Falling Asleep at work...Help :(

[trixie23]

im not diabetic but thanks for putting out possibilities... I've been checked for everything...I've seen a cardiologist, a pulmonary specialist, 2 different gi's, and a primary physician more than 30 times i'd say in the past year and a half! They give me the brush off because i am young and I think it is quite shi**y! Not to mention how much I had to pay in medical bills, so honesty i won't go to the doctor anymore, I don't even take the prescribed medication because it does not work or it puts me into a condition where I can't go to work! I had made the step to helping myself but doctors these days are satisfied with their "I don't Know" response to everything! It's a shame that I am going to be the way I am for the rest of my life cuz no one can figure out what is going on! As for the sleep study....If that is not something covered by insurance then I won't be able to do it...I live paycheck to paycheck so that would void the option!

 

[calico2222]

I agree to get to the bottom of why you wake up tired. But, as for falling asleep at work, I can relate! I work in a call center and am on what they call the "helpline" which means co-workers call me when they have a question about a call, or someone wants to talk to a supervisor, so I can go over an hour just waiting for a call. I read constantly, and found that Anne Rice isn't the best choice! I love her books but, as a friend said "it takes her 5 pages to describe a tree"! Sometimes, just standing up and stretching helps to wake me up. Last week though, I actually was snoring at my desk (how embarrassing!) The girl that sits in the cubical next to me had to hit me to wake me up! Luckily, I wasn't drooling, and the supervisors didn't realize I had fallen asleep. Another girl on the helpline gave me 1/2 of a vivarin (caffine pill) and that really helped. I hate taking pills like that, but it was the only way I could stay awake. I know you can't drink caffinated drinks or coffee, but could you take 1/2 of a pill? What stinks with my job is I only have access to certain internet site that are work related. TCS is obviously not one of them. I did manage to find solitaire on the computer, but got in trouble for playing it. Yet, the supervisors are sitting there reading their email and checking out NASCAR sites all day long! Something's not right here.

Anyway hon, I feel for you!

 

[trixie23]

I cannot take caffine pills even a little...I have heart palipitations and that is not a good thing for me to do...LOL there are no caffine options! I once took a caffine pill in highschool and it was a bad idea...My heart can't take that! I've already talked to doctors about it and they could give two sh**s, they say I am not anemic and blood work is fine (I was anemic when I was little) I was also tested for thyroid cuz it runs in my family, and I don't have it! Doctors are so impersonal these days, that when i mention i have a sleep problem they shrug it off... I use to go to therapy cuz of all my issues and she suggested a sleep study...Ill have to check into it! I have nightmares almost everynight (sometimes a few a night) which is partly why my sleep is interupted so frequently!

 

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by trixie23

How do I go about having a sleep study done? Im sure that this is something that insurance will cover (I hope)! Do I just call a sleep institute or is a doctor referal usually needed?

You need to talk to your doctor. They are by referral only.

 

[trixie23]

Gotcha! Im sure that wouldn't be a problem, it is just sad that I would have to suggest it since the only one who has was my therapist!

 

[carolpetunia]

It sounds to me like you're going to the wrong doctors! There are good, caring doctors around, who will actually listen... and take the time to explain things in detail so you understand them, too.

You might try talking to the nearest hospital -- usually, they have a doctor referral service that could help you identify someone more appropriate for what you need. Just say right up front, "Please don't just give me the next doctor on the list -- I've had a very hard time, and I need someone with these particular qualities..."

In the meantime, I'm curious as to what they've prescribed for you, if you don't mind telling.

You said you have heart palpitations... have they ever told you that you have Mitral Valve Prolapse, a heart murmur, or any other specific heart problem?

Also... you don't smoke, do you?

Ignore me if I'm being too snoopy -- but I get like this when there's a mystery to solve!

 

[trixie23]

Yes I have mitral valve prolapse...If you look up a few posts I have all my conditions listed! All of my doctors were highly recommended physicians...The only one I actually like is my GI! No i do not smoke...I smoked for a very long time and quit coming up on two years now! I also don't drink or do any drugs anymore... That is what set off this whole mess (well at least I think, the doctors don't)! I'll get back into seeing doctors eventually but honestly it has been a waste of money thus far! I am prescribed Protonix for my acid and bile reflux but it doesn't seem to help too much (had a bravo surgery and according to that surgery the pill helps if I take it twice a day), I am suppose to take gaviscon with everything I eat for my gastritis (I like pepto better so thats what I use, doc said it was ok), I am also perscriped Miralax and Senna (for my colonic inertia)...this I don't take because I cant spend all day in the bathroom (I have to work) plus my colonic inertia is getting a little better! The only other perscription I am on is birth control (the pill) and I have been on it for at least 5 years! They did not put me on medication for my MVP...apparently that medicine is a catch 22...It may make you feel better, or it can make you feel worse! I do have to pre-medicate anytime I have an invasive procedure done or when I go to the dentist! So there you have it...My poor little body's issues in a nutshell!

 

[carolpetunia]

Darlin, what a mess! I'm so sorry you've got so many troubles.

All I can say is... well, did you ever see the movie, "As Good As It Gets?" Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear, Helen Hunt? Wonderful film, and there's a scene where, after years of misery with all her little boy's ailments, Helen Hunt finally gets a doctor who listens and cares and understands and makes a real commitment to help her little boy. And her joy and relief at that moment just overwhelms her, and the audience too. And that's what I think it will be like for you when the right doctor comes along! Don't give up!

 

[trixie23]

Thanks, you are too sweet! I saw parts of that movie, it looked like a cute heart warming flick! Thank you for being so optimistic, it gives me a better outlook on things when someone has a positive opinion towards the matter! It's been two years that I have had major difficulties and I am just waiting to experience relief sometime in the future! Thank you for caring, all your kind words, and great advise!

 

[lunasmom]

I realise that you're gotten home and the sleep moment has passed, but I just want to offer that if that happens again, do what Natalie_ca, watch your carb intake during lunch.

I'm not diabetic either, but if I have too many carbs during lunch (pasta, hamburgerr and fries, large bowl of ice cream) then I go into a "carb coma". Basically eat salads (such as garden or chef salads - avoid anything with breaded chicken) or soups, etc. Eat light too. For example if you can only do McDonald's, order from the Kids menu instead of the adult. The adult meals are basically your serving for the entire day rather than a meal.

The kids are still filling but are light.

Also another good hint is to get up and walk around. Even if you're job duty doesn't call for it, walking around and visiting the lunch room or going to the bathroom does WONDERS. Half the time I stop, talk to someone and that helps wake me up.

 

[trixie23]

Yeah so i checked this sleep study place that is close to me...It says you DO NOT need a referal and they just need your insurance card and will handle the situation for you, if you are bored check it out and tell me what you think... Here is the link...

http://www.sleepwell.org/
http://www.sleepwell.org/swi_about/facility.html (virtual tour of the study rooms)

 

[natalie_ca]

Originally Posted by trixie23

Yeah so i checked this sleep study place that is close to me...It says you DO NOT need a referal and they just need your insurance card and will handle the situation for you, if you are bored check it out and tell me what you think... Here is the link...

http://www.sleepwell.org/
http://www.sleepwell.org/swi_about/facility.html (virtual tour of the study rooms)

If you don't need a referral and have the insurance, then I suggest you go for it.

So far as the that sleepwell link, that place looks like a vacation spot at a 5 star hotel!!!! Luxury rooms? Garden? Breakfast? Spa-like bathroom?

My sleep study was nothing like and was done in a hospital. I slept on a hospital bed. The windows were blocked off with wood that was painted black and there were cheap verticle vinyl blinds. There was a large medical office/storage room of some sort outside the room I was in (the monitoring was done from another room), and I had to walk through the office/storage room to get to the bathroom which was just a plain and undecorated one like a hospital, with just a toilet and sink. I was woken up and sent on my way. No breakfast, no garden, no furniture other than the hospital bed and a hospital end table that had sleep machine items on it.

 

[gemlady]

Peppermint helps some wake up. I have found that peppermint breath sprays can perk me up - either spritzed in my mouth or in the air to inhale.

 

[trixie23]

That doesn't sound like a pleassant experience! I will have to check into more and call my insurance company to see what the deal is...I still have to meet my deductable for the year so it won't be cheap...Uh go figure! I thought that place looked really nice and my bf knows a guy that had the study done there! Like I said I will have to research it more, but it definitely isn't out of the question! OMG I just realized I wouldn't be able to sleep, I've never spent a night away from my kitties

 

[trixie23]

That doesn't sound like a pleassant experience! I will have to check into more and call my insurance company to see what the deal is...I still have to meet my deductable for the year so it won't be cheap...Uh go figure! I thought that place looked really nice and my bf knows a guy that had the study done there! Like I said I will have to research it more, but it definitely isn't out of the question! OMG I just realized I wouldn't be able to sleep, I've never spent a night away from my kitties

 

[huggles]

Originally Posted by Catfriend

Have you talked to your doctor? It is not normal to consistently wake up so tired after a full night's sleep. Have you been tested for anemia or sleep problems? I hope you feel better!

I agree - all jokes aside, I think you should go speak to your doctor

 

[trixie23]

I have spoken to doctors about this in the past...Been tested for thyroid and anemia...Take no offense but I find primary physicians to be a waste of time for anything other than a simple fix! I have had many primaries and they are all the same... I find it better to go about things on my own! I took it upon myself to have a heart scan, see a cardiologist, a GI, and a pulmonary physician all on my own (the primary is just the middle man and an extra co-pay I don't need to pay), I know my body and know who to see for my situations...My GI agree's that so far this has worked best for me since my primary's have given me the brush off...She admires me being pro-active about the situation and I find that my method works best for me! She also has given me great recommendations/referals for specialists I need to see! A sleep study has already been suggested to me by a professional so I don't see the need to waste my time with a primary!