Thursday, February 04, 2010

Sleep Frustration

Please allow me to vent here for a few moments of your time.
So, today was my first appointment with the sleep specialist.  I will declare myself highly unimpressed.  I had half decent hopes for this appointment when I got the information packet and it said to plan on being there for an hour.  What a joke!  I was there maybe 20 minutes.
To say I feel the appointment was a waste, is an understatement.  I'm just mad and frustrated as all hell right now.
I haven't slept right in ages, but in the last 6-8 months it's been really bad.  So bad, that it is affecting my performance at work and my relations with Gak and even my patience with Boo.  So, back at the end of December I bring it up to Dr. F again and that it's gotten really bad lately.  So, she tells me she wants me to get a sleep study done and go to Dr. V.  Ok.  So, shortly after the first of the year I call and the earliest appointment I could get (after dealing with rude central scheduling staff) was for today, just about a month after I call.  Well, this is important to me, so I take the appointment and wait.
I get there today and he asks me some questions, some pretty general questions in my opinion.  The same ones I answered on the information packet they sent actually.  He asks me to clarify a few things, but not much.  He doesn't ask me what I've tried, if I've tried anything recently.  He doesn't ask me about my bed time routine, only about caffene and alcohol consumption.  He takes a listen to my heart, looks in my nose and throat and says, yep, you need a sleep study.  It may be your breathing, even though your lungs sound clear, or it could be something with your legs.  (Even though I've told him that I don't wake up suddenly, the only time people tell me I snore is when my allergies are acting up, which they aren't, and that my leg issues happen only when I'm already exhausted and not very often.)  His only word of advice is to "not stay in bed more than 8 hours."  Great, I spend maybe 8 or 9 in bed as it stands.  He doesn't suggest we try something, anything, in the mean time.  I can't get an appointment for the sleep study until the end of the month, and then no discussion about the results for 2 weeks after that!
So, yeah, I'm cranky.  I'm tired.  I'm so far from my normal self as far as sleep and happiness goes, I barely even remember what it's like to feel refreshed after a good night's sleep.  I mean, I haven't been doing anything dangerous like falling asleep, or nearly falling asleep, while driving.  But lets face it, I don't really drive all that far; I'm not taking 2-3 hour long trips these days.  So I don't randomly fall asleep at my desk, but that's only through sheer force of will.  I'm pushing it to stay up to 9 as it is, and 5 or 6 am is not a happy time for me to be getting up either.  Also, when I do get up at 5 or 6, I'm crashing and wanting a nap by 8 or 9, which really kills any hopes of being productive at work.
Anyhow, I hope tomorrows follow up appointment goes better.  I'm sure it will if only for the fact that I like this doctor better and he's pretty honest about stuff.
I'd better get back to attempting to get some work done....

Peace to all and may your doctors both listen and advise well.

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