My brother is a heroin addict and I knew long before my mom did that he had this problem, considering we are so close in age and have a lot of the same friends. I would try to tell her and it would just cause fights because she didn’t believe me claiming that she talked to him and their communication was good.
So my family has gone threw a lot in the past four years( like my mom and dad’s divorce and my mom loosing her job to get a worse paying one) and it has taken its tole on my mom and she has been really stressed and down. She was doing alright for a while but she went on medical leave claiming she had a sleeping problem like sleep apnea. When she went back to work my brother, who moved out about when she took her leave, admitted to having his addiction. I felt hurt and angry that she didn’t believe me but glad he was getting help.
Shortly after he came out about this she started acting weird and falling asleep a lot while she was driving and doing normal everyday stuff. I know this story is going to get a lot weirder and harder to believe but bare with me.
I started noticing these changes in her and she would stop by my brother’s house everyday after work to "check" on him and see how his treatment was going. I do believe she was checking on him for a few weeks but she started showing signs of using heroin the more I looked into her actions.
She was really lethargic and it scared me and I kept it to myself for a while and only told my boyfriend about my suspicions. I know the signs of what a person looks, acts and talks like when they are high on heroin because of the experience with my brother.
One day my mom brother and I went out to eat and when we were getting in the car, I was on the phone with my bf but slightly listening to my mom and bro (because she went on another one of her suspicious bathroom trips that she does so often) and I swore she said she was worried she dropped a balloon( meaning a balloon of heroin) and my brother even glanced at me as if to see if I heard her. So i confronted my mom later and she flipped out about how hurt she was by my accusation and at that point I thot I was making it up in my head. I later talked to them both about it and the deny it like anyone would. Now mind you people who are on drugs are very good lyers and are good at telling people everything is fine when its not. I have gone through my moms phone before and seen texts asking my brother for the usual dose and hit and other stuff like that and my brother saying he would need money and stuff. My mom has bad track marks also, which was what made me think all of this to begin with.
So I know it is not in my head and I know that she is using now and I am sad and hurt and angry and confused on why and I try to talk to her about it but she denies it and it does more damage than good at this point. So getting to the point, we recently got alot of money because my recently deceased grandmothers house sold and alot of the money is in her name. Not only am I worried about her health but she has been slacking off on work and is on her was to being fired. I still live with her and I am only 18 and still have high school to finish and I am really scared to stay living with her and watch her life be ruined but I have no job and my dad is outta the picture and I only have a few thousand dollars. I feel bad but I hate her so much right now for her decisions that I can hardly talk to her when she is obviously high and trying to hide it, Which is alot. I dont know what to do… I cant turn her in to the police i dont want to hurt her but I need her to know that I know what she is doing and I am not going to put up with it, BUT i cant really move out yet because I need to finish school… and I am so over whelmed by this situation its hard to even get up for school and I am really worried. I am already diagnosed with Panic Disorder so it puts more stress on me… i really need advise… please anyone… you could change my life by replying to this… sorry about the typing and spelling…
mmk well my bf is in the middle of being kicked outta his moms house, he is only 19 and he just got a job, he is probably going to live with his friend and i doubt i could live with them…

And the other dilemma is i don’t have my drivers license(but i have a car) and if i move out of my moms house and live on my own it will probably make me drop out of school and i wont graduate, because i live in such a rural town that there is no work and i need to move to the city… its just all so messed up.. its really hard to feel alone in life…
Wow ok so all the responses are great thanks everyone, but just for the record.. i have no friends or social life because of my panic disorder and the so called friends that i do have are distant and wouldnt know how to help me because they have freakishly perfect lives.. i have no trusted adult to talk to at all… all i can think of is to get a job and move out… even if that means putting off my high school diploma for a year or two to get settled… which sucks because i really enjoy learning and school… ps i dont want pity, just advise and someone to listen really… thank you all though…very much..

I have a CPAP machine and don’t use it cause I’m still tired after using it. It seems like I’m always making dumb mistakes on the job, I’m always feeling moody, I have no energy most of the time.

I get up at 3:30 on the weekdays and about 6 or 7 on the weekends. When I get enough sleep on the weekend I feel better, but then come Sunday night I toss and turn, sometimes the family keeps me awake when trying to sleep. I try to go to sleep around 8:30 at night but sometimes can’t.

I’ve also lived with depression most of my life and take anti depressants for about 5 years now. I’m really tired of this lifestyle and really want answers. Does anyone have this problem or know of anyone that does and is a constant struggle? Could I get disabiliy for this? Is there a doctor in the house? LOL.

I am an 18 year male, about 6′2" and 185 pounds. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism two years ago and have been on both synthroid and armor thyroid,which I am currently taking. The reason that I saw the doctor in the first place was because I was always tired and had no energy to do anything. My blood test showed my TSH being very close to 0 so I got on the thyroid hormone therapy and my levels are now back to normal. Now my problem is that I am still completely exhausted everyday and I have to take a vitamin/energy drink every morning just to wake myself up. Usually about once or twice every month I get to where I cant eat anything for about two days and I feel like puking and I usually dry-heave. I have been looking on the internet and have many symptoms of sleep apnea. My doctor has no idea and referred me to an endocrinologist but I cannot get in anywhere until the middle of October. I realize that it is the job of the professionals to diagnose and treat my problems but I need some advice to get me through the next couple of months. If anybody else has had these problems or knows someone that does it would be great to hear from you. If you do not have a serious answer please do not answer this because this is a serious problem.

I want to show that I don’t have symptoms so i dont loose my job. I am halfway thru a career and dont want to throw it away. Any suggestions are very much appreciated and will most likely save my career.

I think I have sleep apnea, I tought it was my heart but they’ve gave me a full work up and my heart is fine. I’m so sleepy during the day I can’t fuction, is there anything I can do to stay awake during the day, I sleep some through the night but not sure if its a deep sleep. I need help staying awake during the day on my job.

It’s been three years. My CPAP machine (sleep apnea) does not seem to be helping. I have no personal or social life due to having lost interest in everything. My work life is to the point where I cannot function fully and will likely lose my job without improvement in my health.
My family doctor, endocrinologist, neurologist, and a psychiatrist have not found any answers.
Are you aware of any facilities who can take as much time as needed to check everything (head to toe). I am willing to be part of any experimental treatments or clinical studies.
I need help. This is no way for anyone to live. I have no problem knowing that I have a medical situation… but not knowing what the situation is and what can be done about it feels like a form of torture.
Any info you can share would be appreciated.
I am in northeast Ohio.

Their website says that you may not be qualified if you have a medical disability that may interfere with your job. Does this include people that are dependent on medication and can perform their job correctly as long as they are able to be regularly supplied with the meds they need? Does the Peace Corps accommodate handicaps? Example: Placing someone who has a CPAP(nightly breathing machine for sleep apnea) in a location with electricity? ..Or would this be grounds for rejection?

I recently began treatment for sleep apnea with a custom-fitted oral appliance – a mouth piece that I wear at night to pull my jaw forward. This has done an excellent job in preventing snoring, but has altered my bite. My dentist was very concerned by this, but the doctor that fitted the device (also a dentist) indicated that a change in bite is not serious – nothing more than an annoyance. The change in bite does not bother me, but I am afraid it will cause damage to my teeth down the road. Is this something that I should be concerened about? Do I need to get the bite corrected? I’m kind of in a bad situation where I have to choose between the effective treatment for sleep apnea, and the bite problem.

For the past 3 months I have been off and on sick, usually around the same time of month, but not during my period. The symptoms are nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, low grade fever, chills, headache, bodyaches, joint ache, congestion, chest pain, and sometimes a racing or pounding heart. I do have anxiety, but during these occurrences I don’t feel anxious until the third or fourth day. The first month I was diagnosed with a virus, the second month I had a uti. I haven’t gone to the doctor yet because I can’t afford it due to no insurance and no job. I have looked up the symptoms on webmd but none of the causes explain all my symptoms. I was thinking sleep apnea because it usually occurs in the morning and disipates throughout the day. I am not pregnant. Any ideas?

My husband has Sleep Apnea and depression. Both have caused weight gain and both are made worse by weight gain. Every doctor he has seen in the past year has told him to get gastric-bypass (weightloss) surgery. He is non compliant with his sleep apnea treatment and is not only retaining fluid but one of his calves is swollen as big as his thigh. Because of the depression and lack of restfull sleep at night he is tired all the time. He will nod off during a conversation. The excess fluid and weight are taking a toll on his knees. He is barely able to walk and uses the scooter stores provide if we have to go out shopping. To top it off he has lost his job and insurance. How do I get him to comply. I can’t go to the appointments he has to attend prior to surgery for him. I am doubly frustrated because coincidentally, my mother had similar health issues. She was non compliant and died. We have two young children. Do I push him or do I just watch him die?

im getting my cpap machine on monday and I want to know how will it make me feel? Im in my first year of college and as things start to get more hard and I want to get a job soon, but it seems like way to much to deal with. will that change? will i have more motivation? will i be able to study and do my homework with out feeling like I HAVE to drag myself to do it? i hope someone can help me. thank you.

I think I have sleep apnea, I tought it was my heart but they’ve gave me a full work up and my heart is fine. I’m so sleepy during the day I can’t fuction, is there anything I can do to stay awake during the day, I sleep some through the night but not sure if its a deep sleep. I need help staying awake during the day on my job.

my husband was recently diagnosed with mild apnea, so the doctor gave him a machine with a mask and told him he had to use it. there is a chip inside the machine that allows the doctor to see how long he uses the machine. if he doesn’t use it he could very well lose his license and job. however, when he goes to sleep with the mask on, he wakes up with it off. he unintentionaly takes it off in his sleep. he has even tried useing masking tape so the he would feel when he pulled the mask off. it didn’t work. they swapped his mask out. didn’t work. gave him sleep pills. didn’t work. he can’t keep it on. the only time he has ever slept with it all day (nightshift) is when i walked in the room and saw it was off and gently put it back on him. but i am in college and about to become a sub teacher, i can’t always do this. can you help me come up with a way to help him keep it on? please

I had sleep apnea for 10 year before being diagnosed and starting treatment. I am now experiencing focus and concentration problems, and they are starting to effect my job. I have been using a C-PAP since diagnosis 10 years ago. Anyone else have this problem? Any ideas what to do about it?

PS-My doctor put me on stratera, and I don’t have ADD or ADHD. Anyone else tried this?

I have sleep apnea which is well controlled through the use of a CPAP machine, but I was turned down for health insurance by Blue Cross Blue Shield because of it. I recently left a job through which I had health insurance and am now self employed and need to find an individual policy for myself.

I’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, diabetes and now my girlfriend thinks i have ADHD. I haven’t been able to hold down a job for a while…I always suffered from restlessness, being tired all the time and just plain fatigued. I’ve had sleep studies, operations to correct my sleep problems, been put on diets and pills to help me live a normal life but none of this stuff has helped me much. When doing any thing my mind wanders constantly. I can never focus very well or have clarity and tend to procrastinate all the time. Exercise seems to help a little but doesnt solve my problems. I can never concetrate on 1 thing for to long and tend to jump from one thing to another, rarely finishing anything i start. Most of the time when things require any mental effort on my part i get frustrated very easily by it. I’ve never been diagnosed with ADHD but i’m sure i have it. Someone i met at a quilt shop my girlfriend shops at suggested i try and get on disability for my ADHD. Is this possible?

Can i get disability check for Sleep Apnea? I am almost 18 and about to be kicked out of home.Me and my brother and a couple friends are getting a apartment together and i cant find a job and i need money and i have sleep apnea i use a oxygen machine to sleep at night and was wondering if i could get a disability check and pay my rent with it.How much money would i get?

I have sleep apnea which is well controlled through the use of a CPAP machine, but I was turned down for health insurance by Blue Cross Blue Shield because of it. I recently left a job through which I had health insurance and am now self employed and need to find an individual policy for myself.

I have a lot of the common symptoms of sleep apnea: I snore, I wake up tired, I’m tired and/or groggy all day, I could honestly sleep for 12 hours straight if the alarm didn’t wake me up, and I usually wake up with a headache. The trouble is, I have no insurance and little money to spend on a doctor. I mean, truthfully, my income is very fixed and I couldn’t afford anything more than a few hundred dollars for this. It’s depressing. I’m always told I’m lazy, but the truth is, I’m always really tired. Is there anything I can do on my own to help this? At least for another year or two until I can get a job with insurance (I’m a college student ATM). Thanks in advance.
Please, read my question before posting an answer. If I had the thousand bucks to spend on a sleep study and CPAP machine, I WOULD. But I don’t. So I guess I’m just out of luck :(

The past 2 years I haven't been sleeping well. I got a promotion at my job and have been really stressed out. I don't know if stress is what is triggering it but it could be. The other night my hubby was in bed next to me. He said I stopped breathing twice in about 30 minutes. It went on for about 10 seconds. When we first got together I didn't snore and slept through the entire night. I want some real life opinions before I go to the doctor.

I live in Seattle. My sleep doctor has prescribed a Bi-PAP and I use it, but he will not do his job. He knows it isn't producing good results. He mentions no "out-of-network" providers or alternatives. He doesn't address all the problems I'm having. I have increased the pressure settings, with his knowledge, and am getting a second opinion from Virginia Mason Sleep Clinic. Apria, as a DME, is unacceptable. Numerous machines they provided, all Respironics, have broken. I dug up Lincare, on my own and went to their Seattle office last week. They fixed my mask, told me of other products I had learned of in the past few weeks on my own -without my asking. The bulk of my info on apnea and its treatment has come from newsgroups and sites dedicated to sleep disorders.

I use a saline solution daily.
Does ANYONE have ANY ideas or know of any other providers, DMEs, etc who can help? Please excuse the shouting & please help.