Having sleep problems/seeking advice

[girl920]

I am so disappointed and frustrated. I was searching for sleep clinics on the net when I came across this forum! Maybe someone can help give me some advice here?

I've never slept well since I can remember. I was never a "morning person," but for years I just chalked it up to that being me. Over the years, it's slowly gotten worse, and now just the last 6 months have been almost inbearable.

I always feel exhausted and drugged out. I yawn constantly. My eyes don't want to open, even after 5 cups of coffee. I have no energy, I feel like a zombie, each day is a struggle to get through.... well you get the picture. The worst part for me is how I look. I know I look tired and like I don't take care of myself; it's so hurtful when I think I'm pulling things off, and someone will ask me if I'm sick or what's wrong. I have dark circles and bags under my eyes I can't seem to cover.

The thing is, some nights I feel like I slept soundly (i.e. I don't remember waking up). However, it ALWAYS takes me at the very least 45min to an hour to fall asleep, and most nights I do wake up often. I can stay in bed for 6 hours or 18 hours (which sometimes I do), and yet always struggle to get up. Waking up "refreshed"?? What's THAT?! I'm not sure I ever remember feeling that way. And waking up, which seemed to take a few hours before (usually halfway through the day before I felt more alive), now never seems to happen. I feel groggy like I just woke up all day, until I finally make myself lie down again to stare at the ceiling.

Btw, I'm a 25 year old female. These are supposed to be some of my best years.

Anyway, I'll try to shorten this, as I'm rambling (so sorry). I recently moved to Tampa, so I went to my new GP here. She did some basic blood work, put me on trazadone (which doesn't do a thing), and Lexapro (altho' I insisted I'm not depression - I know depression). When the labwork came back fine, she told me my insomnia and fatigue is purely mood-based, and that there is no other possibility. A few days ago, I went back for a follow up, and said I'd like to see a sleep specialist. How naive was I, thinking that we would investigate together, with some specialists, and get to the bottom of this. Instead, she just shrugged and said she didn't know any. "Besides," she said, "all they will do is address your underlying depression anyway." She then pointed out there is nothing that can be done, since the labwork was "perfect." It was more than obvious that she believes I'm a hypochondriac. She can't be bothered. She was in the office about 3 minutes, and then she said "well, I don't know what else to tell you," and literally walked out of the exam room while I was talking to her still. I followed her to the reception area, still asking for a referral (I need one for my insurance), until she disappeared.

I am a nurse. I don't believe that I am unreasonable with doctors. I don't need the labs interpreted for me, I can read them. I was used to an MD from before who talked to me like I was sane and whose symptoms mattered. I came home from this appt and just cried.

So where does this leave me? I have no idea how to find a sleep doctor that my insurance will pay for (the insurance doesn't list anyone under "sleep"). I know that often pulmonologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, etc. do sleep, but honestly, being in a new town and all, I just don't know where to begin.

Can anyone offer any advice please? I really think this is sleep related. Could just be insomnia, could be sleep apnea, could be anything. Thanks!

[jrgood27]

Like you said, I think finding a new doc is your best bet. The one you saw is clueless. I was in your position. I'm a woman and my sleep problems started in my mid twenties. I was not overweight. I saw two doctors who told me I did not need a sleep study that I had depression.

Unfortunately I believed them and wasn't diagnosed with sleep apnea until this March when I finally found a new doctor who took my complaints seriously and at my request referred me for a sleep study - 10 years later.

So you are way ahead of the game. Can you get a list of the pulmonologists/neurologists covered by your insurance and then call each one to see if there is a sleep specialist in the bunch? Or you could find the website of the hospital/outpatient clinic each one is associated with - the web site directory my show their areas of interest.

The other option is to try and find a better GP who will refer you. Of course all of this takes energy which you are short on these days, but it's so important for you to find someone who knows what they are talking about.

Jenny

[snoregirl]

BUMP

Come on folks,

Someone here must live in the Tampa area???

Does someone have a GP or Sleep doc that they like and girl920 could see if her insurance would cover?? Someone who would prescribe a sleep study instead of walking out of the room while she was talking?

I had relatives in Tampa until 2 years ago but no longer so I can't be much help.

[Dale92]

girl920, you don't say what insurance you have but I have Humana and they have a nurse that helps people get the proper treatment they need and to talk about their health concerns. I know some other insurance companys offer this as well, maybe they would be able to offer advice on how to proceed with treatment in the Tampa area. Even if they do not have this service I would call your insurance company and talk to someone there who can give you a list of doctors in the area that would be covered by your plan. Don't settle for the poor doctor you just had.

Dale

[MandoJohnny]

I agree. You need a board certified sleep doc. He or she will refer you to sleep clinic and prescribe you what you need. Your insurance company should have a list of specialists they will pay for.

In my case, a general practitioner, who is a good doc for most things, totally misinterpreted up my first sleep study, according to the sleep doc I finally got. There are a lot of things that could be wrong in your case and a lot of possible fixes, but this is not an area where self diagnosis is a good thing. BTW, my GP put me on trazadone also, which gave me side effects, but no benefits.

[Guest]

here are a list of certified sleep specialists in Tampa area, you will have to look in the business section of the phone book for their phone numbers and making the appointment. Throwing a dart, I would go for Daniel J. Schwartz, M.D. at the bottom of the list. The date shown is the date they received their diplomat status with the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM).

You don't need a referral, just call and make the appointment, go see the specialist and they will contact your primary doctor for any referral needed for insurance and make sure your insurance will cover it.

W. McDowell Anderson, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/24/1995
Selim R. Benbadis, M.D. Tampa FL Neurology 4/22/1996
Cheryl M. Carlucci, M.D. Tampa FL Neurology 4/24/1989
Samuel H. Carranza, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/6/1998
James W. Conn, M.D. Tampa FL Psychiatry 4/18/1988
Leonard Y. Cosmo, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/23/2001
Stephen M. Kreitzer, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/8/2002
Ashok K. Modh, M.B., B.S. Tampa FL Pulmonology 3/23/2005
Nirav Bachubhai Patel, M.B., B.S. Tampa FL Internal Medicine 3/23/2005
Jose Eduardo Perez, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 3/23/2005
Daniel J. Schwartz, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/6/1998
Sajeev P. Vettichira, M.D. Tampa FL Pulmonology 4/15/2003

[birdiebaby]

Hey! You wrote my story! Well part of it at least. I just wanted to chime in and say that your symptoms are very familiar to me. Thankfully, my ENT who is a sleep specialist recognized my symptoms and sent me in. I've been on treatment now for a month, and I am really seeing improvements in my quality of life.

Keep pursuing proper care. I don't understand why a doctor would throw pills at you and not at least address your request to see a specialist to rule it out. Thankfully, you have the smarts to recognize what's going on with you.

Best of luck to you in your search!

[VermontMeow]

Hi Girl 920

I strongly recommend you find another GP/PCP, someone who cares about you, listens and respects you and that you have a rapport with. I'm a lot older than you (!) but I've been there, done that, and it sure isn't fun. A caring, qualified GP will refer you to a sleep lab. A referral from a PCP will probably be necessary for the cost of sleep lab to be covered by your insurance. Not only that but if your current doc has such a cavalier attitude with your health, what else might be ignored now or in the future. Please find someone to give you medical CARE asap.

[SnoreNoMore2005]

Hi Girl920

I live in Tampa. I wanted to shudder when I saw the list of sleep docs in Tampa. One of the sleep docs on the list was Leonard Cosmo who was my first sleep doc. He prescribed a CPAP with a pressure of 20 cm for me. (I ended up only needing 8cm from another sleep doc). Dr. Cosmo never actually saw me, he only reviewed my sleep study and sent me my 'misdiagnosis'. I currently use Nirav Patel who is very nice but a bit hard to decipher.

My recommendation would be to call the USF medical clinics and ask to make an appointment with a sleep doc on their system. Tampa General Hospital has a sleep center which I hear is pretty good and is part of the USF system.

You also need a new GP. I use Charles Gelia, MD who is an internest in Carrolwood. He is good and at least sympathetic to OSA and has told me he thinks he has it himself and wants to get a sleep test.

Good luck to you fellow Tampan or Tampanian or whatever we're called. (At least it's better than being a St. Petersburger.)

SnoreNoMOre2005

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