Day Seventy-Seven...Diagnosis, Almost

So, at 32, I would expect that I could get 8 hours of sleep every night and wake up mostly refreshed and ready to face the following day. I would expect that I could come home from work and not feel like taking a nap. I would expect that I would be able to sleep through the night. I would expect that I would be able to fall asleep within a few minutes of hitting the pillow at night. I would also expect that doing the littlest things wouldn't make me exhausted. Well...my expectations are incorrect. I DON'T get 8 hours of sleep every night, even though I go to bed between 7 and 8 pm (I have to get up by 5 or so to get to Renton by 7). I DON'T wake up mostly refreshed and ready to face the day because I'm so exhausted. I DON'T come home from work and feel like not taking a nap. I DON'T sleep through the night. I DON'T fall asleep within a few minutes of going to bed. It takes be anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to fall asleep, and even at that, I don't STAY asleep. It's been that way for several years, but I've really noticed it since I started working. It's starting to affect my abilities at my job.

So, I took charge of the situation. I went to the doctor today. My parents and my brother all have sleep apnea and my mother and brother have Restless Leg Syndrome (the creepy-crawlies, crabby-legs syndrome at night). My mom says I breathe just like she does at night (she's come into my room when I lived at home and purposefully listened to me sleeping to check) and my covers are almost always off my bed when I wake up. So, I probably have both. Both of those things have, most likely, been disturbing my sleep, probably for years. The doctor wants to do a sleep study on me. I'll go back to the clinic on Thursday night at about 7:30, they'll hook me up to machines to monitor how I sleep, and I'll spend the night there. Then in about 7 days, I'll get the results. If I have it (and there's little doubt in my mind), I'll most likely get a machine to wear when I sleep that will help push air into my lungs and keep me breathing. If this works, I should sleep better than I have in years and I should have the energy I need to do the normal, everyday things I want to do.

Also, the doctor gave me a sample of some medicine for RLS (the creepy-crawly, crabby-leg syndrome). He told me to try it and see if it works. If not, we can try something else.

I really hope that this does the trick. It will be nice to sleep again. It would also be nice (and, I'm just kinda thinking out loud right now), but it would be nice if I could some how have this doctor deem it a medical necessity for me to lose weight through the Lap Band surgery and have my insurance pay for it. I have been doing some research and it seems like the Lap Band is the way I would like to go. It's MUCH less invasive, it's adjustable, and there is FAR LESS complications and dangers associated with it (when compared to Gastric Bypass). Granted, every surgical procedure carries a certain amount of dangers and risks. But the Lap Band procedure does not involve cutting or removing any of the stomach muscle at all. It's a sleeve that is put at the top of your stomach. The sleeve can be inflated or deflated in an out-patient office visit. It can also be reversed/removed if complications arise.

But, right now, I think I'll concentrate on the sleeping issues I have, get those taken care of, then deal with fixing the underlying weight problem. Who knows, maybe taking care of the sleep apnea will give me the energy I need to work out every day like I'm supposed to. If so, I'll be able to lose my weight on my own. If not, then I can talk to my doctor about the other things.