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karen hamlin
IN MY
OWN
VOICE
Plenty of people live with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which
leaves them gasping for breath, waking throughout the night and
tired the next day. Fortunately, the establishment of sleep labs like
the one at Emerson’s Sleep Disorders Center has helped reveal an
epidemic of OSA, which is estimated to affect approximately 18 million
Americans. Among those who come for overnight sleep testing,
84 percent are found to have the disorder, approximately 35 percent
with severe cases. That was true of Karen Hamlin of Boxborough,
52, who credits Dan Tilles, MD, her primary care physician, with
encouraging her to get a diagnosis, which led to successful treatment:
regular use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
machine when she sleeps.
Karen Hamlin is sleeping well these days, thanks to being diagnosed and treated
for longstanding sleep apnea.
“I knew I had sleeping issues for a couple of years. My husband regularly
told me that I wasn’t breathing – sometimes for as long as 30 seconds –
during the middle of the night. Then I’d gasp for air.
“For many years, I always felt tired during the day, never felt rested upon
waking and wanted to take naps. I often was afraid I would fall asleep while
I was driving; there were times when I worried about making it home safely.
I chalked it up to having a stressful lifestyle – working full-time, being a
mom, staying up too late. I also blamed much of my sleep problem on my
husband’s snoring. I lived with it.
“Last October, I went for my annual physical, and Dr. Tilles asked me ‘how
are you sleeping?’ I told him my sleep was horrible; I didn’t have trouble
falling asleep, but I woke up throughout the night. He told me it sounded
like a classic case of sleep apnea and that I should be evaluated at Emerson’s
sleep lab. He told me that treatment could really change my life.
“I knew the treatment for sleep apnea was to wear a mask that was attached
to a machine, and I was sure I would never do that. On the other hand, I
didn’t feel good.
“In November, I spent a night in the sleep lab. The technician was helpful
and knowledgeable. She told me that if I stopped breathing a certain
number of times per hour, she would wake me up so that I could try the
machine. After being hooked up for the sleep test, I fell asleep without
a problem.
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“Late that night, the technician woke me up and told me that I had stopped
breathing more than 20 times every hour. I was shocked to hear that. She
fitted me with a CPAP mask, and I went back to sleep. I slept for three and a
half hours without interruption; when I woke up, I could tell that I had slept
soundly.
“I wanted to talk with Dr. Tilles about the test and what to do. At the appointment,
he told me that I have severe sleep apnea. He said there was
no question about it; I should be treated. I realized it was time to face the
problem, so Dr. Tilles wrote the prescription, and a representative from the
CPAP company came to the house to explain all the details. He also fitted
me with the right kind of mask.
“At first, it’s a real adjustment to sleeping with the mask and the CPAP
machine, but I decided to stick with it. By the fourth week, I was sleeping
better. The machine is whisper-quiet, and the air is humidified, which is
very helpful.
“The good news is that my sleep is so sound now. I’m not tired in the
afternoon, and I have more energy, so I’ve started a more strenuous exercise
program. I can handle it.
“I’ve been using the CPAP for three months now. After thinking that I
would never use the CPAP machine, now I almost look forward to putting it
on at night. As I tell my husband, I sleep so soundly that I don’t even hear
him snoring anymore.”
Emerson Hospital has several sleep specialists on the medical staff. Contact the Sleep Disorders Center at 1-800-432-8808 for more information.
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