[gershonb]

Hello all

I've been away from my computer for awhile because I didn't feel good enough to post. My endocrine system is all out of whack, what with no thyroid gland and no testosterone and recent diabetes and then IGF-1 which was sky high. I had to go off ritalin altogether because it was driving me barmy. Then the IGF-1 returned to normal, which may be just a coincidence.

Anyway: I finally have my Neuropsych eval scheduled---for April. It's such a long wait because I was referred to the top brain injury specialist in the area. A colleague (in the clergy) who is disabled due to TBI said that this guy is fantastic. Worth the wait.

Now to deal with the central apnea. When it was first diagnosed, they put me on a BIPAP, which is this heavy device that they never could adjust right. When it broke down, I couldn't afford to fix it (wondrous US health care system). Then when I got another sleep study, they said that the central apnea could be fixed with a CPAP. I thought this was great, since a CPAP is a tiny and manageable machine. But nothing felt like it really worked.

By chance, I got in touch with a competent sleep intake person who took some history and suggested I actually see the sleep doc before having the study done. She said that most labs are geared for obstructive apnea and some won't even hook up to monitor central unless they are told to. It's a stereotyping thing--someone looks at me and sees an overweight guy in his fifties who's diabetic, and thinks "obstructive--just get this lazy slagger on a stairmaster." Instead, she is referring me directly to the best sleep doc in their system. After years of being blown off, feel like I'm finally going to get some care...

You can read all about my concussion history in my first post.

Thanks for being here

Gershon