For years, Nicki used a CPAP machine to manage her sleep apnea. Her doctor continually encouraged her to lose weight, and after working hard to do so, she was thrilled when she no longer needed the machine.
To be safe, Nicki completed another sleep study and was officially cleared to stay off the CPAP, as long as she maintained a certain weight. She stayed within the recommended range, but before long, something began to feel wrong.
“I started falling asleep all the time,” Nicki said. “I could fall asleep quickly, even during the day.”
She constantly felt tired, but because she had always dozed off while watching television, she didn’t think much of it at first.
Not long afterward, Nicki was hospitalized for a kidney issue and spent seven days in the hospital recovering. Just as she was preparing to go home, doctors told her she could not leave without an oxygen tank.
“I thought, ‘That big ole thing?’” She recalled.
Nicki didn’t want to go home with oxygen, and she certainly didn’t want to go back on a CPAP machine. Still, she agreed to use the oxygen tank and promised to schedule another sleep study. Initially, she was placed on a waiting list for a sleep study in Jackson.
Fortunately, the hospitalist who treated her, Dr. Oleru, helped arrange a sleep study much closer to home in Bolivar.
The convenience made a big difference. After completing the study, Nicki resumed CPAP treatment and is now working toward no longer needing the oxygen tank.
The improvement has been life changing. Nicki says she has much more energy now and no longer feels exhausted throughout the day. Even daily household tasks have become easier.
She also praised the experience at the sleep lab. “The environment was great in the sleep room,” she said. “I do wish I had brought my own pillow and an extra pair of pajamas.”
Today, Nicki encourages others who struggle with poor sleep or constant fatigue to seek help.
“If you’re not getting the sleep you need and you want to feel better, sign up for a sleep study,” she said. “I want everyone in Bolivar to know about the sleep lab we have right here at our hospital.”
A lifelong resident of Bolivar, Nicki previously worked as a second-grade teacher and served as a 911 dispatcher. Outside of work, she enjoys photography, writing poetry, and spending time with family and friends.
According to Danielle Kirkpatrick, RPSGT, RST, R.EEG.T,R.NCS.T, and Practice Administrator for all seven West Tennessee Healthcare sleep lab locations, timing was critical in Nicki’scase.
“Nicki couldn’t be discharged until we made a sleep study appointment, and she had to be out of the hospital for 72 hours for insurance to cover the procedure,” Danielle explained. “She completed the sleep study in Bolivar, and eight days later she met with a sleep specialist in Jackson so we could establish care and order the CPAP equipment she needed at home to treat her sleep apnea.”
Because Nicki had recently been hospitalized, addressing the sleep apnea became even more urgent. Danielle says untreated sleep apnea can contribute to several serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney problems.
“If you have untreated sleep apnea, you may have been sleep deprived for years,” Danielle said. “As tired as a person feels on the outside, their organs are even more tired on the inside. The heart is not going to work efficiently when it’s exhausted. Neither will your kidneys, liver or brain.”
To illustrate the importance of quality sleep, Danielle referenced a well-known sleep study involving a healthy 21-year-old man whose REM sleep was interrupted over a three-week period. Each time he began to enter deep REM sleep, a bell would sound; enough to interrupt the cycle without fully waking him.
After just three weeks of fragmented sleep, the man developed high blood pressure and signs of pre-diabetes.
“That’s how important sleep is to overall health,” Danielle said. “Sleep apnea fragments your sleep. You stop breathing, your brain forces you to wake up long enough to take a breath, and then you fall back asleep again. But it keeps happening repeatedly throughout the night.”
Danielle also wants residents in the Bolivar area to understand they can receive exceptional care close to home.
“I want people to know that the same sleep technicians who perform studies in Jackson are the ones who come to Bolivar,” she said. “The care is equal at any of our sleep study locations.”
She added that Dr. Taylor personally reviews sleep study results for every patient, regardless of which sleep lab location they visit.
Talk to your provider if you feel a sleep study seems right for you. The initial sleep evaluation will take place at the Sleep Disorders Center in Jackson, but the sleep study can be conducted in one of the seven locations closest to your home. For additional
information call (731)-541-6834
