Saturday, June 16, 2012

You want to study my sleep?

Yep, a sleep study.  And soon.  I've been battling fatigue for a while now and I want some answers.  I saw my PCP a couple months ago and he did some blood word.  I've had my thyroid checked twice already and it was normal both times.  Dr. Livingston said my B12 levels were low according to my blood work, so he started me on B12 injections.  I did those for a month and went back for a follow up.  I didn't notice any change at all so he referred me to Dr. Bashir Chaudhary at the Sleep Institute of Augusta.  I saw Dr. Chaudhary yesterday.  The nurse first had me do a breathing test.  I had to clamp my nose shut and put my mouth around a moutpiece.  At first I breathed normally and then she had be breath in very deep quickly and then breath out hard and long.  According to my age there was a certain point that I should have been able to get to on the graph and I didn't make it either of the times she did the test.  I came fairly close, but not up to the mark.

Then Dr. C did a physical exam to check my nose and mouth.  He noted a 3mm overbite, a low soft palate, a high hard palate, a slight deviated septum, and a narrowed nasal opening.  He said all of these things are minor issues, but put together may be causing a narrowed airway and possibly be causing me to not be sleeping well.  He's wanting to do a night time and day time sleep study.  I will arrive at the sleep lab next Tuesday night (7/26) by 8pm and they will hook all the electrodes and sensors up to me.  Then I will be required to lay on my back with only one pillow and go to sleep.  Yeah, that'll be fun.  My normal way to sleep is on the couch with at least 3 pillows on my side.  Then at 5:30am they will wake me up.  That is the end of the night time study.  Then a new crew will take over to administer the day time study.  I will be told at 4 different times to lay down for a 30 minute nap.  At 4:00pm the test will be complete.  It's going to be a long day, but I hope I get some answers.  I'm sick of feeling so sleepy everyday.


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