Insomnia, IBS, Fatigue for years randomly disappeared?

[admaster_99]

I know this isn't really the best website to post this topic on but essentially I'm wondering if all the symptoms I have been dealing with for years is from a sleeping problem? My main symptoms are insomnia, ibs symptoms, fatigue and on some days sleepiness, also I used to have frequent headaches mostly in the morning and throughout the day but a septoplasty I frequently had resolved those. Also a number of years ago I developed a new very unsettling symptom that drives me nuts but I essentially feel like I'm in a constant dream state. Almost like my senses feel numb or poor. It's very hard for me to focus and my short term memory is terrible.

My short story
Anyways I developed the insomnia in elementary school I remember that on average if I got into bed at 8-9 it would usually be 2-3 before I fell alseep. Then a couples years after that the ibs symptoms developed mainly diarrhea, and cramps. Then I dealt with all that for years along with being extremely tired all the time. In high school I used to if it was even possible get up to school 10 mins before I had to be there and right after school I would usually go home and rest a couple hrs then get up enough to eat then go back to bed. I blamed all this fatigue on my stomach problems but I started noticing strange things like other people with the same problems where able to function just fine and not be tired like I was all the time. Also some of the gi doctors I have seen also said that these are symptoms are not related.

Then a miracle happened spring of my senior year. Around in which I had to procedures done one was to remove my wisdom teeth and the other to remove my tonsils. I don't know if those operation made any difference or not but all I know is the next 2 years I felt great. Like a new person no stomach problems, no fatigue. I could go 110% all day and nobody could keep up with me. I could see everything so clear was so witty could outsmart anyone was the top in all my college classes, when in high school I barely graduated. But then slowly around the 2 years mark my symptoms slowly started coming back. And I knew it was not going to be good. And that was 5 years ago, and right now I feel 10 times worse then I ever have. After finding out that my uncle had severe sleep apnea my mom thought I should get checked out also. The test came back normal I had like 3 apnea events per hour. And I'm pretty sure they didn't check for UARS.

I know this isn't really a question more a voice of my frustrations, so as of right now I suspect Uars because I think that fits my symptoms list better. I was wondering is it possible to have it when so young? Also If having wisdom teeth removed or tonsil removed would any of those maybe be the reason for feeling better? Or could it be that the operations made me sleep better for some reason? Another interesting fact is they have always had a problem keeping me sedated under procedures I always wake up and they have to drug me twice. This has happened 5 out of 6 times, once with morphine which was not a good experience.

Please any input or experiences would be great.

[Somnolence]

Hi ad,

Your experience is strangely reminiscent of mine. It's unfair that we should be plagued with these issues, especially at such young ages.

Do you wake frequently at night? Did your sleep studies track the number of arousals/awakenings? I've read those can correlate with UARS.

Have you tried CPAP before? Did your symptoms improve while on it?

Good luck with it all. I know it's miserable.

[admaster_99]

I do awaken occasionally in the nite brief then I usually fall right back to sleep. The information I got from my sleep study way only the summary so it didn't tell me the amount of arousals. It only said that the amount of arousal's was of no concern. And I talked to the sleep specialist and he said I didn't have a problem even though I asked him why I felt totally unrested the next morning. He said its all about sleep hygiene, which frustrates me because I have been going to sleep at the same time for years. And I never drink caffeine after lunch.

Anyways I talked to my regular doctor and she was willing to let me try the cpap unit but I couldn't tolerate it at all. I couldn't believe how hard it is to sleep with something on my face. I did actually fall alseep with it on for 2 nites and I swear I felt better the next day but I know thats to soon to tell.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Admaster, there are lots of reasons for non-restorative sleep. Diagnosing the exact cause can be most difficult and may require the expertise of more than one medical specialist. About the best that can be done is to rule them out one by one.

Jay

http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/734747
There are many causes of insomnia and NRS. These include learned behavioral patterns that make sleep onset difficult, such as exercising or watching television before bedtime. Insomnia and NRS can also be caused by mood disorders (eg, depression, anxiety); medical disorders (eg, diabetes, cardiopulmonary disorders, pain disorders of various types); neurologic disorders (eg, Parkinson disease, seizure disorder, dementia); primary sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and restless legs syndrome; and chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia. Medications such as decongestants, dietary intake of caffeine, and substance misuse/abuse (eg, alcohol or stimulants) can also lead to insomnia and NRS.

[Julie]

It's too bad you didn't have a better test of Cpap because 90% of the time the problem is with the wrong, or badly fitted and/or adjusted mask, but unless you have support from a good tech/dealer/doctor to try out others and get advice on how to adjust them, you won't get proper therapy. I don't know if apnea is your problem or not, but from what you said about the 2 nites, it would seem worth a better trial than you had. I'd leave the IBS aside just for the moment as it may complicate or confuse the issue... and the tonsils being out definitely is well known here. ENT's love to operate - there are other surgeries done for apnea every day, but they rarely last or work out very well (as you've discovered).

If I were you I'd find a neurologist who specializes in sleep problems because I think they'd be the one to deal with your insomnia, UARS (if it's valid), apnea and who knows what else. Good luck.

[admaster_99]

Thanks for all the replies it's nice to talk to people who can somewhat relate. I should also mention that I had my tonsil taken out at that time due to having strep throat more then 10 times per year. Also the wisdom teeth was a couple months prior due to braces. I guess it just so happened I started feeling great around that time. Thats why I always figured one or the other procedures made a difference for some reason. And after thinking it was antibiotics and trying those which did not help the only other conclusion I came to is it affected my sleep some how. Which I didn't even think of being a possibility until my mother said maybe you have a sleeping problem.
But yes its extremely frustrating because even though I had one sleep study I really wonder how well it was done. And I could never imagine going through one again. I wish there was an easier way to find out. I guess I was just wondering if anybody maybe had a similiar story like mine? I suppose if they did they wouldn't be around anymore but off living there life. Like I wish I could do.

[kaiasgram]

Hi admaster. I find it interesting that your regular doctor gave you a trial of CPAP without a sleep study report showing a need for it. It might be really useful to obtain the full report from your sleep study. I also find it interesting that you felt better immediately upon starting CPAP -- the discomfort of the gear on your face might have been resolved with more time, more support, and/or a different mask. It is true that there are many causes of non-restorative sleep in addition to sleep-disordered breathing (apnea, UARS) but it seems to me there are still some unanswered questions about your sleep study and the subsequent CPAP trial.

Any chance you could get the full sleep study report and post again with the details?

[admaster_99]

I believed I felt better, and when I say that I mean more energized. But I couldn't say for sure, 2 days was just simply not enough time. I soon gave up on it after that, I feel it would be a lot easier to use if the doctors would give me a sleep aid but they will not because there afraid it will make things worse for some reason. But yes I will try and get the sleep results.