Sleep Apnea Stories

Emma is joined by Candy Sparks.  Together they discuss: * Candy shares her story as a mother of a child with a compromised airway; * Early warning signs that were missed by health professionals who aren't routinely trained to examine airways; * Orthodontic work for Savvy as a child; * Finding Dr William Hang https://facefocused.com/ and preparing Savvy for orthognathic surgery with Dr Larry Wolfor...

Dr Dar Radfar is a Dentist and joins Emma for a conversation about his personal journey with his own sleep apnea and his mission to help others improve their sleep.  Together they discuss: * Dr Radfar's personal journey with sleep apnea and his wake up call to get tested and treated; * Becoming the first patient in his dental practice to try an oral appliance to treat sleep apnea; * Working to bui...

Ernestine Key joins Emma on the podcast to share the story of her husband, Fredrick's journey with undiagnosed sleep apnea.   He had a debilitating stroke and passed away in September 2018.  Together they discuss: * What a wonderful husband and father Fred was and what memories Ernestine has of him; * The signs of undiagnosed sleep apnea such as snoring and gasping at night; * Difficulties in gett...

Emma is joined on the podcast by Rhonda Greig.  Rhonda is the first person on the podcast to tell a story about central sleep apnea.  Topics covered include: * Rhonda coping with symptoms of exhaustion but keeping up with her friends as a teenager; * Going to the hospital and the nurse calling a "code blue" because Rhonda's lips were blue from lack of oxygen; * Rhonda being on life support and doc...

Emma is joined by Chris Kelly, the first guest to come back for a second interview.   Together they discuss:  * Chris gives his opinion on the best CPAP masks and why he prefers nasal masks to full face masks;  * Proper mask fit and how Chris tried customizing masks;  * Chris's favorite mask - Brevida by Fisher and Paykel but with the strap from the Eson Nasal CPAP Mask;  * Mechanics of breathing...

Emma is joined by Larry Shaw, the inventor of the Knightsbridge Dual Band Chin Strap.   Together they discuss:  * Larry's own personal journey with snoring and sleep apnea;  * How his symptoms of increased daytime sleepiness mounted gradually over time;  * Larry's reluctance to go to a doctor about his sleep apnea and his approach of trying to figure it out himself;  * The impact of sleep problems...

Emma is joined by Kajsa Bradley.  Together they discuss:  * Struggling with depression and anxiety as a teenager but not receiving mental health treatment;  * Kajsa being away from home in Europe and reaching a mental breaking point;  * Starting therapy - feeling shame and judgment about seeking help from a therapist;  * Moving back to Oregon and trying several therapists before finding a great th...

Emma is joined by Teresa DeNike at Sleep Better NYC.  As a sleep coach, Teresa explains: * what a sleep coach does and how they can help people struggling to get quality sleep; * how a sleep coach can help someone with sleep apnea navigate different options; * Teresa's background working for an oral appliance manufacturer; * mouthguards and other devices people buy randomly online and think they a...

Trigger warning: there is some discussion of suicidal thoughts in this episode. Patrick Zwally shares his health journey from debilitating chronic pain to life-saving double jaw surgery and jaw joint replacement.  Together Patrick and Emma discuss: * Patrick's childhood including his mouth breathing and poor oral posture; * The traditional orthodontics Patrick had as a teen; * The beginning of TMJ...

Emma is joined by Chris Kelly from AER Healthcare in Australia.  He explains their approach to diagnosis and treatment of Sleep Apnea and how it disrupts the status quo where patients do a lot of the legwork.  Together they discuss: * How Chris started as a dental prosthetist and how he started designing and manufacturing oral appliances for sleep apnea and snoring; * Common problems for patients...

Emma is joined by Dr David McIntosh, an adjunct Associate Professor of ENT Surgery in Queensland, Australia.  He specializes in pediatric ENT surgery, nose & sinus disease and snoring & sleep apnea.  Together they discuss: * Dr McIntosh explains the urgency of intervention with children showing signs of sleep disordered breathing; * Children with mouth breathing or snoring should be taken for eval...

Emma is joined by Dr Jenny Talbert, a Doctor of Chiropractic practicing in Portland, Oregon.  Together they discuss: * The experience of diagnosis and beginning treatment with a CPAP; * Jenny's mom's diagnosis with Sleep Apnea after a scary episode of Afib; * The "Health at Every Size" philosophy Dr Talbert brings to her Chiropractic office; * Jenny's hope to continue advocacy for sleep apnea test...

Emma is joined by Fabienne Deprez, a former professional badminton player who competed for the German national women's team.  Together they discuss: * Fabienne's feeling tired and unable to bounce back after training sessions; * Her journey to diagnosis with sleep tests; * 5 months using a CPAP but finding it difficult; * Being fitted for a mandibular advancement device and finding it more comfort...

Emma is joined by Dr Dayna Johnson. Dr. Dayna Johnson, PhD, MPH, MSW, MS is a sleep epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University in Atlanta GA.  Dr Johnson explains: * some reasons why communities of color have higher rates of sleep apnea but lower screening for the condition. * unconscious and conscious biases pl...

Emma is joined by Graham Stoney, a former biomedical engineer from Sydney, Australia.  Together they discuss: * Graham's depression and exhaustion, which led to him leaving his job and a diagnosis with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, * Bringing training as a biomedical engineer to try to figure out the root cause of his sleep apnea, * Trials of CPAP and a mandibular advancement device, * Graham on going...

Emma is joined by Brandon Wilds, one of the first patients to try out the eXciteOSA device for treating mild sleep apnea and snoring.  Together they discuss: * Brandon coping with daytime sleepiness and seeing a sleep specialist; * Sleep studies at home and at a medical facility; * Being prescribed a CPAP and having a lot of problems with it; * Learning about a new treatment called eXciteOSA and b...

Emma was recently invited by Fariya Doctor, a Feldenkrais practitioner in Canada, to give an online talk about Women and Sleep Apnea.  Since raising awareness about Sleep Apnea is part of Emma's mission with this podcast, she jumped at the chance!  This bonus episode is an edited audio version of Emma's talk.  In this episode Emma discusses: * Her own journey with Sleep Apnea; * Ove...

For the final episode of this season, Emma gives an update on her own journey with Sleep Apnea.  She explains her goals of getting to the root cause of her Sleep Apnea and introduces the people who are helping her: * Emma discusses her Myofunctional Therapy experience working with Kaitlyn Shrum.  They discuss Emma's classic signs of a compromised airway: high vaulted narrow palate, tongue-tie, his...

In this Episode, Emma has a conversation with Chandra Hartman about her palate expansion.  Together they discuss: * Living with chronic respiratory issues of bronchitis and allergies as a child; * Chandra living without health insurance but suspecting she had Sleep Apnea for years; * Working with a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor to treat respiratory issues; * Chandra becoming interested in th...

Emma is joined by AJ Block.  AJ is a musician and teacher who runs a program specifically designed for people with Sleep Apnea.  Together they discuss: * AJ's background as a musician and how he found the Didgeridoo; * The "Didge for Sleep" project AJ has put together to help people with Sleep Apnea; * The 2005 British Medical Journal Study (linked below) which concluded the Didgeridoo did help re...

Emma is joined by Elizabeth Thiel, a 39 year old wife and mother living in Atlanta, Georgia.  Together, they discuss: * At home Sleep Studies - what to expect from this sort of test; * Being prescribed a CPAP machine and working to find the right mask; * Problems with delays getting CPAP masks with insurance compliance requirements in mind; * Durable Medical Equipment companies vs ordering CPAP su...

Emma is joined by Dr Shelby Harris a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Behavioral Sleep Medicine.  She treats Insomnia patients using Cognitive Behavior Therapy specifically for Insomnia.  In this episode we discuss: * What is insomnia and how do you know if you have it? * The distinctions between sleepiness and fatigue and how accurately describing symptoms can help in diagnosis;...

Emma is joined by Vashanti Ganesh.  Together they discuss: * A family doctor being unwilling to prescribe a CPAP despite a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea; * Suffering with incontinence as a symptom of Sleep Apnea; * PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, what it is and some of the symptoms to watch for; * Sleep Apnea being common in women with PCOS; * How Vashanti brought her PCOS symptoms under control...

Emma is joined by her guest Karen Wolk. They talk all about Karen’s journey with sleep apnea, from having panic attacks and a cognitive impairment affecting her memory, to being diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. Karen explores the different treatments she tried including medications, a nasal surgery, CPAP and BIPAP machines before finally finding relief with an ‘inspire’ implant. Karen discusses how the...

Emma is joined by Brittny Sciarra and Karese Laguerre to discuss their work as Myofunctional Therapists, also called Orofacial Myologists.  Together they discussed: * What Myofunctional Therapy is and why it can be beneficial for many people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea; * Myofunctional Therapy as part of a treatment plan for children with Sleep Disordered Breathing; * Karese shares her own experi...