Hi, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last september, and am using a cpap/apap machine. At the same time I crashed out with complete exhaustion, low B12, low iron, low folate, feeling breathless, drunk and disorientated, walking felt like legs were made of lead, just washing up wore me out. I started taking B12 injections, folic acid and iron plus all the co factors and with the cpap machine things started improving. I was off work for 3 months and then managed to get to a place where I felt able to go back to work in November. However, at xmas I was running out of folic acid so asked for another prescription and the doctor refused saying I should still have some left. I ran out a week or so later and within a couple of weeks I started feeling the same exhaustion again and have been off work again since mid january. At the same time, although I'd been using thecpap machine fine, with no problems for the first 4 months, all of a sudden the number of times I stopped breathing went sky high, and I developed this thing where the air was going into my stomach not my lungs, so I've spent the last 3 weeks hardly sleeping, feeling really uncomfortable and unable to work again. I also have depression and anxiety stemming from my childhood, and currently(unsuccessfully) trying to get help with that. Time to Talk wont help me because I'm too severe for them, but CAMHS also eont help because I dont have a serious condition like schizophrenia or a personality disorder. I'm wondering if theres anybody else here who has started off well on cpap but then crashed and found they're back to square one? Within a month of starting on cpap I was at 100% compliance and the sleep clinic was very happy with me. I didnt lose my licence at all.
I deliver meals on wheels but I'm beginning to think I may have to leave that job, because it involves driving 4 hours a day, up to 70 miles, and I cant guarantee from day to day how I'll feel/how much sleep I'm getting each night. I seem to have no reserves at all. My brain fog has not gone away at all, so I'm worried about finding a different job as I'm scared I'll make lots of mistakes through lack of sleep and feeling so I'll.