new to the forum (a belated hello)

pikacat · Post by **pikacat** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:01 am

just thought i'd post an intro thing and say hi. i'm 26 years old, and practically plagued by medical problems! i figured i had apnea the day i learned it existed. i've had sleep problems for as long as i can remember. it has been the source of anxiety for many years, but i never knew you could do anything about it until a few years ago. and THEN i never did anything about it because i have a lot of anxiety issues especially related to sleep because i found my snoring so embarrassing (maybe some people can relate) and the idea of a sleep study actually scared me. it wasn't until it became so bad that i felt like i was dragging a dead body around and sleeping 18 hours a day (or attempting to! trying desperately to pay off my sleep debt but getting nothing accomplished) and all my work and social life had suffered drastically (and on top of that, i had gained a lot of weight because all i could do was lie around) i thought i'd do something. so i finally went to the sleep study- so tired i guess that i didn't even bother to get anxiety ridden. and voila, now i have my cpap. i have found my insomnia has drastically improved- and who knew that NOT SLEEPING could cause a condition that made you NOT SLEEP! everything's much improved and i'm working hard to jumpstart my metabolism again and lose the weight that i gained after becoming a human sloth. does anyone have any ideas for that? i walk 3 miles a day (except when i can't) and take a lot of supplements for that.

so nice to meet you guys!

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:11 am

Hi pikacat,

Welcome to the forum!
Stick around and do lots of reading. You'll find you're not alone with what you've gone or are going through.
This stuff doesn't discriminate with regard to age, sex or body size.

Glad to hear you're getting your therapy and wish you success with it.

Den

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:18 am

Welcome to the board, pikacat.

So glad to hear that cpap is working for ya!

You may have already seen this, but if not...this clickable link contains super info:

Mile High Sleeper's great information resource for cpap users.

pikacat · Post by **pikacat** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:19 am

thanks for the welcome! and yes, the doctor was surprised i had it. he wanted to test for narcolepsy because that seemed more probable. my gp too seemed reluctant to refer me to a sleep specialist. she tried to blow me off saying that hardly anyone stays compliant and i shouldn't bother because it's a waste of money. i insisted, however, that i be tested for apnea. ever since i was a very little girl my snoring was so embarrassing it was torture for me to sleep in a room with someone else. and when i had to (like at camps or on vacation) it was heartbreaking to a little girl to be kicked into the hallway by her peers or wake up to find everyone had left! i also had severe insomnia problems, which one doctor thought was because sleep had become so 'traumatic' (with the embarrassment and the physical trauma of being choked 10x an hour) that my body found it scary to relax.

and yes, luckily i was always quite skinny so the weight gain wasn't SO bad. i gained a LOT of weight, but fortunately i used to be slender so i just look maybe mildly overweight now. still i would like to be back to my former weight. i've lost 12 lbs but i seem to have plateaued so i'm working on it

Lee Lee · Post by **Lee Lee** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:08 am

Welcome! Hang in there, it does take time, but I have lost 45 pounds since starting therapy and have maintained it for over a year. I no longer feel depressed and tired.
I also walk three miles a day, and it's slow, but the weight will come off, if you stick to it.
You have discovered a wonderful forum, and there's a vast amount of knowledge and information here.
I wish you the best!
Lee Ann

quilterB · Post by **quilterB** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 12:12 pm

I have also been working very hard at losing weight, without too much success until I talked to a trainer at the YMCA where I have a membership. She really advocates changing up your exercise routine. I have done that with some success. It also works on the boredom factor if that is a problem for you (big one for me). Good luck and keep plugging away.
Linda

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