Joined recently - still seeking answers

[Guest guest]

I am frustrated and find myself here again, searching for any information on

excess carbon dioxide in arterial blood gases. I already have a number of

diagnoses I deal with, however, the last time they redid my sleep study,

reconfirming both central and obstructive sleep apnea, the sleep doc strongly

encouraged me to f/u on the ABG room air tests that indicate I do not have

enough O2 and have too much carbon dioxide in my blood. She asked that I f/u

with my regular PCP and only sees patients in her office after careful

consideration on referral from your PCP. The pulmonary function tests come out

either w/in normal ranges or inconclusive, but hurt like hell and exhausted me

to do. The chest x-ray, chest ct scan, etc are normal. Yet, no one can explain

the balance issues, why I am always tired, w/o energy or motivation, sweat like

crazy upon the slightest exertion, and now have this abnormal ABG.

Everything is constantly blamed on my meds, so I finally quit taking almost

everything they have me on. The problems persist. The tests come back normal or

get attributed to something they have already dx. I do NOT WANT some other

problem. However, everything I read talks about the toxicity of the carbon

dioxide, the damage that it does and it seems like that ought to give rise to

figuring it out!! Instead, I get asked why it bothers me!! I nearly died of

strep A in my blood stream 4 yrs ago, acute renal failure, my liver was trying

to shut down, and was in a coma for 3 days. I do not want to wait until the CO2

has done its damage for them to figure it out!!! Meanwhile, I am not the same

person that I was. It seems everything they dx has its origins in the brain

stem. My cognitive function and my memory are both worse than before the coma,

but they say there is no residual damage.

I ended up here on this list 4-6 weeks ago b/c the research seemed to be

pointing to the possibility of sarc or neurosarc. How do you get the doctors to

look seriously at what is happening? If you can't, then how do you resolve, slow

thw progression, or somehow address the respiratory toxicity??

Thank you for listening and any help you can provide.

Cheryl M.