I May Need Duct Tape To Keep It Together

[vianegativa]

Without going into every gory detail, my doctor feels I have sleep apnea. After some brutal days full of mood swings, insomnia, and overwhelming anxiety, my doctor is of the opinion that all my troubles lie in the fact I haven't been reaching REM sleep for some time.

I feel very much like one would after a car accident... I'm completely riddled with adrenaline from some phantom anxiety but my mind's focus... it lacks clarity and detail. I'm fuzzy, unmotivated, dopey, yet completely on the cusp of an adrenal surge. My heartbeat is just starting to come down from sharing my symptoms with my doctor... and that was over two hours ago.

I have homework due in e_commerce and three papers due in two weeks. I can barely think much less write an ordered paper, and even writing this is a strain. My hands are shaking very badly and I feel dizzy; in fact my arms are wobbly too.

I think I'm going to call my doctor to see if he can prescribe something before I collapse.

Comments

[sctmpls.livejournal.com]

Without going into all *my* details (it's in back postings in my journal) I was having problems with anxiety and my doctor prescribed Xanax. One of the 0.5mg pills is just enough for me to relax without making me too sleepy. The only downside is that it can be habit forming so I only take it when I really need to.

[richcub2002.livejournal.com]

Kenn and I both suffer from Sleep apnea. We went through the sleep study and we both have CPAPs to help us sleep through the night. Don't worry about what folks tell you about their CPAP experiences. They are quiet and really help you get the REM sleep you need. Kenn and I get very restful night sleeps now.

[conner24.livejournal.com]

Hope you feel better soon *Hugs*

[emgalston.livejournal.com]

hope u get better!!!

[envirobear.livejournal.com]

Do yourself a big favor: if you haven't gotten a referral to have a sleep study done, GET ONE. If the sleep people tell you it's sleep apnea and they prescribe a C-PAP, accept it with happiness. If you do indeed have apnea and begin using a C-PAP, you will be ASTONISHED at the difference in your overall sense of well-being after just two or three nights. I used one for several years before I had nose-and-throat surgery (no longer need the C-PAP) and I can honestly tell you that you have no idea the difference it makes to have a full night's *oxygenated* sleep!

[tazziebear.livejournal.com]

Matt - absolutely agree here - the CPAP is MAGIC!! Get that sleep study!

Hugs,
Chuck

[darke.livejournal.com]

Lack of proper sleep can do really, really funky things to your mind.

It would be best (and sounds like you are) to address this sooner rather than later. Good luck with the apnea tests or isolating the cause.

[cubziz.livejournal.com]

From the sounds of it, I wouldn't be too shocked if it were sleep apnea.

Fact is, it isn't a huge ordeal. Hunter wouldn't give his up for anything. And if he forgets his, he's like a crack addict mumbling in the corner wondering how he can get along without it.

(This is a true story. We got home tonight from Wichita and he thought he'd left it at the hotel and was all whiny about what was he going to do, etc. Mind you, he has TWO old units still. Just not the perfect new one. Anyway, he eventually found it. But he is SO hooked on that machine.)

Look at it this way. If it helps you feel better, actually get better sleep, and takes away the haze... isn't it worth a shot? (Never mind the potentially life-threatening problems associated with apnea.) Go in for the sleep study.

[bearland.livejournal.com]

I can not live without my CPAP. I have had mine since January, and Have never felt better.

Its extremely quiet, and I don't even feel it, and I have been told mine is set on a high pressure.

[mcbearcub.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you could use a nice Palm Springs vacation too :-)

[garebear.livejournal.com]

If you know that you're snoring loudly; if you ever wake up with your heart pounding; if you notice that you wake up and your legs are twitching... any of these, you probably do suffer from sleep apnea. But then the feeling of feeling like being in a haze really sounds like it.


Try to muddle through the next few weeks, but get that sleep study. Talk to your instructor and ask for a possible medical exception.

That CPAP machine will make a world of difference. It may not be particularly sexy at night, but neither is being a tired grouch. I've had at least one man tell me that the "Darth Vader" thing was kinda sexy.

[booboobob.livejournal.com]

Oxygen good.

But besides that, I know that I've been sleeping better since I started my meds. I take them at night so I'm not all groggy during the day.

Of course that could be because I'm not keeping myself up at night worrying about everything, too.

[piercedcub.livejournal.com]

hope u get it figured out and that u feel better soon *hugs*

[mjollnir.livejournal.com]

I had obstructive sleep apnea. My tonsils were the size of golf balls--each. I didn't even take a sleep test...they just booked me for an appointment to get the back of my throat ripped out.

I say ripped out, because that's what my throat felt like for two weeks. Plus I'm swallowing little pieces of cooked Steve from the cauterized flesh. Plus I can barely eat.

But I'd say it was worth it. If your doctor offers you the choice (all told, I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and uvulopalatopharyngoloplasty or UPPP) take the surgery. Much better than looking like a hospital patient every night for the rest of your life.

Okay...so that's the vain reason. There are others...expense for the CPAP machines, potential cord strangulation, travel problems, blah blah blah...but my real reason was not wanting to wake up and frighten my lover half to death with some Darth Vader death rattles.