This question is about my dad. He has had a lot of health problems the last few years. He had rhuematic fever when he was young, and a couple of years ago he had to have heart valve replacement surgery. He also has sleep apnea (but doesnt wear his cpap machine because he says he can’t sleep with it on). For a couple of years now, he has been having seizures. I saw him have the first one, and it definatly looked like a seizure. Afterwards, he doesn’t remember anything for a few hours. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and his bedside table is on the floor, and he doesn’t know why or what happened. He lives alone, so most of the time no one sees what happens at night. A couple of months ago, he was in the hospital for a blood clot and while he was there, during the night, he had an "episode" where he pulled out his IV and went into the hallway was grabbing at the nurse’s arms. This is very unlike him, and he remembered nothing about it. The nurses had to sedate him to get him back in bed and get his IV back in. During the day sometimes he will be talking to you and then he says he gets a bad feeling like his blood pressure drops and his heart rate goes up, and sometimes after this he forgets what he was talking to you about. He also gets headaches a lot. He has been to several doctors. He started out going to the local doctors and they have done numerous EKGs, EEGs, everything. He has worn 24 hour heart moniters to make sure it’s not his heart valve malfunctioning, he has worn 2 week heart moniters, everything. The test are always normal. He then got a referral to Emory Hospital in Atlanta and that is where he goes now. He went today and they put EEG wires all over his head and he has to wear it until Sunday to see what happens. I just wanted to know if anyone has any opinions on what this may be or if anyone has ever known someone or experienced this themselves?

I forgot to mention that one doctor a few years ago told him that he has mesial temporal sclerosis, which I understand is white masses in the temporal lobes of his brain. I don’t know if this has any significance, just thought I’d throw that in too.

Thanks for all the help.

He has also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I know that it’s a high functioning form or autism, but I want to be ready for what will happen. Will treatment help? He will be attending weekly therapy, a psychologist for sleeping meds, and an occupational therapist to teach him some coping techniques for his anxiety. Any tips, guidlines, or experiences are helpful. Thanks!
ya, i’ve taken him to therapy off and on throughout his toddler years knowing something was going on.. but I refused to put him on meds.

The sleep meds are necessary because he has night terrors almost every night, and I feel bad for him on these days when he has to go to school on very little sleep.

I think we’re just re-training his mind to not focus on one stressor at a time, and how to deal with his stress? Has anyone dealt with this?
He rubs his hands on things when he’s upset, and has funny texture issues.. won’t eat certain foods, can this be improved or should I expect for it to never change?

For medical/background info, I am on a number of medications for chronic headaches and muscular problems caused by a sleep disorder.

For about a year I have had a problem that is VERY difficult for me to describe so I have been putting off seeing the doctor for it…though I realize I should, so you can leave that part out of your answers—I really do know and as soon as I can describe it right I will, but the last time I tried, she didnt get what I was trying to explain.

The problem, as best as I can describe it, is that every so often, I feel like I am passing out—BUT ONLY FOR A SPLIT SECOND. I have never yet actually passed after being totally awake, though sometimes it happens when I am falling asleep and at these times, the feeling lasts longer than the split second–sometimes up to minutes in duration where I am unable to consciously control my speaking or any other functions.

The best way I can think to describe it is like I am being shocked/electrocuted (see next)
and I say electrocuted only for lack of a better way to explain it because, again, it is only for a split second and there is not actually any pain associated with it. It also only feels like the shock is from my chest to my head or vice versa. Other ways I can think to describe it is like my eyes are spasming…kind of like they are rolling back in my head for a split second while I can not control them. Another possible description is that it kind of feels like the inside of my head spins around (but in just a split second’s time).

The only thing that I have ever noticed triggering this is twice when I was startled it happened and once when a woman in a store sprayed an aresol sample of lotion on my skin and the coldness startled me and it happened. Other than that, there is no other commonality to the times it happens except the times it happens when I am falling asleep.

when it happens as I fall asleep, it sometimes feels like there is a loud sound throbbing in my ears..
the throbbing/loudness in my ears feels/sounds almost like undescernable screaming–but not like a voice, just loudness blocking out other sounds. When this happens, I also tend to feel like my whole body is spasming/but also paralyzed so I cant wake up to stop it. It also sometimes feels almost the way it feels when you startle yourself awake out of a falling dream or something, but it is just as I am falling asleep and it will not just happen once and I am awake–but, rather, it happens over and over for what can feel like minutes. The only other sympton I can describe when this happens is that when I feel the "shock" feeling it will sometimes be accompanied by a muscle jerk when I am sitting down–though, again, only lasting for a split second.

Any ideas? Ever had this happen? Do you know what it is called? How I can better describe it? Let me know because I would like to explain it to the doctor but really dont know how to make it make sense when I explain it.

Do Parents that have Sleep Apnea have a higher risk of having a SIDS baby?

I know I already posted this but i’m posting it again so I will have more than 2 good answers.
have only been getting about 3-4 hrs. of sleep for the past 3 months. I’m 13 and I know how much sleep your supposed to get when your a teen. Now i’m starting to show symptoms of sleep loss the first is #1 I always fall asleep in the middle of school even if were doing something interesting, I can’t help it. #2 I’m doing really bad in gym wich I used to be good at. #3 When I come home I always collapse on my bed and fall asleep imidiatley and it’s really hard to wake up. (fainting, maybe?) but my mom won’t let me anymore. #4 I’ve been thinking really weird things, and i’m amigining, seing, and sometimes even hearing things. I’m afraid of things that i’ve never been afraid of. I have also been crying because im always so sleepy. Some say that things that happened in the past can result in sleep disorders, even if they are not scary. If this si true then my dad had a brain tumor wich messed up his brain 4 yrs ago, my parents are divorced now. Wat I wan’t to know is what are some common sleep disorders among teens, I have never known why but the sleeping has always made me feel scared and vunurable when i’m in bed and it feels like if I close my eyes when I open them there will be something scary right in my face. Now that i’m imaganing this stuff is just scaring me more. My other question is what should I do about this? I asked my mom about going to the doctor but she said I was being stupid and most people who claim to have sleep disoreders are over reacting, and she won’t let me sleep in her room because a 13 yr old is to old to be sleeping in their parents room. I also know 2 people with sleeping disorders and I want to use the information to help them too. Tnks for reading, bye

when i wake up most of time, i realise my vest is opened for some reason. i know its been warm nights due to summer, some nights i know i take my vest off, but sometime, i wake up, and i ask myself i dont remember doing that.

is this form of sleep walking condition, because i dont remember taking my vest of while sleeping, jus when i wake up its like "what da, did i do that".

thanks

i think i have very sensitive sences (if that makes sence!)

when i sleep, its like i can hear EVERYTHING and i can’t sleep because i’m constantly paranoid that i hear a tv in a different room

my eyes water all the time when i walk through the hallways at school, light also makes them water and i blink alot.

my skin breaks out in rashes or dry skin alot.

i just think i have really sensitive skin, eyes, and hearing. it really does mess with my everyday life and i don’t know whats wrong with me!
can someone help me figure this out???!!!!

cause i always have sleep paralysis, so I’m just wondering

I am using CPAP and sleep,depressin and anexity medicines, but rresults are not encouraging

And also while sleeping at night?
I often get sleep paralysis. And I find them pretty scary while I have them. Evey time I have them, almost every time I have them, I fear something bad will happen to me, like I’m dying or something ( which, once I’m out of the sleep paralysis, I see that I’m alright physically).

Thanks for all answers.