Suggest treatment for severe weight gain and shortness of breath
Patient: My daughter is 34. She has a pretty good diet, vegetarian, but has been gaining weight over the past year and now weighs 200 and is 4 11 . She has been having trouble sleeping the past several months. She wakes up feeling like she is shutting down and can t breathe, and is afraid to go back to sleep. Is there more information you need in order to give me an idea what type of dr. she should go to for testing? Thanks. Doctor: Thanks for your question on Health Care Magic. I can understand your daughter's situation and problem. By your history and description, she is mostly having obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). It is seen in patients with morbid obesity. Due to morbid obesity, when this patient lie down, excess fat tissue in neck compresses trachea and cause sudden stoppage of air and hence patient arouse and gasp fir air. So you should definitely consult sleep specialist and get done sleep study for her. Sleep study is must for the diagnosis of OHS. For her weight gain, better to get done thyroid function test, sugar levels and lipid profile as alteration in these can cause weight gain. So consult sleep specialist and discuss all these. Hope I have solved your query. Wishing good health to your daughter. Thanks.