I had my follow up today with the sleep doctor. She said, predictably, that the first thing we have to do is iron out the obstructive sleep apnea issues, and see where we stand with all the other issues.
My CPAP got flashed up to 11 cm of pressure. I can feel the difference, but it's not terribly radical. It all depends on how I sleep with it, I guess, though.
She talked briefly about the PSG/MSLT combination... In short, she talked about why she thought it might answer some questions, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do. I am on a few drugs that are REM suppressors. I'd have to go off them in order to make the PSG/MSLT worthwhile. It wouldn't be a matter of a day or two either... It would be at least a month. That wouldn't be pretty. That wouldn't even be possible. She said, "I took the 'do no harm' oath. That would do harm."
So the diagnosis, as it stands, is some sort of hypersomnia. Is it just sleep apnea and PLMD? Who knows? Is it idiopathic? Narcolepsy? I dunno.
She said to settle in that without that test, I might not ever know, but that it's probably better not to get the insurance companies all freaked out anyway.
Of course, I think the insurance companies are all freaked out by me anyway.
The only thing that doesn't sit well is I'd sure as heck like a name for it. Something to call it, swear at, curse when I can't do the things I want to do.
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About sleepychick
I'm a 34 year old woman with multiple sleep disorders (sigh). Sleeping's been a lifelong sort of love hate thing for me. I had my first polysomnography in 2001, and I was told I was "fine." Turns out, from my history and the muscle tone that the PSG returned, I showed signs of REM Behavior Disorder.
Fast forward three years, where my neurologist, on hearing my reports of ungodly fatigue (more like someone turned up the gravity) and daily headaches, declared I needed a sleep study.
That time they found moderate obstructive apnea.
Did my CPAP titration, wear it dutifully. But I was still so tired. I mean, tired like I was smote from on high. So two weeks ago, I had a re-titration.
They discovered (this time) I needed my CPAP turned up and I have Periodic Limb Movement in Sleep Disorder. I also have an extremely abnormal sleep architecture.
What I wouldn't give to sleep through the night!
