Out of breath going up steps

Sleep Apnoea

by Selwyn - 2019-06-17 06:24:25

Having a pacemaker is irrelevant to the problems of sleep apnoea, other than it may be life-saving, in that sleep apnoea itself can cause cardiac arrhythmias.

My pacemaker was implanted after periods of cardiac arrest only at night, all unknown to my concious self. 

People with sleep apnoea have fatigue, and may have raised blood pressure, along with heart problems.  

There is certainly treatment for sleep apnoea. My medical daughter is at present specialising in the problem, and my son-in-law is a respiratory nurse who supervises the treatment for those with the problem.

As the illness is treatable ( and weight loss should be part of that treatment), it is worth getting a diagnosis. Having sleep apnoea does not make a difference to the pacemaker, however having a pacemaker does make a difference to the outcome of sleep apnoea. 

CPAPs are Great!

by CatDad - 2019-06-17 09:04:51

If your husband's apnea study produces a graph like mine did, looking like the seismograph of an eight-hour earthquake, he'll probably be convinced to at least try using a CPAP.

And if he is again like me and finds the restorative power of proper breathing all night to be worth the hassle of mask & hose, he'll keep using it as I have.

We're all just old cars and merely replacing the ignition module doesn't do anything for a clogged air intake. Gotta have both working properly.

recovery

by Tracey_E - 2019-06-17 09:35:42

If he's pacing 97% of the time, I don't think it takes a medical degree to say he needs it. It's possible the settings need adjusted. Many of us get winded on stairs. Tell them at his next pacer check. 

As the others said, apnea needs to be treated separately. Love CatDad's ignition/air intake module analogy! We need both to feel good. It's common to have both heart condition and sleep apnea so perhaps his problem is two-fold.

Sleep apnea

by Doris Jean - 2019-06-17 11:27:34

You guys are great! Thanks so much. We are so new to this and I am trying to educate myself as much as possible. Love this guy and want to do anything I can to help.

Seperate Things

by CatDad - 2019-06-17 13:02:35

Doris Jean, just to reinforce the point that apnea and pulse-rate can be very independent things, I was diagnosed with severe apnea and issued a CPAP eleven years before showing any signs of the bradycardia that got me my pacemaker last month.

I think your husband is very fortunate with the timing of things; now he has a reliable, strong heartbeat to help him through dealiing with any apnea he may have also developed. First things first!

Old car analogies

by AgentX86 - 2019-06-17 13:38:16

Yes, the old car analogies are appropriate. I appreciated the ignition module analogy and the intake manifold. Can we please STOP before we get to the rusted out frame analogy! 😁

My cardiologist wants me to go for a sleep study just to make sure. I had one about 12 years ago, when I started down the Afib slope but it showed nothing of interest.