Hello all!
I am new to Insomnia Land but am SO happy to have found this community. I am a 24 year old (and otherwise healthy) girl and I've been suffering with chronic Sleep Maintenance Insomnia since 2005 as a result of multiple TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injuries ie concussions). It's steadily gotten worse throughout the years and I am currently unmedicated and logging 4 hours of sleep max at night.
I have a sleep study next week, I have a wonderful neurologist, pulmonologist, therapist, chiropractor, and acupuncturist, and I have a wonderful support group of friends and family…
And yet it's an incredibly frustrating and isolating experience that I don't feel like is completely understood by anyone in my immediate circle of friends and providers. That plus the anxiety/fear about my ability to function well in my job, social life, or while driving… well, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir.
I have my first overnight sleep study next week, followed by sleep latency testing the next day. I'm nervous! And weirdly, I'm nervous that I'll have a night of perfect sleep and they won't figure out what's wrong with me.
So far, they have questioned diagnoses of Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, Upper Airway Restrictive Syndrome, ADHD, limbic disturbance (meaning it's just plain old insomnia primary without a cause, other than perhaps post-concussive issues), and hypothyroidism. I've also been to a psychiatrist, but diagnoses of bipolar, depression, ocd and others have been ruled out.
So, all that to say, I'm really happy to be here and to start feeling a little less crazy and a little more “normal”.
xoxo, g.