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Joselita · 11-15-2006, 11:52 AM

Frogga,

LOL, your name always reminds of me a video game that I used to play called "Frogger". Sorry, but it makes me smile.

I am sorry that you are having such problems dealing with this right now. I know how awful and hard it can be. I haven't had to try to deal with exhaustion when I was trying to be a full time student, or when I was trying to go to work (I am on disability), but I have had to deal with it as a single mom raising two kids on my own for the past almost 11 years now. Very hard thing to do, when you have no family around to help you out with things like driving, or taking care of the kids or keeping things straight like when bills need to be paid or everything else around the house needs to be done (all of my family lives across the country from me), or even to try to help with kids home work. LOL, trying to figure out or remember High School Algebra when you haven't been in school for...erm....a while.....is pretty tricky even for the clearest minds. So is proof reading reports and papers and remembering proper grammar (that I usually shred and massacre here) when kids need help.

Not quiet the same situation...but I do understand, as exhaustion is exhaustion no matter who you are or what you are trying to do in or with your life.

I know that I write long posts that lots of folks skip over or disregard, so I will try to get to the point here.

You might be having worse troubles right now for a couple of different reasons. First, what you first described, the not sleeping but for a few/couple of hours a night for long period of time, followed by a very long, very hard sleep, sounded like Insomnia. This is how it affected my brother when he was younger. It never has affected me that way, and doesn't him so much anymore. We both still suffer from it, but it is different now. But, insomnia isn't normal, and you can suffer from it for many reasons other than ones related to RSD or the meds that we take to help with it. You might want to talk with your doc about this. Especially since it seems to be acting differently now, and is causing you problems.

Another thing that might be causing you trouble is that you are under a pretty fair amount of stress. Am I right in thinking that this is your first time being away to university? If I am, then that would help explain a lot. The change a lone would be enough to upset your "normal" sleep patterns, and the stress from all of the deadlines, higher work expectations, massive amounts of work the profs pile on or at least expect you to do (I know of what I speak...My Father is one of those. He got his PhD in Economics, and then went back and got a Fellowship in Finance, Insurance & Risk so that he could teach those courses also), the rapid pace of the classes....and just everything that a university is....would be enough to exhaust anyone. But, someone that already is hinging on exhaustion because they are under stress constantly from dealing with such high levels of unrelenting pain...is it any wonder that you are having some troubles pop up?

I am not sure how different the Secondary/University Education system is there in the UK from how it is here in the US. So, I might be going to ask you some very stupid sounding questions. LOL..but you never learn if you don't ask, right? Here it goes: You have terms/semesters, right? At the end of each term/semester, do you change courses? Or, do you have to take the same classes for a full "year" (fall and spring semesters) in order for that class to be completed for full credit? How many course hours do you have to carry to be considered a Full Time Student? Or, how is a "Full Time" student differentiated from a "Part Time" one? Do you have any kind of wiggle room at all in the classes that you can take or choose to take during your freshman and sophomore years? Will it hurt you in any way to lighten your course load at all at the next opportunity that you have to do so, even by a little bit? (I am talking like a class....nothing to change your student status. I am assuming that you are Full Time Student, and that you are living on campus? And that if you were to change to Part Time, even if it was one step away from Full Time, that you would stand to loose major things like Housing, and possibly worse. That is why I was asking about when you could change....if it could be this upcoming term....and if that could be possible without messing you up in any huge way. Trying to muscle through the remainder of this term....until Christmas Holiday I am assuming...is talking about doing a different thing than trying to muscle through the entire rest of the school year.)

I will talk to my Dad too, and see if he can come up with any ways that you might be able to get some help. I don't know how much he will be able to tell me, since he hasn't been in the UK system, but he has and does go to conferences all over the world....so you never know. It always AMAZES me what he knows, about just about anything you ask. The man is a walking reference book, and I am not kidding. LOL.

I do think that if you can try to lighten the stress a little that it would help you immensely with your sleep. Your are just burning your candle at both ends AND in the middle....and so your body/mind is taking every opportunity that it can to do a systems shut down to get some rest. Thing is, it isn't winding up being "Good Rest", because it is causing you stress too! Stress because it is happening at inopportune times; Stress because it is interfering with your being able to get your school work done, let alone having any social time for yourself (which is a very important part of being away at school!); and Stress because when you get knocked out like that, you aren't moving and you wake up in horrid pain, which only makes everything so much worse! You are stuck in a vicious circle. I know....I have been there and done that. I especially understand the "waking up in horrid pain" part. If I can't move around, I hurt worse. Mornings are always bad for me, but ones when I have slept TOO long, and haven't moved because of it are...well...awful. And runs of such mornings for reasons like you are having....only make me get stuck in a very bad cycle that I have to figure out how to break.

I do agree with Lisa that talking with your Doc would be a good thing. Changes in sleeping patterns are an important thing to let your doc know about. It could be that one of your medications needs to be changed. Be careful about adding more meds....because there always is the possibility of having to deal with new (and possibly worse) side effects from them. Talk to your doc, and see what he says is right for you to do. That is always the best way to go.

I hope that you finally got that Essay done that you were trying to write (or...were avoiding writing? LOL) the other day? How did it turn out?

I am sorry that this wound up being so long again. Try as I might, I simply dont seem able to keep things "Short" like other folks can. Curse of the Long Fingered and Long Winded, I guess. Ah well. On that note, I will end this here. I do hope that you are able to get some normal sleep, and that things get straightened out for you soon, Sweetie. Please let us know..Ok? We are always so proud when someone is off going to school! Kinda like a bunch of proud Mama Hens brooding and being nosey about their chicks, and wanting to know all about what they are doing, so we can sit around and brag to one another about it. ROFL. That includes Mark, who sometimes is the BIGGEST Hen..I mean, Rooster..of us all! ROFL!!

((Hugs))
Jose who hides things in her posts, just to see if anyone reads them! ROFL!!!