My husband recently has had a few episodes on days he's been extremly tired that he will be in his recliner and for a few seconds, his vision is staticy, he can't move or speak. Consequently, his chest gets tight and his blood pressure sky rockets. He does take medication for high blood pressure which usually stays controlled. He does have a very strong family history of heart disease. Therefore, we went to his cardiologist who doesn't believe it's cardiovascular but believes whatever it is, causes his chest to get tight and pressure to elevate...i.e. panic attack when this happens. His cardiologist has tried for years to get him to have a sleep study done but he has not.
However, he did place him on an event monitor, did echo, did ekg and a carotid artery workup....all were ok.
He's referred us to a neurologist.....in between his visit and before our appt with the neurologist, he had one of these episodes that lasted longer than the others......he was able to knock the remote in the floor to get my attention. I called 911. His blood pressure was 220/123. We went to the ED and they did a CT scan plus blood work and said he didnt have a stroke nor a heart attack and also referred us to the neurologist.
We went last week and he feels that my husband does suffer from sleep apnea and that he is so tired that when he has these spells that he is already in rem sleep? and that he goes to move and can't because his brain has told his body that he's asleep.
He did order EEG, MRA/MRI to rule out possible TIA's and/or seizures just to be safe however, he doesn't feel it's stroke related.
Now he's very scared as the neurologist described sleep apnea as a very serious condition and especially to someone with his medical history.
Does this sound correct? Does a person who has sleep apnea gradually get worse? I do believe he has sleep apnea. I've paid attention to his snoring/breathing for years and I do believe he suffers from it.
However, the episodes that recently happened are very scary and I don't know what else to do.
2007-01-12 07:20:12 · 4 answers · asked by Pam M 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Respiratory Diseases
Definitely get the sleep study if for no other reason than to rule out that problem. I've never heard of this but at least you've got tests etc by qualified physicians. My husband had the sleep study done and it was a royal pain trying to sleep with the electrodes etc but it was worth it, he's a different man because even when he was "sleeping" he really wasn't. It almost sounds like your husband is going catatonic for a short period. And it sounds like it is when he's extremely tired so the doctors are tying the episode to that. Once again, get the sleep study, at this point you have nothing to lose and God forbid if that happened when he was driving or something the results could be a disaster. Take care.
2007-01-12 07:28:11 · answer #1 · answered by Cash 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree. By all means make very sure your husband understands how dangerous sleep apnea can be for some. He's already had some close calls so I wouldn't think he'd want to press his luck. Sleep apnea doesn't improve over time nor does it's effects. While I am very happy that other conditions were ruled out, it's imperative that he have the polysomnography done as soon as possible. It's a treatable condition. Have your husband call his cardio today and request the referral.
2007-01-12 09:08:52 · answer #2 · answered by TweetyBird 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should be concerned. May be you should consult a physician and be frank with him about your doubts and fears. They are sure explain things to you in a better way. You may wish to visit this website which I found very useful when came to many of my doubts regarding blood pressure and hypertension. http://ailments.in/hypertension.html
2007-01-16 04:00:22 · answer #3 · answered by Karunya 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Consult a pulmonologist for a sleep study.
2007-01-15 07:50:37 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋