Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?

February 16, 2012 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Why do I wake up every morning feeling worse than when I went to bed? Most of us awaken feeling somewhat stiff and foggy-headed, but these feelings are relatively mild and short-lived. In PWCs, however, the stiffness is debilitating and the mental fogginess is pervasive and long lasting. Unlike their healthier counterparts, these symptoms typically […]

abnormal sleep, CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I Never Get A Good Night’s Sleep

February 16, 2012 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

I never seem to get a good night’s sleep any more. What can you tell me about sleep? Sleep is one key to improvement in CFS, ME, and FM. Without sufficient restful sleep even normal healthy people feel tired, achy, and irritable; so imagine how PWCs would feel! There are at least 8 characteristics of […]

abnormal sleep, CFS Treatment, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, FM, ME

The Hunter-Hopkins name derives from two individuals who were memorialized because of the invaluable lessons they taught to Dr. Lapp.

Linda Hopkins presented to the emergency room complaining that she could not breath when she nodded off to sleep. As a result she had not slept in weeks. Other physicians had discounted her story as impossible, but Linda and her mother convinced Dr. Lapp to look into it further. Linda was hospitalized and monitored overnight. Sure enough, as soon as she nodded off, Linda went into respiratory arrest – a very severe form of sleep apnea now known as “Ondine’s Curse.” Once the problem was identified, Linda was fitted with a respirator to be used while sleeping. Lesson learned: listen to the patient.

Allison Hunter was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but lived in Australia, where the providers of socialized medicine ‘did not believe’ in the diagnosis. As a result she was misnamed a malingerer, hysterical, or Munchhausen – a term reserved for individuals who purposely pretend to be sick. When Alli developed convulsions they were attributed to this ‘phantom illness’ and went untreated. As a result, she died during a grand mal seizure. Lessons learned: (1) diligently look into all complaints and don’t discount them, and (2) don’t trust socialized medicine.

Allison’s parents went on to found the Allison Hunter Memorial Foundation, which has promoted CFS throughout the Pacific Basin and provides superb seminars for practitioners to learn more about CFS and FM.

So we have admired and memorialized these two young women who taught us much about the importance of diligence and listening to the patient.

Hunter-Hopkins Center, PLLC

Why Do I Feel Worse In The Morning?

I Never Get A Good Night’s Sleep

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