Operation Dragon Foundation - Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

Be bear
aware and
safe with
trash this
spring,
Page B-4
Spice and
salvia are
incompatible
with military
service, page
B-9
Volume 2, No. 14
Hospital
sleep lab
helping
troops get
shuteye
By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
JBER PAO
www.jber.af.mil/news
April 8, 2011
Sleeping through the night can be a difficult
task for anyone, but for individuals with
sleep disorders, it can be almost impossible.
Sleep disorders come in many forms;
the most common, according to www.sleepfoundation.org,
are restless legs syndrome,
insomnia, sleep apnea, sleepwalking, snoring,
teeth grinding and difficulty breathing.
Those suffering from severe sleeprelated
issues can schedule an appointment at
the sleep lab at the 3d Medical Group at the
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hospital.
Sleep labs are common across the U.S.,
however, this is the only Air-Force-run sleep
lab in the Pacific Air Forces, said Air Force
Staff Sgt. Stanley Manning, 3d MDG sleep
lab technician.
The lab’s technicians monitor patients
in their sleep. Technicians closely watch
brain-wave activity, along with several other
bodily functions, like heart rate and breathing.
After the study is concluded, all of the
technicians’ information goes to
a neurologist who will determine
if the patient has a sleep disorder.
For some patients, multiple trips to
the sleep lab are common.
People with sleep disorders
can have multiple problems while
awake as well. Not being alert
or falling asleep during daytime
hours can be a large problem for
military members.
Some sleep conditions, like
sleep apnea, can even be fatal
if left untreated, said Tech. Sgt.
Cynthia Palmer, 3d MDG sleep
lab technician.
Patients wishing to be seen
by the sleep lab must first pass
through a small screening process,
she said.
“When the clinic first opened,
we were getting people left and
right until they learned how to
skim them out,” Palmer said. “They said,
‘We’re going to look for daytime sleepiness,
very bad snoring and witnessed episodes of
non-breathing.’ We had a lot of patients (before
that) that had nothing wrong with them.”
Going to the sleep lab for treatment differs
from most trips to the hospital.
“Most people are anxious because
they’re sleeping in a different environment,”
Manning said. “When they see all the wires
they’re going to have to wear, they get all
freaked out, but once you sit them in the bed
they pretty much relax. There’s really nothing
to be anxious about. It’s a pretty easy test
to pass – all you have to do is sleep.”
The technicians watch brain waves for
patterns typical with sleep and breathing
patterns with a sleep mask as well as sensors
that respond to chest and stomach rise
and fall during their monitoring period. The
lab techs can even tell which stage of sleep
the patients are in depending on the brain’s
alpha waves.
Sleep lab technicians spend time with
each patient explaining the process of the
procedures and why they’re doing them.
“We try to make (patients) as comfortable
as they can be. (Sometimes) we have
to ask them to come back again and bring
some kind of sleep aid, or ask a doctor to
give them something to help them relax
or give them a sleep aid,” Palmer said.
Patients visiting the lab are walked
through the process before their test periods
to take away some anxieties, as well
as answer any questions they may have.
“We need to see everybody go through
all the stages of sleep, and the stage that
we’re most concerned with is while
they’re laying on their back going through
a REM cycle. That’s there dreaming
stage,” Manning said. “That’s when your
body is totally relaxed, so if you’re going
to have problems it’s going to happen
then. We ask that you sleep on your back,
and I know it’s the most uncomfortable
position for most people, but when you’re
on your back and you’re relaxed that’s
when all your breathing problems are
more prone to happen.”
Air Force Staff Sgt.
Stanley Manning, 3rd
Medical Group Sleep
Lab technician, prepares
Jason Manzel,
725th Brigade Support
Battalion, for a
sleep test at the JBER
Hospital sleep lab. The
preparation included
marking for and placing
electrodes, and
checking the input on a
monitor before Manzel
went to sleep. (Photos
by Airman 1st Class
Jack Sanders/JBER
PAO)
Military youth
not immune
to autism
Commentary by
Air Force Maj. Nicholas J. Sabula
Defense Media Activity
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The second of
April has special significance for my family
– one year ago I was transitioning out of
Afghanistan and returning home to a family
I had not seen in seven months.
What kept me going through the deployment
was not just the important mission, the
camaraderie, or the fact that I was looking
forward to some down time upon my return.
It was that I could get home and see my
heroes.
These heroes are my family. One of our
sons, who happens to have autism spectrum
disorder, is my inspiration. My wife is a true
unsung heroine, like other military families
raising a child with autism, fighting a daily
battle on the homefront for our children.
I view World Autism Awareness Day as
an opportunity to recognize the tremendous
sacrifices of these “Autism Warriors.”
Autism is a neurobiological developmental
disability that impacts normal
development of the brain in the areas of
social interaction, communication skills and
cognitive function. The word “autism”comes
from the Greek word autos, meaning “self”
and children with the disorder are often
described as being in their own little world,
typically having difficulty with social communication
such as eye contact, interaction
or conversation.
Children with autism may give the appearance
of a dazed, cold, unfeeling or even
unintelligent individual to people who don’t
understand the disability.
The truth is that under this dark cloud
is actually a smart, smiling, beautiful child
just wanting to break out. Others may show
no distinguishable characteristics other than
quirkiness, inability to focus, appearing shy,
or even the other extreme of sensory seeking,
hyperactive, and surprisingly overly social.
Autism affects military families, your
coworkers, people you supervise, or even
someone you work for.
Like the military represents a cross-section
of America, so do families with autism;
it does not discriminate.
It seems somewhat ironic that as an Air
Force public affairs officer communicating
stories for the Department of Defense, I have
a son who has challenges communicating in
general. I see his frustration, but his diagnosis
has emboldened me to better support all
military families who share our story.
Looking for signs
I had no clue what autism was when our
son was diagnosed in 2006.
It was my wife who pushed us to seek
professional help. Being our first child, I just
figured it was a stage, but the adage that he
or she is “just a slow learner” can be a signal
something is wrong.
Our son was developing normally until
about 16 months. Things changed as he
gradually regressed from saying about 20
words to just babbling, spontaneous screaming,
looking off into space and not reacting
when spoken to.
We thought it was because of the birth of
our second son at this time, but soon realized
there was something serious going on.
One tell-tale sign of concern is what
autism families know as stimming, or self
stimulation in a continuous, purposeless
movement.
Flapping hands or twisting a spoon or
pen; rocking; lining up objects; echolalia,
or repeating exactly what is asked instead of
an answer; or staring repetitively at an object
are pretty easy to spot.
Not making eye contact, talking, or interacting
with other children are also areas
for concern.
If you suspect something is wrong, make
an appointment to talk with your pediatrician
about an assessment. Research shows
that taking the initial step of getting your
child diagnosed early has a dramatic impact
on results; the sooner intervention begins,
the better.
If your child is diagnosed with autism,
your next step is contacting the Exceptional
Family Member Program office for enrollment.
EFMP maintains accountability of military
families with special needs and can have
a tremendous impact on future assignments
to locations with support.
I have had orders made and canceled
based on the gaining location’s ability to
support him.
Getting to know your EFMP coordinator
can go a long way in possible avenues for
care at your location and make it known to
them that you have questions and concerns.
They can also provide feedback on the
enrollment, required to sign your child up for
TRICARE’s Extended Care Health Option
that will help cover a type of therapy called
applied behavioral analysis.
What now
It really comes down to the basics of
knowing your child, getting educated, seeking
answers and establishing a treatment
plan.
Autism is not a cookie-cutter diagnosis.
The challenge for parents is every case is
different and requires different treatment
plans; the road ahead is tough and you need
to think long-term.
To say it can be overwhelming is an
understatement. Autism, like many other
special needs conditions, creates additional
see Autism, page B-6