Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

get well Joel
Now I am sorry I just had that In and Out burger

javascript:emoticon(':(')greetings from joel5150photolast tue i had a heart attackfull blockge on artery in heartbut thankfully th quick actions of oceanside paramedics ant the eward im still around(Tri cities treaedwd me verry well and im expected to uull recoverbut the party days and in and out double doubles are over!!i thank every one who called and wrote!!i m resting at sisters house in delmar should be back in oside todayim having a hard time sleeping)i feel like i cat gt enough oxygen and im drowning its called Sleep anemia does any one have any info too shareill be in touch via ksusa website or call me direct(858)775-5511ill be back in action in 1 week, see you thenjoel5150photo

Get better Joel!!

Glad your on the mend Joel See you soon........

Just back from Hawaii, hope you will be ok Joel. Quit smoking those things, I keep telling Big Fred the same thing.

Glad your home Joel. Wishing you all the best. Take care of yourself.

Joe

Joel, get better soon. You are taking the right steps...lay off the high fat food, get off the cancer sticks and surf more . Hope to see you and your camera back at Os pier soon.

Joel, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 12 years ago. IT IS CRUCIAL YOU FOLLOW UP ON THIS APNEA DIAGNOSIS. It can kill you brother...BUT...its relatively easy to fix. For some reason your airway is blocked when you sleep. You probably snore alot and loud. That is your body struggling to breathe due to some variables like being overwieght, throat and tongue structure etc. My family told me that I rattled the windows when I snored, even during a nap and the killer is you actually stop breathing until your body forces you to breath, that's the snoring part. So, you'll need a sleep study and then they'll hook you up with a C-PAP beathing machine with mask. Sounds complicated but its not. You'll have to get used to wearing a mask during sleep, but there are different kinds. Once you get the right mask you will start getting the best sleeps of your life! More energy etc. So along with the heart stuff Please follow up on the Apnea too. Its vital. Like I said I've had the set up 12 years and it works. Sleep is very very important for thinking, stress release, healing, weightloss and kneeboarding.

I'm in the sleep apnea club too, and badknees is spot on

I let this go way too long. There was the Northern Baja retreat back in the early KSUSA days, where folks rightfully said 'dude, you snore like a mofo.' My wife said the same as well, and with some Drs in the family, I learned about the dangers of sleep apnea... the least of which is being constantly slapped upside the head by bothered spouse

The initial sleep test was an overnight, monitored session.

Mine came back moderate-severe...

Weight is an Apnea factor, but for me it was bad structure...

Next comes the decision: CPAP and/or surgery

I went for surgery, and it was pretty extensive: corrected deviated septum, remove adnoids, shaved turbinates, shaved the back of the tongue and something else... can't remember.

After a bit of time, it was back for a post-op sleep test, which came back light-moderate. I'm not out of the woods, but did dodge the CPAP for now.

The next surgical procedure the Dr. mentioned is to move the lower jaw (!)

If you're over 10lbs overweight, that's the first thing to target. Get the sleep study done... can't emphasize enough what badknees says in caps: CRUCIAL YOU FOLLOW UP ON APNEA

get well soon.

Hi Joel! Sorry to hear about your awful surprise, but man, I'm glad you're still with us! Get better, big guy! I hope this means we all get to surf with you more.

I wrote a big ol' note just now, but lost it to the ethernet. I'll keep this one short or post it in parts, as SFK and Bad Knees covered it all well. But just to let you know, there are probably more of us out there doing this CPAP thing than any of us realize. Me among them.

One thing that wasn't covered yet is alcohol and caffeine. Both'll mess up your brain waves while sleeping, but it goes to more than that. Think diuretics and dehydration, too. It temporarily decreases circulation, cotton mouth gives ya a swollen tongue, narrowed airway... drier tissues and more difficult 02 and CO2 exchange in the lungs means the body has to either work harder or compensate somehow to maintain tissue perfusion. Dehydration thickens your blood temporarily as well, increasing your risk of clots. I'm not saying you have to become a monk. I know I sure can't kick my demons. Just try to keep 'em in control and remember to pump some water.

I love my CPAP now. It's a subtle thing. It's not like you're gonna wake you and say "Eureka! Bring on the day!" No. It's more about a gentle change for the better. The way that it was explained to me is that is took a long time for your brain to cope with functioning with a lack of quality sleep, it's going to take awhile to make up for it. Now I don't get as fatigued as easily, and I smile a little bit more easily. How much do we all function when we're not sleep deprived? We deal with things better, we process things a little bit more clearly, and we don't get as overwhelm and as frustrated as easily. To me that means that it takes just a little bit more to really piss me off, instead of every little thing bugging me.

Like everyone else, it took me a little while to get used to the Darth Vader / fighter pilot effect. My brother inlaw said it best: "It's like breathing through a snorkle in a hurricane." But now that I can feel the differences, I actually miss it when I don't get it. It's worth all the bother, brother. I promise you'll like it too.