Sleep Apnea: Les is Right
I need this machine badly. Les is describing my life and then some:
... a downward spiral of anxiety, depression, and stymied productivity that increasingly gripped me over the last few years. ... And due to a strange mixture of lethargy, social anxiety, and perceived helplessness, it took me way too long (and far too many proddings by the people I love) to finally get my ass tested.
Well, this is really the problem. I've got horrible Sleep Apnea, but convincing a doctor to treat me isn't actually as easy as it sounds. The first time I talked about it the answer was "lose some weight." Okay. The second time the answer was, "here, use this nose spray." Which didn't help at all. The third time I did get a recommendation to go to a sleep clinic, but also with the caveat, "Your insurance company may not cover this."
So, I try to sleep at an angle, use the type of nose spray that they say you shouldn't use more than a few days at a time, and hope I have a "good night." You can tell the bad nights from when I stumble into work with a hoarse voice and dark circles under my eyes like I've just been out on an all night bender. If you haven't read this blog, I don't really drink ever. So if you ever see me looking like I'm pretty hung over, you'll know.
I guess I have Kaiser Permanente now (switching countries and jobs just adds to the troubles) so I should look into what they have for services. It doesn't help that my first checkup was my first day at work so I cancelled it. Urgh.
-Russ