aren't you supposed to SLEEP during a sleep test??

i had my sleep test this past week. i didn't like it one bit.

i arrived at the sleep center at 9pm. 9pm is my usual bed time these days, so i showed up in my pajamas. there were a few other people there for a sleep test, and only one sleep tech, so it took her a while to get everyone wired up. since i arrived last, i was wired last. i read my book in my little room for about an hour before it was my turn. this was my room:

not much in my room except a bed, a nighstand, a few pictures hanging on the wall, and a mirror. oh, and this:

that's a camera, staring straight at the bed.

so, finally the sleep tech came in and got me all wired up for bed. the whole process took about 30 minutes. when she was done, i had 5 electrode pads on my face, another 6 on my head, 2 on my neck, 2 on my chest, 2 on my legs, 2 straps around my chest, wires in my nose, a breath sensor that sat on my lips, and a pulse reader on my right index finger.

that thing i'm holding in my left hand is the panel with all my wires. that panel was then plugged in near the bed, and i was unable to get out of bed without calling the tech to unhook me.

by the time the tech turned off the lights, it was about 11:30pm. there was no clock in the room, so the only light came from a circle of small red LED lights that surrounded the lens of that camera on the wall....a constant, eerie reminder that someone is always watching.

for the first few minutes i stared at that camera thinking how creepy it was that they were watching me lay in bed. i started to wonder if i was suddenly part of some secret government experiment. i started to imagine i was going to wake up and realize i had no idea where i had been or what had happened for the previous 12 hours.

however, then i started to remember i had electrode pads all over my head, and "they" could be reading my mind. i know you can't read minds through the electrode pads. but because i was extremely tired, in a weird room and wired to a bed, i decided it might be a good idea to think nice thoughts about aliens and government conspiracies, just in case they could read my thoughts.

i would start thinking about how creepy it was that a camera was staring at me while i had wires coming out of everywhere and was supposed to be sleeping. but then i would think, "uh oh. what if they heard me think that? i'm just kidding....it's not at all creepy that a camera is staring at me. and, i'm very comfortable with these wires on my head and in my nose. and, that sleep tech seemed like a wonderful lady. i'm not at all worried that she's going to torture me in my sleep."

eventually i must have fallen asleep, because i had some weird dreams, but i was awake for a good part of the night. finally i summoned the tech to unhook me to go to the bathroom at about 6am, and she took off the electrode pads. some of them had been taped pretty well to my face, so they took a little skin when ripped off.

i certainly hope i don't have to have another one of those soon. not very fun. i do want to mention, however, that the place i went was actually very nice and the people were very helpful. it's just a lame test that would be uncomfortable no matter where i went.

out.
- L

there's nothing disorderly about my sleep!

i had an appointment with the sleep doctor yesterday. my primary physician referred me to the sleep disorder clinic, i suspect, because he is running out of other ideas. i've always really enjoyed my beauty sleep and never had much trouble sleeping, so i was rather surprised. certainly Dog can attest to how great of a sleeper i am.



the doctor thinks my restless leg syndrome (RLS) is keeping me up at night. as i mentioned before, the low iron often causes RLS. my legs often have a tingly, almost painful feeling from the knee and below. the doctor suspects my legs continue to move throughout the night keeping me from getting the deep sleep i need.


so, we scheduled a sleep study test. that means i have to go spend the night at a clinic and get hooked up to machines. seems rather pointless - of course i won't sleep well when people are watching me sleep and monitoring my every move!

the dr. did indicate he thinks low ferritin is a part of the problem, more than my PCP has let on. it was comforting to hear that, since it's what i expected all along.

"if everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking." - Gen. Patton


- L

no turning into a piggy for me!

i was able to get an h1n1 shot today. i don't usually get flu shots as i'm not sure how much faith i have in them. however, with my current medical problems, i figured getting the flu (pig or otherwise) could be pretty bad for me. the same place i went for my seasonal flu shot called me this morning and asked if i wanted an h1n1 shot. of course i said yes.

i suppose i can stop avoiding pigs now.


i'm interested (and by "interested", i mean nervous) to see how i feel in the next few days. i got a seasonal flu shot last week, and felt rather flu-ish for a few days afterwards.

one less thing to worry about.

out.
- L

i'd like that with a side of mayo....

i tried to get into the mayo clinic because i have had good experiences in the past. i thought maybe they would be able to help me out now, seeing as it's been 5 months, no one still has any idea, and i don't feel much better.

turns out i was actually rejected by mayo. guess maybe i'm not sick enough. i can, however, go see a regular mayo doctor (just not one at the actual clinic), but unfortunately that will likely require i move to arizona for at least a little while.

so, faced with a dilemma. mayo doctors are the best, as proven by my personal experience in the past, and some improvements need to be made soon, as i can't keep feeling like this. but, i don't want to have to move, just to feel normal.

decisions.

- L

iron (wo)man: the sequel

i have been doing a lot of research about iron, specifically ferritin, over the last few weeks. at my last appointment, my doctor made it sound like my ferritin level was almost normal. the "normal" range is 15-290. i'm currently at 11. back in may, right after fainting, i was at 3.

my research has shown that, while 15-290 is indeed the normal "range", ideal is something more along the lines of 100. a ferritin level of 70 is necessary to regrow hair. no wonder i'm losing hair and feeling tired. did i mention my number is eleven?

rather frustrating, and confusing. it seems as if ferritin is a bigger problem than my doctor let on, but is it the ONLY problem? that is the question.

i really wish someone would just figure out what is wrong with me.

out.
- L

well, it's not pizza!

i was kind of hoping the CT scan would show that little spot on my lung was a piece of pizza that got lost on its way down. unfortunately, no such luck.

turns out i have a tumor on my left lung with benign appearances. they're not certain its benign, as no biopsy was performed, but given my age and low risk factors, the doctors feel comfortable waiting 6-12 months to perform another CT scan to see if the tumor is growing.

so, fairly good news. would have been better if it was just a piece of pizza, though.

"Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former." - Einstein

- L

blood tests

i forgot to mention in my last post that i did get blood test results back at my doctor's visit this week. everything came back fairly normal. one of my iron numbers, the one that measures that iron in my blood, is completely normal. the other number, my iron storage (ferritin), is still low but almost normal, according to my doctor. he said the normal range is 15-290, and i'm at 11. is it just me, or does that sound like a huge range??

if my iron is almost normal, and i've been told my symptoms were caused by low iron, wouldn't you expect those symptoms to have disappeared by now? unfortunately, they haven't.

i have my CT scan tomorrow, and my doctor referred me to a pulmonary specialist as well as a sleep disorder specialist. i don't think anyone really thinks i have a sleep disorder, i think we're just all out of other ideas.

oh, and results from the stress test, when the techs freaked out that they saw something, came back totally normal. my guess? i think maybe the spike in my heart rate occurred when the techs were talking about the donuts in their break room, since i hadn't eaten in 4 hours at that point. i guess love will do that to your heart.

- L