Insomnia/Acute Sleep Paralysis – Bizarre/Incorrect Test Results
Question:
Hi everyone. Glad I finally took the time to figure out newsgroups! My problems with chronic insomnia go back to infancy. I’ve also had to deal with absolutely terrifying sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember — at least since I was 6 or 7. I’m 37 now. After a couple of horrific episodes of sleep paralysis last spring which were so bad I feared/dreamed having a heart attack, I decided — YET AGAIN — to seek help/treatment and see if any improvements had been made since the last time I tried. (My experience with the medical community in dealing with this situation has been spectacularly unsuccessful and frustrating.) I was given both day and night tests. I did not sleep at all during the day test and only recall *dozing* for about 30-40 minutes during the night test (although it could have been for an hour … maybe two at the very outside). I was absolutely shocked when the doctor told me my sleep patterns were apparently *normal*. (In fact, at one point, after I couldn’t stand laying the dark any longer, I got up and turned the lights on … which I discussed with the technician the following morning and she had noted my apparent sleeplessness during the night.) How is this possible? I’ve come up with a few ideas … any comments would be appreciated: 1. My test results were misplaced or accidently switched. (This would be a lot easier to believe if this happened to just one set of results, but not two of them.) 2. Over the years, my brain has rewired itself to cope with my naturally sleep-deprived state, and mimic normal physiological sleep responses. 3. It is entirely possible (but extremely unlikely) that I dreamed being awake — my brain has done far worse and stranger things to me. Other ideas/explanations??? Thanks. ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Response:
I have had a home test twice, and waiting for the inhouse test which has you so wired up that my instructions state: you must buzz the technician to get up, so how did you get up with all the wires? Question: from what little I know, a day test would be given for narcoplesy (spelling?) which means you fall asleep quickly, but it appears from your message that this is not so? Unfortunately when we write messages we did not have enough information in them. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -T_We…@my-dejanews.com wrote: > In article <75818o$3b…@nnrp1.dejanews.com>, > simply_the_b…@my-dejanews.com wrote: > > I was given both day and night tests. I did not sleep at all during the day > > test and only recall *dozing* for about 30-40 minutes during the night test > > (although it could have been for an hour … maybe two at the very outside). > > I was absolutely shocked when the doctor told me my sleep patterns were > > apparently *normal*. (In fact, at one point, after I couldn’t stand laying > > the dark any longer, I got up and turned the lights on … which I discussed > > with the technician the following morning and she had noted my apparent > > sleeplessness during the night.) > > How is this possible? > One more possibility to add to your list. Maybe your sleep doc(s) just > didn’t show due diligence? It’s disturbing to think this would happen, but > maybe they watched you and couldn’t see anything matching the sleep disorder > "signatures" they were looking for…so sent you home and said you were fine. > Just a theory, but I know I’ve gotten similiar treatment in the past for > other health problems. I absolutely understand how it can be frustrating. If > you suspect this may have happened in your case, perhaps you should try a > different sleep lab? > Tim > ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Response:
In article <75818o$3b…@nnrp1.dejanews.com>, simply_the_b…@my-dejanews.com wrote: > I was given both day and night tests. I did not sleep at all during the day > test and only recall *dozing* for about 30-40 minutes during the night test > (although it could have been for an hour … maybe two at the very outside). > I was absolutely shocked when the doctor told me my sleep patterns were > apparently *normal*. (In fact, at one point, after I couldn’t stand laying > the dark any longer, I got up and turned the lights on … which I discussed > with the technician the following morning and she had noted my apparent > sleeplessness during the night.) > How is this possible?
One more possibility to add to your list. Maybe your sleep doc(s) just didn’t show due diligence? It’s disturbing to think this would happen, but maybe they watched you and couldn’t see anything matching the sleep disorder "signatures" they were looking for…so sent you home and said you were fine. Just a theory, but I know I’ve gotten similiar treatment in the past for other health problems. I absolutely understand how it can be frustrating. If you suspect this may have happened in your case, perhaps you should try a different sleep lab? Tim ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Response:
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 1987 and was treated for that, but I still complained of excess drowsiness. Finally in 1992, after switching doctors because I moved to another state, the new doctor diagnosed narcolepsy, which had gone undiagnosed for 37 years. So what Tim says about the possibility of a failure to diagnose a problem is certainly possible. Try a different doctor. Kent Taylor T_We…@my-dejanews.com wrote in article <759ide$eb…@nnrp1.dejanews.com>… | <snip original post> | One more possibility to add to your list. Maybe your sleep doc(s) just | didn’t show due diligence? It’s disturbing to think this would happen, but | maybe they watched you and couldn’t see anything matching the sleep disorder | "signatures" they were looking for…so sent you home and said you were fine. | Just a theory, but I know I’ve gotten similiar treatment in the past for | other health problems. I absolutely understand how it can be frustrating. If | you suspect this may have happened in your case, perhaps you should try a | different sleep lab? | | Tim | | | ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- | http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own |
Response:
In article <36787BD7.65615…@earthlink.net>, Patrick Richards <patricha…@earthlink.net> wrote: > I have had a home test twice, and waiting for the inhouse test which has you so > wired up that my instructions state: you must buzz the technician to get up, so > how did you get up with all the wires?
There was a reading light by the bed, and there was enough play in the wires that some limited movement was possible, i.e. sitting up. If you wanted/needed to actually leave the room, the technician needed to disconnect you. Question: from what little I know, a day > test would be given for narcoplesy (spelling?) which means you fall asleep > quickly, but it appears from your message that this is not so?
No, never had any signs of narcolepsy. Not sure why the doctor wanted this test — maybe just to confirm that I didn’t have any narcolepsy. Sleep paralysis is usually associated with narcolepsy. But it also appears independently, i.e. without narcolepsy, in a certain number of cases. Strangely, I’ve only found one website on sleep paralysis which acknowledges that. Unfortunately when > we write messages we did not have enough information in them.
The whole miserable story would take quite a while to relate, so all we can do is our best to convey the most pertinent facts and elaborate as necessary! ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Response:
Perhaps the medical establishment in the 90s has difficulty dealing honestly with persons with sleep disorders. Reluctant to prescribe medicines which may be abused, health care professionals often shrug off persons seeking help for sleep disorders as "drug seekers." No one ever died of insomnia, right? If you really needed to sleep, you would, right? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -simply_the_b…@my-dejanews.com wrote: > Hi everyone. > Glad I finally took the time to figure out newsgroups! > My problems with chronic insomnia go back to infancy. I’ve also had to deal > with absolutely terrifying sleep paralysis for as long as I can remember — > at least since I was 6 or 7. I’m 37 now. > After a couple of horrific episodes of sleep paralysis last spring which were > so bad I feared/dreamed having a heart attack, I decided — YET AGAIN — to > seek help/treatment and see if any improvements had been made since the last > time I tried. (My experience with the medical community in dealing with this > situation has been spectacularly unsuccessful and frustrating.) > I was given both day and night tests. I did not sleep at all during the day > test and only recall *dozing* for about 30-40 minutes during the night test > (although it could have been for an hour … maybe two at the very outside). > I was absolutely shocked when the doctor told me my sleep patterns were > apparently *normal*. (In fact, at one point, after I couldn’t stand laying > the dark any longer, I got up and turned the lights on … which I discussed > with the technician the following morning and she had noted my apparent > sleeplessness during the night.) > How is this possible? > I’ve come up with a few ideas … any comments would be appreciated: > 1. My test results were misplaced or accidently switched. (This would be a lot > easier to believe if this happened to just one set of results, but not two of > them.) > 2. Over the years, my brain has rewired itself to cope with my naturally > sleep-deprived state, and mimic normal physiological sleep responses. > 3. It is entirely possible (but extremely unlikely) that I dreamed being awake > — my brain has done far worse and stranger things to me. > Other ideas/explanations??? > Thanks. > ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- > http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
