I just got back from a visit with Oregon Sleep Associates. I've had a difficulty with having no energy, not being rested, being tired, snoring and jerky legs for way too many years. Sounds pleasant, no? I went to the doc a couple of weeks ago and he started the ball rolling by contacting Oregon Sleep Associates which is connected with the Oregon State Medical School. Today Dr. Fromherz asked me about 100 questions - and that was after filling out 7 pages of questions at home.
After all that and checking my vitals he thinks it is quite possible that I have Sleep Apnea , and Restless Leg Syndrome. The leg thing can be because of an iron deficiency; the other from an airway collapse while sleeping. There are several things that can be done but first they sucked some blood to test for the iron deficiency. I am scheduled for a sleep-study March 1. I check in at 8 p.m. and they hook me up to lots of different things to check me as I sleep.
If there is an iron problem, I guess I will be taking more pills. If not, it might take different pills to get my legs to relax.
If I show that I do have Sleep Apnea in the first three hours, they hook me up to a machine to help keep the air-passages open - a CPAP mask. If it shows up because of the results of all the data that was pumped in to the computer that night, I will have to come back to have the mask adjusted to make sure it has the lowest airflow to get the job done.
There are other options besides the CPAP mask -a tracheotomy which was the old way of taking care of the problem and would leave a permanent hole in my neck - not top any one's list; wearing a dental appliance that could make my tongue move forward; and a couple kinds of surgery - one is simpler but not as successful, the other more drastic but with a higher percentage of success which would move my jaw forward permanently. I'm thinking the mask sounds like it is where to start.
In the mean-time, I have some pills that are supposed to wake me up during the day. What an idea. The thought of not being exhausted from morning to night sounds like fun.
4 comments:
good luck with all that...maybe you need the Tom Peterson Alarm Clock that was advertised in the 80's. Buy a sofa get an annoying alarm clock of Tom Peterson saying "Wake up!"
It seem to me that someone got a Tom Peterson watch many years ago!
Ummm...I have no idea what you are talking about (cough, cough)!
Sue - I feel better just taking the 'wake-up' pills he gave me. I am usually tired, exhausted and sleepy. For the past couple of days they have been separate things, meaning that I may be tired but I'm much more alert and not always ready for a nap.
I've spent a lot of time trying to find a solution to why I never have the energy most people seem to have. It is discouraging, not just to not be able to function but to not see an end to it. When Bob started having problems this summer, I knew we would be in trouble if I couldn’t wake up but nothing I've done, besides staying in bed for days at a time, helps but I don't like doing it. Right now I’m the chauffeur so that isn’t an option.
The pills help but they take a while to kick in in the morning and I still feel like something the cat drug in for quite a while after I get up. Bob says I’m not snoring much at all since I started taking them so he is getting a bit more sleep.
Two weeks from now I’ll be all wired up and plugged into a computer. I’m going to go without the pill one of these days to see if the snoring comes back. If it does, I shouldn’t take them before the sleep-study. I may not be snoring but I still feel worn out. I’m looking forward to finding out what they think.
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