Tired to the bone and at my wits end. Just did sleep study.

[Flex Plexico]

I've been getting more and more tired over the last 5 months - first it was harmless, I could still operate heavy machinery and didn't feel incapable of doing everyday tasks. Two months ago I was going on a walk, and suddenly a wave of weakness hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to sit down and had to call a cab home. I was nauseous and had a huge headache. From that day on, I've felt progressively worse and worse. I thought it may have been hypoglycaemia, but I still feel this way even when my sugars are normal (not diabetic, but I bought a glucometer to confirm).

One brain scan, thyroid test, two emergency room visits, cortisol test, electrolyte test, B12 & D, stool sample later, I am basically bed ridden and even walking around the block makes me feel like i'm going to die. Just saw an endo who did a large battery of tests and came up blank. Been checked for major diseases with clean bill of health. Its a mystery so far. I noticed I was waking up choking for air in the night so what prompted me to get the sleep study done was that I recorded myself with the pillow app and noticed I had 350-400 recordings at the end of a night, either me gasping for air or snoring.

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My symptoms: Constant feeling of over tiredness, especially in my head - my head is aching and my eyes are dry and strained 24/7, I wake up feeling like I never slept, and any physical activity is brutal (Even basic shit - I can barely stand in the kitchen for 5 minutes sometimes to make food). Muscles are feeling weak, and some visual disturbances (increase of 'visual snow'). I am confident that I am not depressed, have a great support system and overall my life is great.
-----

Could sleep apnea possibly be the answer here? Can it snowball to get so bad that even getting out of bed and doing the basic tasks makes you feel weak and faint? Could I possibly just be terribly sleep deprived from getting no high quality sleep? I have been debilitated like this for over two months now and am close to just buying an APAP and see what happens. My follow up with the sleep doctor is supposed to be on nov. 30th. God give me strength.

[Snoregone Conclusion]

Sleep problems can absolutely leave you that fatigued and tired. Probably is OSA but it’s best you’re going through testing to determine details and pursue a viable treatment.

[Julie]

Have you seen a neurologist?

[prodigyplace]

Welcome to CPAPTalk.

It is quite likely you have many issues happening in your complex body. It appears you may have sleep apnea which could definitely at last aggravate some of the symptoms you mentioned.

In the collective experience here, any PAP type machine needs to be monitored & adjusted for optimum results. We have found this site invaluable for sharing data and adjusting our own machines to better our lives.

Learning & helping each other is what keeps most of us coming back here.

[purple22]

Seen a Cardiologist? What kind of tests did he do? You probably know all this, but; A resting EKG only can give info that a person has already had a heart attack. Also could be A-Fib which can be detected if the attack occurs while you are hooked to EKG while it is happening. Feels like the heart is an out of round washing machine, one instantaneously has no strength, can knock a healthy young man to his knees. They might have made you wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hours. Can't forget doing that. I guess the doc you have already know about the possibilities. I guess I am just worrying about might be's.

Lung problems? They did an X-Ray of your chest? Checked respiration by making you inhale and exhale through a monitoring device.

In any case; Often Sleep Apnea patients often have the co-diseases of; Heart disease. Diabetes. And Depression.

[Flex Plexico]

Thank you for your replies everyone, this really seems like a supportive community. I really appreciate you all looking over my post and sharing your ideas. I'll try my best to answer all your questions.

Sleep problems can absolutely leave you that fatigued and tired. Probably is OSA but it’s best you’re going through testing to determine details and pursue a viable treatment.

Have you seen a neurologist?

I've been seeing a rapid assessment clinic at my local hospital for the last two months as I kept ending up in emergency thinking something was seriously wrong with me. My last visit was yesterday, and when the doctor saw me he was like "you have had a ton of blood tests and everything seems to be either normal or not concerning." I've been tested for hep A B and C, HIV, mono... its a strange case because I don't have any other symptoms like inflamed nodes, fever, aching joints, muscle weakness... just the debilitating fatigue, issues with feeling faint and disoriented on extended (like more than 5-10 mins of moving) exertion and the feeling in my head. It feels like the hangover from hell. The only way I can really describe the feeling in my head is it is as if I have a 20 lb lead helmet on all the time. My head feels heavy and I have aches behind my eyes. My eyes are constantly super dry and bloodshot. I've had my head scanned and the doctor was like nothing to report here.

Seen a Cardiologist? What kind of tests did he do? You probably know all this, but; A resting EKG only can give info that a person has already had a heart attack. Also could be A-Fib which can be detected if the attack occurs while you are hooked to EKG while it is happening. Feels like the heart is an out of round washing machine, one instantaneously has no strength, can knock a healthy young man to his knees. They might have made you wear a Holter Monitor for 24 hours. Can't forget doing that. I guess the doc you have already know about the possibilities. I guess I am just worrying about might be's.

Lung problems? They did an X-Ray of your chest? Checked respiration by making you inhale and exhale through a monitoring device.

In any case; Often Sleep Apnea patients often have the co-diseases of; Heart disease. Diabetes. And Depression.

I haven't seen a cardiologist yet, but I have had a bunch of EKG's and a handful of doctors check my heart with a listening device. Fortunately i've never had anything like Afib happen, my heart has been normal through all this and I've never felt and discomfort or strange sensation there. My pulse is also stable and doesn't dip into the 40s or stay in the 80s/90s. I did have some issues where I had a spasm in my throat a few years ago (that to me felt like my heart) and they made me do a 24 hour holter which was fine. I hope its not my heart, but when I had my first 'attack' and this all started my heart felt fine then too.

Yesterday they did an Xray of my chest from front and side and my doctor at the clinic was actually a lung specialist. He looked them over and said everything looked good. I have an abdominal ultrasound booked for next week and follow up next Friday the 23rd, but i've had no pain or anything weird pop up in my abdomen so I expect that will also be clear. You never know, but to me this just feels like I haven't slept in 3 days. Constantly.

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I write this after getting 7.5 hours of sleep last night and waking up feeling like I did before I shut my eyes. I'm trying nose strips, lying on my side, taking some L-theanine and melatonin before sleep and wearing an eye cover and having a room humidifier. Nothing seems to help. Thanks all again for your input.

Paul

[rickaroo62]

So you did the pillow test and have yet to have an in lab sleep study? Please do have that done. I'm always amazed that when you suggest fatigue to a doctor they don't initially try to have apnea looked at.

[Flex Plexico]

So you did the pillow test and have yet to have an in lab sleep study? Please do have that done. I'm always amazed that when you suggest fatigue to a doctor they don't initially try to have apnea looked at.

Rick,

I used pillow for a week after I started putting the dots together and was starting to do things like daytime nap, which I have never been able to do. I was also waking up gasping at this time a few times a night that I could recall. I then went to my doctor (this was before my September crash, but I was getting more and more fatigued leading up to that point) and he got me the sleep study, which I did one week ago. Results are coming in on the 30th for that .

I don't feel depressed, and my normal life is pretty awesome. Great job, great partner, achieving major goals, good friends, no real stress. But I know I am in a bad situation here. I haven't been able to work because honestly I don't even think I could make it to my desk without feeling like dying or fainting. I'm a school teacher so I have a lot of responsibilities and management and need to be sharp. This morning I made some quiche in the kitchen.. maybe 30 mins max in there? Fighting the whole time with my symptoms, and even after that I feel like i'm barely hanging on here.

FYI as well, I'm a 30 year old male who in June-July could hike 6-9km in an afternoon and biked close to 100k this summer. I know this may seem obvious, but nutrition is in check too - I eat well, and most of the time I eat healthy. No allergies.

[Julie]

Hi, I asked about a neurologist because while a scan can look normal, it doesn't necessarily mean everything neurological is normal and/or that other issues aren't possible, plus many neuros are trained in sleep medicine - not all, however - and will ask meaningful questions (that you or your other docs can't anticipate now). Apnea can be a very neurologically oriented problem and I would ask for a referral to a neuro specializing in sleep problems as many may not be obvious to e.g. GPs. I also wonder if you've been tested for e.g. Lyme disease which can look a lot like e.g. apnea (and other things too) in certain respects, but are not apnea and need different fixes. You shouldn't have to work so hard to find answers in your condition though... too bad!

[babydinosnoreless]

Did you have a virus recently before all this started ? It sounds a maybe like an autoimmune illnesses, such as CFS.

[Flex Plexico]

Did you have a virus recently before all this started ? It sounds a maybe like an autoimmune illnesses, such as CFS.

I didn't have a virus before this started no. In fact, before this I hadn't been sick since February. I personally don't think its CFS because I don't have pain, headaches, sore glands or throat, my cognition is fine - I don't feel cognitively compromised at all and no 'brain fog', no flu like symptoms. I am open to anything, but I really hope it's not CFS.

[Flex Plexico]

Hi, I asked about a neurologist because while a scan can look normal, it doesn't necessarily mean everything neurological is normal and/or that other issues aren't possible, plus many neuros are trained in sleep medicine - not all, however - and will ask meaningful questions (that you or your other docs can't anticipate now). Apnea can be a very neurologically oriented problem and I would ask for a referral to a neuro specializing in sleep problems as many may not be obvious to e.g. GPs. I also wonder if you've been tested for e.g. Lyme disease which can look a lot like e.g. apnea (and other things too) in certain respects, but are not apnea and need different fixes. You shouldn't have to work so hard to find answers in your condition though... too bad!

Thanks Julie, I will ask about a sleep specialized neurologist on my next visit and see what we can cook up. I haven't been tested for Lyme, but I think they are waiting to rule out a bunch of stuff before going there. My GP unfortunately is extremely hands off and conservative, and hasn't been able to offer any insights aside from a few blood tests. Beggars can't be choosers I guess.

[prodigyplace]

Hi, I asked about a neurologist because while a scan can look normal, it doesn't necessarily mean everything neurological is normal and/or that other issues aren't possible, plus many neuros are trained in sleep medicine - not all, however - and will ask meaningful questions (that you or your other docs can't anticipate now). Apnea can be a very neurologically oriented problem and I would ask for a referral to a neuro specializing in sleep problems as many may not be obvious to e.g. GPs. I also wonder if you've been tested for e.g. Lyme disease which can look a lot like e.g. apnea (and other things too) in certain respects, but are not apnea and need different fixes. You shouldn't have to work so hard to find answers in your condition though... too bad!

Thanks Julie, I will ask about a sleep specialized neurologist on my next visit and see what we can cook up. I haven't been tested for Lyme, but I think they are waiting to rule out a bunch of stuff before going there. My GP unfortunately is extremely hands off and conservative, and hasn't been able to offer any insights aside from a few blood tests. Beggars can't be choosers I guess.

Ask your GP for a sleep study because you think you may have apnea. Waking up gasping is a sure sign you need to be tested. Talking to my GP was how I got my sleep study referral, covered by insurance.

[babydinosnoreless]

Brain fog comes with sleep apena as well. Hoping for your sake its not any of the autoimmune issues as they are hard to track down.

[DracoZaroff]

I've been getting more and more tired over the last 5 months - first it was harmless, I could still operate heavy machinery and didn't feel incapable of doing everyday tasks. Two months ago I was going on a walk, and suddenly a wave of weakness hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to sit down and had to call a cab home. I was nauseous and had a huge headache. From that day on, I've felt progressively worse and worse. I thought it may have been hypoglycaemia, but I still feel this way even when my sugars are normal (not diabetic, but I bought a glucometer to confirm).

One brain scan, thyroid test, two emergency room visits, cortisol test, electrolyte test, B12 & D, stool sample later, I am basically bed ridden and even walking around the block makes me feel like i'm going to die. Just saw an endo who did a large battery of tests and came up blank. Been checked for major diseases with clean bill of health. Its a mystery so far. I noticed I was waking up choking for air in the night so what prompted me to get the sleep study done was that I recorded myself with the pillow app and noticed I had 350-400 recordings at the end of a night, either me gasping for air or snoring.

-----
My symptoms: Constant feeling of over tiredness, especially in my head - my head is aching and my eyes are dry and strained 24/7, I wake up feeling like I never slept, and any physical activity is brutal (Even basic shit - I can barely stand in the kitchen for 5 minutes sometimes to make food). Muscles are feeling weak, and some visual disturbances (increase of 'visual snow'). I am confident that I am not depressed, have a great support system and overall my life is great.
-----

Could sleep apnea possibly be the answer here? Can it snowball to get so bad that even getting out of bed and doing the basic tasks makes you feel weak and faint? Could I possibly just be terribly sleep deprived from getting no high quality sleep? I have been debilitated like this for over two months now and am close to just buying an APAP and see what happens. My follow up with the sleep doctor is supposed to be on nov. 30th. God give me strength.

Your symptoms all sound like what I went through only a month ago. Every night I would go to bed right after work, sleep for up to 12 hours and wake up more tired than the night before. It's the closest thing I could imagine hell to be like.
Coming up to the days and weeks before my scheduled sleep test I was starting to have some close calls on the road. I ened up so desperate that I was calling my doctor and insurance company begging them to put a rush on any kind of treatment I could get.
I've been on CPAP for just over a month now and while I'm not the polar opposite of where I was I at least feel like I've rejoined the land of the living.
I hope you find results as good as or better than mine soon. And if you have to don't be afraid to let your insurance and doctor know that you can't wait anymore.