Medical worry (and general happiness)

[beowabbit]

[No, this is not filtered. This is the sort of thing I think it’s useful to be open about.]

So as I alluded to earlier, but haven’t talked about in a lot of detail, I’ve been concerned for a while about constant exhaustion, memory and attention problems, and various other concerns. Lately I can add breathing problems (both at night and, more recently, sometimes during the day). A lot of it looks very much like sleep apnea although there are some things that seem inconsistent with that. I talked to my (then-) doctor about that a couple years ago and at the time she was pretty sure I didn’t have sleep apnea, but since then the symptoms have gotten a lot worse. My daily exhaustion is greater and more consistent. It feels a lot like being jet-lagged: I’m outside and it’s a bright and sunny afternoon, but I feel like it’s 3:00am and I should be asleep and in bed and it should be dark. When I came home from work this afternoon (early, since I wasn’t really functional), I opened the door carefully so the cat wouldn’t get out. It’s been a long time since I lived in a house with a cat. Yesterday I got off the T a couple stops early on my way to work. It wasn’t that I thought I was at my stop yet, it was just that the train stopped at the station and that bit of my autopilot that controls what you do when the train stops kicked in before I bothered to think whether this was where I wanted to get off. I’m only 40 (well, 39 for another couple days). I’m not due for this yet.

So I’m really glad that I finally found a doctor who was seeing patients, got things straightened out with the insurance company so I can go see him, and made an appointment for September 12. I really hope this is easily treatable, whatever it is. (If not, cathijosephine, you may get your chance to feed me my strained peaches during visiting hours at the nursing home sooner than planned. :-)

All of this is on my mind because I just finished writing up my medical history and an overview of my current complaints to send to my new doctor. (I haven’t sent it yet because I want to run the family-medical-history stuff by my mother first.) I don’t angst about this all the time. :-)

All of that said, my life is pretty wonderful. I have lots and lots of good friends, a new lover, some other people who don’t seem to mind smooching me now and then, a good relationship with my fabulous ex, a good albeit long-distance relationship with my other fabulous ex, and a house I love in a town I love and whose mortgage I can even (albeit just barely) afford. And it was a sunny day today.

I have some stuff I’m frightened about, but in many ways I am blessed.

PS — Lest any of you worry that I’m going to keel over tomorrow, these issues have been going on (and slowly getting worse) for years. I’m sure looking forward to my appointment, but this isn’t an acute, sudden thing.

Comments

Funny how life works out.

[thanos73.livejournal.com]

I do have sleep apnea and those sound exactly like the symptoms I had before I was diagnosed with it. I had to go through several “Doctors” before I found one that actually listened instead of just giving me a bunch of pills to take. I suggest you insist on a sleep test also ask the people whom you share a bed with if you ever snore at night, stop breathing during sleep or wake up constantly during the night.

When next we meet remind me to have a talk with you about it. I can tell you this, since I now have treatment for it, plus getting some other stuff fix none sleep apnea related, my energy levels are through the roof!

Re: Funny how life works out.

[beowabbit]

[...] also ask the people whom you share a bed with if you ever snore at night, stop breathing during sleep or wake up constantly during the night.

I do snore, but quietly. Don’t know about the irregularity, but I presume that’s what docorion heard when he originally told me I should be tested for it.

I definitely do wake up a lot during the night. Usually I don’t know why (or it seems to be my bladder’s fault), but occasionally I’m aware that it’s because I wasn’t breathing.

Sure does seem like sleep apnea. The only things that seem to contradict that is that things like NyQuil, antihistamine-based sleep aids, and even alcohol seem to improve my sleeping and leave me more rested in the morning, which is counterintuitive for sleep apnea.

And of course most of the symptoms from sleep apnea come from not getting a good night’s sleep, so anything that seriously interferes with my sleep is going to produce similar symptoms. I still think sleep apnea’s the best bet, though.

I can tell you this, since I now have treatment for it, plus getting some other stuff fix none sleep apnea related, my energy levels are through the roof!

That’s sure encouraging!

As an aside, I noticed astronomy on your userinfo page. You’re welcome to use my telescope (it should get some use, after all!), and I should probably put out my NASA photographic atlas of the solar system for you to thumb through.