My ENT appointment
2007-05-03 07:49![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beowabbitI don’t really have time or energy to go into detail about my ENT appointment yesterday, but the short version is that while I liked the guy and he was clearly skilled and attentive and knowledgeable, it wasn’t the watershed event I had hoped it would be.
Evidently, I have “lots” of small anatomical abnormalities in my nose (news to me) and throat (not news at all), no one of which would be a big deal by itself, but which all together add up to a big problem. It’s not clear yet what if anything he wants to do about any of them; he’s waiting for my sleep study report.
I also have mild acid reflux (which I didn’t think I had), and he told me to take something for that.
I need to lose weight, but honestly I don’t think that’s going to happen until/unless I can get my energy level up. (And all the time I have to put in dealing with the CPAP machine and the light box doesn’t help, either, for finding time to exercise.)
I have had the intuitive (i.e., made-up :-) sense all along that my breathing problems are the root cause of my low energy and cognitive problems, but the ENT suspected that was probably not the case, and that there’s something else underlying. Maybe the bloodwork I had at the hematologist’s office on Monday will help with that. The bloodwork I’ve already got results from shows oddness which I may discuss in a filtered post if I get a chance.
While I’m moping and grumping, the light box doesn’t seem so far to be actually making my life better. It does get me to sleep earlier, at least occasionally — but I also often wake up much earlier on those nights, and feel really groggy and crummy and sleepy the next day no matter how long I’ve slept. (Admittedly, I’m not extrapolating from very many data points here.) As with the CPAP machine, I have the problem of not having a control group — I don’t know if I’m just getting worse independently of the light box and would be much worse if I weren’t using it, or if the light box is actually making things worse in some way (although the latter doesn’t sound very plausible). It’s certainly chewing a chunk out of my productive day (although I can do things like post to LJ as I’m doing while I use it).
And worry about my health is probably messing with my sleep at this point (although I feel like I’m sleeping a lot). I may ask my PCP about anti-anxiety meds to see if they improve my sleep.
Evidently, I have “lots” of small anatomical abnormalities in my nose (news to me) and throat (not news at all), no one of which would be a big deal by itself, but which all together add up to a big problem. It’s not clear yet what if anything he wants to do about any of them; he’s waiting for my sleep study report.
I also have mild acid reflux (which I didn’t think I had), and he told me to take something for that.
I need to lose weight, but honestly I don’t think that’s going to happen until/unless I can get my energy level up. (And all the time I have to put in dealing with the CPAP machine and the light box doesn’t help, either, for finding time to exercise.)
I have had the intuitive (i.e., made-up :-) sense all along that my breathing problems are the root cause of my low energy and cognitive problems, but the ENT suspected that was probably not the case, and that there’s something else underlying. Maybe the bloodwork I had at the hematologist’s office on Monday will help with that. The bloodwork I’ve already got results from shows oddness which I may discuss in a filtered post if I get a chance.
While I’m moping and grumping, the light box doesn’t seem so far to be actually making my life better. It does get me to sleep earlier, at least occasionally — but I also often wake up much earlier on those nights, and feel really groggy and crummy and sleepy the next day no matter how long I’ve slept. (Admittedly, I’m not extrapolating from very many data points here.) As with the CPAP machine, I have the problem of not having a control group — I don’t know if I’m just getting worse independently of the light box and would be much worse if I weren’t using it, or if the light box is actually making things worse in some way (although the latter doesn’t sound very plausible). It’s certainly chewing a chunk out of my productive day (although I can do things like post to LJ as I’m doing while I use it).
And worry about my health is probably messing with my sleep at this point (although I feel like I’m sleeping a lot). I may ask my PCP about anti-anxiety meds to see if they improve my sleep.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 23:02 (UTC)Around this same time my MD prescribed sleeping pills in a low dose (I think I tried Restoril, Lunestra and Ambien.) Restoril didn't work for me. Lunestra worked the best for me, but I hated the ka ka taste in the mouth/water tasting disgusting side effect, so opted for ambien, which I took in a tiny dose. It was enough to improve my sleep, then I was able to exercise, and embarked on a weight loss program, eventually losing 65 pounds, which I've maintained for about 9 months so far. (Still trying to lose a little more! :) )
I agree, when you're exhausted it's really hard to lose weight, yet the weight loss is the key to feeling better. Catch 22 huh? For me, the solution was sleeping pills, which improved my sleep good enough (not perfect, but good enough..) to get off my butt. Since I'm a stress eater, the exercise helped me control stress eating as well.
Only about a fifteen pound weight loss was enough to dramatically improve the quality of my sleep, and now I no longer have sleep apnea. I do realize we are all different, but for me, a lose dose sleeping pill was the first of many beneficial dominoes.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 14:34 (UTC)