Day by Day with Parkinson's and Peripheral Neuropathy: YIPPEEEEE! 2 Nights in a Row!!

Day by Day with Parkinson's and Peripheral Neuropathy

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy in 2006, but my symptoms seemed to take a turn in a different direction in late 2007. The current diagnosis is Essential Myoclonus. You will find record here of a my journey - coping with the testing, the medicines, nutrition, digestion problems, exercise, the emotions, and no telling what else!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

YIPPEEEEE! 2 Nights in a Row!!

I slept for 7 hours last night and the night before, and I'm ecstatic about it! I hope that means I have found the right amount of gap on the TAP to take care of the Sleep Apnea. I haven't moved the bottom jaw in front of my upper teeth by much, but it may be enough for me, since it took quite a bit to get my bottom teeth lined up with the top ones to begin with, thanks to my natural overbite.

This appliance is fairly easy to get used to, far more so than any of the CPAP masks I tried. I can turn on my side without a problem, and I don't feel the least bit claustrophobic with it in place. It does require some rather vigorous jaw exercises each morning, to be sure the bottom teeth move back into their normal position. That leaves my right jaw a little sore for awhile, but it's not bad and it goes away by the time I eat breakfast.

Labels: "Parkinson's", C-PAP, dental appliance, insomnia, Quality of Life, Sleep Apnea, TAP

4 Comments:

At 10/28/2007 12:59 PM , Marion said...

Congratulations! Bet you feel well rested...apparently seven hours is the amount of sleep the body requires, in a new study recently released. I can't remember where I read that, though, lol!
At 10/28/2007 4:44 PM , Dirty Butter said...

I always slept a good 8 hours a night before all this insomnia started some years ago now. But for me to sleep 7 is a real miracle, as I've been going on anywhere from 3 to 5 hours a night now for maybe 10 years!
At 10/30/2007 11:51 AM , Sandy Carlson said...

Good for you! That's super. My husband has one of those things, and it has meant he has been able to sleep through the night for the first time in his life! Hope it is the answer for you, too.
At 10/30/2007 12:33 PM , Dirty Butter said...

Thanks, Sandy, for letting me know that someone else was successful with the TAP. Did your hubby try and fail at the CPAP the way I did, or was he able to just use the TAP from the beginning?