Question:
For 3 months I've been complaining to my doctor that I've been having backpain in the morning. I am very overweight and am being treated for sleep apnia. Recently my blood pressure has been higher than normal and I sometimes wake with heavy head and shoulder sweats. I think the back pain could be kidneys but not sure. Strange thing though is that after I get up in the morning and walk around a bit the backpain/kidney pain goes away. I'm also slightly nausious. I've recently begun having numbness in the ends of my fingers and will wake in the middle of the night with my whole hand(s) numb. I exersize them a bit and the circulation seems to start back up. Does anyone have any idea if these are symtoms of some kind of disease or is it just a chance combination of problems. By the way I'm 43 years old and male

Answer:
I would bet that if you could somehow lose a good amount of weight that a lot of your symptoms/problems would resolve.


Answer:
If I hadn't mentioned the weight problem what would have been your second guess?? I realize the weight problem is a problem in itself that has to be resolved however it took years to get where I'm at and it will take years to get back to where I need to be. In the mean time I'd like to survive the ordeal. Any ideas??

Answer:
   

Sleep apnea is common in overweight people - that is a separate issue for you altogether. That could explain the heaviness you feel in your head. You are not getting enough sleep if you are struggling to breathe throughout the night. Can you try using 2 or 3 pillows and sleeping in a more upright position? The numbness in your fingers/hand are either due to a circulation problem (again, couuld be due to the weight) or a pinched nerve in your back or neck. Pinched nerves can cause a lot of problems such as those you mention (sweating and an increase in blood pressure). Also, if it is your left hand/fingers going numb, then I would consider getting a cardiac work up (stress test, echocardiogram and labwork) to see what kind of shape your heart is in. Heart problems can also cause pain in various ways and places and these are all warning signs that something just isn't right. What have they done for you forwork up this far? How much do you weigh and just how high is your blood pressure?


Answer:
Hey Guest, how are you doing?

If these measures are unsuccessful in stopping sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a form of mechanical breathing assistance that involves the use of a specially-designed mask worn over the nose or nose and mouth at night, may be prescribed. Weight management (or intentional weight loss) and avoiding alcohol and sedatives at bedtime may relieve sleep apnea in some individuals.

Curious and at times distressing paresthetic disturbances develop during the sleep. Everyone is familiar with the phenomenon of an arm or leg "falling asleep."

The immobility of the limbs and the maintenance of uncomfortable postures without being aware of them permit pressure to be applied to exposed nerves. The ulnar, radial, and peroneal nerves are quite superficial in places; pressure of the nerve against an underlying bone may interfere with intraneural circulation of the commposed segment.

If such pressure is continued for half an hour or longer, a sensory and motor paralysis sometime referred to as sleep palsy may develop. This condition usually lasts only a few minutes or hours, but if the compression is prolonged, the nerve may be severly damaged so that functional recovery awaits regeneration.

A diet low in salt is often recommended. Avoid excessive daytime sleepiness due to poor sleep during the night.

If you have this condition, call your health care provider if symptoms do not improve with treatment or if new symptoms develop. Unusually deep sleep, as in alcoholic intoxication, renders the patient especially liable to sleep palsies merely because he does not heed the discomfort of an unnatural posture.

REFERENCES
Pappenheimer JR, Setchell BP: The measurement of cerebral blood flow in the rabbit and sheep. J Physiol (Lond) 226:48P, 1972
National Center for Biotechnology Information
U.S. National Library of Medicine

Allen J. Blaivas, D.O., Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University Hospital, Newark, NJ.: Sleep Apnea

Best wishes,
The Prison Hospital

Prisoner: Look here, doctor! You've already removed my spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and one of my kidneys. I only came to see if you could get me out of this place!

Doctor: I am, bit by bit.