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Ming's picture
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Can't stop snoring since back surgery 7/1/08

I now have just one more thing to add to my list of things wrong with me. Ever since my surgery last summer, I've been snoring every single night or if I dose off during the day. It is so bad it wakes me up and I start doing it instantly before I am even fully asleep yet. I don't know if it's a coincidence that it just started after surgery or maybe it has something to do with the weight that I've gained over the last year. I am approx 70lbs overweight now.

Has anyone else had this problem after surgery when you didn't have it before. The back of my throat feels like it's swelling at night and I think that's what's causing it.

Not only am I getting no sleep, I am disturbing my husband. I stay up late as it is cuz I have trouble sleeping and I want to give him a chance to sleep before I start snoring lol. He either nudges me or yells at me when I snore and it really makes me mad. 2 nights ago he was hitting me in the back in the area where the the surgery was done and I was really sore when I got up the next day. He's furious with me and I feel bad cuz I can't help it.

I have an appt with my primary doc on Wednesday so I'll mention it then. I'm sure he's going to send me to one of those sleep studies. Has any of you had it and if so what's it like?

I've been sleeping out on the couch since last summer and I really miss my bed. I've tried to sleep in my bed but he nudges me so much that it makes me sore so I just stay out here on the couch.

Thanks in advance for your help and/or support.

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I am in no way a medical professional and my posts are based on my own personal experience and/or opinions.
*7/1/08 L5/S1 ALIF w/ plate, cage, 4 screws
*3/24/09 diagnosed w/ failed fusion & 2 broken screws
*Meds-MsContinER,Zanaflex,Norco,Buspiron,Cymbalta,Klonopin

dilauro's picture
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Snoring

Hi Michele,
Has the snoring basically been happening after your weight gain? I know for myself, if I go about 10 pounds more then I should , I will snore. And lately, dropping those 10 pounds has not been successful.
I also can snore almost as soon as I lie down and/or sitting on the couch during the day and dozing off.
The snoring was loud, then it would stop, almost nothing coming from me, then all of a sudden I would gasp for air, then go back to normal, start to snore again and repeat this over and over.
Sleep Apena!
I went for a Sleep Study. At our hospital, it was done during one night. They have several rooms that look like hotel rooms. After arriving, they hook up many different leds over your bottom. You take the medications that your normally take and then try to go off to bed around 11:00pm.
They monitor you all night long. Check for when you snore, when your eyes flinch, if your legs twitch, etc. You wake the next morning, shower and head back to home.
With Sleep Apena, they will set you up with a
CPAP ( Continuous positive airway pressure ) machine which you sleep with during the night. This will stop the snoring and also make sure you do not get into sleep apnea condition.
When I have lost those pounds, the snoring stops and I do not need to use the machine. But with me, the weight flucates , so the CPAP machine is always ready.

There are many different models of CPAP machines. Here is one example.

And you would either use a mask like this:

or a Nose Pillow:

There are many Web sites that go into the details. Just use
Sleep Apena as the search item.
This can be very serious because during those periods where you appear to be still, you are not getting oxygen to the brain. So while the CPAP machine will eliminate the snoring, more importantly it ensures that you do not go into that mode. The machine gently forces air into you.
Depending on the severity of Sleep Apena, technicians will
Justus the 'flow' of pressure in the machine.
Several years ago, Pro Football player Reggie White died during his sleep. He had sleep apena for years and the news release contributed this as one of the causes of his death.

Good luck, and the next time your hubby hits you in the back for snoring, kick back!

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haglandc's picture
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Meds

Ming,

Another thing that causes snoring is the cocktail of drugs we take. Looking at your list, there are several on there that they alone can cause snoring and most especially in combination.

Once I got away from taking certain drugs, I quit snoring. I don't have a weight issue, it was all due to the specific drugs I was taking.

"C"

_____________

"Reality is the mirror of your thoughts. Choose well what you put in front of the mirror"

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ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I have gotten sooo bad about snoring. My husband would wake me up several times to make me stop, and I'd apologize, fall back asleep, and go right back at it again. He said it would get so irritating that he would bump me, so the the snore would change up...like bumping a record player (remember those?) I did get angry (yeah, I really did) for him complaining about my snoring and I went to sleep on the couch. Then he complains he can't sleep without me Rolling On The Floor Oh well, what can you do?

_____________

PLS,nerve damage,facet arthropathy,severe DDD,DJD,scar tissue
Back Surgeries: Microdiscectomy/ laminectomy,2 level TLIF/Laminectomy w/ hardware, Synchromed infusion pump
Meds: Methadone,Dilaudid,Oxycodone,Zanaflex,Cymbalta,NSAID
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Ming's picture
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Could it be the MsContin?

C: I've been doing some thinking, and it seems the snoring started around the same time that I started MsContin. I don't take my sleeping meds at night anymore cuz I wake up feeling hung over since I started MsContin. I'm gonna ask my primary doc tomorrow and see if he can refer me to a sleep study.

Thanks for all your info Paparon. I am overweight but I haven't recently gained weight since the snoring started. I've reach my highest weight almost a year ago and have been holding steady. I go down a couple of pounds but then it just comes right back. I know that being overweight can cause this. I would hate to have to wear one of those masks but if that's what it takes to get some good sleep for me and my husband then it would be worth a shot.

Meydey, it is so frustrating to be constantly woken up. Sounds like you know where I am coming from. I would also wake up and say sorry and he would say "yeah right". As soon as I fall asleep, I start doing it immediately. I don't think I am even all the way to sleep yet. I've gotten so used to sleeping on the couch alone now so when I do go into my bed to sleep I'm not comfortable with him next to me (that's probably cuz of the pushing, shoving and yelling he does all night cuz of the snoring).

I got a better solution that would save me lots of time, money and stress....I'll just get rid of him then there won't be a problem lol.

_____________

I am in no way a medical professional and my posts are based on my own personal experience and/or opinions.
*7/1/08 L5/S1 ALIF w/ plate, cage, 4 screws
*3/24/09 diagnosed w/ failed fusion & 2 broken screws
*Meds-MsContinER,Zanaflex,Norco,Buspiron,Cymbalta,Klonopin

Cath111's picture
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Snoring

Hi Michele. I'm sorry about your snoring and even more sorry for the way your hubby reacts to it. My hubby told me that I started snoring right after my surgery, but it went away.

My hubby is the snorer in our family. He can get so loud, especially when he's overly tired. On top of that, I'm a very finicky sleeper - can't have the TV on, must be dark in the room, etc. Our solution? Ear plugs. I've been wearing earplugs every night for over 20 years now.

Would your husband be willing to try that? Meyday, maybe that would help in your situation also. If anyone decides to try this, make sure they're the foam ones - they really work great.

Take care Michele, I hope the doctor can help.
Cath

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October 21, 2008 - ACDF, 3-level (C4/5, 5/6 6/7), with hardware and eight screws. C4/5 and 5/6 fused, still movement at C6/7.

February 2009 - Lower back pain and sciatic pain.

January 6, 2010 - Scheduled for TLIF at L4/5.

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Each forward step we take we leave some phantom of ourselves behind. ~John Lancaster Spalding

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I am in no way affiliated with the medical profession. Any recommendations I make are based on my personal experiences only, so do not take my comments as medical rules.

Ming's picture
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Snoring update

I talked to my primary doc today and he is referring me to a sleep/neuro doc and my first appt is 6/2 and then I would imagine that I would do the overnight sleep study after the consultation.

Cath,
Thanks for the great suggestion. I did mention that to him before and he wasn't willing to try it. So for now, I sleep on the couch and he sleeps in the bedroom with the tv on and the door closed to drowned out my noisy snoring.

I'm hoping this doc can get to the bottom of this. I too didn't snore like this unless I was sick and couldn't breath through my nose. Mine seems to have started after my surgery too. I wonder if it has something to do with the anesthesia. I've heard it can stay in your system for some time but don't know if that's true or not.

Wish me luck!

_____________

I am in no way a medical professional and my posts are based on my own personal experience and/or opinions.
*7/1/08 L5/S1 ALIF w/ plate, cage, 4 screws
*3/24/09 diagnosed w/ failed fusion & 2 broken screws
*Meds-MsContinER,Zanaflex,Norco,Buspiron,Cymbalta,Klonopin

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