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Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
#1
Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
I have such fatigue it is almost as if I don't even have or use a c-pap and yet I do use it faithfully. Yesterday afternoon it was so bad I could barely walk and had to just go to bed and sleep for about three hours. No doctor ever has anything to offer. I have considered leaks, AHIs whatever. Sleep doctor just says I am doing as well as possible. I bought a big box of those 5 hr energy drinks but they are not healthy, and I am not a caffeine drinker, so I get some energy and then crash about 8PM. I am returning those drinks. I procrastinate going to the store, or whatever I need energy to do. I have never in five years I think it is had any huge difference in energy level with c-pap. BUT I don't get headaches like I did without it, and I think without I would be dead by now. I know some of you have had great results once on c-pap. I do think my being so tired is sleep apnea related for sure. I also have asthma that I never felt I needed an inhaler for. I use one now AM and PM and cough much less. Chronic cough does wear e out. Had heart tests like echo and such and heart is ok. So I just deal with it as best I can. I think the world runs on coffee, but I don't drink coffee or tea. It just never appealed to me. When I ate more healthy and less sodium I did feel better. Guess I need to eat better. Just venting here. I am sure diet has a lot to do with it too. I was vegan for a while and my energy level was also very bad. I am trying to avoid salt and sugar. I don't eat beef usually.
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#2
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
When was the last time you had a full physical? Sounds like you need to go see your family/GP doctor and have a bunch of tests run to see if your body is functioning properly.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. 
ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.
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#3
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
I feel your pain, hang in there.

Regarding your caffeine drinks--try and drink Yerba Mate tea instead of other caffeine drinks. This is what I found about Yerba Mate Tea: Dr. Oz & Tim Ferris recommend Yerba Mate tea in the morning instead of coffee. Popular in South America, yerba mate tea is chockfull of antioxidants and vitamins, and acts through 2 mechanisms to help you lose fat. The first speeds your digestion for the entire day. Second, it actually reduces fat absorption by decreasing the pancreatic lipase enzyme. Additionally, yerba mate does not produce the caffeine-related crashes that some people experience with coffee and can give you 3-4 hours of very stable, clean energy.
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#4
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
Could be low thyroid.

Could be Chronic Fatigue.

Could just be your body is telling you to slow down and sleep for a while.

I agree you should see your GP, if you haven't already.

Those caffeine drinks are dangerous. Too many people rely on them instead of listening to their body. It has been my observation that the more you drink them, the more you need them. You (the generic you, not you personally) forget what being tired is like so you drink more thinking you need it.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#5
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
You may have something like chronic fatigue syndrome. If you don't know much about CFS google it and there is lots of reputable information. You may also (and I'd be surprised if you weren't) depressed. Have either of these two things been considered? I imagine since it has gone on so long you've considered everything. What you're doing with your diet sounds pretty haphazard. You need to get on a balanced diet and stay there. There is no reason to avoid salt unless you have high blood pressure, or a doctor has told you not to use salt. You are floundering. I would recommend a thorough physical and an evuation by a psychiatrist.
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#6
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
there are so many things it could be. it would also be wise to have an appt with a neurologist to rule out some neurology issues that could be causing this.
First Diagnosed July 1990

MSgt (E-7) USAF (Medic)
Retired 1968-1990
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#7
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
Agree with bobg1946 you need to have full physical checks with your doctor.
I've found having a shoulder to cry on help just having a chat with a friend over a cup of coffee. You've had an issue with emphysema and copd may be see your pulmonologist doctor if your apap therapy working as it should.
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#8
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
I can relate to you. Do u have depression as well? So you never felt better from cpap in 5 years? What was your apnea score from the sleep study?




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#9
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
Apnea score I think under five or five. I just read that low glucose causes fatigue. Yesterday fasting about 12 hrs was 91, which is low. I am not usually depressed but have had an upsetting situation recently with someone. Settling money owed me, Tuesday will help. I could not function without my c-pap I use faithfully but never have a refreshed ready to start the day feeling. I do get some spurts of energy and then I clean like crazy. I am a creative, artiist type personality and too sensitive. Have had full blood panel not too long ago and heart tests all fine. I do get high B/P when eating high sodium foods. Sugar I try to avoid. I do not drink coffee or teas. I recently got the 5 hr energy drinks at Costco and had 3. I returned them yesterday for a refund. Those drinks did me in. I don't put caffeine in my body unless I get a headache and then one Excedrin fixes it. One pill, not two. So I do want to see a pulmonologist and asked for a ref last doctor visit about a month ago. GP put me on a discus like Advair, it has helped for the most part. I think that fatigue recently was from that 5 hr drink. Thanks for your help. I really would love to see my c-pap fix the tiredness. Might seek a new sleep doc. Sleep over study was a year ago. Marked improvement w/my A-pap auto is what it is actually. So study claimed. Told doing as best as it can give me. As a child I was never hyper, could sit and draw or color for hours. Never liked sports and dropped out of dance class after a few. As for Psychiatrist, well, I would not take anti-depressants. I am drug sensitive and I think side effects are too great. I tried Prozac about 20+ years ago for a few months. I lost 20lbs and had constant headaches from it. Low dose too. So I will just stay nuts, lol. I will try that tea you suggested. BTW I do not have a particularly stressful life, if anything it can get dull. maybe keep a journal of my blessings would be good to start.
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#10
RE: Fatigue Is Ruining My Life
Actually a fasting glucose of 91 is a great number.

And if Prozac is the only anti-depressant you have tried, you're cheating yourself. Why the heck docs go for something so horrible for the first time, I have no idea. Ticks me off a lot. Using Prozac as the first anti-depressant med is like squirrel hunting with an AK47. Sure, it'll get the job done but.... Prozac has a lot of bad side effects. There are much better alternatives.

You don't eat salt or sugar yet you drank 3 of those energy drinks?? No wonder they made you feel like crap.

Listen to your body. What is it trying to tell you? Is it following orders from your brain and stressing over the money thing? Is it not happy with the food you are eating? Would it rather you stick to one thing and stop jumping around?

You said your apnea score was 5 or under 5. You mean your original sleep test? The AHI was 5 or under 5? Or the current CPAP treatment gives you that number?
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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