Zzzombrie

Just want to add the primary symptoms of narcolepsy are: Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Disrupted Nocturnal sleep Intrusive REM Sleep OSA only shares in Sleepiness because their frequent Nocturnal wakings are due to a lack of oxygen to the brain.

It was scary for sure. Is your husband considering surgery? It would help him greatly to get rid of that extra weight. I'll give you an idea of what lead up to my narcolepsy diagnosis so you can talk with him and compare. Nightmares most nights, sometimes a few times a night including hallucinations or the feeling of dreaming while waking up, happened to me often. Aside from nightmare wakings, woke up during the night every 2/3 hours without cause and had trouble falling back asleep. I'm a seriously light sleeper. Frequent sleepiness during the day while doing normal activities started while I was 8/9 and got progressively worse through life. I had trouble staying awake if I had to sit in meetings, classes, training, movies, and always fell asleep while riding in a car and after meals. Mid-20s I was having sleep attacks while standing up and walking. I also have cataplexy which started during puberty and laughing made me collapse. I have a history of performing actions while sleeping (talking, fighting, and sex) called somnambulism but not much to connect that to narcolepsy. But my narcolepsy meds have stopped that. Did your husband have a sleep study done to get diagnosed with OSA? If the overnight test was followed up with a day of nap testing and they did not see cause for a narcolepsy diagnosis, then not possibly narcolepsy. MSLT measures REM onset once asleep and is essential to narcolepsy diagnosis. If your husband is refusing his treatment plan based on nightmares, tell him to ask his Dr. about starting Prozac to inhibit REM states. Or medical marijuana would also help with that but is reliant on his situation and state. Prozac was my first line of defense until my diagnosis was secured. My state (NV) has horrible and greedy docs and after 2 years I had to go out of state to get a proper diagnosis.

Unlikely narcolepsy. He's majorly sleep deprived and should seek treatment if he hasn't already. His sleep deprivation is causing Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. Narcolepsy is part genetic, part auto immune, part environmental. But a sleep disorder is a sleep disorder so feel free to stick around. Might help pinpoint my issues under anesthesia. I was setting off alarms out of surgery because my heart rate was too low. Floated in and out of consciousness and had problems with sitting or standing. Forget walking. I'd go into shock. I now wish I named this forum Sleep Disorders & WLS

Nope. Shit is neurological so weight has nothing to do with it. I was diagnosed mild OSA but that's from being heavy and it's gone. Obesity is a comorbidity though because the hypothalamus also controls cravings (that's where narcolepsy originates). My meds didn't affect me differently either. That's one area I thought losing weight would, was hoping. Body burns through sodium oxybate at an accelerated pace as before. Cuts through my doses in 1-2 hours.

Sorry to hear of your intestinal difficulties. You think it was dumping syndrome? I thought vsg was safe from that.

I def notice all my flaws. I'm sure you already look fabulous! Tummy isn't too bad but I do still feel flabby. I feel like my body is showing 10 years older than I am. At least I can cover up with winter. Also enjoying beanies as my new growth gets longer. Haven't cut my hair yet but I'm thinking about it. My hair is curly so new hair is going every which way under my long hair. Vacations are a blessing!

So this next year is going to be focused on repairing skin damage. Old stretch marks, loose skin, cellulite, and scars. Wanna help me form an action plan? Loose skin is so ick. I read in a Shape magazine that performing light cardio for 30 min 2x/week helped skin repair faster and reversed some signs of aging. Perks up the elastic and collagen fibers. I've also been wondering if compression would help cellulite because it improves blood flow in the compressed areas. Scars still hurt sometimes but are paling out. Silicone strips are planned and maybe some derma needling. Also thinking about scar massaging but gives me the creeps (cause you dig in and pull at the surface scar tissue). Stretch marks get the derma rolling, but that's all I got for now. Any thoughts on retin-a cream? Still got a tube from Mexico. Gotta get rid of the chin flap that has surfaced.

Had a bite or 2 of the essentials and more later in the night (family does it at 3p). Lost a lb. At 155 since yesterday. Still gradually losing but I'm not working for it. I'm just trying to eat for nutrition. New Dr gave me new protein guideline of 50g which leaves room for fruits and veggies in typical proportions. I don't want to get below 140# ever (large frame & I like my curves). The lowest I've ever been is 145# but thought I was too skinny and gained another 5# back. I was 20 then (31 now) and I feel I had more baby fat on me so just going to wait and see. I want to put on some muscle weight but am not finding the time or energy with school. They greatest thing about WLS is the freedom I feel to focus on healthy foods and not get bent up over a few lbs on the scale. I used to get so depressed when I'd gain 1 our 2 because I knew more weren't far behind, unless I tortured myself. Female fatness runs in my family. I tell everyone my new philosophy on being overweight: Overweight or underweight, all are malnourish. It's not what you eat as much as what you're not eating. Just keep moving until you feel ready to call it exercise. I think I'll be ready to post be & aft here soon.

155.2#. Thanksgiving be damned.

Birth control pills helps with mine, or else talk to Dr about prescription muscle relaxers. Also heating pad.

I use period cups and those things, though awkward at first, are amazing! They hold a good amount and can be worn for 12 hours at a time. Or you can try the new stealthy lady Depends. Your Dr won't care about your period as they've seen it all. Neither will your nurses.

Walk it off. I'm not sure why lapband w/ plication is gaining popularity. Seems like overkill to me.

I stall for a few weeks at a time then lose 10#s quickly, then stall again. GP 01/07/15 HW 247 SW 230 CW 156 You'll get there, just keep at it.

Up again, 157.8. Stressful week. Ugh!

At first I was like, OK that's a college girl and her slightly younger friend. Then I read she was your daughter and *mind blown*. You look stunning and should be very proud!

Ooh man, it took me 2 weeks and when it finally did happen it was a religious experience (sent me to my knees). I wouldn't start worrying until day 7, then take a natural laxative with senna root or drink some isotonic salt water.

The majority of my weight loss has worked like this. A month of not budging then Bam! 10#s gone instantly. I just let it do it's thing and don't worry about it. I'll even go up a pound or 2 before dropping a bowling ball. I'm close to wanting to be stalled for good so it's comforting to know my body will be able to stagnate when it's time.

Try upping your healthy fat intake. I steer clear of anything low or non fat if I can help it. Maybe add in some fruits too? I don't know what your diet is like but those may help slow things down. I don't think many of us had considered that we'd be faced with the challenge of halting weight loss on purpose.

Monday weight: 155.8

I had massive muscle cramping in my abs from day 2 and beyond. Unfortunately, could be nerve damage from incisions or instruments. It is a rare complication that is hard to avoid by practice alone. It took months for the cramps to go away and I still get minor ones sometimes. They were debilitating and laying down was the only position I could manage when they arose. Not much you can do than take NSAIDs, stay hydrated with electrolytes (Pedialyte worked well), and strengthen the area when you are finally able to. Ask your doctor about possible nerve damage. If it feels muscular, a steroidal shot may help.

Losing too much is one of my greatest fears now that I'm closer to my personal goal. I want to see myself at 140 but nothing lower than that. I have a large frame so I don't want to be a walking skeleton.

I think what will help with all this is being as mindful of our new bodies as we were our old bodies. We were very focused on where our fat was in relation to things around us.

5 min before, 30 min after. For the first 8 months, I ignored because like you I got a nonsensical explanation for the time variance. I was waiting 15 min after because my logic was it takes 6 min in the esophagus and the rest passing through the sleeve (no more storage pouch after surgery). I didn't seem to have much issue until I realized I was consistently constipated. Did my own research to discover that the after guideline is to prevent maldigestion. I heard of malabsorption, but the former is particular to VSG and basically makes the small intestines do the work of the stomach so food is processed more slowly. So I started waiting the suggested 30 min and have had no more issues. The 5 min before is to ensure the liquids are passed through the stomach and that stomach juices are acidic enough. However, I don't always abide because food takes some time to travel down the esophagus.

Yup. Let them know. They won't judge you. Just another fact of life to them, a contingency to plan for. Might even let you wear your products to surgery, since you will be out of it and not in good control of your issues. I have narcolepsy. Going under is very dangerous to me as a result. Most med pros aren't trained for this except the anesthesiologist, and they're here one minute, off the next. Staff was warned to be on alert and prepare for anything. After surgery, I had trouble staying conscious as the knock out drugs were still running through my system. Problem was I'd also stop breathing, alarms would sound, and I'd be roused by a gaggle of nurses checking vitals. Rest of the night I was supposed to walk around to prevent blood clots but every time I'd try (usually to go pee thanks to fluids IV) I'd start going into shock and the nurses had to run over a wheelchair to get me horizontal again. It was a long night and I apologized often, but I didn't need to. Point is, they've seen it all and have dealt with worse so let them do their jobs. You should only be concerned about recovering post-op. Personally, puke is worse than urine and they see plenty of that.

Meant to do this earlier. CW 158 GW 140