Mom still doesn't get it...and I keep winding up in tears...

[Queen of Poop]

Behind you 100% dear!! I'm here anytime you need to vent, a shoulder, anything. I'm not sure I'd be much help with your financial info right now, got enough of those troubles of my own right now.

[Catty1]

Thanks, Gayle...with my depression and ADD symptoms, which might also be aggravated by my sleep apnea, I am afraid to even TRY for a 'real job' as I have gone through about 11 of them since moving to Alberta some 10 years ago.

I hope I get this figured out.

[Kirsten]

Have you had a sleep study done? It just takes overnight. Might be worth checking out.

No, I haven't done it yet, and I think I would really have a problem with that because I could never sleep with other people watching me!

What did they suggest for you to do now once they've found out it's sleep apnoe?

Also - any thoughts of using prints of your photos to raise funds for animal shelters and the like? They would love that!

Yes, that may be worth a try. Once I'm feeling a bit better (I'm also dealing with depression for a couple of months now, and with constant nausea), I can try that...

[Catty1]

Kristen, I did a sleep study at home! You get instructions on how to hook yourself up...All I had was an oxygen sensor taped to my index finger, a wee microphone (small disc) on my throat just above the hollow of it, and the cannula in my nose....that is the thin tube with the wee prongs that you wear when you are getting oxygen in the hospital...except this one just measures your breathing.

Oh - and medical tape...the mic and thin tube on the face need a little help!

[Kirsten]

Kristen, I did a sleep study at home! You get instructions on how to hook yourself up...All I had was an oxygen sensor taped to my index finger, a wee microphone (small disc) on my throat just above the hollow of it, and the cannula in my nose....that is the thin tube with the wee prongs that you wear when you are getting oxygen in the hospital...except this one just measures your breathing.

Oh - and medical tape...the mic and thin tube on the face need a little help!

Interesting, that sounds much better, but as far as I know, they only do it in a hospital here, in a so-called sleep-lab, where they monitor everything.

[Catty1]

Well, Kirsten - all you can do is ask! One is allowed to use a sleep aid for the hospital test. But hopefully there is the other option.

[Queen of Poop]

The Cochrane Humane Society has an opening, if you weren't aware, it is:

We are hiring a part time Adoption Specialist.
The position is 10 hours per week, Friday 2:00 - 7:00pm & Saturday noon - 5:00pm, with the possibility of additional hours

Maybe something you'd be interested in.

[phesina]

Dear Candace, that must be nightmarish (if that's the right word under these circumstances), not being able to get sufficient sleep. That's a reason to be depressed and have attention deficits and no energy right there.

I have no financial expertise either.. but it sounds like you have ideas and plans and some expert advisers to help you make them work.

As for Mom, all I can think is: I am guessing she is from an earlier generation, before conditions such as depression and sleep apnea and ADD were well known and studied and treated. In my parents' day, the solution was to put on the Stiff Upper Lip and Get Busy .. Perhaps your mother's too?

If so, see if you can regard her in that light when she gets on you that way... Remember, she isn't saying these things to hurt you or punish you; she really thinks that's the way to solve the problem.

That's a hard one, no matter what, contending with all that. I am wishing for you the strength and peace of mind to deal with all this. And I lit a candle: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/...g&cid=10105433

You are welcome to vent here any time you feel the need! You know you have loads of friends here who want nothing but the best for you.

Big loving good wishes to you and ~~~~~PURRS~~~~~ and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
from the cats and me.

[wombat2u2004]

No, I haven't done it yet, and I think I would really have a problem with that because I could never sleep with other people watching me!
What did they suggest for you to do now once they've found out it's sleep apnoe?

A hospital test is no big deal Kirsten, you get your own room that is soundproofed.....you get wired up to a computer that is away in another room. They fit you with the machine and mask, and leave you to go to sleep.
Nobody is there with you, and nobody watches you.
In the morning they unplug you, and let you know what the results were (the nurses sort of give you a general rundown)........then off you go to the Sleep Specialist who will tell you exactly what the story is.

As for remedies, that depends on certain circumstances.
1) If you smoke, then you are going to have to give that up.
2) If you are overweight, then you are going to have to diet and lose weight.
Providing that the problem is linked to those two conditions (and it is in a lot of cases), then you will be tested again at a later date to monitor whether the stop smoking or diet has helped you sufficiently to allow your body to get the oxygen it needs when you sleep.
3) The specialist may suggest that you immediately use a CPAP machine, especially if your computer readings are not satisfactory, and that sometimes has to do with your body anatomy. The most common anatomical cause (and there are others) I refer to is your tongue. It was explained to me by my specialist that a great percentage of peoples tongues sit a little further back in there mouths than what they should. I am in that category, there are many people in that category, we are born that way.
What happens during sleep, is that your tongue becomes as soft as jelly, and it slides backwards and actually blocks off your air passages. Your body reacts to that, you partly wake and gasp for breath, the tongue moves forward again so that you can breathe properly......that is an Apnea !!!!
Some people have only a few a night, others have many more. When I was tested, I was having Apnea's a few times a minute.....that's how serious my condition was.

CPAP machines take a little getting used to....took me about 2 or 3 months to actually get used to this bothersome mask on my face all night. but hang in there, put up with the bother, and in no time you will be so used to it, that you won't even think about it....and you won't want to sleep without it.
You will wake refreshed, you will not require as much sleep, and you will feel much better during the day, more motivated and healthy, as your body will respond to that correct amount of oxygen you get whilst you sleep.
It's well worth it mate.....I have been on one now for a long while, and I just don't know what life would be like without it.

Also, there are a number of masks available, all quite differently shaped. Ask the nurses when you do your test if you can try a few just for comforts sake.
That's what I did, and I found one perfect for myself.....so just don't take what they give you......after all.....it's your sleep....make it comfortable as you can for yourself.
Best of luck with that.......
Wom

[Puckstop31]

I'm not an expert on sleep issues as I am blessed to sleep like a rock and I fall asleep fast.

But one of the other owners of our company, the founder and BIG brain, had sleep apnea issues. He went and had the test done. The result being they performed a "minor" procedure on his sinuses. It RADICALLY changed his life for the better.

Not being able to sleep can REALLY mess you up. Big time prayers on the way for ya. On top of that, don't let the ADD/Depression win. I 'suffered' from both for a time. I reckon I still have a touch of ADD, but in a way its a good thing for a geek to have. Ya know? I can stay SUPER focused on the task at hand when I have a foreseeable goal. Its the multitasking that suffers at times. LOL

[Catty1]

Thanks, all. Update here, not that it is a big deal.

After exchanging a couple of emails with my financial advisor, it occurred to me that one way through was to stay where I was for about a year, to give myself time to go through the whole regaining-health-and-employment process.

It occurred to me that that might have been what Mom was trying to get across. It was...but she just didn't put it the same way.

Also...things are edging ever so slowly towards 'the mother becomes the daughter'...so with an aging mom and my brain under stress and not-great sleep, it's a great breeding ground for confusion.

I do pray that I am able to support myself - even on a form of disability while working part time. I am willing to work. I am. Lessening my leaning on mom is becoming more and more important.

Thanks, everyone.

[wombat2u2004]

But one of the other owners of our company, the founder and BIG brain, had sleep apnea issues. He went and had the test done. The result being they performed a "minor" procedure on his sinuses. It RADICALLY changed his life for the better.

Yes Puck, surgery is an option, and I'm glad they could cure your boss.
Thing is tho, that there are many problems associated, and not all surgical procedures are that simple. Some procedures are actually very involved, and can cause the patient many months of pain after the op. As I explained previously, the tongue sitting back in the mouth more than what it should in a lot of people, prompts the specialists to advise the use of a CPAP unit, as I'm sure that surgery for that particular condition would not be simple, probably cost mega-bucks, and be very painful indeed.
Wom

[cassiesmom]

depression and sleep apnea

Catty1, I have both and I have a CPAP for the sleep apnea. Are you taking an SSRI or an SNRI? You don't have to answer that question in a post, but if you are, did you know this class of meds suppresses REM sleep? So that might be contributing to your sleep issues.

Can you get the CPAP any sooner than the 9th? I can tell you from firsthand experience that you will sleep better with it. I don't know about other CPAP users on Pet Talk but I use the humidifier every night, summer and winter. I get dry mouth and nose in the morning from the pressurized air without the humidity. Even my eyes get dry. Gotta have the humidity.

HUGS from me and PURRS from Cassie,
Elyse

[wombat2u2004]

Catty1, I have both and I have a CPAP for the sleep apnea. Are you taking an SSRI or an SNRI? You don't have to answer that question in a post, but if you are, did you know this class of meds suppresses REM sleep? So that might be contributing to your sleep issues.

Can you get the CPAP any sooner than the 9th? I can tell you from firsthand experience that you will sleep better with it. I don't know about other CPAP users on Pet Talk but I use the humidifier every night, summer and winter. I get dry mouth and nose in the morning from the pressurized air without the humidity. Even my eyes get dry. Gotta have the humidity.

HUGS from me and PURRS from Cassie,
Elyse

The humidifier is a must Elyse........I ran out of water in one night and had to get up in the middle of the night to have a drink of something.

[Catty1]

cassiesmom and Wom - first, the SSRI was seen as one factor in my daytime fatigue in addition to the apnea; it is a sedating one. My doc and I will look at that once we get the CPAP under way.

I will certainly ask the tech about humidifier - apparently I need only the nasal mask, so not sure what difference that will make.

Looking forward to this for sure! It's less than a week away.

How to pay for it?....hmmm...hold a benefit concert and I will play and sing! LOL