hipmama42
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I tried to do a sleep study at a local sleep lab a few weeks ago, but my problem is not being able to fall asleep to begin with. Since I have trouble at home in my own nice warm comfortable bed, I don't know how I could be expected to quickly and easily fall asleep at the sleep testing center with electrodes all over my face and scalp and body, restless leg syndrome acting up because of nervousness and discomfort, knowing the room had a camera watching me, and then told I should fall asleep on my back so they could get a better reading. I NEVER fall asleep on my back, always on my side with pillow between my knees for my aching back and knees -- so I try to turn onto my side with all of those wires connected to the machine, the wires get tangled up in my pajamas, and a couple of electrodes fall off my legs! The tech comes running into the room, mad at me for this and asking me why I can't fall asleep. She says you have to be asleep by midnight because they need at least 5 hours of readings...and they get everyone up at 5 AM and boot them out the door at 6 AM! I am not an early bird and I don't go to sleep before 1 PM at home. So I told the tech, I am so nervous and uncomfortable and upset by the unpleasantness of this whole procedure that I know I won't be able to get to sleep with only 10 minutes left before 12 midnight. I ended up telling her I wanted to leave and go back home. The tech seemed mad at me and really put out, and she ripped the tape off my electrodes as hard as she could so my skin was aching and burning for hours afterwards. She had never heard of fibro and didn't seem to believe me that my skin is extra sensitive to pain. They didn't give me a sleeping pill to help me fall asleep because it might disrupt the normal sleep wave patterns. But then...as I left, the tech said, "maybe you can come back again and your doctor could give you an Ambien first...but we can't give you anything here." I think it would take a whole BOTTLE of Ambien to put me asleep, or maybe a general anesthetic at that lab -- I felt like a lab monkey and I never want to see that mean tech again! I was never so glad to be home in my own bed again in my life! Now my doc says I should try it again...hmmm. I don't think I can. At least not without a LOT of knock out drug before hand. I don't know how people can just fall asleep in that situation, it is so uncomfortable. So if I have sleep apnea...it will be awhile before I am willing to find that out. Post edited by: hipmama42, at: 04/16/2008 01:15 |
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