Sleep Apnea

[Sangye]

I decided when I see my Wegs doc I'm going to ask to do the sleep study he's been requesting since Oct 2008 (ahem). I've been thinking about what it would take to be able to work again-- at anything. The physical stuff is a major problem and I'm nowhere near being able to work. But mentally I'm always exhausted and foggy, too. I feel like I'm just floating through the days. That and some of the physical exhaustion could be the result of sleep apnea, so I'm ready to rule it out. If it can be fixed then let's fix it. I'm tired of treading water.

The reason I wouldn't do a sleep study all this time is because I had a horrific experience in Arizona doing one and was up the entire night. Even if it's done properly, I might be up the entire night. Losing sleep like that sets me back for many days. JHU is also 1.5 hrs away and I'd have to drive home the next day. If I've lost sleep, it'd be very bad to have to drive all the way home. I also have to get someone to stay overnight with my animals (not so easy).

I haven't wanted to face the possibility of having sleep apnea and having to use a machine to sleep. After being on oxygen for 19 months, I remember what a pain it was to sleep being attached to tubes and with something in your nose, etc.... Who wants that for the rest of your life? But I keep reading about how people say they finally slept great once they were hooked up.

So I'm just going to do the test and find out for sure.

[elephant]

Sangye get it done. That way you aren't wondering about it. There are some days ( most days), that I feel foggy mentally....like I am in space land? I think it's the medicines or is the WG doing it to us???
Is there anyone who could take you? If I lived closer I take you and take care of your dogs. Maryland to South Carolina...8 hour drive?
The Bipap machine is no big deal anymore. Once you start you love it. It doesn't make a loud noise and it is smaller....
Sangye, your very sharp and quick witted....I can't imagine you not being foggy......you be too close to Einstein..
You could probably be a consultant or something..

[JanW]

Good for you Sangye. Hopefully you will get the answers you need and can resume getting back to a more "normal" life.

[pberggren1]

Kudos Sangye! You can do it!

[Sangye]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your support. I know it seems crazy that I wouldn't have done it sooner. It's just that there's never been a time when the idea of missing a full night's sleep wasn't a big deal. No lull in this mess, you know?

Elephant, do you use a bipap? What can you tell me about the noise, size, thing that you wear on your head, etc....

I think if there were a timer that showed how long it takes me to write a post on here, you'd have a better idea of what I mean by foggy thinking! Or if we talked live, for sure. I like to read and I have to reread the same sentence over and over to get it. I like listening to radio discussions and news, but can hardly retain what they're saying.

There's a small group of us at our temple who are the "funny ones." (Everyone else is either serious or appreciates humor but isn't funny.) We bounce jokes back and forth and entertain ourselves and the others who enjoy it. I've noticed that I'm less and less able to think quickly like I used to. So I can only get a couple jokes in and sometimes I can't even follow their jokes. It's really upsetting to me. I love to laugh and make people laugh.

I think it's gotten worse since I've been back on pred. I'd like to call that drug a few names, but I can't think of any....

[elephant]

I don't use the CPAP. All CPAP's are different. They have small ones that are like a head gear and then the cpap mask is under the nose. The guy I know loves it. No problems. He seems really happy.
Sangye you are still funny....if your were even funnier ...I probably have to wear depends....
Glad you hand out with the funny ones. I use to be wittier back in the days....I noticed I am more quite....feel like my brain is Swiss cheese. Just need a couple pieces of bread to keep the air from flowing out...
That @#$%^&*( Prednisone!! There I said it!

[Sangye]

I actually have made some people pee their pants laughing.

Thank you for finding the perfect name for pred. :D

[elephant]

I bet those people who peed their pants bring extra undergarment with them when they see you. :)

[moyan]

Hi, arn't we all a bit brain prednisoned?!

[Sangye]

I have an ever-growing list of people I can no longer sit next to at our temple during practices. I've started too many giggle fests and we can't seem to break the pattern when we sit beside each other. But I can still start giggling from across a big room and drag everyone into it.