Is there no freaking end to this????

[Buckrub]

Well, yeah, there's an END, I guess............but geez.

First a heart attack. Not the garden variety, either, but the "Widowmaker". 4% live. I live.

Then it was.....after a lifetime of stomach issues.......a doc that finds the actual malady, "microscopic colitis", in same family as Chron's. Never can heal, but better'n I used to be. Sure would love to be able to eat onions, though. Sigh.

Then it was late-life Asthma. What the heck? Asthma? Inhalers in every pocket. One big one every morning.

Oh, and the worst skin since sharpei dogs! Dermatologist calls in med students when I have an appointment. Just got rid of a 45 year (not kidding) rash!

I call my GP my "Generalogist" because I have an "ologist" for everything.

SO.................all that is bad enough.........but I'm flopping through Al Gore's Internet yesterday and reading e-zines, and what do I find????????? Oh just that the ingredient in Benadryl, if taken in high doses for years, WILL cause Alzheimers.

GEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Like most old men, I can't sleep. Can't get to sleep, can't stay asleep. So years ago I started downing a big old slug of Z-Quil, or Benadryl, or Walgreen Equivalent, every night. BIG slug. Help(ed) a lot. Finally got some rest.

And now I'm senile. Insane. Alzheimers. I swear. Al Freaking Heimers! I'm already the laughing stock of the ROMEO club because I can't remember half of the high school memories they all talk about. I still have NO memory of any girl in our class named Marilyn Scott (ok, never mind, you'd have to have been at the table), and now it becomes clear (though dang little ELSE does!!) why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully, they won't diagnose me officially with that, till at least my next annual physical in September. When they name something officially, you can't ever get rid of it.

But geez! Of course, I threw the bottle of Wal-Z or whatever it was named, away. And last night, I took about 2 hours to get to sleep. And woke up at 4:00.

I sure do hope that next life is better'n this one. Good grief. What's next, toenail fungus found to be fatal?

[HideHunter]

"Sleep" thing hit me years ago. About 5 hours is it. So you want me to make you feel better having thrown away all that stuff? I just read the other day people who don't sleep well (various sleep disorders) are more subject to... wanna guess?... Alzheimers.. I was tickled. That shit scares the hell out of me. Oh yeah, you're welcome.

[Buckrub]

How far is Iowa?

How many times can I hit you in the face?

Good Freaking Grief!

I never HEARD of Alzheimers till 20 years ago. No one had it! Now everyone does!

Lord, PLEASE let me die of something before that!

[LJ3]

I'd say any day without anal leakage is a good day.

[Thumper]

One word (ok, it's an acronym) .... CPAP! I NEVER slept ... even as a kid. A 4-5 hour sleep was a VERY "good" night for me. I spent my whole life like that until a couple years ago when Lynn went behind my back, called the VA, and scheduled me for a sleep study. Simple ... I had sleep apnea. They set me up with a CPAP machine and I now sleep like a baby. The side benefit for Lynn is that I no longer snore. (I know, I know ... YOU don't snore!)

At the clinic I was also told about all the negative health problems sleep apnea can cause including DEATH. You may say you don't have it, but there are three different forms of sleep apnea. I was in denial and just considered my lack of sleep as "normal". Luckily Lynn intervened.

Note: ALL these wires were hooked up to me ... back, chest, head/face/neck ... I was wired for sound. THEN, they told me to go to sleep!!!
I did doze off, but it wasn't an hour later the technician ran into the room hollering, "Wake UP ... Wake UP!!!" He then said, "Man! You've got it BAD!"

He then hooked me up to a CPAP machine and I slept like a baby the rest of the night. (I will go on record as saying I'd prefer Barry's method though)

sleepstudy.jpg

[BarryBobPosthole]

Couple of bong hits before bed and you'll sleep like a baby.

BKB

[Buckrub]

No CPAP for me, sorry. I don't have Apnea, no use for it. 2 guys at camp have it, some of my friends have it, and i ain't going through that for anything, including sleep! Good grief. Sorry, but that's not an option for me. Thanks for the advice, though.

Wife is going through a sleep study. But done here at home. We just mailed the device back yesterday. But she doesn't have apnea either, I can tell.

Posty, I don't live in Colorado.

LJ, Bite Me.

[Thumper]

No CPAP for me, sorry. I don't have Apnea, no use for it.

Ummmm, and you know that HOW, Dr. Buckrub?

[Buckrub]

I'm NOT just a pretty face, dimwit! I'm REAL smart!

[Thumper]

I remember telling Lynn I didn't have sleep apnea and she was wasting my time.

I know you always have a LONG list of medical problems that you're plagued with, do ANY of these "problems" sound familiar? It even helps asthma patients.

(partial article ... follow the link if you want to learn something, CPAP even helps prevent heart attacks))

These are just a few of the LONG list of benefits:

CPAP seems to reverse many of the harmful effects of sleep apnea. Acid reflux is improved with the use of CPAP through the increase in the ability of sphincter muscles in the esophagus to keep acid in the stomach. Inflammatory chemicals caused by sleep apnea decrease, causing less inflammation within the body and the lungs. Airflow within the airways is increased with the use of CPAP, leading to better oxygenation of the lungs and decreased contraction of the smooth muscles around the airways. All of these effects lead to improvement in asthma control in people with asthma and sleep apnea.

http://allergies.about.com/od/fa1/f/cpapasthma.htm

[Captain]

I think God himself invented the CPAP.
I've used one for about 8 or more years now. There is no way I could rest without. I use to wake up more tired than when I went to bed.
Bucky you should really have the test done. It can change your quality of live SO much.

[quercus alba]

isn't sleep apnea another term for fat? I don't notice a lot of skinny people talking about having it but that might be because there aren't many skinny people left except crack-heads

[Thumper]

"Obesity" makes it worse but isn't the cause. As far as I know, I've had it since I was a kid ... and I was 6'2" and 175 lbs in h/s. More like a bean pole than a fat-ass.

[quercus alba]

maybe you had fat sinuses and didn't know it

[Thumper]

Come to think of it ... I did have a fat nose! Is that the same?

[Tightline]

I saw an interview with an 80 year old woman who was puffing on a joint. The interviewer asked her why.
Interestingly she replied that she had glaucoma and it eased her pressure. She said she had arthritis and it eased her pain. She said she had ensomnia and it helped her sleep.
Personally I'm keeping this in mind.

[johnboy]

What Posthole said. I guarantee it works. And it's all natural and won't give you auldtimers disease or make your willey fall off.

[Chicken Dinner]

True enough. One if the reasons I don't really smoke any more is it just puts me to sleep. Of course, I've got no problem falling asleep. Staying asleep past 5am or so is another story..

[BarryBobPosthole]

I get up at 5:00 or so almost every day and usually feel pretty rested when I wake up. Funny, but when I was working, 6:30 was my usual wake up time rain or shine, weekend or weekday. Since I've retired, it seems like I wake up early amd enjoy my morning coffee and paper when everyyhing is quiet. I never considered it a problem! Of course, I'm in bed sound asleep by 9:30 or 10:00 most nights too unless there's a good western on.

Bucky, I'd get that sleep study done if you are feeling tired a lot of the time. EVERYONE I've ever known that got a CPAP swears it made them feel 100% better.
BKB

[Buckrub]

I hate every one of you people.

[DeputyDog]

You should know by now that we will tell you the exact thing that you don't want to hear.

[Buckrub]

Just the stuff I NEED to hear.

Dang jerkoffs.