I am skeptical of doctors who insist that your experience is not as you describe it.

You DO have to keep hydrated and eat protein. That is all.

Yeah, but since her magical mystery drug, I can't keep down food that has any flavour. Special K and Persian bread is what I ate over the weekend. It could be coincidence, but I haven't had nausea this bad for way over a year.

She didn't tell me how to fix the nausea. Just that I should eat through it.

So, no, that is not all. I'd rather address the cause than the symptom.

Hydration important. Eating well also important. You know what is also super important for humans? Sleep. And I suspect that many of these doctors have never dealt with really chronic insomnia. They've had a night or two where it was hard to fall asleep maybe or they got an hour or two less than ideal for them. But they've never gone through life after days and days of no sleep or barely any sleep. There's a reason that sleep deprivation is used as a torture device.

extended use of Seche made my nails peel like crazy.

ACK! I have peeling issues. Perhaps I should try the Diamont. or go back to Poshe. The Poshe is especially good for refreshing my polish.

The idea that I was so staunchly sleep deprived from Ambien, and that this is working (I told her I barely slept any of the nights, but she's adamant it's working) and that this drug will let me reach back to the bad, bad times and even them out--not yet substantiated.

I call bullshit. As someone who is on Ambien for maintenance, I can say that my sleep from it works just fine.

From everything I've read and been told, sleep dep exists. But you can't just magically refill it.

So. True. I'm on my third or fourth month of my doctor saying "Just take the damn Ambien every night, see what getting the same amount of sleep as non-insomniacs does for you", and it's pretty awesome. But it in no way counteracts the YEARS of insomnia-caused sleep-deprivation.

(Tho' I have to admit, not having the edges of things randomly go all melty in the corner of my vision anymore? Pretty neat.)

But they've never gone through life after days and days of no sleep or barely any sleep. There's a reason that sleep deprivation is used as a torture device.

I really think that if you're going to be a "sleep specialist" doctor, you need to go through at least two weeks of sleep deprivation as part of your training. You need to know what it feels like to suffer that and have to try and continue with work and expected social interactions.

How can someone who's gone through medical school and been an intern on call not know what sleep deprivation feels like?!?

Yeah, but they should have a special class for future sleep specialists....

I just started taking iron supplements because I've been so listless during the day. I don't really eat meat and surely not enough leafy greens so I thought I'd take a crack at an anemia self-diagnose.

Its worked wonders and I'm sleeping better at night too. It's been pretty wonderful.

Meanwhile, last pain meds refill was just for 1 week, so I have to cyber-stalk the migraine specialist's assistant again.

Does your migraine specialist believe the migraine fairy is going to arrive any time now? If she is of the insane belief that you're drug seeking and are going to do something nefarious with a month's worth of pills, can't she do some kind of weekly auto-renew, so you only have to have the hassle of filling the prescription, not weekly stalking?

Various medical things, including the anti-estrogens I'm on, completely frelled my ability to get to sleep, and I've been taking Ambien every night for five years.

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