Why am I exhausted ALL the time! Update Post 98

[C&Jx2]

Kind of off topic regarding the fatgue… But address the Afib. You don’t want to throw a clot and end up with a pulmonary embolism or other kind of infarct.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

OP here -
I’m at my doctor’s appointment today. Thanks to you all, I have long list to cover with my doctor. Afib, sleep apnea, thyroid function (T3 and T4), iron levels, vitamin levels (B12 and D), blood sugar (A1c), possible return of tibia infection, gluten, Epstein Bar virus, hormone levels.

I’ll keep you all posted.

 

[Kennywood]

There is such a thing as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Thanks to my meds I sleep 16 hours a day. Not so cool.

 

[leebee]

@Mrs. Ciz I hope you found some answers and are more rested, or at least found some options of things to try. I'm sorry about your bone infection. My DH had a high-tibial osteotomy so he could postpone knee replacement and it got badly infected. We were lucky it didn't go into his bone, but he had massive tissue infection, had to have "musculature realignment" (aka, they pulled part of his calf muscle around to the front of his leg to fill in the huge gaping hole below his knee where they scooped out all the dead flesh and rot, then stitched it into place and did skin grafts), and spent 7 weeks in a nursing home, in bed, on IV antibiotics. They hammered him hard, to make sure there was no chance of bone infection or further infection in the leg itself. I cannot imagine what you went through- well, I kind-of can, and I'm hoping that your implant infection hasn't returned. Sending good thoughts to you!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

OP here.

I finally got my Sleep Study scheduled for Oct 7th. My results posted this week. I have sleep apnea. They tracked 28 episodes an hour (normal people only have 5 episodes an hour). Only 5 were total apnea events; most were hypopnea where I’m breathing too shallowly but still breathing. This causes my O2 level to drop to 82 at night verses staying in the 90s. That’s why I wake up feeling hung over some days even though I’ve had no alcohol. So I’ll be getting a lovely cpap machine. As long as it makes me feel better and more well rested, I’m all for it!

 

[DeeBee3]

I'm so happy you had the study and have your answer! It will save your life and you will feel so different! Both my parents have sleep apnea. The machines have come a long way since it started.

 

[YachtClubWoman]

OP here.

I finally got my Sleep Study scheduled for Oct 7th. My results posted this week. I have sleep apnea. They tracked 28 episodes an hour (normal people only have 5 episodes an hour). Only 5 were total apnea events; most were hypopnea where I’m breathing too shallowly but still breathing. This causes my O2 level to drop to 82 at night verses staying in the 90s. That’s why I wake up feeling hung over some days even though I’ve had no alcohol. So I’ll be getting a lovely cpap machine. As long as it makes me feel better and more well rested, I’m all for it!

You will feel so much better - the CPAP takes some time to get used to it but it is so worth it.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Have them also check your Vitamin D levels. Low levels will cause fatigue.

Definitely...but hormones could also be the culprit.

 

[disneychrista]

OP here.

I finally got my Sleep Study scheduled for Oct 7th. My results posted this week. I have sleep apnea. They tracked 28 episodes an hour (normal people only have 5 episodes an hour). Only 5 were total apnea events; most were hypopnea where I’m breathing too shallowly but still breathing. This causes my O2 level to drop to 82 at night verses staying in the 90s. That’s why I wake up feeling hung over some days even though I’ve had no alcohol. So I’ll be getting a lovely cpap machine. As long as it makes me feel better and more well rested, I’m all for it!

This happens to me on occasion. I never considered sleep apnea as being a cause.

 

[TLSnell1981]

OP here.

I finally got my Sleep Study scheduled for Oct 7th. My results posted this week. I have sleep apnea. They tracked 28 episodes an hour (normal people only have 5 episodes an hour). Only 5 were total apnea events; most were hypopnea where I’m breathing too shallowly but still breathing. This causes my O2 level to drop to 82 at night verses staying in the 90s. That’s why I wake up feeling hung over some days even though I’ve had no alcohol. So I’ll be getting a lovely cpap machine. As long as it makes me feel better and more well rested, I’m all for it!

Oh my! Hopefully you can tolerate the CPAP machine. DH would remove his while sleeping. He ended up going the surgical route and it was successful.

 

[princesscinderella]

OP here.

I finally got my Sleep Study scheduled for Oct 7th. My results posted this week. I have sleep apnea. They tracked 28 episodes an hour (normal people only have 5 episodes an hour). Only 5 were total apnea events; most were hypopnea where I’m breathing too shallowly but still breathing. This causes my O2 level to drop to 82 at night verses staying in the 90s. That’s why I wake up feeling hung over some days even though I’ve had no alcohol. So I’ll be getting a lovely cpap machine. As long as it makes me feel better and more well rested, I’m all for it!

So happy you now have an answer as to why you were always so tired. If you can’t tolerate the CPAP don’t give up there’s also an custom oral appliance that can be made by a dentist that’s an alternative to the CPAP that repositions your jaw to keep your airway open.

 

[piglet1979]

So happy you have answers. DD just had a sleep study done as well. On a pediatric scale (much more sensitive) they would say she has mild sleep apnea but since she is 15 they are not worried about it.

 

[PollyannaMom]

So glad to hear you got an answer!

My DH has a CPAP, and it has made a huge difference for him!

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I have a CPAP and it's worked wonders for me. I had > 40 events/hour. At first I was pretty upset about it, and for a little bit it was hurting my stomach to use it (air was getting there I guess). When that happened they sent me to a specialist who knew how to adjust the settings appropriately, and between that and just getting used to it, things are great. I've even splurged on a mini version that is much easier to fly with on trips - it doesn't need the water chamber or distilled water at all. I still don't really like that I need to have it, but I'm used to it now, and it definitely has improved my quality of life. (I do still like to take a nap when I can get one though).

 

[fly girl]

@Mrs. Ciz so glad you figured it out and taking action. I hope the adjustment with the CPAP goes well and wishing you restful sleep and alert days!

 

[DLgal]

So glad to hear you got an answer!

My DH has a CPAP, and it has made a huge difference for him!

Same with my husband. He was having 45 apnea events per hour. He now sleeps like a baby and wakes up rested. The machine is darn near close to silent too, so I am finally sleeping well also!

Glad you have your answer, OP!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

OP here:

I wanted to post another update. I’ve been religiously using my new cpap machine for 8 months now. 100% compliance, I won’t even take a nap without it. I’m enjoying my life outside of work so much more. However, it did not make me like my teaching job any more than I did previously. As a matter of fact, it confirmed that I needed to quit!

I had been teaching middle school English to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at a private school for the past 11 years. Before that, I was a substitute teacher at 2 other schools for 8 years, which didn’t count for retirement benefits. My school’s pension plan was not good like the public school pension plans. Also since teaching was my 2nd career, there was no way I’d ever work close to 30 years in my school system at my age. So I didn’t have any big pension payout stopping me from leaving.

Teaching was getting harder and harder. The pay was low. The kids have gotten so disrespectful that it made it hard to get through the material each day. I was tired of having to do all the grading during my personal time. I figured I needed to work for another 5 to 8 years, and I wanted to have an enjoyable life. Even with the cpap, my work days left me exhausted all the time. I just didn’t enjoy my job at all anymore. The ONLY things that kept me there were my coworkers and the summers off.

And then my mom died this past October. Her death combined with remote teaching during Covid, my double knee replacement in Summer 2020 and the subsequent knee infection followed by 6 months of surgeries, hospitalizations, and recovery in 2021, was all I could take. I no longer had the band width to deal with middle schoolers all day. I needed to take care of myself, and my dad has really fallen apart since my mom’s death. We were able to do 3 months of family grief counseling with him, and he’s now seeing a therapist on his own, but he still needs help. I live across the country, so I can’t pop in on weekends. I decided to take a year or two off to help him through the first couple years of widowhood. My husband completely supports this because his sister did the same thing for his mom when his dad died. So I’ll be flying out to spend time with my dad for a couple of weeks every other month (or more if needed) going forward.

In April I gave notice at my school that I would not be returning for the 2023/2024 school year, and I decided to open my own business as a proofreader/editor! My brother, whose business entails a ton of report writing, is so busy that he’s turning away new clients. He has been wanting to hire me to proofread and edit his reports for years, but I never had the time. Well now I do have the time, and I can do the work from anywhere. I started this past Thursday! I’ll have to pay my own taxes and fund my own IRA. And unless I can add some additional clients, I’ll make 72% of what I did teaching, but I’ll only have to work about 25 hours a month verses 50+ hours a week!!! To fill the $ gap, see my work friends, and keep in touch with my favorite students, I’ll sub at my old school occasionally.

Teacher Work Week starts this Monday, and I’m sooooo excited that I don’t have to be there!!!!!!

 

[disneyseniors]

Just another opinion, OP.
If all other medical options don't play out, then maybe you are Burnt out with your job. I have a lot of respect for school teachers, especially this day and age. It must be a time consuming and tiring job. If all medical reasons fail, I would seriously look into another job.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Just another opinion, OP.
If all other medical options don't play out, then maybe you are Burnt out with your job. I have a lot of respect for school teachers, especially this day and age. It must be a time consuming and tiring job. If all medical reasons fail, I would seriously look into another job.

Already done. I gave notice back in April and started my new business on Thursday.