Hypertension

When my neuro prescribed CPAP, I thought, "ANOTHER THING!" But it was totally worthwhile: After my first full night with the CPAP, my daily 20-minute nap disappeared, and I haven’t taken one since.

Many of us don't realize we have treatable sleep apnea because we deal with so many other problems that we assume are the cause for our poor sleep, says Dr. Abdulghani Sankari, pulmonologist at Detroit's DMC DRH Sleep Disorders Center.

“They have pain issues, they have urinary issues, they have cardiovascular issues … They’re tired and not able to sleep well because of all these factors,” he says, “so they don’t recognize that there are other reasons … [why] they feel tired during the day.” CPAP/BiPAP often addresses manifested symptoms like daytime listlessness, waking up unrefreshed from sleep, and unexplained chronic pain. CPAP/BiPAP also helps improve aspects of sleep-affected cognition: memory, forgetfulness, attention span and intellectual abilities like troubleshooting problems effectively.

Letting these problems linger can even cause our condition to worsen. “The frequent interruption of breathing at night leads to what we call chronic intermittent hypoxia, so the body is exposed to low levels of oxygen, and that produces byproducts of inflammation and waste that [aggravate] symptoms on the central nervous system,” Sankari says. Unchecked sleep apnea is also a risk factor for high blood pressure, heart problems and type 2 diabetes. CPAP is an effective treatment for sleep apnea. Got questions? Pls contact me.

Better Nights, Better Days: CPAP, BiPAP and Disability

#fatigue #MultipleSclerosis #MightyTogether #ChronicIllness #autoimmune #newlydiagnosed #Disability #Caregiving

Hi, I’m Tamanna — a new voice here, but one with a thousand stories stitched into her smile.

This week, I write not just for myself, but for every soul silently surviving — the nurses who cry in hospital stairwells, the mothers reheating tea they never finish, the strong women who smile while breaking inside. You see, I’ve been all of them. Still am.

There were days I held a dying father’s hand in one shift, then came home to rock my baby to sleep with shaky arms. I’ve stood under fluorescent hospital lights wondering if anyone saw me beyond the stethoscope and headscarf. But in every crack, I found poetry.

So here’s my truth — dramatic, flawed, funny even:

I’ve diagnosed heartbreak faster than hypertension.

I’ve Googled “how to cry quietly” in hospital washrooms.

I’ve laughed too hard at memes at 3 a.m. to feel less alone.

And once, I prescribed myself sleep. It didn’t work. Laughter did.

This week, I’m choosing healing. Not hustle. Not hollow praise. Just healing — for myself, my children, and everyone who reads this and whispers “me too.”

Because maybe our mess is the medicine.

So here’s my Mighty pep talk to you (and to me):
Rest, warrior. Breathe. Let the tea go cold. You are not late — you are blooming on divine timing.
Write that blog, post that story, say your truth out loud. Your voice is powerful, your pain is valid, and your softness is sacred.

I’m here now. New to this group, but not new to surviving. Let’s hold space for each other. And hey — if you cried, smiled, or felt a flicker of “me too,” hit that heart, drop a comment, or just exhale. That’s how we keep going.

With love and laughter,
Dr. Tamanna Islam Nishat
Writer | Doctor | Mental Health Advocate
#motherhoodunfiltered #burnoutsurvivor #faithinmedicine #womenwhowrite #healingwithwords #mightynewmember #VoiceOfTheWhiteCoat

It’s time to address some truths about Christianity and mental health.

1. Christians can and do struggle with mental illness. It is NOT a sign of secret sin, hidden shortcomings or lack of faith.

2. Many people in the Bible struggled with their mental health.

Hannah who struggled to have a baby.
Elijah was burnt out.
Job lost everything and everyone that he held dear.
David suffered the depths of depression.
Jonah was suicidal. Etc etc

3. No one is immune. Being in the ministry doesn’t make you immune, in fact, statistically speaking mental illness can be more prevalent in Pastors than many other professions.

4. It is NOT wrong to take medication, seek professional help or be hospitalised due to mental illness. It is no different to diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

5. Things are getting better, but we are way to go. My church knows that their Pastor, me, takes medication, has been hospitalised for treatment and still consults doctors to stay healthy.

Reject shame. Don’t let anyone look down on you. You are courageous, you matter and you are loved.

I've got a telehealth appointment tomorrow with my doctor to go over my lab results. They're pretty bad. She's gonna be cross that I haven't found an Endo yet. I'm on a really high dose of insulin. It's not helping. But it's making me gain weight really fast. It's kinda scary.

But I'm gonna talk to her about getting me a proper rescue inhaler. I've got dulera but that's just twice per day. When I go up and down the stairs or walk for more than 5 minutes I can't catch my breath.

I'm gonna get a refill of my Norco. I've been trying to contact my previous back surgeon but they haven't responded to my 2 emails and phone calls. As long as I am making an attempt, my doctor will refill my meds. I've only been taking maybe 5 per week. I'm trying to use my tramadol more often. I'm not addicted. And I intend on staying that way.

My doctor is concerned about my lymphedema and high blood pressure. I told her how my cardiologist is handling it and she's kinda pissed. The new meds aren't working. And I had a low symptoms day on Tuesday so my cardiologist thinks everything is fine. And even after emailing her pictures of my pitting lymphedema, I haven't heard back.

I'm so frustrated. And my anxiety is making me sick. I'll talk to my doctor about how bad my adjustment disorder is. Maybe she'll have an idea. She's a good doctor.

#COPD #Diabetes #ChronicPain #a1c #BackPain #Lymphedema #HighBP

My back hurts and my brain feels foggy. I was hungry so I made myself 2 hot dogs with honey mustard. It wasn't really that good but it was edible. I don't have much easy food. I was hoping to order groceries last night for delivery today but pauley has decided we're going to be looking at the nutrition label of everything to see how much salt is in it. Cuz I'm sodium sensitive. Fun times.

#Hypertension

I've been slacking on tracking my BG and my insulin usage on my app. I'm so burnt out on medical bullshit. Either I'm sick at home taking fistfuls of pills just to keep me functional when all I do is stay home all day or I go to doctors appointments and get orders for more useless testing and they prescribe more medicine. I don't know if my doctor realizes I'm back to being polypharmacolegic.

Tomorrow I see my cardiologist. I really like her. She's super nice. I'm gonna talk to her about getting a script for compression socks. My right foot is huge. The pitting lymphedema goes all the way up to my knee.

I'm really worried about my hypertension. My BP and HR are really high. They didn't respond to the new meds. I'm getting some nosalt on Wednesday so I can cut a lot of salt out of my diet. I gotta start drinking more sugar free juice. I don't know what else to do.

One hour until pauley and I start making our tea party. I'm gonna make blueberry pancake bars. I know it's not the same as scones with clotted cream or biscuits and jelly or finger sandwiches. But I think it's going to be nice. The tea is gonna be delicious and the pancake bars will be warm and yummy.

I'm trying really hard to reduce the pitting lymphedema in my legs. I'm drinking more water, taking lasix 2x daily, and elevating my foot. Today I took 3 lasix. I woke up with my foot being 2x it's normal size and very stiff. I peed like a racehorse today. But the swelling never went down. I ate just a little bit of salt today. I'm trying to reduce my salt intake. I'm buying some nosalt this week.

I'm seeing my cardiologist on Monday. We're gonna go over the results of the ultrasound. It was normal except my heart rate was pounding out a rumba. My BP and HR have been high my entire adult life. I just thought it was normal.

The meds change didn't help. 2 and a half years ago I was diagnosed with sodium sensitive hypertension. Like for real. I never add salt to my food unless it's in a seasoning blend. I thought the garlic Parmesan seasoning was low sodium and pauley told me it's 1 third salt. Shit.

I gotta go back to using more lemon juice and garlic.

#sodiumsensitivehypertension #Hypertension #Lymphedema #pittingedema