So Confused.

[Guest guest]

I am so confused. I have not been diagnosed with CFIDS or FMS but

have all the sypmtoms and problems of CFS. I just had a sleep study

done to test for sleep apnea (I am very overweight) but the results

have only confused me more. The doctor told me I have very mild

sleep apnea. Most people who have apnea stop breathing in the middle

of the night and wake up (even though they don't rmember doing it) up

to 100's of times a night. They do not get the rest they need, they

are sleep deprived and the symptoms are very much like CFS symptoms.

(the fatigue part). Well I do not stop breathing when I am sleeping,

however my breathing does slow way down. The doctor said that I am

only getting 3% of the stage 3 and 4 sleep (the deep restful part of

sleep) that I should be getting. He says a CPAP machine (a machine

that uses air to block open your airway while you are sleeping so you

do not stop breathing) would help me, but that my apnea is not bad

enough for my insurane (cigna) to cover it. I asked him how I could

get better sleep and he said lose weight. Ok, well I don't eat that

much and I don't exercise because I am too tired to do much more then

go to work, so I am not sure how that is supposed to work. I have

been looking at information on CFIDS and as I said before I have many

of the symptoms; short term memory problems, lack of concertration

that is affecting my job, tired all the time, extreme fatigue,

clumisness, it's like I am all thumbs, or walk into a wall or hit my

hand on a door knob as I go by. NO ENERGY. My house is a mess

because I am too tired to clean it, I never feel like cooking or

cleaning, or doing my nails anymore. I am lucky to get my laundry

done. Last year I was having problems with headaches and dizzness

and finally went to a nuerologist who diagnosed me with migrianes and

gave me medication for it which does help. In the last couple of

years I have been sick constently, in fact it's a running joke at my

work that if I start coughing people stay far away from me because

most likely I will end up with a cold or flu. I have had this over

and over. I even had strep in January. I will wake up with a sore

throat one day and not feel sick in any other way, and have that for

a day or so. I have unexplaiend nausea from time to time. I don't

acutally thorw up but just have nasuea. I can sleep 12 or more hours

a day and still not feel rested. I wake up feeling tired. I don't

have trouble falling asleep now, but last year I would have racing

thoughts and would lay in bed for hours before going to sleep. I

have tremendous pain in my neck and shoulders that is almost

constant. I have muscle relaxers that help a little and a heating

pad helps some, but it never completlely goes away. I have developed

allergies, but I went to a allery doctor and did all the test and my

alleries were not bad enough to need shots, she gave me a nasal

spray. It seems like I have a little of everything, but not enough

of any of it to get the treatment most people get. If I thoguht a

cpap machine would cure my sleep problem I would just buy one myself,

no matter the cost, but I truly cant't see it working. It doesn't

help the quality of your sleep, it helps you if you quit breathing,

which I don't. My o2 saturation only falls to 88% when I am

sleeping. I just don't know what to do at this point. I was hoping

some of you with the same problems could give me some advice, does it

seems like I could have CFS? I made an appt for next week with my

regular doctor, to discuss all this with her, but I know that I have

talked to her before about my lack of energy and she tells me

exercise and lose weight, and she said if the apnea test wasn't the

problem then she didn't know what else to tell me besides lose

weight. I am in Phoenix AZ does anyone know of any good doctors that

could help me, that take Cigna HMO?

Well, thanks for letting me vent. I just get more and more

frustrated and tired. LOL now I am going to go take a nap.

Robin