Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by Rvn: Anyone willing to share with me their feelings upon waking up from surgery and finding they are intubated?
I recently had surgery and apparently there was difficulty when they extubated me (bronchiospasms) and I was quickly re-intubated and placed on a ventilator. I woke up several times in recovery while intubated and had quite a traumatic experience. I now have so many awful feelings that I can’t deal with and haven’t talked to anyone about. Feelings of panic, fear of suffocation, sleep disturbances, fear of falling asleep, bouts of crying. I have asthma and possibly sleep apnea, so the breathing issue is an ongoing thing with me that I will need to follow-up with a doctor about, but these feelings of terror are invasive and I want to hear from anyone else who has exerpienced this so I don’t feel so crazy.

Best answer:

Answer by firespider
You’re not crazy. I had a very similar experience. It happened to me after two different surgeries.

Waking up on a ventilator is traumatizing. It was very frightening for me.

You are probably suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a normal reaction to what you’ve experienced.

Aside from the physical pain, you are also having emotional pain. It’s being projected as pervasive fear.

It may be time for you to ask your doctor about a medication for an anxiety disorder. I personally worked these feelings out on my own, but if you feel that it’s actually taking control of your life, then you do need to seek help.

I wish you well. Just remember, if you don’t deal with it, you will not get over it.

Good luck to you.

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Question by Mr Haun: Is the inability to breathe upon waking up, during sleep paralysis normal? or does this point to Sleep Apnea?
Throughout my life and even nowdays, but especially when I was 8-14, I have sleep paralysis but often times when I get this, I also cannot breathe and It is not until I panic that I wake up. I also note that at about age 19 when I began regularly using marijuana, the occurance, or at least realization, of sleep paralysis and not being able to breath while waking up has dramatically ceased and is very rare now.

Best answer:

Answer by pdl756
I think you got the answers you needed when you asked this question the first time.

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