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Update on my life 5/17/11
14 years ago
Not surprisingly, I never got around to what I posted about in my last journal. Never got a tablet. Working on the game with the friend fell through.
Anyhoo, my life in the past 4 months has had it's ups and downs. I just got back from my best friend's wedding which was amazing! So much fun!! :) But then I'm suffering from a lifelong sleep disorder that's been impossible to diagnose to-date.
The temp job I got back in February was an amazing job! I got paid $15 an hour and I got to supervise people :3 The only down side was the 12 hour shift schedule. It was this schedule and my lack of energy compared with a 40 year old man coupled with my boss' prodding that I went to the doctor.
Originally, it was because I had migraines, vertigo, and nausea. My boss thought it was a tumor so she wouldn't give up until I went in. Fortunately, my CT scan came back negative and I was officially diagnosed with daily migraines and benign positional vertigo. The nausea went away when my migraines were treated.
During my initial visit, I mentioned a lot of symptoms I was experiencing. Daytime sleepiness was at a high (I thought it was due to my first full-time job...same job as the 12 hour shifts but it was only 8 hour shifts at the time). I mentioned how I would have to pull over while driving and take a nap because I would get really tired. Eventually, I stumbled across narcolepsy during my researching and found I had a lot of symptoms in common with it.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. Sleep Paralysis. Cataplexy to name a few. I'm currently seeking a proper diagnoses of this disorder since it is my firm belief I have it. Right now, the doctor diagnosed me with Idiopathic Hypersomnia with long sleep time. Even though I think he's wrong, I can't complain too much since he prescribed me Ritalin to help stay awake during the day.
I am very thankful for the Ritalin as it does help me stay awake all day (without it, I would NOT have been able to help my bf get ready for his wedding or even stay awake to see him there). As it was, I STILL had to take naps to get through the day. However, it's also making what I'm terming cataplexy worse. (Cataplexy is sudden weakness in your body (specially the legs) when experiencing an emotional high). Walking down the aisle during the rehearsal almost made me collapse because I was so nervous (and I wasn't even getting married!! lol). I went shopping earlier that day and found a great outfit and since I was excited, I got weak suddenly. Believe me, this gets old.
So, in case you're wondering where I've disappeared to or if I'm going to finish/start the Iron Artist, the answer is that I'm struggling with health right now and I'm not sure if I can draw anything. Just thinking about it makes me tired. Most days I'm lucky to get in a couple applications to get a job. Most of the time, I just zone out in my chair until something brings me back to reality.
I'm going to go to a neurologist soon originally about my migraines but since Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, I'm hoping I can get a diagnosis of that as well.
Hope you all understand! I don't mean to shrug off my promises but I don't think I can go forward with the Iron Artist at the moment.
Thanks :3
Anyhoo, my life in the past 4 months has had it's ups and downs. I just got back from my best friend's wedding which was amazing! So much fun!! :) But then I'm suffering from a lifelong sleep disorder that's been impossible to diagnose to-date.
The temp job I got back in February was an amazing job! I got paid $15 an hour and I got to supervise people :3 The only down side was the 12 hour shift schedule. It was this schedule and my lack of energy compared with a 40 year old man coupled with my boss' prodding that I went to the doctor.
Originally, it was because I had migraines, vertigo, and nausea. My boss thought it was a tumor so she wouldn't give up until I went in. Fortunately, my CT scan came back negative and I was officially diagnosed with daily migraines and benign positional vertigo. The nausea went away when my migraines were treated.
During my initial visit, I mentioned a lot of symptoms I was experiencing. Daytime sleepiness was at a high (I thought it was due to my first full-time job...same job as the 12 hour shifts but it was only 8 hour shifts at the time). I mentioned how I would have to pull over while driving and take a nap because I would get really tired. Eventually, I stumbled across narcolepsy during my researching and found I had a lot of symptoms in common with it.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. Sleep Paralysis. Cataplexy to name a few. I'm currently seeking a proper diagnoses of this disorder since it is my firm belief I have it. Right now, the doctor diagnosed me with Idiopathic Hypersomnia with long sleep time. Even though I think he's wrong, I can't complain too much since he prescribed me Ritalin to help stay awake during the day.
I am very thankful for the Ritalin as it does help me stay awake all day (without it, I would NOT have been able to help my bf get ready for his wedding or even stay awake to see him there). As it was, I STILL had to take naps to get through the day. However, it's also making what I'm terming cataplexy worse. (Cataplexy is sudden weakness in your body (specially the legs) when experiencing an emotional high). Walking down the aisle during the rehearsal almost made me collapse because I was so nervous (and I wasn't even getting married!! lol). I went shopping earlier that day and found a great outfit and since I was excited, I got weak suddenly. Believe me, this gets old.
So, in case you're wondering where I've disappeared to or if I'm going to finish/start the Iron Artist, the answer is that I'm struggling with health right now and I'm not sure if I can draw anything. Just thinking about it makes me tired. Most days I'm lucky to get in a couple applications to get a job. Most of the time, I just zone out in my chair until something brings me back to reality.
I'm going to go to a neurologist soon originally about my migraines but since Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, I'm hoping I can get a diagnosis of that as well.
Hope you all understand! I don't mean to shrug off my promises but I don't think I can go forward with the Iron Artist at the moment.
Thanks :3
For those with ADHD, drinking something with caffeine might work and the prescription for them might just be basically the caffeine content in a MD. Both Caffeine and Ritalin are Central Nervous System stimulants. However, when someone has either Narcolepsy or Hypersomnia, caffeine just doesn't cut it. I could easily take 600mg of caffeine at one sitting and nothing would happen. I would still fall asleep or be a zombie.
Think of it this way; have you ever stayed up a full 24 hours? Have you then gone to work or school all day, no naps? Then stayed up all night yet again? Then still went to work or school all day, no naps again? Yet another night staying up and going to work or school the next day. Caffeine will stop working long before you reach the second night, much less the third. That's how tired someone with Narcolpsey or Hypersomnia feels all the time. So tired that your body hurts. So tired you can't function throughout the day but you still have to find a way. No one cares about how tired you are.
With Ritalin, all I need to take to make it through the day is a grand total of 20mg split up in two different times. Caffeine is weak compared with Ritalin. It's like comparing caffeine to speed (since Ritalin is basically medicinal speed). That said, Ritalin doesn't make you feel less tired, it just gives you energy to make it through the day. I could still fall asleep in 5 minutes or less while using Ritalin.
Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble but I don't really have an outlet on which to rant. It's just getting worse right now and I can't stop it.
now that I've searched it since I last posted, Ritalin isn't actually speed. The medicinal form of speed is Dexamphetamine which could be in my future lol. Dex and speed mess with your dopamine levels which make it easier to get addicted. Ritalin only stimulates your CNS and no dopamine crap so it's better in the long term.
The one thing I really love that I've been given from these meds is motivation. I now have motivation to actually do things throughout the day!! I may actually do something productive!! lol Who knows, maybe I'll start posting again. I'm much more interested in trying to do music remixes at the moment so maybe you'll see one in the next month depending on how long it takes to actually do one. I already have the vocal track so at least that's done :3
Also that's good to hear. Maybe you can also draw things again as well?
yeah I'll probably switch over to drawing something as well...I just never know what to draw anymore...probably should continue that whole iron artist thing I started like 3 months ago lol