Sleep Study

Last week I met with a TMJ Specialist (tempero-mandibular joint). I have been problems with TMJ since I lived in NYC. Frankly I've had lots of stress-related health problems while I was living there and few have continued since I have returned home (my feet are back to normal, no more blepherospasming (eye twitching but doesnt that sound better!), very few and far between migranes, and rare IBS problems (most likely due to NOT eating pizza daily)...

Anyway,, one problem that has stuck around is my jaw-pain. It actually intensifies whenever I have dental work done (so every 6 months for checkups and whatnot). When this happens I'm on motrin or advil solid every 4 hrs like clockwork. This past 3 weeks I decided the pain and difficulty sleeping due to the pain was no longer manageable and I needed to look further into it.

So I saw the specialist. They evaluated my teeth, jaw, muscles all kinds of things and he suggested I go for a sleep study to evaluate if I may have sleep apnea. He said that often times when someone clenches (me) or grinds their teeth(not me),, its a product of our bodies fighting ourselves to do anythign to get oxygen in because the airway is constricted. Having exceptionally large tonsils may also be a contributing factor and I'm having that investigated also.

So I called the ENT peoples and will be seeing them Oct2nd,,,, and the Sleep study said I could either wait till Oct 30 or come that nite (yesterday). I really hate postponing things that make me nervous/anxious so I just signed up, knowing that from 9-5:30 I would be tortured and then still have to work 7:30-6.

Regardless,, Git er done! That was the mentality.

needless to say the mentality proved to worsen my mental, physical and psychological states all within about 12 hrs.

For this study you get the 'pleasure' of sleeping in one of their rooms while being video monitored, hooked up to approximately 30 electrodes all over my body and face, probe-y things up my nose (taped to my face), and on my legs (so I can barely move). Then they say 'okay go to sleep'.. On TOP of that they tell me, 'in the middle of the nite we'll be waking you to put a CPAP machine on to see if you improve'...

PS... You cant have a clock in there with you according to AMA Board of whomever guidelines.

So I toss and turn, and tear off the electrodes and have to wait for them to notice they're not getting any readings, and keep the pokey thing from puncturing my nosril (psychologically i know that it will not but im kinda losing it!) by not making any sharp movements. Mind you, because I knew this sleep study was about to be scheduled I totally was blessed to have my friend Tina not only walk around the block to help me wear myself out, but also bought me a turkey sandwich to help me prepare mentally for sleep (tryptophan and all that).

So I toss for about 2 hrs at least. I had a few moments where I was about to fall asleep, and then I'd hear an employee in the hallway or something would pull/poke at me. Very unhappy. I must have passed out at some point cuz I recall waking up and freaking out about what time it was. I was convinced that it was like 2 or 3 am and I was annoyed that the employees didnt come hook me up to the CPAP then instead of making me work hard to fall asleep again and then come harass me.

I only found out after 'not sleeping' again for about an hr that it was actually time to go home, and they came in to take the electrodes off and detangle me. I left at 5am, went home and showered all the 'conductive goo' off of my head and scrubbed my body as best I could and napped for 30 min before waking up to go to work for 10 hrs. UGH

I was beyond exhausted that whole day, walking into things cause my spatial awareness was misaligned and overall a walking dead. It was horrible, and I'm not sure if I had taken the day off if the psychological thriller that was the 'sleep study' was worth it.

I now pray to the gods of all religions that I dont have apnea and that my MD will cancel any futher testing at the sleep center as the mere idea of going back there makes me feel nauseous and panicy all at once.

ugh
D