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4B – Daily News – Monday, October 18, 2010 Precocious person pines for pals Does partial sleep apnea exist? Dear Annie: I’m 23 and work at an office at a medical universi- ty. I got out of therapy about a month ago and returned to my job, feeling better than ever. I’m tak- ing antidepres- sants, and they’ve been working well. talk about herself. Lunchtime Annie’s Mailbox My co-workers are friendly, generous people, and we get along. The problem is that I have nothing in common with any of them. They are all women who are substan- tially older than I am and married with children. The general chitchat is totally out of my range of interests. This is OK dur- ing the regular workday, but when I’m invited to join them for lunch, I never want to go. Some- times they insist and I agree, but I never have a good time. I rarely have anything to say, and when I do, I must struggle to make myself heard. And if I manage to speak, they stare at me. Even their sense of humor is differ- ent. My work and school schedules give me neither the time nor the money for more therapy. I’ve tried to find other friends, but most of them are school friends, so they are free when I’m busy and vice versa. What should I do? — Sad Outcast in El Paso Dear El Paso: The art of making friends is sim- ply learning to make someone else feel special. You do this by being a good listener, making eye contact and asking her to by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar conv ersation doesn’t need to be scintillating, nor does your partici- pation require more than a smile and a nod. Your mere presence is a sign of friendli- ness. You also could see if steer- ing the conversa- tion toward books, movies, TV, music or art will give you more com- mon ground. Please don’t give up. Dear Annie: My hus- band and I are victims of a ‘‘home invasion.’’ My 60- year-old sister, one of 13 siblings, recently arrived at our house, unan- nounced, with her room- mate and her large dog. (We have a cat.) They said they are touring the country visit- ing relatives and have no idea how long they will be staying. My sister and I have never been close, and I seldom see her. Her dog is terrorizing my cat, and she insists he be fed from a piece of our good china. As I speak, she is washing her sixth load of clothes in three days. When we go out to eat, they never offer to pick up a portion of the check, and when we’re at home, they never clean up. Our guest room is a mess, and we want them gone. I love my family, but how do we get rid of these freeloaders? Should we warn the next victims of this world tour or mind our own business? — Sleepless in St. Augus- tine, Fla. Dear Florida: When your sister showed up at your door, it would have been reasonable to ask how long she planned to stay. So ask her now, mak- ing it clear that you’ve enjoyed her company, but you need a break from the noise and mess, and it’s time for her to visit some- one else. And by all means, warn the next stop on the tour. Dear Annie: I’m writ- ing about ‘‘Worried Mom in the Midwest,’’ whose 16-year-old was not inter- ested in grades above D’s and C’s. I had the same problem with my son. He didn’t listen to all my beg- ging and pleading, so I saw a psychologist, and then my son went with me. First, absolutely no dri- ver’s permit until the grades were above a B. If the grades came down, the car could not be driven until the next report card came out. I had the coun- selor deliver this ultima- tum, and we drew up a contract. He just finished his junior year and is on the honor roll and can’t wait to go to college. Expect them to behave, take away the things that mean the most, and show them you are the boss. — Didn’t Back Down in Florida Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.n et, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. FEATURES If readers would like to contact Dr. Gott, they may send their mail directly to Dr. Gott c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th fl., New York, NY 10016. However, if readers want to request a newsletter, they should write to the Ohio address. DEAR DR. GOTT: A person I work with says he has partial sleep apnea. He has never fainted in front of anyone; he just says he needs to sit down and sleep for 15 min- utes to an hour. Can this be true? Other people have to pick up his slack. DEAR READER: I have never heard of partial sleep apnea, but that does not mean that it isn’t a legitimate diagnosis. However, I have some doubts about your co-worker’s story. Sleep apnea is a condition in which the sufferer experiences episodes of not breathing while sleeping. This can occur up to several hundreds of times a night and last for a minute or more each time. As a result, the individual may not wake rested and may experience extreme day- time sleepiness, which can lead to falling asleep at inappropriate times. Other symptoms include nightmares, waking gasping for breath, heart problems and more. Sleep apnea does not cause faint- ing, however. A related condition, known as nar- colepsy, can cause episodes of inappro- priate sleep that can occur anywhere, anytime and may resemble fainting because of a loss of muscle control. This complex condition causes severe day- time sleepiness, hallucinations, sudden loss of muscle tone (also known as cata- plexy) and sleep paralysis. Sufferers may also have sleep apnea, restless-legs syn- drome and even insomnia. Unless your co-worker is willing to share his medical records, there is no way you will be able to determine whether he is being truthful about his condition or whether he is simply try- ing to get out of working. If he is indeed being truthful, he likely had to provide his superior with a medical note from a physician, because the con- dition would necessitate special work considerations. Bring your concerns to your boss. Be Dr. Peter Gott sure that he or she is aware of the situation. If the boss doesn’t know, it will then be up to him or her to confront the employee and determine whether the situ- ation is valid. To provide related informa- tion, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Sleep/Wake Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDr- GottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: I have an unusual problem. When I got my last haircut two months ago, the stylist accidentally got dozens and dozens of fine hairs in my eyes. I have dry, sensitive eyes, and this certainly didn’t help. I have been to the emergency room and to my eye specialist, but neither can find anything wrong. I am in sheer agony every day and don’t know what else to do. I even bought an eye-rinse kit that didn’t provide any relief at all. I get about a dozen hairs from each eye every day, and some are still left. Can you please help me? DEAR READER: I am not sure how I can help if after examination, there does- n’t seem to be a problem. I am baffled as to how the physicians could not find a problem when you can clearly see the hairs. Because you do not say what type of eye specialist you saw, I suggest that you visit an ophthalmologist, who can use specialized equipment to view your eyes. If you have already done this, perhaps a second opinion from another is in order. In the meantime, avoid rubbing your eyes and use over-the-counter moisturiz- ing eyedrops or artificial tears. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com. Red Bluff Police urge on-line bike registration The Red Bluff Police Department would like to inform residents of an new way to register your family’s bicy- cles using a “Bicycle Registra- tion Form” on-line that can be accessed on the Red Bluff Police Department website. Just log onto www.rbpd.org and look for the Quick Index column on the left hand side of the Home Page. Click on Bicy- cle Registration Form, complete the on-line form and hit submit. It will automatically be for- warded to our Records Unit for processing. The Red Bluff Police Department annually places somewhere between 150-200 bicycles into storage. In most instances the owners of the bicycles can’t be identified and therefore the bicycle scan't be returned. The bikes are later sold through an on-line auction. Registering your bicycle with the police department will make it much easier to identify your bicycle in the event it is recovered by the police depart- ment. Please take the time to cheek out the police department's website and utilize this new ser- vice. Community Clip? e-mail: clerk@red- bluffdailynews.com or Fax: 527-9251 HOME SERVICES DIRECTORY 7900 Runs Every Monday - Wednesday - Friday $ $ with a 3 month commitment Blinds Need Blinds? C A L L P A U L Paul Stubbs Blinds & Draperies www.nsbd.biz Lic.#906022 Landscapes Lassen Landscapes JOHN P. KITCHEL B.S. 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