I've had bad daytime drowsiness for years now (can easily take two naps per day if I was allowed to), but I always thought it was my busy schedule or some medication I was on. However, my doctor and I became more and more suspicious that it might be sleep apnea -- especially after she heard that I snore loudly, get up a couple of times per night, and always wake up exhausted and/or with a headache. Plus it seemed to be getting worse. In September, I went to the ENT and they said that I had a very deviated septum, some bone abnormality in my nose (perhaps from when I broke it a few years back), a large tongue, and year-round nasal allergies. My ENT agreed that it may very likely be obstructive sleep apnea, and ordered a sleep study.
Unfortunately, the first available sleep study was 6 weeks out. I got on the schedule and asked to be placed on their callback list if anyone cancels. I did not hear back from them for 5 weeks, and then the sleep clinic called and said that they had cancelled the appointment because my insurance denied it. I then went back and forth with them and my ENT and my insurance company, and just today was told that a home-based sleep study would have to be ordered. They said that they will send me an email on Monday about how this will all happen, and that they will put my in touch with a 3rd party company that will get me the equipment I need for the home study. They also told me that it usually takes 2 weeks to analyze the sleep data and generate a report for my ENT.
It's probably because I'm so tired and irritable, but I am sooo upset at how slow this is all progressing. I'm normally an EXTREMELY patient person, but I am starting to lose it. It feels like the condition is worsening every day. I had to stay home sick from work two days this week due to fatigue. I am also getting more intense headaches, brain fog, and memory problems. I worry that I am going to lose my job if I can't get this turned around quickly.
Any suggestions from people who have gone through this? Did you experience severe symptoms that caused significant distress and impairment in your functioning? Were you also feeling desperate? Even though I haven't completed the sleep study and don't know for certain if I actually have sleep apnea (though my ENT said that he's pretty certain I do), I am getting so desperate I thought about purchasing a CPAP machine on my credit card today and bypassing insurance just to get this process started. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Is there any way to speed this up? If I can't speed things up, is there anything I can do to get through the next few weeks before I get a CPAP? Thanks in advance!
