Thanks for making people with sleeping problems more out there. I was 14 when i got told i had something called Narcolepsy... I had it really bad but then after i finally got to where i was doing pretty good i got hit with the sleep apnea. I had to have my tonsils removed which was painfull but worth it because i dont really have sleep apnea anymore. Well now im 18 and will always have Narcolepsy but i have made it better for myself with the help of the best place UNC Hospital and My Dr. and her team. I am now soon going back for another sleep test but also my father who just turned 51 is going to take his first sleep test because after researching what i had, I found out Narcolepsy sometimes can run in the family and he has worst signs of it then i did. Thanks for the show and just to let anyone out there know without the right meds. you will never sleep well so everyone should ask a dr. about sleep disorders.

I have to agree. Thanks for this spot. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 7 years ago, and not long after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. For the last 6 or so years, I have slept for 15-18 hours a day. (and I got really good at hiding it, it wasn't until this past December that I actually told anyone how much I really slept during the day!!) We had tried everything, or so I had thought, and I finally just accepted that the sleeping was a side effect to the Fibro. Well, it got to the point it was effecting my marriage, and through marriage counseling, we decided to treat my ADD (yes, I have a lot of issues ). Well I went to my PCP and they started me on meds for the ADD... and all of a sudden, I was awake. I told our marriage counselor that if my doctor asked me how the meds were working, I would just say 'oh, it is working so well!!'. They don't do a thing for my ADD, but like I said, I am awake.

In August, we were talking with my daughters Psychiatrist and she is the first one that even suggested or considered the fact that I might have narcolepsy. This past December, I had my 3rd Sleep study, followed my an MSLT. (multiple sleep latency test). The hardest part of this was having to go off my meds for 5 days before the test.... that and having to stay awake between the 5-20 minutes naps I got to take every 2 hours. My doctors are calling it Idiopathic Hypersomnia, (I sleep all the time and they don't know why, and I fall asleep faster than the 'normal' person). With Narcolepsy a person goes from Stage 1 to REM and skip stages 2-4 (or only touch it breifly)... my problem is, I never went INTO REM. That is when I realized I actually do, but only about 2-3 times a week, and I always know when I do, because my dreams are so vivid and wild and I can tell you every detail when I wake up. It is never a fun time when the doctors agree that I don't ever do anything normal!! (and they still weren't sure where to go with me, other than agreeing that I DO need my medication) Oh, and after all this time, I technically DON'T have sleep apnea (I do however snore) but I start breathing so shallow that my oxygen level drops (which doesn't help the fact that I live at 7K feet) so they put me on CPAP to keep my oxygen level up. (my girl scout troop decided that I look like Jar-jar Binx with my mask on but my sister says that my husband and I are dueling Darth Vaders )

I still don't sleep great, but I am awake during the day now (as long as I don't forget my meds), I still get sick really easy, and I know I need my deviated septum fixed, but the doctors can't decide whether or not to do it. They have fixed my daughter's (it got rid of her sleep apnea... she was 8) and my husband just had his done in February (I have pictures if you want to see it Colby... he never even took a pain pill afterwards!! It just looks bad!!) It was cute hearing my husband asking my daughter about the surgery since she had it first! He does however still snore and still has sleep apnea, but he is also still healing!

Oh, and my best part of all of this... I have gone down 2 sizes in clothes since all this started!! (the medication that is) and still going. I have more energy, am taking karate lessons and just able to do so many things I couldn't have done even 4-6 months ago!!

Do it and know you won't regret it!!!
Leslie

I had a problem with sleep apnea. Back in 1997 I had reconstructive jaw surgery done at Stanford University.It made a world of difference.4 months later I was able to get a job again.I used to sleep off and on all day long because I wasn't getting the REM sleep at night.They basically broke my jaw and took bone from my skull and extended my jaw. My tongue was too big for my mouth and would block my airway as I slept. I had to have my jaw wired shut but it was definitely worth it. I used to sit and watch TV and fall asleep with no warning.I highly recommend anyone that has a problem with snoring to have a sleep study done. Peggy

Thanks so much for sharing your story. Stay tuned to see if I can find a cure!

I do massage for a living. While I was in school to learn Raindrop Massage I found out that using one drop of a therapeutic grade Thyme essential oil on the bottom of each foot before going to bed at night allowes the person to go into the deep sleep where dreaming occurs,(some say they haven't had a dream in years), they didn't snore and they woke up feeling like they had a great nights sleep. I hope Colby will try it.
Lets hear it for a good nights sleep....................yeah

Colby,

Thank you for making your sleep test public. You have no idea, but the timing was perfect for me. Your episode aired Monday and I had my first sleep test on Thursday (to rule out sleep apnea). I was extremely apprehensive, but seeing you go through it in front of an audience calmed me down substantially. It helped me to see what would happen to me, and I fgured if you (who was used to cameras on you) was apprehensive before your test, it was OK for me to be nervous. It also made me realize that the test did not look as bad as I was thinking.
I do have one question for you though. Did you have any "probes" in your nose? I was fine with all the probes until the tech went to apply a small probe (that resembles a nasal cannula with little 1/4 inch wire tips and a hook of wire hanging over my lips) under my nose. It took me a minute to let her put it on me, and then she had a second nasal cannula looking probe for the nose as well. I found the wires in my nostril entry way and over my upper lip bothersome. These probes never hurt, but I was always aware of them. That part was scary for me because I did not expect it. I watched your segment again after my test and never saw anything on your nose, so I was wondering if your lab actually used those type of probes.
I think if the doctor or lab had given me a list or picture of what it would look like before the test, I would have felt better because the "surprise factor" would have been completely removed. Unfortunately, those 2 nose probes really knocked me "off balance". I could not get comfortable and it took me over 2 hours to fall asleep. I don't know the results yet, but I don't think I am going to want to continue right now if a follow up is recommended. I need to recover from this last visit first. If I do decide to continue though, I will definitely ask more questions ahead of time.
Thank you for the glimpse of what it would be like. It really did help me at least get in the door. Good luck to you in the rest of your tests.