Mary showed me the bill for the third, and final sleep study. I would take a drink of something strong to ease the shock but I can't because of the drugs I'm on.
I am so thankful that the sleep studies are over. I truly hate them. The sterile room, the wires pasted to my skull and other body parts with glue; the smells; the camera in the corner.
The first two studies indicated that I was being drugged to death. I was taking 200mg of Zonisamide and 12 mg of Tizanidine each evening and I wasn't breathing enough.
My blood oxygen level would drop to about 70% for over an hour in the night. A CPAP machine did not help.
There are differing opinions about which drug was worse, but it might have been a case of the double whammy. Academic articles about how they combine to truly sedate or whatever are behind an academic firewall and I don't have the credentials to read them.
Not to mention understand articles written in dense medical language.
Since I'm not as overdosed now, it's not quite that bad. But my natural state would be to die somewhat early because it's a chronic condition. When I roll over onto my back if I weren't on oxygen, my blood oxygen level would drop to 83%.
As one doctor explained to me: like high blood pressure, it's a long term problem.
Since I've been on oxygen and also since I've been wearing strap on bumpers I feel much better. More alive. Actually good for once.
So although I didn't enjoy the sleep studies, they were worth it.
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