Self-Doubt, the Deceiver and Crippler Within

I'm not always sure how I come across or how I appear to others. But on the inside, I am a bundle of insecurities and fears. I wrestle with these demons every day, with more or less success.

Self-doubt is a frequent flyer through the passages of my mind. I don't think it's paranoia. I don't suspect people of dark designs or think I deserve things I'm not getting. The terrorist lives inside me. She is an implacable, sometimes cruel, autocrat that never allows me to feel satisfaction for doing a good thing. That's expected. But she's all over me if I foul up. She can get me so twisted around that I can't judge a mountain from a molehill.
Do You Know What I Mean? Does That Make Sense?

FDA Says Pregnant Women Should Not Use Opioid Painkillers

Now for your daily dose of no-duh news. Opioid painkillers are bad for babies, says the FDA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it's upping labeling on opioid analgesics to warn pregnant women about dangers to fetuses.

Moms who take opioids, like Vicodin, Dilaudid, OxyContin, or wear pain patches with drugs like Fentanyl or Duragesic, deliver these drug to their unborn babies in utero. Chronic maternal use during pregnancy can cause NOWS--neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Aka, drug-addicted babies.  FDA Says Pregnant Women Should Not Use Opioids--Obviously

Misconceptions about Sleep Apnea: Being Fat Causes OSA

In 2010, at 46, I was diagnosed with OSA--Obstructive Sleep Apnea. In OSA the nasal passages collapse during sleep, causing the apneac to choke and gasp for breath. Sometimes, like in my case, this happens hundreds (even thousands) of times a night. Because I was 100 pounds overweight, people have assumed I had sleep apnea because I was obese. That's a dangerous, potentially lethal misconception that only fat people get sleep apnea. From my own experience several factors disprove that. First, I lost 83 pounds and my apnea is just as bad, maybe worse. Here are other reasons. Misconceptions about Sleep Apnea: Being Fat Causes OSA