After nearly two years of waking up every morning feeling exhausted, Teri
Ordway knew it was time to talk to her doctor. “I was completely
drained. I had no energy, and I wanted it fixed,” said Teri. “I
was falling asleep every afternoon, and I didn’t even have any energy
to play with my grandkids.”
Determined to figure out how to get back to her active lifestyle, Teri
made an appointment with her primary care physician, Dr. Anna McMaster.
“She recommended a sleep study,” said Teri, “and referred
me to the
Henry County Hospital Sleep Center.”
Teri’s symptoms of waking up tired and feeling drained indicated
that she was suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder in
which you stop breathing multiple times for 10 seconds or longer while
sleeping. Your body senses this and pulls you out of deep sleep to get
you breathing again. Although Teri was not aware this was happening, an
at-home sleep test confirmed that she stopped breathing 14 times an hour.
“I was surprised that this first test was done at home,” said
Teri, who had expected to spend the night in an uncomfortable hospital
room. “It was easy to put the monitor on, and it was comfortable
to wear.” When she returned the monitor to the Sleep Center the
next day, she was given the results and next steps.
After the initial at-home diagnostic study confirmed that Teri was suffering
from sleep apnea, she was scheduled for an overnight study at the Sleep
Center. This study, called a titration study, would give the doctors the
information needed to prescribe a CPAP machine customized to Teri’s needs.
“I had people telling me that I would hate using a CPAP machine,
so I was a little nervous going in for the second sleep study,”
said Teri. To her surprise, Teri said, “It was actually a peaceful,
quiet experience. The sleep specialist was determined to find the mask
I would be most comfortable in, and as a result, I had no trouble sleeping
at all.”
Today, Teri is looking forward to getting back to living life. She and
her husband, Doug, are making plans to visit their four children and 9
grandchildren. “I have always been the one that got down on the
floor with the grandkids or chased them around, but lately I have been
too tired,” said Teri. “I am so looking forward to getting
back to that.”
Henry County Hospital Sleep Center