For several years now, I have suffered from sleep apnea. I'm sure most of you are familiar with this condition, but for those of you who aren't, let me fill you in. Sleep apnea is basically a condition that causes you to stop breathing during your sleep. This causes your quality of sleep to drop drastically, making eight hours of sleep literally feel like one, maybe two hours of sleep (depending on the severity of the condition).
For those of you reading this who also suffer from sleep apnea, I'm sure you'll be able to relate to my story. I would get anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep, get up, go to class at UTC, and no later than my first class, all I could think about was getting home so I could take a nap (just two hours into my day, I already felt like I had been awake for 24 hours straight). Yawning was a constant, miserable burden that I had absolutely no control over; I yawned so often that it sometimes became painful. I lived day after day after day of feeling like a zombie, like I hadn't slept in weeks. It had gotten to the point where I no longer remembered what a quality night's sleep really felt like. I could sleep for two hours or 12 hours--it all felt the same.
Finally, I decided to do something about it.
I wasn't sure how to go about selecting the particular place I should go to, and I didn't want to have to wait to make an appointment with my regular physician for him to give me a referral (big mistake), so I simply consulted the yellow pages and called the first number listed. That center will remain nameless, but my experience there was nothing short of horrendous.
First, the place has hardwood floors, and while I was trying to sleep, the sleep techs kept walking back and forth right outside my door which, needless to say, made it very difficult to fall asleep. To worsen matters further, while they weren't walking back and forth right outside my room, they were talking in normal, everyday voices (not whispering whatsoever), so much so that I could sometimes make out exactly what they were saying. The first night, I only slept for four hours (which was barely enough information for them to know that I did, indeed, have sleep apnea), and the second night, I was only able to sleep for two hours (and I laid in bed for four). They wouldn't even tell me if I was going to have to have another sleep study; they just kept telling me to "keep your follow-up appointment."
There were major incentives insurance-wise for me to get this finished before the end of the year, and knowing this, they still would not let me schedule an appointment for another sleep study before my follow-up (I wanted to do this to ensure that I had an appointment in place should I have to have another study, which I did), should I have to have one. They wouldn't even tell me what days they were open and closed during the holiday season.
This was the last straw for me. It was clear that they were only interested in getting my money, and did not care for me as a patient. That is when I made the decision to switch to a different sleep clinic, and this is where the Parkridge Sleep Center comes into play. First of all, after explaining to them my need in having to have everything done before the end of the year, Parkridge Sleep Center was gracious enough to squeeze me in to their tight schedule at a moment's notice. Furthermore, they did both sleep studies in one night (the first half I slept naturally so they could see how bad my sleep apnea was, and the second half I slept with a machine to keep my airway open).
The entire place was as professional and courteous as anyone could ever hope for, all the way from the receptionists, to the sleep-techs, to Dr. Viscomi. I never heard so much as a "peep" out of the sleep techs and was able to fall asleep rather quickly compared to my previous experience. The beds were surprisingly comfortable, and Parkridge Sleep Center also accommodates different sleep schedules (I normally don't go to bed until 3-4 a.m., and Parkridge Sleep Center allowed me to arrive late and go to sleep around my normal time).
Last night (Monday night) I had my sleep study conducted at Parkridge Sleep Center, and today is the first time in years that I haven't "yawned" a single time. As soon as I woke up, I knew something was different--I had finally gotten quality sleep. I have felt energized and alive all day long, and it is all thanks to Dr. Viscomi and Parkridge Sleep Center. Words alone cannot describe the feeling one gets when they finally get high-quality sleep after years of some of the most miserable sleep one could ever imagine.
As a friend told me not long ago about getting treatment for sleep apnea "It will change your life." Oh, and by the way--he also was a patient of Dr. Viscomi's. Thanks to Parkridge Sleep Center, my life has already been changed after only one night.
If anyone thinks they may be suffering from sleep apnea, I strongly encourage you to give the Parkridge Sleep Center a call. They do not require a referral.
Dallas Cole
Soddy-Daisy/Chattanooga
Dallas-Cole@hotmail.com