Isaiah
01-03-07, 01:07 AM
I have seen a psychiatrist and we are working towards a diagnosis. He seens very capable, open minded and he comes highly recommended.
After my first visit a couple of weeks ago he told me that he does think there is something impairing my cognitive functioning and that I am not working optimally. Uh, yeah, I agree. He thinks sleep apnea is the most likely explanation at this point. I got some blood work done that I am waiting to hear back on so we can rule out thyroid. Apparently, the appearance of my uvula and the back of my mouth mark me as a snorer. I have been told this in the past but rarely and when I have been told I was snoring it was faint. I do have sleep issues, in that I feel tired fairly often in the afternoons when I am on a 'normal' schedule. The sleep disorder that clearly fits is delayed sleep phase syndrome. My preference is bed time around 5 am with regular trips around the clock going to bed at 2-3 hours later each night. But if I have to settle for one bed time 5 am seems like the best choice. I also like to nap. Compared to most people I'm pretty low energy. Even during periods where I'm getting regular exercise I don't get a boost in energy. I'm a male, mid 30s, about 25 pounds overweight, all of that in the last year and a half.
So I've done some audio taping of myself sleeping at the psychiatrist's suggestion. I've done it a few times but not every night like I should have because I'm not that on the ball with regular activities and I'm something of a procrastinator to boot. Maybe you can relate. Some nights there is nothing on the tape, like I can't hear anything at all. One night though about two hours in I did tape myself snoring, not particularly loud or every time but for about an hour or so it was semi-regular. There were no pauses in the snores where I was holding my breath.
One concern is that I don't have medical insurance. I can pay whatever it takes to get this sorted out but cost is a factor. Sleep apnea is clearly a serious condition and I want to address it if necessary. Sleep studies are expensive (approx. $2000-2500) and I would rather not unless I have to. In my reading I've come across a number of people where their use of CPAP machines did not result in any improvement to their energy level or their concentration. These are two of my biggest issues. Quite a few CPAP users also discontinue use within a year.
He offered to write me a prescription for Wellbutrin which I turned down since we are still collecting data. I feel kind of weird taking something long term that will affect my mood. I have used drugs recreationally for about 15 years but have also been clean for the last two, I mentioned this on the initial visit. I don't know if this means he is disinclined to prescribe stimulants (amphetamines were never a focus of mine as a user). Stimulant medication is of interest to me because I want more energy and focus. Assuming thyroid is not an issue I may try the Wellbutrin but I am not particularly enthusiastic about it.
While I am keeping an open mind about what the diagnosis will be I tend to think that sleep apnea is less likely because there are no breaks in the snoring and I don't seem to snore all that much, also I have some relatives on my mother's side, including my mother that seem to have some ADD symptoms. It also feels like I have had these symtoms all my life but unfortunately it is 'feels'; my memory, especially of childhood, is not that strong. I do remember some specific instances but not that many. On the other hand my father did snore quite a bit with some apneas. There was also a period where I would get quite drowsy while driving almost falling asleep, hasn't been that way for about 10 years though. Frankly I also wonder if my interest in stimulant medication, which I was quite opposed to when I first thought I might have ADD, is also coloring my outlook. Even now that I've seen a psychiatrist, told him my story and he agress that a closer look is warranted, I wonder if I'm not fooling myself and looking for an easy answer. I wish there was more to the diagnostic process than telling my story, some objective measure would be comforting. Depression is also a possibility. I am somewhat half hearted in going through this because I fear a lot of money will be spent without resolution, and yet the list of symtoms resonates very strongly with me. Despite my psychiatrist's capabilities I am also somewhat scared I'm going to get sucked into a mindset where I and others will start defining me with these vaguely defined fuzzy labels that overlap yet have different treatments. It just seems like there is huge potential for error.
If you have read this too long post, my thanks. I know that some people with ADD also have sleeping disorders. If you have experience with this I would love to hear from you. My main interest is in distinguishing between the two. It doesn't seem very easy and I haven't found much on the internet. But anything else you can share about the diagnostic process for either of these conditions like the costs and time involved also how stimulant medication interacts with sleep disorders would also be of interest. General comments on the whole situation are also welcome.
Thanks again.
P.S. Here's a bit of humor. Before even considering that I might have ADD I got interested in neurofeedback. Spent a couple of months reading all about it, the various brands, protocols, etc. I took a good look at the DIY EEG (OpenEEG) and started that project. Yeah, I didn't finish. It stayed on my mind and I kept looking at various models. It seems like the only thing I hyperfocus on is consumer choices. Eventually I bought a high quality model. As most of you know a number of people have had good results with ADD patients using neurofeedback devices. Apparently some people with sleep disorders have been helped as well. I've had my device for a few months now. How many times have I used it? Once. WTF?!
Tomorrow. I start with it tomorrow.
After my first visit a couple of weeks ago he told me that he does think there is something impairing my cognitive functioning and that I am not working optimally. Uh, yeah, I agree. He thinks sleep apnea is the most likely explanation at this point. I got some blood work done that I am waiting to hear back on so we can rule out thyroid. Apparently, the appearance of my uvula and the back of my mouth mark me as a snorer. I have been told this in the past but rarely and when I have been told I was snoring it was faint. I do have sleep issues, in that I feel tired fairly often in the afternoons when I am on a 'normal' schedule. The sleep disorder that clearly fits is delayed sleep phase syndrome. My preference is bed time around 5 am with regular trips around the clock going to bed at 2-3 hours later each night. But if I have to settle for one bed time 5 am seems like the best choice. I also like to nap. Compared to most people I'm pretty low energy. Even during periods where I'm getting regular exercise I don't get a boost in energy. I'm a male, mid 30s, about 25 pounds overweight, all of that in the last year and a half.
So I've done some audio taping of myself sleeping at the psychiatrist's suggestion. I've done it a few times but not every night like I should have because I'm not that on the ball with regular activities and I'm something of a procrastinator to boot. Maybe you can relate. Some nights there is nothing on the tape, like I can't hear anything at all. One night though about two hours in I did tape myself snoring, not particularly loud or every time but for about an hour or so it was semi-regular. There were no pauses in the snores where I was holding my breath.
One concern is that I don't have medical insurance. I can pay whatever it takes to get this sorted out but cost is a factor. Sleep apnea is clearly a serious condition and I want to address it if necessary. Sleep studies are expensive (approx. $2000-2500) and I would rather not unless I have to. In my reading I've come across a number of people where their use of CPAP machines did not result in any improvement to their energy level or their concentration. These are two of my biggest issues. Quite a few CPAP users also discontinue use within a year.
He offered to write me a prescription for Wellbutrin which I turned down since we are still collecting data. I feel kind of weird taking something long term that will affect my mood. I have used drugs recreationally for about 15 years but have also been clean for the last two, I mentioned this on the initial visit. I don't know if this means he is disinclined to prescribe stimulants (amphetamines were never a focus of mine as a user). Stimulant medication is of interest to me because I want more energy and focus. Assuming thyroid is not an issue I may try the Wellbutrin but I am not particularly enthusiastic about it.
While I am keeping an open mind about what the diagnosis will be I tend to think that sleep apnea is less likely because there are no breaks in the snoring and I don't seem to snore all that much, also I have some relatives on my mother's side, including my mother that seem to have some ADD symptoms. It also feels like I have had these symtoms all my life but unfortunately it is 'feels'; my memory, especially of childhood, is not that strong. I do remember some specific instances but not that many. On the other hand my father did snore quite a bit with some apneas. There was also a period where I would get quite drowsy while driving almost falling asleep, hasn't been that way for about 10 years though. Frankly I also wonder if my interest in stimulant medication, which I was quite opposed to when I first thought I might have ADD, is also coloring my outlook. Even now that I've seen a psychiatrist, told him my story and he agress that a closer look is warranted, I wonder if I'm not fooling myself and looking for an easy answer. I wish there was more to the diagnostic process than telling my story, some objective measure would be comforting. Depression is also a possibility. I am somewhat half hearted in going through this because I fear a lot of money will be spent without resolution, and yet the list of symtoms resonates very strongly with me. Despite my psychiatrist's capabilities I am also somewhat scared I'm going to get sucked into a mindset where I and others will start defining me with these vaguely defined fuzzy labels that overlap yet have different treatments. It just seems like there is huge potential for error.
If you have read this too long post, my thanks. I know that some people with ADD also have sleeping disorders. If you have experience with this I would love to hear from you. My main interest is in distinguishing between the two. It doesn't seem very easy and I haven't found much on the internet. But anything else you can share about the diagnostic process for either of these conditions like the costs and time involved also how stimulant medication interacts with sleep disorders would also be of interest. General comments on the whole situation are also welcome.
Thanks again.
P.S. Here's a bit of humor. Before even considering that I might have ADD I got interested in neurofeedback. Spent a couple of months reading all about it, the various brands, protocols, etc. I took a good look at the DIY EEG (OpenEEG) and started that project. Yeah, I didn't finish. It stayed on my mind and I kept looking at various models. It seems like the only thing I hyperfocus on is consumer choices. Eventually I bought a high quality model. As most of you know a number of people have had good results with ADD patients using neurofeedback devices. Apparently some people with sleep disorders have been helped as well. I've had my device for a few months now. How many times have I used it? Once. WTF?!
Tomorrow. I start with it tomorrow.