needsmoresleep

I mentioned in my last two posts that I just had my first appointment with a sleep doctor a couple days ago. So, I thought I’d share with you how it went and what I learned from the experience. First of all, I never realized that you wanted someone who considered themselves a sleep specialist. Not just a neurologist. The doctor my GP referred me to runs a “Comprehensive Neurology and Sleep Disorder” practice (or something along those lines).

In the beginning, I was a bit unsure whether he was the right doctor for me. I should preface this story with the fact that I had a horrible experience with my last neurologist. I was experiencing parasthesias (numbness and tingling) and weakness in my legs to the point where I had to be hospitalized a little over a year ago, and once the tests for Multiple Sclerosis came back normal the only thing he tried to do was shove anxiety medication at me, claiming it was probably just in my head. His bedside manner was never great to start with, so I stopped seeing him not long after this episode. Not surprisingly, he was quicker to believe depression when I mentioned extreme fatigue than a possible sleep disorder.

So, I walked into my new doctor’s office and signed in and was asked to watch a video on a portable DVD player about Sleep Apnea. Now, this is where I found myself wondering if I was in the right place. I’m pretty sure apnea isn’t my problem. But after I finished the video, the doctor himself came out to get me and led me back to the neatest exam room I’ve ever been in. He had an entire patient exam room–in his office! How cool is that?

We began the appointment facing each other across his massive mahagony desk, just discussing my history and the problems I was dealing with. Then, he took my weight (uh!), vitals, and did a neurological exam testing my reflexes etc. Afterward, we sat back down at the desk and he transcribed the information I’d given him right there, pausing to make sure I agreed with his assessment.

There seemed to be no hesitation when he told me he believed I had a Non-24 hour Circadian Rhythm Disorder-free running. I’d never heard of it, but once I left the office and got home, I did my research. Let’s just say it was pretty amazing that he knew what the disorder was and offered it up as the most viable possibility with no prompting from me.

When I was signing out, after an hour spent in the doctor’s office, they signed me up for my sleep tests, which are set to take place in just over a week. They gave me half a month’s worth of Rozerem samples and set up a new appointment on April 13th, with no difficulties.

All in all, this was a very pleasant experience. Finding a doctor that seems to actually listen feels like an amazing accomplishment. From what I understand through my research, the pool of knowledgeable sleep doctors, especially those up on circadian rhythm disorders, often turns into one of those six impossible tasks before breakfast (a meal many of us never see *grin*).

I’d love to hear your experiences with sleep doctors (whether they’re neurologists or psycologists). Did you hit the jackpot, or have you, like me, spent some time with the doctor who assumes it’s all in your head?

Until next time,

Keri J

Thursday’s Sleep Schedule: Went to bed at 2pm and slept until 12am. My husband says I asked for food at some point in that time period and ate it, but I don’t remember it. Although, I did wake up sleeping on top of a spaghetti noodle, which seems to support his version of the story. I stayed awake until 6am, when I began to feel overwhelmingly tired again, so I laid down and slept until 4pm. *Sigh* I slept the day away, again.

Tags: circadian rhythm, mslt, non-24, polysomnogram, sleep, sleep disorder, sleep doctor