How long to results - Sleep Disorders Message Board

patience 50 · 04-27-2005, 07:50 AM

Hello all. I posted here a couple of weeks ago. I have been using the CPAP for 6 weeks now. It is getting a little better. Most nights I only wake once so I assume I am getting better sleep and my O2 level is staying higher. I have almost no pain in my chest, shoulders, and arms when I wake either. That is such an improvement.

I am concerned about this weight thing though. Dr.s said my nightly craving for food would diminish too but it has not. If anything it has increased. I don't seem to be able to resist. I had lost 15 lbs this past year and now in just 6 weeks I have put 10 of it back on.

Can anyone think of any reason for this? I felt early on that it was from the the sleep deprivation of trying to get used to the machine but I feel I am getting much better and more sleep now so why don't the cravings stop. I need to stop this cycle before I explode. Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks for reading as I know weight is a really boring and over worked issue.

May God Bless and Keep Us All
Patience 50

shellshocked · 04-27-2005, 04:28 PM

Something similar happened to me. After a couple of weeks on the CPAP I lost about 14 pounds---but then other stuff started happening to me with regards to my thyroid. Now I've gained 35 pounds---and I'm in the middle of an 8 month quest to try and get my hypothyroidism under control. Hypothyroidism and sleep apnea are associated with one another. Have you had this checked out???
One other thing. Do you take a good B-complex vitamin??? I'm taking one now and it helped a lot with some of my odd cravings. Good luck.

patience 50 · 04-27-2005, 04:49 PM

I too have thyroid disfunction. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for more than 6 years now. Unfortunately I had Dr.s who used old standards for TSH and allowed my thyroid function to get progressively slower for 5 years. I gained over 50 lbs. in 4 years because the thyroid wasn't properly medicated.

I also have scarring discoid lupus and mixed connective tissue disease asst. with lupus. The pain in my legs and loss of muscle tissue make it difficult do to any significant amount of exercise.

I do take a B complex for more than a year now. It has helped tremendously with the fatigue asst. with both hypoT and Lupus.

Still was told when this CPAP is working I should be able to lose some weight but so far no progress. It is very frustrating.

Good luck getting a knowledgable Dr. to handle the thyroid problem correctly. Took me a while.

May God Bless and Keep Us All
Patience 50

shellshocked · 04-29-2005, 11:03 AM

Ask one of your doctors about putting you on Provigil. I'm on it for the first time, but I was on Cylert (powerful but might cause liver damage) for several years and it helped me with hypo, I slept better, and I was more active 'cause I felt more awake.
I'm still struggling with my hypo, my sleep and my weight---but I'm back to a meds regimen that I did real well on in past years. (My first doc was awesome and when he left town, my health went into the gutter).

patience 50 · 05-01-2005, 09:19 AM

Hi shellshocked,

I have never heard of Provigil. I have been on synthroid for many years. At first it helped a great deal but then I had to change Dr.s because of a change in ins. and these folks used outdated standards so they decreased my meds and I felt horrible for 5 years. Fatigue was ever present and I gained 60 lbs. We all know it's harder to get it off than it was to put it on even when meds are brought up to where they should be. Who knows if I will ever be able to be rid of the excess weight. I wish to though because all this extra weight is not helping the pain and connective tissue damage in my lower back and joints. This is why I continue to try so hard to keep this CPAP mask on all night, even if I am just lying awake, hoping it will rev up my metabolism again. If I could even lose 10 or 20 lbs. I know it would be a big help to my body overall.

I can say that I feel better in general these this past week. I had a hypertensive heart and was on medication. I had to stop the medication due to a side effect. My Dr. wanted to begin another but I have been reluctant. Now that I think about it I haven't felt my heart pounding hard in some time. Funny how we notice problems right away but when things work well we don't notice at all.

I suppose I will just have to keep trying. I will look into the provigil though. Perhaps discuss it with my Dr. and see what she says.

May God Bless and Keep Us All
Patience 50