Help Ashe Fix His Sleep
Donation protected
SITUATION/GOAL UPDATED. SEE UPDATE #1.
I've had issues with my sleep for a long time. Back in 2013, I had a doctor who wrote "sleep apnea" on my chart and prescribed me ambien. For a while, this helped me a lot. I went from getting several hours of interrupted sleep a night, to getting several hours of "uninterrupted" sleep. Before, I would lay awake for hours before drifting in and out of sleep until sleep finally took hold. I would wake up at the slightest interruption, sometimes jerking awake violently. With a sleep aid, it quieted down a lot of the worst symptoms besides the actual apnea episodes. It helped me enough that I wrote my first book the following year. A little while after starting ambien, I managed to get a consultation about sleep apnea and the guy said I sounded like a textbook case. I never could manage the sleep study though.
Fast forward to now and after buying a new bed, I'm finding things are getting worse again. Ironically, my old bed, which was painful to sleep in with how malformed it had become, was actually kind of helpful for my sleep apnea. It kept me inclined some, which alleviated some of my symptoms. The new bed is much better for my body but worse for the apnea. It's started having a pretty big affect on my work. I'm back to being exhausted all the time.
Fun fact about sleep apnea: it causes or worsens a LOT of other health issues. I'm diabetic (type 2) and have high blood pressure. It also makes mental illnesses worse. On my worst days, depression and anxiety flare up really bad. I'll have memory issues. And being able to focus on my work? Forget it. In the month leading up to making this campaign, every time I sit down to write, it's like pulling teeth. It is incredibly frustrating.
Now, I don't have insurance, which is why I'm here. After talking to St. Francis Sleep Center, here's what I need:
$350 for a consultation
$6000 for a sleep study
$1000+ for a CPAP machine and a mask
I'm just sick and tired of being so tired. I want to be able to work and sleep like a healthy person. I'd love for some of my other health problems to get better, too. And I'd love to stop worrying my partner because I stop breathing. Whatever help you can spare, I will appreciate it immensely.
I've had issues with my sleep for a long time. Back in 2013, I had a doctor who wrote "sleep apnea" on my chart and prescribed me ambien. For a while, this helped me a lot. I went from getting several hours of interrupted sleep a night, to getting several hours of "uninterrupted" sleep. Before, I would lay awake for hours before drifting in and out of sleep until sleep finally took hold. I would wake up at the slightest interruption, sometimes jerking awake violently. With a sleep aid, it quieted down a lot of the worst symptoms besides the actual apnea episodes. It helped me enough that I wrote my first book the following year. A little while after starting ambien, I managed to get a consultation about sleep apnea and the guy said I sounded like a textbook case. I never could manage the sleep study though.
Fast forward to now and after buying a new bed, I'm finding things are getting worse again. Ironically, my old bed, which was painful to sleep in with how malformed it had become, was actually kind of helpful for my sleep apnea. It kept me inclined some, which alleviated some of my symptoms. The new bed is much better for my body but worse for the apnea. It's started having a pretty big affect on my work. I'm back to being exhausted all the time.
Fun fact about sleep apnea: it causes or worsens a LOT of other health issues. I'm diabetic (type 2) and have high blood pressure. It also makes mental illnesses worse. On my worst days, depression and anxiety flare up really bad. I'll have memory issues. And being able to focus on my work? Forget it. In the month leading up to making this campaign, every time I sit down to write, it's like pulling teeth. It is incredibly frustrating.
Now, I don't have insurance, which is why I'm here. After talking to St. Francis Sleep Center, here's what I need:
$350 for a consultation
$6000 for a sleep study
$1000+ for a CPAP machine and a mask
I'm just sick and tired of being so tired. I want to be able to work and sleep like a healthy person. I'd love for some of my other health problems to get better, too. And I'd love to stop worrying my partner because I stop breathing. Whatever help you can spare, I will appreciate it immensely.
Organizer
Ashe Armstrong
Organizer
Tulsa, OK
