Do you ever feel lack of blood flow in brain when waking?

This is what I feel. I can't lie to my doctor and try to say it's something else. I'm not sure if it's oxygen or blood, but it's probably one of those two. When I wake up, I feel as if my brain is trying to get blood back. That's why I say I'm still trying to recover after sleep. I'm not saying I have no blood. This is very frustrating. I cannot lie to my doctor and downplay this. It's real whether I deny it or not. And it's not in my mind.

If you have sleep apnea, how are you not feeling a lack of oxygen when you wake up when you haven't been breathing all night? I don't understand. I am just asking because this is important to me.

I wake up and my brain has to recover. I associate the lack of oxygen or blood flow with a feeling that is recovering from a hangover. Look I'm not going to sell myself short and tell the doctor that I'm just tired. This is something different and bad. It's been going on for years. Imagine waking up trying to recover, feeling as if you are unrested even though your body is ready to get going but your brain is not. Your brain is struggling to get that rested feeling back. Like it didn't get the proper blood or oxygen from sleeping.

Not one person understands what I'm going through? Why is this so strange? How is this so mysterious? I don't understand. I'm the only person on the planet that feels this symptom? Everyone else just falls asleep in the day and snores only? It's a pretty HARDCORE and obvious symptom. I hate to sound like a whiner, but this is frustrating and I am a little mad because this has been going on for years and I don't want this anymore. I can't sell myself short to my doctor and just say I am tired or don't sleep well. The sensation is more than that.

A pulse oximeter would give you an indication if it is really a lack of O2 that is causing the feeling...

OMG

Enchanter, you cannot actually feel a lack of blood flow in the brain. Now if you actually do have poor blood flow to the brain you might feel certain symptoms. What the doctor needs to hear is what symptoms you are having. Not what you think your brain feels or what you think your brain is doing! I don't know how many more ways we can explain this to you.

Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.

HoseCrusher wrote:A pulse oximeter would give you an indication if it is really a lack of O2 that is causing the feeling...

They don't test that in the sleep study?? Do i have to pay money for this and I don't even know if it helps?

kaiasgram wrote:OMG

Enchanter, you cannot feel a lack of blood flow in the brain. Now if you actually do have poor blood flow to the brain you might feel certain symptoms. What the doctor needs to hear is what symptoms you are having. Not what you think your brain feels or what you think your brain is doing! I don't know how many more ways we can explain this to you.

Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't understand Yes I do feel it even right now!!!!! You don't understand!!!!!!! I am suffering from it right now!!!!!!

It's not the same thing as anxiety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like someone who has a broken arm, tell them it's in their head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are feeling that bad...GO TO THE ER....

LSAT wrote:If you are feeling that bad...GO TO THE ER....

Oh god...... This has been going on for 10 years.

You know all the people on here, I don't even think they suffer from sleep apnea. Maybe it's just their anxiety. Snoring? Oh yea that's really so painful!!!!

A pulse oximeter runs around $100. The question you need to consider is if $100 is worth it to eliminate the focus on a lack of O2, or confirm it?

HoseCrusher wrote:A pulse oximeter runs around $100. The question you need to consider is if $100 is worth it to eliminate the focus on a lack of O2, or confirm it?

Why would they not have this in the test?

Enchanter wrote:

HoseCrusher wrote:A pulse oximeter would give you an indication if it is really a lack of O2 that is causing the feeling...

They don't test that in the sleep study?? Do i have to pay money for this and I don't even know if it helps?

The sleep study will monitor this, along with brain activity and much else.

Since you seem to have such a hard time falling asleep, I would suggest you make sure you ask for some sort of sleep aid to take the night of your test.

People are trying to help you, otherwise they would not be making the effort to understand what is happening to you, but it is very difficult to understand exactly what is going on right now. All I can think of is to go ahead with the sleep study and see what that reveals. If nothing else it may rule out some possibilities.

After that, if you have no answers,you might need to go to someplace like the Mayo clinic, with expert diagnosticians, who can take a fresh look at all your symptoms and see if they can piece together an answer for you.

Don't give up and don't panic, there are lots of paths open for you yet.

Good luck!

SleepDisturbed wrote:

Enchanter wrote:

HoseCrusher wrote:A pulse oximeter would give you an indication if it is really a lack of O2 that is causing the feeling...

They don't test that in the sleep study?? Do i have to pay money for this and I don't even know if it helps?

The sleep study will monitor this, along with brain activity and much else.

Since you seem to have such a hard time falling asleep, I would suggest you make sure you ask for some sort of sleep aid to take the night of your test.

People are trying to help you, otherwise they would not be making the effort to understand what is happening to you, but it is very difficult to understand exactly what is going on right now. All I can think of is to go ahead with the sleep study and see what that reveals. If nothing else it may rule out some possibilities.

After that, if you have no answers,you might need to go to someplace like the Mayo clinic, with expert diagnosticians, who can take a fresh look at all your symptoms and see if they can piece together an answer for you.

Don't give up and don't panic, there are lots of paths open for you yet.

Good luck!

Thank you.

It's just that I try my very best to explain everything in detail and someone unintentionally will suggest something that is totally unrelated and it's not their fault but it's just I get so mad because I've been suffering from this for 10 years and it's time I be honest and admit that I feel this sensation. Just ignoring it isn't going to help. There's no reason why I have to wake up in the morning and my body is ready or I think it is, but my brain is fatigued and can't get into it. I'm not falling asleep once I'm up, but my brain feels as if it's still recovering and doesn't have the blood, oxygen, or fluids. It's being stymied.

Enchanter wrote:

kaiasgram wrote:OMG

Enchanter, you cannot feel a lack of blood flow in the brain. Now if you actually do have poor blood flow to the brain you might feel certain symptoms. What the doctor needs to hear is what symptoms you are having. Not what you think your brain feels or what you think your brain is doing! I don't know how many more ways we can explain this to you.

Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't understand Yes I do feel it even right now!!!!! You don't understand!!!!!!! I am suffering from it right now!!!!!!

It's not the same thing as anxiety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like someone who has a broken arm, tell them it's in their head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No Enchanter, you don't understand. I'm not telling you that it's in your head. If someone has a broken arm then what they feel is definitely not all in their head, but they may have a harder time getting the help they need if they can't communicate in a meaningful way to the doctor about it. And what I'm telling you is that you are showing us you can't communicate in a meaningful way to your doctors. And that is where your anxiety is getting in your way.

Your anxiety is so out of control that you can't even listen to the help you're asking for. You are having very real symptoms and there is good reason for you to have a sleep study. I believe you, and I have believed you from your first post on this forum. The problem is not that we don't understand or believe you. The problem is that your anxiety is making it impossible for you to listen to the feedback you've been getting, and impossible to organize your thoughts about how to approach your doctor. If you would work more earnestly on managing your anxiety you would be in a better position to approach your doctor in a way that would get you the services you need -- in this case, a sleep study.

Enchanter wrote:

HoseCrusher wrote:A pulse oximeter runs around $100. The question you need to consider is if $100 is worth it to eliminate the focus on a lack of O2, or confirm it?

Why would they not have this in the test?

They DO monitor your oxygen levels during sleep studies. You can also ask your doctor to prescribe an overnight pulse/oximetry test through your DME........should be free.

The other option is to buy your own device which varies in price but as mentioned is around $100.

If you've had this feeling for years, it's apparently something that pre-dated your CPAP therapy.

Medications? If you take any, look them up at http://www.drugs.com .


Den

.

kaiasgram wrote:

Enchanter wrote:

kaiasgram wrote:OMG

Enchanter, you cannot feel a lack of blood flow in the brain. Now if you actually do have poor blood flow to the brain you might feel certain symptoms. What the doctor needs to hear is what symptoms you are having. Not what you think your brain feels or what you think your brain is doing! I don't know how many more ways we can explain this to you.

Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.
Anxiety management.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don't understand Yes I do feel it even right now!!!!! You don't understand!!!!!!! I am suffering from it right now!!!!!!

It's not the same thing as anxiety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't understand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like someone who has a broken arm, tell them it's in their head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No Enchanter, you don't understand. I'm not telling you that it's in your head. If someone has a broken arm then what they feel is definitely not all in their head, but they may have a harder time getting the help they need if they can't communicate in a meaningful way to the doctor about it. And what I'm telling you is that you are showing us you can't communicate in a meaningful way to your doctors. And that is where your anxiety is getting in your way.

Your anxiety is so out of control that you can't even listen to the help you're asking for. You are having very real symptoms and there is good reason for you to have a sleep study. I believe you, and I have believed you from your first post on this forum. The problem is not that we don't understand or believe you. The problem is that your anxiety is making it impossible for you to listen to the feedback you've been getting, and impossible to organize your thoughts about how to approach your doctor. If you would work more earnestly on managing your anxiety you would be in a better position to approach your doctor in a way that would get you the services you need -- in this case, a sleep study.

You are not totally wrong. But understand this. My symptoms also can make me more anxious. I mean I am so pissed and rightfully so. These sensations have affected my life in many ways and for a long duration of time. I was actually in denial for a few years because I was scared of doctors telling me it's my fault.

I can't ignore it anymore. I work out even though I'm fatigued. I eat very clean and healthy. And so I feel like I've tried really hard. And of course all this frustration makes me communicate in an incoherent way. I'm really dying for answers. I want to get better.

Anxiety is another issue. But what makes me the most anxious is this PHYSICAL problem. Things could potentially be a lot better if I was able to control what is actually happening in my body.

Tomorrow is the dr app. I hope we can get a sleep study done fast.

Effective communication is difficult enough face-to-face, much less trying to do it via a message board! It often takes much longer via this medium to convey information. We can't see gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. So lack of comprehension of difficult and complex information, such as the symptoms you are experiencing, is not surprising.

Your frustration is certainly understandable.

So hang in there and keep plugging away. At least some of us will keep trying to understand, and maybe eventually succeed.

I still think a sleep test is a reasonable thing to try.