Graves Disease/Hypothyroidism/Sleep Apnea

[spam421]

Hello! Looking for anyone out there who may have been diagnosed with Graves disease and had their thyroid removed putting them into hypothyroidism. Also, anyone who has sleep apnea that has caused a big weight gain. With the two combinations it is very hard to lose weight. I am struggling to find information that will help on the two, but so far not alot of luck. I have had Graves disease (beats me why they still label me as having that with no thyroid) 5 years and have run across a few people that have the same trouble. Cannot get a handle on weight. I take synthetic thyroid medicine, plus high blood pressure medicine and with the sleep apnea feel I am fighting a loosing battle. So if anyone can help, please feel free to e-mail at spam421@hpnc.com or post here.

Believe me, at this point any help will be greatly appreciated.

Pam:?:

[Krispy82]

Hi there Spam. While I dont have Grave's disease, I do have hypothyroidism, so I can understand what you're dealing with on that front. I take medication for it too (are you on synthroid?) and I've found that it helps me alot, with having more energy. Im afraid I dont really have much advice, but I wanted you to know that you arent alone :)

[spam421]

Hi Krispy:

Thanks for taking the time to say hello. Yes, I take synthroid, but they keep changing it trying to get it right. This one (.3) seems to be doing better. If they would leave it at that. But the doctors can't seem to get my dose right. The first doctor (after thyroid radiation) didn't put me on medicine. I finally went to another doctor after months and she said the first doctor could have killed me that way because of the thyroid storming I had been going through then my tsh level went down to nearly nothing. So it has been up and down the last 4-1/2 yrs.

With your hypothyroidism do you do anything special diet wise? Like are there certain foods we should not be eating? I am finding out that with no thyroid I should have very, very little salt, no msg, etc. Any pointers you have found would be greatly appreciated.

Again, thank you so much for writing.

Pam:)

[SIN NOMBRE]

I have had Grave's Disease since the summer of 1991.It is an auto-immune disease that causes your own body to attack itself (the thyroid gland).Think of it like diabetes,it can be controlled(in your case with RAI)but there is no cure.It can go into remission w/o drugs (happened to me twice)Two years ago I had RAI that went south,landed me in the ICU with a TSH of 98 (this at a world renowned hospital,no less!) It took until this spring to get my TSH to normal range.
Although the average wt. gain with Graves is 20 lbs.I gained 80 this led to depression, high blood pressure (currently on 2 meds for BP) and general all round misery and craziness in my life.
If this post hasn't sent you running for the hills, here is the good news I have lost 31 lbs. in the last three months.Graves patients have a slightly increased risk of developing diabetes,so I chose the diabetic diet with carb counting and saw a RD today to fine tune the diet.Although I am very unfit I force myself to walk every day for 75 minutes.I go at a snail's pace and stop to rest sometimes. I anticipate devoting less time daily as I become more fit and walk faster but accept it will always be something I must do the rest of my life.

[spam421]

Finally someone who understands what I am going through. I have had so many ups and down with this. I gained alot of weight plus the sleep apnea made me gain even more. The first time I went to the doctor about the sleep apnea he asked if I had noticed any significant weight gain. I almost laughed in his face. With the two I am really struggling. When I was first diagnosed with Graves Disease the oncologist I went to said I was "thyroid storming" which meant that it had already begun to shut down my major organs, heart, liver, kidneys and lungs. He said if I had waited any longer I would have gone into cardiac arrest. I am glad it was found and that most of the problems were taken care of, but like you, it is hard going. I hate to hear to your tsh was at 98. You must have really been out of it. Do you take synthroid? They just changed mine again. They can't seem to get my level correct. I've heard that the lucky ones who they are able to get the level right the first try really make good progress. I keep hoping. So you are following the diabetics diet. Have you found certain foods that seems to make the Graves disease worse? I have found that msg is really bad. And since it destroys your body's own natural autoimmune system that my joints are weal and overall strength is next to nill.:( Keep me posted on your success and if you hear of any good tips for this. If you know of a good site to go check out please let me know. I have been searching, but not many people deal with the Graves disease aspect of thyroid problems. My home e-mail is spam421@hpnc.com if you would like to correspond.

Pam;)

[QuilterInVA]

Synthroid can be causing some of your problems. If you go to the www.thyroid.about.com site you can get a lot of info. It was never approved and now they are having to get approval. One of the problems is it is not stable and the dosage varies. My docotor switched me to Levoxyl and I'm doing much better.

I keep the carbs low and my fat about 25% for daily calories. I eat a little more protein. Use soy sparingly...it can inhibit your thyroid meds.

[SIN NOMBRE]

I am currently on .162 Synthroid,I had been on .175 but the dose is weight related and as I continue to lose,possibly my dose will be adjusted downward.I can relate to the aches and pains.At my worst I could not walk down stairs,my legs would shake uncontrollably.
At this point,I am still having my TSH,free T3 and Free T4 tested every couple of months.You need to have a bone density test done.It would be good to know FBS and 2hr.PP blood sugar levels,especially if you are on a beta blocker and/or diuretic
An Endo Doc can order blood/urine tests that can rule out other causes of your high blood pressure,cortisol, rennin and cushing's.
This sounds like a full time job but It can become routine.As you start to lose weight you will feel better and the past ups and downs will seem like a vaguely recalled nightmare.
There is a lot of misinformation on the net,be cautious.There are some Grave's Support groups around the country,they usually meet monthly.I believe The National Grave's Disease Foundation is in Boston and you might try the orphan diseases website to check for links
As for diet,I know of no foods one should specifically avoid.You must find a source of daily calcium,milk,sardines,herring and salmon canned w/bones are good sources.Finding fruit that you enjoy can help cut back on other less nutrious sweets.You may be able to find an RD familiar with Grave's if you live near a big city or a University Hospital Center.sometimes they practice in a group with Endo Docs I am 100 miles from the nearest one and since I am on the verge of developing secondary diabetes,seeing the RD yesterday was very helpful to personalize a meal plan and actually I do not think there would be much difference in diet between Grave's and Diabetes.I hope any or all of this info can help you.

[SIN NOMBRE]

Quilter brings out some good points.Best she describes the diabetic diet in one sentence.I forgot about the soy warning and have never researched its' veracity as I seldom eat it.I have researched that whole synthroid controversy and it seems more a gov./redtape SNAFU than with the drugs effiacy. synthroid and levoxyl are trade names for the same exact drug,levothyroxine.However each company uses different fillers and additives,which may make a difference to you.If you do switch,you will intially need your blood monitored more often,probably why some HMO and even Docs are loathe to try this simple step,because of the extra costs involved.
It is a very remote possibility that the brand you are using is causing your problems.My GP is fond of telling me that over his many years of practice he has had only one other patient that was so hard to regulate.Except for the fact that I am in NY and you are in Texas,I thought it could be you.

[spam421]

Thanks for all the input. My last tsh level was low so they raised my dosage. My doctor thinks my high blood pressure was due to the sleep apnea and I go back in the next two weeks to have it checked. If it is still in the 110/65 range she is going to reduce the blood pressure meds. I know some of them cause weight gain and tiredness. I have been thinking about going to an endo but have not found one close by. I will probably have to go to Dallas for one. That's the bad part of being in a small town, they just don't deal with a lot of this or have groups to help you. I will add more calcium to my diet and I don't do soy so that won't be a problem. I like sardine's so that will give me an excuse to have them in the house.:) I like all types of fish and love milk. (Milk is one of downfalls). Plus it would not hurt to have a bone denisty test as suggested since I had a hysterectomy when I was 29. Also, I noticed several times mention of diabetes and I know I have to be careful on that score as it runs in my family big time. When I went to the doc in June my blood sugar test 113, last year it was 116 so that was good.

I was once on the levoxyl and I actually did better on it, but my doctor said synthroid was the best and she didn't believe I felt better on the levoxyl. But I did and even started to lose weight.
The Grave's disease caused alot of depression and anxiety and she also put me on Prozac which I have heard can make you gain weight. Vicious cycle all this.

I am going to check out some of the sites mentioned and I want to thank all of you for the input.:p It helps to have others out there who understands what I am going through.

Pam

[IggyKatt]

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in 1993, I had the RAI done that same year and like someone who posted my doctor never put me on meds. I was tired all the time and gained a massive amount of weight. I went from eating like a fiend and losing weight, I lost 30 pounds, had night sweats,rapid heart beat, anxiety attacks, to haveing the thyroid killed, eating almost nothing and packing on the weight. My highest weight was 211 pounds and I sank into deep depression. I am on levothyroxine and they just changed my level to .15. There is a way to lose weight with this condition. I too followed a plan that was for diabetics and I had success. I have found (in my experience) that a higher protein diet and exercise ( I do Taebo and use toning bands w Richard Simmons) I feel better. I am now 155 and I have mantained that for almost three years. I would love to lose more weight...so I am looking into Body For Life program which stresses equal amounts of protein and carbs with exercise. I think that I am more sensitive to carbs than other people so I am hoping that this plan works for me. I am glad that I am not the only one who has gone through this, sometimes I feel like I am the only one. I have to workout twice as hard as other people to get results, but you can lose weight. I will check out the sites that were posted ..I can use all the info that I can get on this condition.

T wish everyone success!!!

God Bless

Iggy

[spam421]

Iggy:

Thanks for the information and hope at the end of this tunnell. I have talked to a few people who it seems has struggled for several years to lose their weight. I have been trying on and off since about 1999 since it started getting worse around that time. So, let me see if I have this straight, with the diabetic diet and excercise you were finally able to lose the weight? And you do Taebo along with Richard simmons. I just bought some Richard Simmons tapes and am hoping they will help. I can lose a few pounds and then its right back. I am at my highest 286 (was at 297 on July) and pretty well stay there. I think I can look at food now and gain weight. I tried slim fast and sugar busters and still gained weight and I did it by the book. :(

If you have more info and things that you did would you please share them. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks so much!

Pam

[SIN NOMBRE]

Hi I am so happy you posted.Walking and the diabetic diet are still working for me,the portions are small and you might be hungry at first but you adjust.Another idea might be Dean Ornish heart diet,it is way strict and you might lose faster.It is safe and healthy(probably why it didn't sell a gadzillion copies lol)You could find his book at the library.Mabye I will alternate between programs.
Just because you have graves'doesn't mean there couldn't be something else impeding your wt. loss a GOOD endo doc could help sort it out.
I recently found out that Gail Devers testified before congress due to her drs. misdiagnosis of graves' which almost killed her.There was a movie about her a few years back and she was gaining wt while training for the olympics and the morons thought she was trying to hide being pregnant,her husband even left her.I was not diagnosed for 4 years.It would take a book to tell you how many specialists I saw.One moron told me I had a rare blood disease that was going to kill me.After being told for the umpteenth time I was crazy,I went to a shrink after the first visit he said you are not crazy you have graves' and ordered the simple blood tests that ended my misery.I actually saw him for a few months to work out my anger at the medical profession.It helped me get over it.
Again be careful with any info on those .com sites,that ngdf.org.may be able to put you into contact with people that can help.Also take some action now do something different whether it is to go for a walk or try a new diet. I wish you well.
Peggy or mabye you better call me chatty cathy

[SIN NOMBRE]

A guy at work once told me that if talking burned calories that I would be so skinny I would be invisible lol PS Did anyone out there actually lose the last 20 lbs? I know former first lady barbara bush lost 20 and gained it back after RAI Gail Devers looks like her old self bush 41 looks like he put on a few lbs.What about that girl from the old murphy brown show? jane robelet from cbs news?since school starts monday our assignment for the week name all the celebs with graves'

[spam421]

Hi Peggy (chatty Cathy):

That is too funny!:D

The Graves Disease started the windfall I received in the weight dept., then last year I was diagnosed with the sleep apnea. The pulmonary specialist and my internest both said with sleep apnea you gain a ton of weight and with no thyroid I got the double whammy! But, I know (if my new synthroid is correct this time) with the correct dosage of Synthroid and getting the sleep apnea under control that (according to the doc's) I should be able to lose some weight. Now when that is suppose to start I don't know. I have been eating a lot of fruit and vegetables lately and trying to stay away from soda's, pizza, chicken (all the things I love of course). I bought some Richard Simmons tapes that I am going to start working with and an AB Doer II. Hopefully, something in the above combo will work.

I think I will look into the diabetic diet. I should be able to find plenty on that since my mother, her 4 sisters and their mother all have diabetes. I was surprised when I went for my physical in June that my blood sugar was 113. I figured it would have been high with my weight and all.

Thanks again for the tips. By the way, did you lose your weight after the graves disease? And have you been able to find Gail Devers book? I saw the movie and thought it was good, but I have tried to find the book and have been unable to.

Oh and I am a very chatty person also. Guess that's why at least my lips are thin. :^:

Have a good night!

Pam

[SIN NOMBRE]

Pam you have lost some weight,so you know you can do it.It will be harder for us but don't compare yourself to others without these med problems.they are civilians and we are the Graves' Warriors.My son is an Ironman,so we were at lake placid again this summer,and I ran into one of his young friends(30's)and even though she is an Ironman.her Graves' went wacky and her BP was so high they were afraid of a stroke and she had to be in the hospital last fall.Last night DH came home and told me one of his sec.has gotten really skinny and was acting like me when I first got Graves',she has been seeing a local GP,who is not sure what it is ,may be glands,DH gave her the name of the Endo Doc and told her not to fool around too long in (we are in a small town also.)
How did they figure out the sleep apnea,'cause at the Docs yesterday,even though I am down another 5 lbs.My BP was WAY UP and he increased one of my meds.What do you do for it anyway,I am clueless.I would think your doc is pretty sharp,as 90% of HIGH BP is of unknown origin,many docs don't look for secondary causes and just give you meds.Have a nice day. Peggy

[spam421]

Hello Peggy:

My husband actually decided I had a problem with my sleeping. He said I would quit breathing, plus I started snoring really loud after I stopped breathing. It turns out that is sleep apnea. You quit breathing then when your brain finally says "hey dummy you need to breath" the gasping is actually loud snores. I asked my doctor about it and she sent me to a pulmonary specialist who runs a sleep clinic. I went in and had the study done. The respitory (sic) specialist who was doing the testing came in after two hours and said she couldn't stand it any longer. I quit breathing as soon as I went to sleep and said I had over 100 episodes an before two hours were even up. Usually with sleep apnea you have a couple hundred a night. It can cause heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, weight gain, severe fatigue (which I had extremely), and other physical ailments. Along with the effects the Graves disease gives you I have felt like (excuse me) crap for several years now. But now I am hoping that I am finally getting more to a place that is tolerable and starting to go on the upswing.:dizzy:

With the doctor changing my synthroid to 0.3 I am starting to feel better. It, of course, takes the six weeks to get in the blood stream, but I am hoping since I am starting to feel better, that the doc doesn't take me off of it. I think with her being female she takes more time and really listens to me. Now if we can just get me to quit smoking too! Wow. That is alot to fix in one fell swoop!:dizzy:

Yeah, I know, it will be harder, but I know I can lose the weight. I have just got to work really, really hard. But I will win!

Well, have a great weekend. I hope your son's friend is okay.

Pam

[SIN NOMBRE]

Hello Pam and all, DH has never said anything about snoring but my son shared a room with us at LP and he said both of us snoring was driving him crazy.My brother was told he might have a problem when he was in the hosp. recently but refused to stay the extra night to check it out.Since I am still losing wt.and my BS is excellent,if my BP is still elevated next visit I will ask doc .I still need to lose 10 lbs to get back to where I was before my BP started to rise.that's 6 wks. down the road.
Why is it so effortless to gain weight and the losing seems to take all your time and energy?

[spam421]

Hi! I know what you mean about the gaining being way to easy and the losing tough! It's like I woke up morning fat but my insides still feel slender. I keep thinking I will wake up from this awful dream but I don't think I am any time soon.

My husband had mentioned my sleeping habits before but I never took the time to bother about it until I started getting really tired, falling to sleep all the time and then one night my husband said he shook me and shook me before I finally took a breath. He said that was it I HAD to do something about it, so here I am with a horrible mask to wear (but I refuse to sleep w/o it now) but sleeping good and feeling more rested. I can't believe the difference it has made in a good nights sleep. I actually wake up before the alarm and before you could have had 10 alarms I would not have heard them. Go figure!

I hope you lose those 10 lbs and I know you will. Good luck with your check up.

Pam:wave:

[Hockeychic]

What is the diebetic diet?

[spam421]

Hi! I am not sure, but I am assuming it is one laid out for diabetics like the heart association has theirs laid out. I have got to find one and check it out. It seems to be highly recommended by several people so far not just here but on some other sites as well.

Drop back in and see what I come up with. But I imagine after this posting we will have our answer.

Pam:)

[beeje]

I took Synthroid for 6 1/2 years, and was no better even after the adjusting of the dosage. I also took the T3, and after all of that, I continued to have the same symptoms as I originally went to the doctor for.

I begged each new doctor I went to to give me the natural stuff for hypothyroidism, to no avail.

So I took myself off of all thyroid medication. I feel better than I have in the 7 years since I started taking the meds. It makes me wonder if I ever had thyroid problems at all, or if they chose the easy way out to diagnose.

As to weight, if I stay off refined carbs and eat a lot of protien, I do really great. BUT, I am addicted to chocolate and that wreaks havoc with my diet.

Been off chocolate for 3 weeks and am craving lemons now. Go figure.

Have a nice day!

[SIN NOMBRE]

DUH You would think it would be in book form and all laid out like the heart people. I have looked in the Joslin and ADA books and they just have a general guidline.So I guess I should not really be calling it the diabetic diet.Basically it is a healthy plan that you can live with for life and change as circumstances do.I know the ADA has a website where you can order the basic pamphlet fo a few dollars i got it for free from my HMO Check your insurance you may be entitled to RD visits then tell her you want to carb count with your meal plan.Some of the better Diabetic Cookbooks have it least the guidelines laid out in the front.Go browsing at barnes noble
I have also seen other posts from Grave's people where they have had good results from this.
I did start losing when my TSH was 1.9, I felt a little edgy doc decreased syn,I was still losing at TSH 2.4 Syn use went from .175 to .162 I have a scrip and need to get a panel done soon.BTW my edginess was not related to my syn dose as it happened again on the lower dose.Even though I am 4yrs past menopause(no symptoms) my gp says they can start anytime.Sent me to the endo for tests,MISOGYNIST that he is he refused to do the tests and told me to see a GYN endo I haven't even bothered because I have not had another episode,mabye the diet is helping that also?
Have you had any luck finding a local support group through the NGDF?

[spam421]

Hi Beeje and Sin Nombre:

Well, it is nice to have a new person join in. My problem Beeje is I don't have a thryoid. With the graves disease once they zapped it it put me into hypothyroidism, but they still call it graves disease. But I have been hearing alot about the help the natural thyroid stuff is suppose to be doing. Let me know if you hear anything else.

Sin you talked about a support group at NSGDF (sic) (I think I just wrote that wrong, anyway where can I locate that?:?:

I will pick up a diabetic diet cookbook and see what I can get out of it. Sounds like I should be doing this.

Take care and have a great Labor Day!:cool:

Pam:wave:

[SIN NOMBRE]

or use a search engine for national graves' disease foundation Have a super holiday and I will stay in touch. Peggy

[Eeyore's Sun]

Hello there! :)

I am new to 3FC and was reading through your threads. I was glad to see a thread with sleep apnea listed. I was diagosed with SA about a year ago. I hate it! I have only had one surgery (sinus) and sleep with oxygen on at night but it seems to be getting worse lately. I stay so very tired and don't seem to sleep well when I do sleep. It's exhausting! I read your thread about SA making it harder to get the weight off. :o I have never heard this before. Please advise.

I would love to stay around and chat with you all. I would love to hear more about sleep apnea and your experiences.

Hope everyone has a GOOD LABOR DAY!!!!

Thanks:)

[spam421]

Hi Eeyore Sun:

Welcome aboard. I hope we can help you out some. According to my pulmonary specialist and MD, the sleep apnea causes the oxygen in your body to really go down. That is why you stay so tired and have other symptoms such as loss of memory, soreness to the body, high blood pressure, etc. With the lack of oxygen in your body all you can usually do is sleep and when you are awake you eat and the cycle repeats itself. You don't have energy to move much less excercise. When I went in for my sleep study and less than one hour after it started, my oxygen level went from 99% to 53%. So you are basically smothering to death due to the times you stop breathing. I was diagnosed last July and have started to feel much better. What type of machine are you on? Mine is the CPAP. There are still times when I feel tired, but that is usually if I don't have my mask on very well. Also, what is your setting? Mine is at 14.5 and it was originally set at 16. This could be your cause if they have you set too low. You may check with your doctor and let them know you are not having any relief from the machine. The pressure should be hard enough to keep your throat open at all times. I don't know what I would do without mine. But the tiredness does come and go. I function now whereas before I could not. Matter of fact one of the first questions my pulmonary specialist had was "Had I gained any significant amount of weight?", which I had. I am now struggling to lose it. Between the sleep apnea and the graves disease it is VERY HARD, but I know I can do it.

I hope I have helped a little, but if not let me know and I will give you more info.

I am glad you joined in and hope to hear more from you.

Pam:)

[Eeyore's Sun]

:angel:Hello Pam and Everyone!:angel:

Thanks for info on SA. I am not presently on the CPAP because my MD wanted to see if I would do better after the sinus surgery which I did for a while but now.........I'm getting exhausted again. I have never wanted the CPAP but at this point I may have to get it. I work long hours and some days can't hardly get through my day and it seems to worsen nearly daily. My poor hubby thinks I just "feel bad" all the time. It's true I do most days.....between my diabetes, severe allergies, asthma, Aortic stenosis, and the SA, on top of working 45-65 hours a week and carrying around an extra #150 lbs everyday. Well duh! :eek: I think I have been doing pretty well for being as exhausted as I am. Whew! What it would be like to wake up refreshed? Does anyone know? :?:

Thanks so much for sharing with me. {hug} Sometimes I forget that there's someone else out there that have problems. I look forward to getting to know you and hope that somehow in someway I can help you. :)

Have a Good Day!

~Sherry~ :yawn:

[spam421]

Hello Sherry:

Nice to see that we all have something that we can help each other with. I go back to the doctor in a couple of weeks and hopefully she is going to take me off of some of the high blood pressure medicine I am on since she believes it was mainly caused by SA. :p Also, you will notice that you retain a lot of fluid, another side effect of SA. I can tell you this, with the CPAP machine I would kill anyone who tried to take it away from me. At first you don't want it because it is not very sexy or glamorous, but let me tell you, after a few nights with it and you will wonder why everyone doesn't sleep with one. The times I do have problems is when my sinuses are really bad and I don't put the mask on right (but that is happening less all the time). Also, I have noticed I get up so much better, have actual energy to do things with my family again (before they did everything without me). It has done wonders. I don't care what I look like at night (I mean we are asleep after awhile anyway) because the way I feel now means ALOT to me!:D I would recommend that you talk to your doctor again and see about getting on one. Also, if your husband is supportive at all he will not care. My husband said he didn't care because he loved me and didn't want to lose me. SA causes heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and in severe cases death, so we figure the mask is very little compared to that. Even my 6 year old daughter says I have to put it on so I want stop breathing.

I am 44 years old, my weight right now is 282 (down from 297 July 30), and my height is 5-7". So I would like to be here for my child and am determined if I can't get help elsewhere I am going to find it here or somewhere. So, hang in here and we will get ourselves into a more fit body, and healthier life.;)

If you ever want to write and you don't want to do it here my home e-mail is spam421@hpnc.com. I will be here for you no matter what and we can do this together. I have found everyone to be of great help and inspiration. I am truly glad I found this site.

Also, check out this site: www.angelfire.com/ald/hillaryandali/. I am on the friends part of that site under "Our Friends". It is linked to 3fatchicks under other peoples stories "The Long Journey Begins...." .

Take care and keep your chin up!:^:

Pam

[Eeyore's Sun]

Hello Pam!!

Wow, we have a few things in common..........like living in the Lone Star State.....SA........weighing 282.......etc.... I'm glad to know someone I can talk to about the SA. You will be glad to know I made an appointment with my specialist today for this Friday. Do you see an MD in FW-D area or closer to home? Just wondering. So maybe help is coming soon. Now, to rearrange my schedule so I can take off Friday afternoon......:dizzy:

You mentioned the edema (extra fluid) and I have had it for several years and it only seems to get worse. I never knew it was connected to the SA. I'm an LVN but no book, no internet site, nothing has ever mentioned the edema or the extra weight. That is why I think it helps to talk with others who have it. Books don't mention everything.

Thank you again for the info and the friendship. ;)

:angel:Have a GREAT Wednesday!!!!!:angel:

~:smug:Sherry~

[spam421]

Hi!

I am so glad you made an appointment to go see someone on this. I never wanted to deal with it until my husband made me. It hit the fan when one night he said he had a hard time waking me enough to take a breath. He said he kept shaking me and nothing was happening. It scared him so bad that I finally gave in and I am very thankful now that I did.

I want you to let me know what the specialist says okay. You can lean on me while you deal with this. It is very serious and I had no one at the time to lean on or to talk to about it. I have found several people now who has had it for years and they have been a huge help. You learn something new about it every day.

I work in Dallas but live in a small town about 50 miles south of there. My doctor is in Ennis, Texas and my specialist is in Corsicana. Besides being a pulmonary specialist he has a sleep clinic in Corsicana and Dallas.

Good luck and KEEP ME POSTED!

Pam:wave:

[Eeyore's Sun]

Good Morning Pam!

I will keep you informed about what the MD says. I sure hope the answer is close by. This morning I had a terrible time getting up so therefore can't stay here long, or I'll be late. But thanks so much for the support and encouragement. It does feel good to have someone KNOW what you are going through.

Have a wonderful day!!!~:smug:Sherry~

[spam421]

Good Morning Sherry:

I remember those mornings where it is so hard to get up.:( I could not hardly function at all. I would stay in the shower so long I thought at times I would fall back to sleep in there. Then trying to drive 50 miles to work was becoming impossible. On the way home from work I was actually dozing on the interstate. I fell asleep at work, in the middle of conversations, you name it and I fell asleep at it. I could not function in a normal way. Of course I had no idea my sleep was the cause of it. I could have slept my way through life I was so tired and couldn't figure out why. I did not even hear my alarm or that of my husband's in the morning. It got scarey. But now, I wake before the alarm goes off, I don't fall asleep and now I don't even take naps on the weekends. It feels strange to have some energy and my energy level seems to be going up all the time. So, if they decide you need the CPAP or something like it, just remember that it does work. Don't worry about how you look, ask your husband to support you for a healthier you and you will not regret it, nor will he. This has been a godsend for me and my family.

Have a wonderful day!:D

Pam

[Eeyore's Sun]

Good Afternoon Pam!!!:D

I hope you don't mind, but I showed your posts from yesterday to my hubby. He is very supportive and is ready to get some sleep himself. That may sound crazy but he is awake alot watching me snore and then have my periods of apnea, and trying to wake me up. He said it wears him out to. He just wants me to stay around and get some sleep that refreshes me. (And him!!:lol:

Thank goodness I don't have to drive long distances to work. I do have to drive some since I do home health but it's mainly little short distances between patient's homes. I love my job!:D

I also have two daughters, a 14 yr old and a 4 yr old. My home life is always a challenge. LOL It's getting better the last year though but when they were 13 and 3,........ :eek: Now we just have the "Stay out of my room!" problem. And I bet you can guess which one is saying that?? But I have two wonderful kiddos. They are like day and night but wonderful! :smug:

Do you work M-F or varying hours? Do you have access to a computer at work? Have you ever done Weight Watchers? I was checking in at the WW site and found they have a new program that is done online. To attend the WW meetings is $11 week here but the online is about $14.95/month. And it provides a journal to keep up with your foods eaten, water, exercise, etc... among other things. I am thinking about doing that. Do you know anything about it?

Well, guess I better quit writing the book. :lol: I hope you have a great evening! I'll probably check in again before bedtime.


~:smug:Sherry~

[Eeyore's Sun]

Hello?? Anybody around?

Is everyone off busy getting the exercise in while I sit on my duff? :lol: Just wondering.......kinda lonely around here today.
Gee, I just met you but already miss you Pam. :yawn:

Was it something I said?

Well, I will check back a little later.

Hope everyone has a great afternoon!

:D: ~Sherry~ :wave:

[spam421]

Hi Sherry:

Sorry about not writing. Everytime I tried to reply to your postings it would just hang up. I could read everything change pages but could not reply. It was very frustrating. So I am doing this one from work.

I am glad that your husband is being supportive about this. It will do you wonders if the doctor puts you on a CPAP machine. Now, remember, it is not sexy, and your children will make fun of you!:lol: My daughter kept calling it my elephant face!:o But thats okay. I wouldn't trade it for the world now. It is my BEST friend.

So you go to the doctor today? Don't forget to keep me posted on what the doctors says! You may have to do a sleep study so they can determine what type of machine, and the air pressure. The air pressure is to keep your throat open so that it doesn't collapse and you can breath continuously. After a while it becomes like a white noise and lulls you to sleep. It just totally relaxes you.

Sounds like you have your hands full with your two daughter's. My 6 year old keeps us quite busy. She thinks she's about 15. We already butt heads, so I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when she really hits 15.:p

Well, guess since I am at work I had better try to look a little busier than I am at the moment. Let me know what happens.

Have a great Friday and weekend!:)

Pam :)

[Eeyore's Sun]

Good Morning Pam!!!:wave:

I wrote you a long email and sent it to the address you provided. I kept losing my reply here. So..................check your mail. :)

Talk atcha later!

~Sherry~ :wave:

[Eeyore's Sun]

My heart just goes out to all the people directly affected by the events of the day!!!!!

Hello Pam, and all you other wonderful folks out there,

As Americans, today our whole world is standing still and wondering what will happen next and who will be effected by it. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those already effected and to those families and friends that sit and wait to hear something...................anything.............t o know one way or another the fate of their loved ones. It really makes you remember what is REALLY important. We all should take a minute to pray for our nation, our president and the decisions that he is now facing and our family and friends that may be effected by it all.

I do hope everyone has a better day and remembers to hug those a little tighter today and tell them that you love them. ;)

Sorry, I didn't mean to get sentimental but in these times, I think it is time.


~Sherry~:wave:

[spam421]

Hi Sherry and all the others who are on this site:

I too feel that we should take a moment to pray for those who have been directly effected by these series of events. That we take time to remember how easily evil can invade our lives by just the blink of an eye. We need to ask God for strength for our President, and all the military leaders, while they face the toughest decisions that will affect all of us. There are going to many days ahead where no one will get answeres regarding their families.....but they will know. This is part of history that I wish I were not a part of. May God bless them all and help our country find those responsible.

I wish each of you nothing but peace and safety in the days to come.

Pam

[Eeyore's Sun]

Good Evening Friends!

Well, across our United States many are praying tonight for the land of the free. Almost unbelievably from one day to the next...... peace was lost. Now as we all try to develop some type of strength not to fear the unknown or what comes next emotional eating has entered my life again. I can't tell you how I felt when I heard the news and then saw it on tv. As a mother, I wanted to go rescue my children and keep them with me the rest of the day. Tonight, I can't seem to hug them enough or hold them close enough because as we all know in New York and Washington there are moms and dads that won't be coming home tonight or ever again. There are daughters and sons, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers...............all whose lives have changed forever. Like you, Pam, I'm not real glad that I'm seeing this part of history.

As each of you say your prayers tonight please remember those less fortunate than ourselves who are grieving right now, those that seek answers, those that remain actively searching or fighting fires and those alive but buried so no one knows they are there. Pray my friends............pray. Let's support our country and each other in the days to come. And someone help me quit emotional eating!!!!!!:nono:

May everyone have a good day tomorrow and remember that God is always as close as YOU let him be.

~Sherry~:wave:

[spam421]

Sherry and the rest of the Gang:

I can only say AMEN to what you said. May God bless those who are suffering at this moment. Those who still do not their loved ones fate. May God bless our country and each of us.

Pam

[SIN NOMBRE]

This last week has felt like a year.I hope all are well.We are totally crazed yet eerily calm,here in NY.Everyone is being so polite except for the snot-nosed cretins,who are beating up innocent grocers.Why when seemingly the baddest has occured do I feel something really,really, really bad is going to happen?I am better today,but right now I dont'think we will ever get completely over it.Only news on the diet front.I am doing very well,as it is the only thing in my life I can control right now.