Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with GoogleGet your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
May 29, 2018 My Wife Is 71 Years Old And
May 29, 2018
My wife is 71 years old and takes no medications. Over about the last 11 months she has had seven mysterious attacks of varying severity. The attacks occurred on 6/23/17 (mild), 8/14/17 (nasty), 11/9/17 (nasty), 2/9/18 (medium), 3/11/18 (very mild), 4/2/18 (medium) and 5/27/18 (medium).
All the attacks occurred after she had been sleeping for about 1 to 3 hours (during REM sleep?) except for the 2/9/18 which occurred at 4:00 AM.
A general description of the attacks is she starts struggling for breath (she may or may not be awake). The struggle lasts for about 1 to 5 minutes with varying amounts of phlegm involved. After her breathing becomes normal again, she is unable to speak for between about 2 to 10 minutes. Once she can speak again she is unable to say the words she wants to say (for example, “I’m feeling better” comes out “turnips”) plus her memory is really bad for up to about 50 minutes. About 10 to 50 minutes after the onset of the attack she is pretty much back to normal. Aside from the very beginning of the attack (when she may still be asleep) she remembers everything that happened.
She has taken the following tests: sugar; CAT scan; chest X-ray; EKG; MRI; EEG; heart echocardiogram; ultrasound on neck (carotids); overnight sleep apnea. The test results all came back she was fine except the sleep apnea, which came back that she has very mild sleep apnea.
She is doing the following things to try to prevent further attacks: sleeping on a wedge pillow: wearing a Breathe Right strip; doing throat exercises: filtering the air in the house and keeping the windows closed.
We keep an oxygen canister on the headboard so I can immediately give her oxygen if she starts struggling for breath.
As she had another attack just 2 days ago, our preventative measures apparently aren’t working (except the oxygen may have helped as we have used it the last 3 attacks and they have been less severe).
She has seen about 6 different MD’s and still has no idea of the cause of the attacks.
Help!
My wife is 71 years old and takes no medications. Over about the last 11 months she has had seven mysterious attacks of varying severity. The attacks occurred on 6/23/17 (mild), 8/14/17 (nasty), 11/9/17 (nasty), 2/9/18 (medium), 3/11/18 (very mild), 4/2/18 (medium) and 5/27/18 (medium).
All the attacks occurred after she had been sleeping for about 1 to 3 hours (during REM sleep?) except for the 2/9/18 which occurred at 4:00 AM.
A general description of the attacks is she starts struggling for breath (she may or may not be awake). The struggle lasts for about 1 to 5 minutes with varying amounts of phlegm involved. After her breathing becomes normal again, she is unable to speak for between about 2 to 10 minutes. Once she can speak again she is unable to say the words she wants to say (for example, “I’m feeling better” comes out “turnips”) plus her memory is really bad for up to about 50 minutes. About 10 to 50 minutes after the onset of the attack she is pretty much back to normal. Aside from the very beginning of the attack (when she may still be asleep) she remembers everything that happened.
She has taken the following tests: sugar; CAT scan; chest X-ray; EKG; MRI; EEG; heart echocardiogram; ultrasound on neck (carotids); overnight sleep apnea. The test results all came back she was fine except the sleep apnea, which came back that she has very mild sleep apnea.
She is doing the following things to try to prevent further attacks: sleeping on a wedge pillow: wearing a Breathe Right strip; doing throat exercises: filtering the air in the house and keeping the windows closed.
We keep an oxygen canister on the headboard so I can immediately give her oxygen if she starts struggling for breath.
As she had another attack just 2 days ago, our preventative measures apparently aren’t working (except the oxygen may have helped as we have used it the last 3 attacks and they have been less severe).
She has seen about 6 different MD’s and still has no idea of the cause of the attacks.
Help!
