#Sleep Apnea Effects

[dynamichealthinsights]

How Poor Sleep Can Exacerbate Respiratory Conditions

Sleep is a fundamental component of overall health, influencing nearly every aspect of our well-being. While most people understand that quality sleep is essential for cognitive function and mood stability, its impact on respiratory health is equally significant and often underestimated. Poor sleep can aggravate a range of respiratory conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary…

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

guys if you're on hrt how did you know it was like the right choice for you

[productiveandfree]

Mental Health and Your Sleep

What does sleep have to do with your mental health, you wonder. It’s such a new concept that baffles so many people. But the answer is really right there in front of you. When you’re anxious, you can’t sleep. When you’re tired, you can’t sleep well. When your environment is a mess, you won’t be able to sleep well. When you’re going through something, there’s no way you can sleep. There are so many reasons that can affect sleep and when you can’t get the right amount of sleep, especially for a few days, a week, a month, a year… what’s going to happen then.

Quality of Life

Quality of life as defined by the World Health Organization is "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns."

In the era of social media, we’ve managed to compare our lives to the lives of others, resulting in the wanting of more and doing more to have what others have. Whether it is attainable or not is a huge question.

How does that affect our sleep? We work more, we stress more, we pressure ourselves more, we do more than we could at the expense of consistent sufficient restorative sleep.

After a good night’s sleep, we can definitely feel the difference – think better, focus better, accomplish more tasks in a day. When we lack sleep, we feel drowsy, we can’t focus, we feel irritable, we can’t think straight, we can’t even tell right from left.

 Health Effects

It’s not just mood swings and thought processes that get affected – it is also your health. If you are not able to sleep well, not only are you physically tired, but you also get mentally and emotionally tired. Your body does not get do its essential processes like relaxing your heart to lower your blood pressure, grow tissue and cells to restore energy, to help make your immune system stronger, to let your brain process your memories during the day and remove toxins, to let your hormones work better and help you make better dietary choices.

When you constantly are sleep deprived it leads to more serious psychological issues like anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. It can also lead to chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke. You can also be more susceptible to the cold and flu or more severe lung diseases.

The list really just goes on and it is very scary to think that all that can be caused by just lack of sleep. Funny how you can say ‘just’ lack of sleep when it is far from that.

 Sleep Disorders

Now, you ask, what if I can’t sleep because of some other reason and it’s not just because ‘I can’t sleep’. Well, you do have a point there. There are dozens of sleep disorders out there and the best way to figure it out is to ask your primary care doctor.

The most common, and something, I believe, a lot of us would use loosely, is insomnia. This is when one would have difficulty falling or staying asleep for most nights for at least three months. Then there’s sleep apnea, when you snore so much, and so loudly, then you suddenly stop breathing that it wakes you up, gasping for air. Another famous sleep disorder that we hear all the time is narcolepsy, which is very much exaggerated in movies, but it is when you can’t control when you fall asleep, extreme sleepiness, and involuntary napping.  

Please know that sleep disorders go hand in hand with mental health conditions as well as health issues. Even lifestyle affects sleep, from the foods we eat and what we drink to how much we travel and what time of day we go to work. So many things do affect our sleep that it all becomes a very fragile balancing act. How do we do it you ask?

How to Get Better Sleep 

Make your sleeping environment cozy, relaxing and comfortable. Make sure it is cold with temperatures between 65- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit. Make it dark, by using room darkening curtains or even an eye mask. Control the noise around you, and if you can’t, use earplugs.  

It is also best to have a consistent bedtime as well as waking time regardless if it is a weekday or weekend. Avoid any activities that can stimulate or interfere with your sleep. Like, do your workouts during daytime. Get off digitals at least an hour before bed. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, sugary foods and drinks. Practice meditation and mindfulness as well.  

Also, listen to your body. It will tell you what you need. Some people may need six hours of sleep, some may need a lot more than that. Remember pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.

  Conclusion 

Our mental health is very important because it is a key factor of our overall health and well-being. If we do not take care of it, everything else crumbles. If we do not sleep well, our physical, mental and emotional health will start to fall apart. Without consistent sufficient restorative sleep, how will we cope with the challenges and setbacks that life has to offer. Prioritize sleep. Take care of your mental health. You will thank yourself one day.

Share in the comments below: Questions go here

[ed-nygma]

Last post is so funny cause half of the people rb'ing are like #omg yeah it's 2 am already ☠️ and the other half are like #yeah it's 7 am I haven't slept in 36 hours I think another coffee cup might fix me tho

[grsmedical]

Common Myths about CPAP Therapy Debunked

If you're considering using a CPAP machine to manage your sleep apnea, it's essential to understand the potential risks and side effects associated with this treatment option. Normand Lapointe is a Respiratory Care Practitioner and Founder/Owner of GRS Medical. He says that CPAP machines are generally safe and effective, and the majority of side effects are minor and can be easily managed.   

What are the common side effects of using a CPAP machine?  

The most common side effect is mouth dryness, which can be alleviated by using a humidifier attached to your CPAP machine. Other possible side effects may include aerophagia (bloating or gas), bleeding nose due to lower humidity, dry eyes caused by mask leaks, nasal congestion, headaches, and skin irritation. It's important to note that rare cases of pneumothorax (collapsed lung), arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), or hypotension (low blood pressure) have been reported, but according to Normand, these occurrences are extremely uncommon. 

How can the side effects of CPAP machines be managed? 

If you experience any side effects while using a CPAP machine, Normand advises that you contact one of his sleep disorder clinics in Montreal and Quebec. His team of sleep specialists can provide guidance and support in managing these issues. Most side effects can be easily managed with some trial and error, such as adjusting mask fit, using a humidifier, or exploring different mask options. It's important to remember that the long-term benefits of CPAP therapy in achieving restful sleep outweigh these minor side effects. 

Understanding the potential side effects of CPAP machines is vital when considering sleep apnea treatment options. Normand and his team of sleep experts at GRS Medical can help get you set up with your CPAP machine and ensure your comfort and overall well-being. Don't hesitate to reach out if you experience any side effects while using a CPAP machine. Remember, a good night's sleep is crucial for your health, and with proper management, CPAP therapy can significantly improve your sleep quality and overall quality of life. 

[designgraphicruby]

No Sleep? How to Prevent Sleep loss

[longhaulerbear]

Among patients with previous COVID-19, OSA impact the development of incident glycemic, neurocognitive impairment, and abnormal functional pulmonary changes that persist up to 1 year since acute phase.

[grison-in-space]

Wait, orexin? The appetite stimulant?!

Huh!

genuine question- how do you feel about vaccination?

Very pro. I’ve gotten every vaccine I’ve ever been offered. I’m behind on my flu shot this year but that’s just because they keep doing the work clinics on days when I’m either not there or working through lunch. Our immune systems are ticking time bombs that are always looking for an excuse to kill us and so far all available evidence suggests that exposing them to things via vaccine reduces the rate of autoimmune issues due to that specific virus or bacteria later, in addition to decreasing frequency and severity of infection. The shingles vaccine may even decrease risk of dementia, which is HUGE.

[synbiosys]

So, I’m not proud of it, but I’m back to ask for help again. Above is the link to my Ko-Fi account; I can accept donations via Stripe and Paypal; I don’t have a preference of which method you use. Below is a more detailed explanation of the events that have led to my current predicament; it’s not entirely necessary to understand, but it should make sense of why this happened to me.

I’m dealing with some health problems and a recent car accident and I need help paying my bills for the next few months while I use that time to finish incomplete coursework for classes I took last year. In case it’s not clear, an “Incomplete” is a grade that can be given by instructors at some schools in situations where a student wasn’t able to complete a major assignment for a class due to circumstances outside their control, and allows students a pre-determined amount of time to finish that work beyond the end of the course. I had a plan for covering my expenses with a summer job at the Oregon State University Arthropod Collection (OSAC) while I finished the incomplete work, but the nature of my health issues, an outbreak of fleas, and a car accident have all prevented me from making it work. Now I’m kind of trapped; the cost of living in Corvallis is too high for food stamps to last an entire month, I don’t have a car anymore, and I’ll probably end up homeless if I can’t pay October rent and also pay November rent on time. I’ve managed to find some work doing landscaping and yardwork in my neighborhood, but I’ve realized that it’s impossible to make enough money and also handle the incomplete coursework; focusing on the former will impact the completion of my degree in June, while focusing on the latter will likely result in homelessness. The loss of my car is exacerbating all of this, in part because I live further away from all of the stores/banks/etc. in Corvallis, and public transit here is not very good.

Since late 2022, I’ve been experiencing sleep apnea-like health problems arising from swollen turbinate glands. I have some known allergies, but they’ve never caused swollen turbinate glands. The impact on my sleep quality became so severe that I had to resort to nasal strips every night. I saw doctors about this problem as early as spring of 2022, but none of them were helpful; most of them didn’t listen to me, and none of them considered trying any kind of testing. This ineptitude continued even after directly asking my primary doctor about autoimmune conditions and how we could test for them. Despite how obviously informative blood samples can be, nobody suggested a blood test. I finally lost my patience and demanded they give me a blood test for hypothyroidism at the end of August. Lo and behold, my thyroid hormone levels were an order of magnitude out of the normal range. Autoimmune problems run in my mother’s family, and it’s likely that I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; this disease is rarer in men, and the symptoms appear very gradually. While I can understand how this would delay detection of the disease, there were FIVE different doctors who saw me in relation to the sleep/allergy problems and none of them considered a blood test. I started taking levothyroxine the same day as the test results, but before being treated, my symptoms became so severe that my ADHD medication stopped working, my OCD symptoms went out of control, and I was experiencing severe brain fog. This is what forced me to request incomplete grades for my courses; I was trying to complete coursework despite all of this, and I was barely able to keep up. Once treatment begins, it takes at least a month to take effect, so my symptoms didn’t start improving until early October. Most recently, I found out that I needed to increase my dosage, but thyroid problems often have complex consequences, and any changes to the dose of the medication will result in unwanted side effects.

My original plan for this summer was to work at OSAC to cover my expenses while I tackled the incomplete coursework. I calculated the gross income I’d need to meet my expenses, and working 30 hours a week at this position well exceeded that amount. My duties as a curatorial assistant change slightly depending on the tasks at hand, but because I am paid from grant money, I must work efficiently, accurately, and in an organized manner. Because I have ADHD, extra measures are necessary in order to meet these requirements. I’ve worked this job intermittently since 2018, so I know how prevent my ADHD symptoms from interfering with my work. Because of the failures by my doctors to address my health problems, I was already struggling to arrive at work on time by June. By July, my symptoms had worsened to the point that I was no longer able to focus on work consistently, voluntarily cutting some days short because I wasn’t accomplishing much, and continuing to work in that state was inherently a waste of grant money. By August I could only make it to work sporadically. As a result, I missed most of the income I could have earned for August and September of this year. I was able to make up for some of this impact by selling old trading cards and video games from childhood, but that money didn’t last very long.

I was also confronted with a flea infestation that suddenly appeared in August. I rent a bedroom in a house with housemates; we tried to eradicate them ourselves, but the landlord suddenly informed us in early September that he hired an exterminator, who was arriving in less than 24 hours. I have some pet reptiles and pet invertebrates I needed to protect from pesticide exposure, so I suddenly had to move my pets to a friend’s house. I also had to re-arrange my bedroom to accommodate the exterminators. Based on the chemicals that were used, the only way I could make room safe again for my pets was by mopping the floor in my bedroom and the adjacent hallway three times. This ultimately cost me four days, and then the exterminators came back in early October, which forced me to repeat the process.

As if this wasn’t enough, I had a serious car accident in late September that annihilated my car and left me with severe lacerations to my left arm and a fracture in my thumb. The car spun out and flipped in the process, landing in the opposite lane. If another car had been about to pass me, it would have caused a direct collision at around 55 mph, and I probably wouldn’t have survived that. I realized the danger immediately and crawled out of the car, but most of the other possible outcomes would have involved my demise. I’m very lucky, but it took almost a month for the lacerations to heal, and one of them was deep enough to cause nerve damage, which hasn’t completely healed yet. My left hand has healed enough for me to use it, but I’m still having some issues with my thumb.

I wish I could say that I had help from my family, but my parents were impacted by both of the recent hurricanes that made landfall in western Florida. Even before the hurricanes, my parents weren’t really willing to understand what I was dealing with. I grew up in an abusive household; my sister and I were neglected by our parents, and we experienced emotional abuse from them as young adults. This is particularly true of my father, who himself is the product of a highly abusive upbringing. Unfortunately, research on the dynamics of child abuse has shown that children from abusive households often suffer a lack of economic mobility relative to children from more supportive family backgrounds as a result of mental health impacts. This has absolutely been the case with my sister and I; both of us are well into our 30s, and neither of us is anywhere close to long-term financial stability. That’s why it was deeply hurtful to hear my father blame me for being unable to fly to Florida on a whim to help him clean up the house, blame me for paying $950 a month for rent, and shame me for being 35 years old without a “stable job”. Both of my parents visited me in Corvallis in late July; they could tell that I was struggling, they apologized for neglecting me, and they told me they’d be more supportive, but apparently everything they said to me then must have been an act.  

Hopefully, this explanation sufficiently articulates the situation I’ve ended up in. I almost have enough money to pay my October rent, and I need to have my November rent paid by 11/5. I would have tried using Ko-Fi sooner, but in the interest of upholding my own responsibility, I wanted to exhaust my other options before resorting to donations again

[neuroticboyfriend]

reminder that seroquel is neurotoxic. as in, toxic to your nervous system. i understand some people are willing to deal with that for the medicinal benefit but i need every person on this to know. you are taking a neurotoxic substance.

you are taking a substance that acts on 47? receptors in your brain (most medications act on one to several but my god not 47). it is an anticholinergic (class of medications that have been linked to dementia), an antihistamine, and it blocks serontonin. it is basically a chemical lobotomy and in fact, thats how some doctors describe antipsychotics when they were developed - as a chemical alternative to a lobotomy.

it also carries risk of metabolic syndrome, movement disorders, increases stroke risk, (rarely) can increase your QtC interval (heart thing) leading to a condition that causes sudden death. if you have sleep apnea or POTS it can make that worse - same with diabetes and insulin resistance. i could go on. the side effects from this are many and serious.

i dont have energy for sources now so please factcheck me and do your own research but by the love of god.. i just want mentally ill people to know the risks of their medication so they can make an informed choice. especially since many of us are on this for years, indefinitely, effectively for the rest of our lives.

please, if you're on any antipsychotic (or any medication), do research and do what's best for you. ask for alternatives if you must. you deserve and need a good quality of life and it is entirely understandable and normal for the risks and harms of these medications to outweigh the benefits.

if you continue to take these please monitor your health and implement preventative measures. be safe. you are loved.

[a-little-revolution]

hey elliot! this is a surgery question, so please take all the time you need to reply. you've mentioned you had top surgery before, and i was wondering what it was like accessing that kind of care as a little person? was it challenging finding a surgeon willing to work with you? what sort of considerations were needed for your surgery and recovery, if any? i was also curious if you had used a binder before surgery, and how you found it? i have a hard enough time donning and doffing mine with long arms, so i'd imagine it could be quite challenging for you, but maybe you found ways around it! thank you for all your hard work and patience in educating folks. wishing you bountiful spoons and lots of restful, easy days 💚

Hello! Thank you so much for your patience, I did indeed take some time to process this - I'm more than happy to answer questions related to surgery on here, as it's such a large part of my experience as a little person, but I may indeed take some time to respond as I have medical CPTSD.

Anyhoo lol Yes! I have had top surgery, and my dwarfism did effect how I accessed that care:

Because I'm at risk for spinal injury, my surgery was done at a hospital rather than an outpatient centre where most top surgery is conducted (I needed to be kept overnight for monitoring while most top surgery patients leave day-of)

Like for all my surgeries, my sleep apnea and oxygen levels needed to be monitored

But unlike my many other surgeries, this particular hospital (which will remain nameless for my own security) was incredibly inaccessible despite it being obviously well funded. No stools to be found, the wheelchairs were so high and designed with an almost bike-like frame that I needed to be liften in and out of them, and the staff was unfriendly and ableist.

My surgeon was picked for her experience with little people rather than her experience with top surgery. (I ended up unhappy with my results because my surgeon was more familiar with breast reductions and didn't follow through with my wishes. My top surgery was actually the worst surgery experience I've had - I was repeatedly dead-named by members of the hospital, overdosed on anaesthesia, and my surgeon had a terrible bedside manner)

But my touch up surgeon was my first choice! Dr. Armstrong at McLean Clinic did a fantastic job straightening my scars and removing my nipples (which I had hesitated on for the first surgery but firmed up for the second. I love having no nipples!)

Image description: a photo of my torso and lower face, displaying my healed top surgery results. Two wavy pink scars line the bottom of my pecks, and I have no nipples. With one hand on my hip and the other on my upper chest, you can see my tarot "the fool" tattoo, my kissing crows, and my sailor mercury star. On my right hand I wear a red glass ring to honor my deity Hestia. I have pail skin, a short brown beard, green curly hair and a gold vertical medusa piercing.

Post-op care was understandably different for me. Since my arms are already short and locked, the limit to my range of arm motion affected me even more. I needed even more help with care tasks than that of an average height/able bodied patient. I was lucky to several loved ones around to help :) Though compared to other surgeries, I was happy that I was able to walk and be more independent for the most part.

I also just want to add: something I see a lot on social media is trans and nonbinary folks seemingly bouncing back from surgery effortlessly. We see them at the beach, posting photos, and it gives the illusion that top/gender affirming surgery isn't the painful, emotional, difficult thing that it is. IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T FEEL QUEER JOY IMMEDIATELY AFTER SURGERY!! It takes a while to heal and bounce back because it is a lot on your body! Take your time, and give your body the love and care it needs!

Anyway I hope this all was helpful/educational - and I wish all my queer, trans, and otherwise gender diverse followers a lovely day!!

[pain-is-too-tired]

You know what, should've done this last month,but heck I'm combining stuff for this month as well so-

Queer and Disabilitiy hcs for PJO characters

(I'll be mostly mentioning physical disabilities, but pretty much all characters are adhd and dyslexic(and ptsd) and will probably add lot as autistic so gdgd.)

Percy

I havnt really thought much on his Sexuality and such, maybe Bi?

Think he at least suffers from some form of asthma/ breathing related disability due to Tarturus. Drinking fire can not be good for your throat,definitely sleep apnea. Maybe back/ muscle problems from strain of holding up the sky? Not sure what that might do to someone tbh hdgd

Annabeth

Same as Percy pretty much, don't think much on her Sexuality and identity before and the same experience in Tarturus and the Sky holding stuff.

Think she also has some what of a permanent injury with her ankle/leg. At least enough to effect how she walks and such.

Also. Autistic, maybe ocd?

Rachel Elizabeth Dare

Aroace. I stand by that.

Also, her visions I feel like could be enough to be considered a disability. Maybe similar to Epilepsy? Since it can happen randomly and she collapses from it and all that. Like yeah it's part of her job description, but still hard to find a human job with that I feel.

Piper

Queer/Unlabeled, pretty much canon.

Leo

Demiromantic Graysexual

Probably some muscle issues and such post death? Or something like Fibromyalgia or Neuropathy

Autistic

Jason

Apagender(Gender Apathetic, just think he really don't care too much on how he's perceived gender wise-) Nebularomanic and Pansexual. Constant confused feeling of "do I like them or are we just really close friends-" feels fitting to him. Gdgdf

Also, canonically needs glasses. I feel probably partly due to getting hit in the head so often fgdf

(Also I could see him with visual snow/ static)

Maybe heart problems related to the use of electricity effecting his body? Like POTS or something hdgd

Also. Autism.

Nico

Gay(canon)

Similar lung problems as Percy and Annabeth cause Tarturus. Probably more issues related to being in a death coma in a jar. When he shadow travels/uses his powers too much he passes out cause of low electrolytes and blood sugar(cue Gatorade and Kitkats)

(most demigod abilities uses your electrolytes and sugar/carbs but powerful ones like shadow traveling where your form literally shifts uses more. In this essay I will-)

Also. ✨️Tism✨️

Will

Bi(canon)

I do love the hard at hearing hcs ngl hdgdf

After tsats,probably has same lung issues.

When using his healing also feel he uses a lot of his own needed electrolytes/vitamins and such which can give him a deficiency depending on how often he's doing it

Also Tism

Kayla

Aroace(I can not explain why if feel this fits but I do)

Type 1 Diabetes. Uses Insulin pump, Will has to stay on her case about keeping up with it fsgdg

Lee

He/They

Panromantic Graysexual

For the short time after, had complications from an injury from the Drakon fight.

Michael

Demi

Tism(especially sensory issues with sounds)

Jake

Queer(canon? We know he came out but nothing else. So you know what? I give him Queer label cause I can and feel like it'd fit him.)

Honestly probably so many problems from injuries. My man was in a full body cast guys.

Tbh, feel like all the Hephaestus cabin is Autistic. Feel in my bones.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Stephanie Soucheray, MA

Today a Kaiser Permanente Northern California study of children during the COVID-19 pandemic finds children too young to be vaccinated had the highest hospitalization rate, while adolescents had the highest rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The findings are published in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

The study relied on health records from 1,107,799 children ages 0 to 18 who were members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC). The pediatric patients were followed from March 1, 2020, through either chart-confirmed COVID-related hospitalization, disenrollment from KPNC, age 18 years, receipt of COVID-19 vaccine, or death.

In total, 423 children were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the study period, and infants 6 months and under—not eligible for vaccination—had the highest incidence of hospitalization. One hundred and three hospitalized children (24.3%) were less than 6 months of age, 40 (9.5%) were 6 to 11 months, 139 (32.9%) were 1 to 5 years old, 80 (18.9%) were 5 to 12 years, and 61 (14.4%) were 12 to 18 years of age.

Teens most likely to end up in ICU Hospitalizations increased with each new COVID variant for unvaccinated children, peaking for children 6 months and under during Omicron, with a monthly incidence rate of 22.4 per 100,000 person-months.

Overall, 20.3% of hospitalized children were admitted to an ICU, but ICU admission disproportionately affected teens. Thirty-six percent of ICU admissions were among children 12 to 18 years. The vast majority of ICU patients (91.8%) had no comorbidities, the authors said.

Of all children requiring ICU care, 16% were diagnosed as having multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), 4% required mechanical ventilation, 2% were diagnosed as having myocarditis, and 0.9% died.

"Among the 5–11-year-olds, 36% were diagnosed with MIS-C," the authors wrote. "These results suggest that while older children might be less likely to be hospitalized compared to younger children, when they do get hospitalized, they require a higher level of care."

Race, co-morbidities raise risk of hospitalization The authors found Black and Hispanic children had a higher risk of hospitalization. Compared to White children, Black children had a risk ratio (RR) of 2.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 3.16), and Hispanic children had a risk ratio of 1.82.

Sleep apnea, a compromised immune system, diabetes, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy were all linked to hospitalization. Overall, children with any comorbidities were at higher risk of hospitalization compared with those without a comorbidity (RR, 3.81; 95% CI, 2.94 to 4.95).

Although the study did not compare hospitalization rates among vaccinated and unvaccinated children, the authors said the study shows the importance of vaccination for kids.

"One of the most effective ways to prevent severe COVID-19 in the general population has been vaccination, which have been available for children as young as 6 months since June 2022 and for older children since May 2021," the authors said. "However, vaccine uptake in the pediatric population has been suboptimal."

Study Link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/irv.70022?af=R

[thedisablednaturalist]

If you have mysterious chronic pain and have the means, here's a list of doctors you should see other than your primary and a rheumatologist:

Neurologist and/or sleep specialist

Pain management doctor (also sometimes called pain and spine doctor)

Therapist that specializes in helping physically disabled people (having chronic illness sucks and you need someone to talk to)

Psychiatrist (most people with chronic illness also need psychiatric meds)

Physical therapy or rehabilitation center that specifically has procedures for chronic illnesses. My chiropractor acts as this for me but I'd only recommend that as a last resort. If you have something like fibromyalgia or ehler dahlos syndrome you need to be very careful with how you stretch and how much exercise you do. My chiropractor has special exercise equipment that is very gentle and has a lot of padding to reduce pain.

ENT (Ears, nose, throat doctor)

Nutritionist

A primary care doctor will at most only perform blood tests. Many illnesses do not show up on these blood tests. You want to get checked for rheumatoid arthritis, lyme disease, and lupus. Even if your doctor tells you it's because your vitamin d level or iron is too low, I would still recommend further testing.

They'll most likely refer you to a rheumatologist regardless, but unless you actually have arthritis I wouldn't rely on them too much. Mine charged too much for a 10 minute appointment where all she did was give me meds and would not discuss any other treatment or management options. She also laughed at me when I asked about a mobility device. It might just be I had a bad experience but it seems like those doctors are just given chronic illness patients cause no one else wants them.

You need to get your spine looked at. An MRI is essential. At the very least get an xray of your neck and spine. A neurologist or pain + spine doctor will most likely order one.

Neurologists will check your nerves and brain function. They'll check if your nerves are overly sensitive or unresponsive. You'll get stabbed and shocked a lot.

Pain and spine doctors are the ones who will give you pain medicine. It will not be immediate. They will need to examine you (MRI) and try other medications and treatments first. This is because insurance is not going to pay for stronger drugs until you've exhausted other options. You'll most likely start with something like duloxotine, gabapentin, prescription NSAIDs, and/or muscle relaxers. Once my results came in from the MRI I was given steroid shots in my spine. They will give them in different spots first to see which spot is most effective, so don't worry if it only works one time and not the others. I cannot stress the importance of having this type of doctor on your care team. Being able to have the power to manage my pain has helped so much. This is also the doctor that signed my form for my handicapped parking permit.

Sleep studies are expensive, but sleep is extremely important for your quality of life. So many people have sleep apnea and don't know it. CPAP machines today are really quiet and comfortable. This will be essential for tackling chronic fatigue.

An ENT doctor is only if you end up having sleep apnea or have any issues with your sinuses. I had to go and get my nose fixed because even with my cpap I still wasn't getting enough air.

You need to have some way of moving your body. Only do this after you are already on a treatment plan. It's hard to do things like exercise when you are still dealing with pain and fatigue. Doctors will want you to do physical therapy first but that's not a good idea because you won't stick with it due to pain. You need to deal with the underlying problems before working on stuff like exercise and nutrition. Able bodied young people who don't exercise and don't eat well are not in constant pain, so you shouldn't be either. If they tell you to lose weight drop the doctor, that's a cop out response.

I haven't reached the step to get a nutritionist, but changing what foods you eat and when can really help with pain management. You also may find that something you eat is exacerbating your symptoms.

With my insurance plan I can pretty much call up a doctor and make an appointment without a referral. I know some plans need referrals, so either call your insurance for one or get your primary care doctor to give you one. Idk how this works for medicare but I think you can just make an appointment with anyone who takes medicare.

I have not been able to obtain a script for a mobility device from any of my doctors. If you have a type of doctor you'd recommend for that please chime in. I've heard occupational therapists are the way to go though but still need to look into that myself.

Also do not feel bad if you cannot afford these. It is not your fault. Healthcare especially in the USA fucking sucks. This is mostly only useful for people who are in the investigative stage who have insurance. I'm not saying "oh just do yoga". Your pain is not your fault, and it can take a long time to figure out a plan that's right for you. I didn't know what doctors I was supposed to see when I started out, and was just given to a rheumatologist since there isn't a fibromyalgia doctor. I only had blood tests at that point. Hopefully this helps people save time and make sure they can fully investigate the cause of their pain (or at least how to manage it better)

[delphinidin4]

Narcolepsy isn't just falling asleep all the time.

That's the version you see in movies. Narcolepsy is when your body has trouble with when to switch between waking and sleeping modes. Here are some symptoms of real-life narcolepsy. Not every person with narcolepsy will have all these symptoms: some are more common than others.

Excessive daytime sleepiness

Sudden loss of muscle tone caused by intense emotion (laughing, anger, surprise, etc may cause effects like slurred speech or your knees buckling)

Sleep paralysis (being unable to move while falling asleep or waking up)

Hallucinations (often combined with sleep paralysis)

Moving into REM sleep (dreaming) within 15 minutes of falling asleep (most people take 60 to 90 minutes to get into REM)

Insomnia

Other sleep disorders, like sleep apnea

If you think you may have narcolepsy, see your family doctor about it, or make an appointment with a sleep specialist.

About one in 2,000 people have some form of narcolepsy. However, it is thought that about 50% of patients with narcolepsy may be undiagnosed (source). Even if you don't have these symptoms, consider reblogging so the most can reach more people with undiagnosed narcolepsy!

[tactax-art]

I gotta know: What is an Alb? Because I have never heard of that before and google is literally no help.

You can always read the fic if you want the slow-cooker version, but i've copypaste&updated the text from an earlier ask about the same thing, because that og post contains Soap related spoilers (They are tagged "tactax EoE spoilers" btw.)

Ghost being an Alb is generally inspired by the german "Nachtalb" (english wikipedia is kinda shit). I'm not aiming for him to be precisely that, but it was my jumping-off point.

Ghosts abilities aren't something I've revealed much yet in the fic but he's a kind of fear entity.

Alb's are myth's answer to sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, nightmares, and night terrors. As such he sustains himself on causing/witnessing nightmares, fear (more effectively when it's during people's rest but also when awake), stealing breath, eating dreams (as a rare treat) etc. I'll probs keep some of the mischief Albs are known for, not that anyone would believe it's Ghost which he finds super funny.

His body is sand based, as a nod to the sandman (folklore), golden sand being dreams he consumed and black his base being from nightmares. His bed's full of sand. His gear is full of sand. He prefers knives to guns cause guns and sand don't mix and having to keep it all together is so annoying. It's rumoured Ghost can control shadows, but it's actually his own black sand he moves around.

The skull mask is his actual face.