Hello, I have a 4 year son that was diagnosed with central apnea and have an apt. w/ neurologist at the childrens hospital in St. Louis, MO. Was wondering what questions should I be asking him and what to expect when we get to see him…
I have central sleep apnea (CSA) too. It was not diagnosed until I was 27, I am now 48. I have off and on used a CPAP machine, but I don’t tolerate it well. Then someone told me that Diamox is a drug that can be used to treat CSA. It is usually given to people in very high altitudes to prevent altitude sickness. I have taken it on occasion, but my neurologist does not want me to take it anymore as it messes with brain ventricle size (I also have Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) that was diagnosed at the same time as the CSA). I have a shunt in my head now to control that problem. Diamox has very few side effects that I am aware of. The biggest one for me was that for some reason it makes carbonated beverages taste AWFUL!!! So, I had to stop drinking any soda (that for me would be like a coffee addict stopping coffee.) It was awful. I had serious caffeine withdrawal symptoms. But, now that the neurologist doesn’t want me to tak it anmore, I am back to soda again. (I am not, nor ever have been a coffee drinker.) Find out if diamox would be an option for your child. They did a sleep study on me while I was taking it and I had only a half doze apnic episodes during the night as opposed to 100+ that I had while off the medicine.
The only symptom I had was excessive daytime sleepiness even after what I thought had been a good night’s sleep.
What is your symptoms of sleep apnea? Mine was gasping for air, felt like I was suffocating.