Hi,
When I saw my pdoc he expressed concern about my weight gain the past few years.
I told him that I feel crummy most of the time.
He asked a few more questions and then recommended that I make an appointment with a sleep specialist for a consult about a sleep study for apnea. He said that the specialist would know if I am a candidate for the sleep study.

My acupuncturist wants me to go for the consult too.


The specialist is 1.5 hour drive from here and I have not checked to see if he is on my insurance.

I am really depressed about this.


Mari

Make sure you have a sleeping pill for the sleep test!!! That way you are more likely to go back to sleep after the tech from the next room YELLS in the microphone that you need to readjust your mouth thingy.

I only slept 2-3 hours that long, miserable night.

Don't be depressed -- it might just be the thing that will help you feel better.

It does take awhile to get used to the darned contraption.

I am sorry to think about this for you.
what do you think about it?
bizi

Sending you hugs. And hoping you get there and can get this study
done.

My mom and a sister have both had this done.

Donna

Hi,
Considering this new dx feeds into my life long fear of sleep.


On my own a little while ago, I sort of figured that I might have this dx. I didn't ask any docs for help because I don't want it to be true. . . . so I have been dreading thinking about this for a while now.

The neurologist is too far away -- and lots of traffic.


And I do not think that I would agree to the cpap machine treatment anyway.
It freaks me out just to think about the dx and I have been anxious and depressed all day.


But maybe the sleep-study would turn up something else besides/instead of apnea and would give me some information.

I wonder if the Klonopin interferes with sleep.
Maybe I should go off the stuff.
The pdoc and I began a Klonopin taper over the summer but the tdoc noticed that I was becoming anxious. I didn't believe her but agreed to go back up to full dose.


Mari

does your h ubby ever suggest that you have periods of apnea when you sleep or does he notice....you said that you have thought this before.
Alseep study could tell you other things, since you have such a problem with sleep, I wonder if they might be able to help figure this out.
You don't have to do anything.
I have heard that benzo use can cause rebound anxiety....when trying to taper off...jstu like my discontinuing ambien caused rebound insomnia.
now I am on a .5mg klonipin with somewhat success, except it took me 2 hours to fall asleep last night.
I am not increasing my dose of klonipin....

anyway...
you don't have to do anything you don't want to do.
period.
It is your body.
bizi

Bizi,
Thank you.

I asked hubby if he ever noticed if I stopped breathing / snoring. He said "no" but he didn't know to watch for it.

I told him to pay a little more attention to whether or not there are breaks in my breathing and to let me know.

I don't think I have rebound anxiety -- but what do I know.

I did just read again on the Internet that tranquilizers can worsen / contribute to sleep apnea. They can also cause a person to grind their teeth.
I think I am going to do the Klonopin taper again. What he and I came up over the summer was modest -- go from 2.5 to 2.0 and stay there for a while -- like a until the next visit in 4 months.


Maybe I can eventually talk myself into the study. I don't have to agree to the treatments.
I appreciate your reminding me of this.

Mari

This could be very true for you
I am sorry that this is adding to your anxiety...I would feel that way too.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

Dear Bizi,

This might sound slightly crazy but hubby and I got rid of EMFs in our bedroom (anything causing electromagnetic fields). We sleep with battery alarm clocks near the bed.

On the other side of the room we have one electric alarm clock and one noise maker. Those two items are the only electric machines in the room.

http://www.emfcenter.com/faqs.htm

Quote:

B11. How can I reduce the EMFs in my home? You can arrange your home to stay as far as possible from obvious EMF sources such as electrical panels, refrigerators, televisions and fluorescent lights. You can use a battery powered alarm clock instead of a plug-in type near your bed, and you can unplug all electrical cords near beds, desks, couches and chairs. Limit your family’s use of cell phones and cordless phones as much as possible. And since EMFs can be emitted from many unseen and unexpected sources, you can also measure with a test meter.

Years ago I even bought a meter
( http://www.trifield.com/EMF_meter.htm )
to measure EMFs so that I could determine what was the best room in the apt to sleep in. I found out in my old apartment that I was sleeping in the worst room -- the room near the air conditioner.

I considered that the EMFs might interfere with brain signals about sleeping.

This starts to sound nuts after awhile but I have been trying to solve the pieces of the sleep puzzle for twenty years now.

Hubby studied some of this in school so it makes sense to him -- he doesn't think I am nuts.


Mari

Hi Mari,

I wish I could wave a wand and make it all better, even for myself I wish it was that easy. But as my therapist said, "It's the big stuff you have to get through, that's why they call it the big stuff, we all have it, but it's different for each person." I really like my therapist, the new one I am referring to, my current one I like a lot too, not meaning to imply I like one better then the other, but I find their advice very helpful.

I can only advise you like was said above, make sure you have something to help you fall asleep. Even then it's not going to be easy, but you'll do it hopefully. I know that there is something you need the prescription to say so they have permission to 'treat' you should they discover apnea. This will save you from having to have a second sleep study done where they adjut the machine to your optimum level where the apnea is gone and you're breathing soundly. You CAN do this Mari, I had to leave my son overnight to do this and it was so hard emotionally, but that was my experience, maybe you can have a better one.