to be around. I did not want to be with people, but I did not want to be alone. Every little thing caused me to react.

I would go to bed as early as 7:30 in the evening, and then get up every hour or so to go to the bathroom. In the morning, I would shower, dress and sleep again until my husband was ready for the day. Bronchitis set in, and it would not go away! I went to my doctor and he suggested asthma might be part of the problem.

Tested for asthma, I was not able to pass the regular breathing part of that test. I was then referred to a pulmonologist who ordered an echocardiogram and then referred me to a neurologist who specialized in sleep disorders. Although not officially diagnosed yet, I knew I had sleep apnea, but never dreamed it would cause such symptoms.

My new sleep doctor spent a lot of time talking with me. We discussed a sleep study and when I inquired about the sleep lab, he told me it had no windows! Being very claustrophobic, I had to see a psychologist before the sleep study to prepare to deal with the anxiety. I met with the sleep lab technician to try on CPAP masks so I knew what I would be faced with. The entire sleep lab staff was kind and patient and did everything in their power to make this easy for me.

The first night of the sleep study certainly showed why I was in such a miserable condition! It revealed 108 apneas per hour, my oxygen levels dipped to 56% and my heart was palpitating. My apnea was so severe, my second study was done on the following night Then the doctor sent me home with CPAP, set at a pressure of 14, to begin treatment. Within a very short time, I began feeling better and better!

My story does not end there. Because of the heart arrhythmia during the sleep study, I was referred to a cardiologist. The stress test showed no major problems. The echocardiogram showed a lot of pressure on the heart. I had to wear a heart monitor for twenty-four hours. I remember waking at 5:00AM to go to the bathroom with the CPAP machine on and the heart monitor hanging around my neck. When I returned to bed, I decided not to put on the CPAP mask back on. That was the last time I have not worn my mask when in bed!

That day, husband and I attended a wedding and between the ceremony and reception, we called home to check on our girls. They were quite panicked. My cardiologist had called and left word that I was to get to the hospital ASAP! In the emergency room, the nurse explained that the heart monitor showed my heart had stopped for 6.6 seconds shortly after 5:00AM...the same time I had gotten up to use the bathroom and returned to bed without using CPAP! I was admitted to the hospital immediately and now am the proud owner of a pacemaker.

I feel better now than I have felt in a long, long time. We are all so thankful for my outstanding team of doctors and health care professionals that the Lord has blessed me with. I am thankful, too, for supportive friends and family who put up with me when I was at my worst! At age 49, I certainly am glad my health is restored. Since receiving my CPAP, I have referred two friends to the neurologist and they were both diagnosed with sleep apnea. Life is good now, and when things are hectic and something goes wrong in our family, you can often hear us say, "thank God for CPAP!"

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