Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Neurology Strikes Again!

I visited the Neurologist (two of them actually) concerning my sleep study today and had two visits for the price of one.   First I talked to a delightful young blonde woman who reminded me of a friend of mine from high school so I liked her immediately.   She conferred with the sleep study neurologist who looked a good deal older and much more experienced.

Both saw me in the examination room and discussed these issues further.

The most important piece of information they had for me was that when I sleep my oxygen level drops, even with a CPAP.  If I lie on my back I stop breathing up to seven times, if on my sides maybe two.

No wonder I don't feel good in the AM.  What am I to do?

It seems possible that Zonisamide at 100mg is interfering with my sleep, so I should take that pill in the AM.   Tonight instead of taking 50mg or 100mg I took 25mg and tomorrow I will take a 50mg tablet in the morning.

Thank goodness for 7 day pill boxes.

Since muscle relaxants, especially Tizanidine which is STRONG medicine, relax muscles, it may be relaxing me to the point where I don't breathe.

I may have been drugging myself nearly to death.

I had been taking 12mg of Tizanidine in an evening, and for tonight I will drop that down to 4 which may help with the evening breath of air.   At the same time I should increase my dose of Gabapentin from 800mg to 1200mg or 1600mg because it is a safe drug, which will not interfere with my breathing.

I'll see if I can fall asleep without being drugged silly, or relaxed to the point where it kills me.

A couple of other issues - I will be referred to  an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) specialist because I have a deviated septum (which the nice young neurology lady was nice enough to check).

I'll be sent over to Pulmonary to check out my lungs to see if there is some other problem, that causes my oxygen level to drop.

Over the last few days, I have started to take up to 12 mg of Melatonin a night so that if I need to get up in the night, I can get back to sleep again instead of feeling wired.

That dose of Melatonin may exacerbate my chronic headache.

I talked to two neurologists whom I liked, and they had some worthwhile advice.   I plan to use that advice, and it might improve my health.  I certainly hope so. 

They want to see me in six weeks time.  It's that bad.


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