Sleep Apnea Can Cause Major Problems

Sleep Apnea

Two of the major indicators for sleep apnea (snoring or holding your breath) are neck size and body mass index. As many as 75% of professional football players, and many college and even high school players, qualify for the neck size indicator, which is 18 inches. And despite being in sensational football condition, many qualify for the body mass index indicator, which is 30 and above.

  I have a large neck and head. It’s always been hard to hurt me by hitting me in the head, which has made me the topic of many jokes. I didn’t snore; I held my breath and made zoo noises, from growls to shrieks and everything in between. My family thought I was possessed. I’ve had sleep apnea for years and I use the CPAP, which can be a real pain. It’s a machine that forces air down your throat through a mask so you don’t hold your breath. For veterans who don’t have a 50% or more service connection, being diagnosed with sleep apnea can be a big expense if you lack health insurance.

  The machine cost about $2000 and the doctor visits to determine if you have sleep apnea probably cost about the same. I got my machine through private health insurance because I didn’t know the VA could help me with the sleep disorder. Now, I see the VA chest doctor and they replace my mask and heated water container and maintain my machine when necessary.

  I don’t hold my breath at night anymore, at least, most of the time, but my sleep isn’t any better. I still wake up every few hours, and I don’t sleep anymore than I did without the mask. This tells me that a lot of my problem is Nam related because my survival instinct never really shuts down. I usually catnap during the day without the mask.

  The mask takes time to become routine and made me feel like some weird astronaut. The only other alternative, because the base of my tongue is huge, was an operation that isn’t guaranteed to work. The doctor also told me it would make my chin pointed because they would have to remove half of my chin. They said I would probably look different. That went over big. At my age, I’m kind of used to my own weird face and I didn’t care to walk around looking like somebody else. So I passed on any kind of surgery.

   I did meet a veteran who had the surgery, and it worked for awhile but now he has problems again. It’s best just to get the mask and CPAP and deal with it. Then, if you don’t like it or don’t want to use it, you have the option to stop. But if you have the symptoms get checked out because untreated sleep apnea can cause other health problems.


Dennis Latham Books