The results of my sleep test ...
... of a few weeks ago finally came in - I definitely suffer from sleep apnea. That is almost certainly the reason I have trouble staying awake when I am driving. So - one more trip to the sleep lab to see if I can sleep. This time with the C-PAP as they call it. It consists of a small vacuum cleaner on exhaust attached to various types of clear plastic masks to force enough air down your throat to keep the soft tissues from collapsing while you sleep.
Nurse Cindy was there at the door to greet me when I arrived about 9:30 pm. Got me set up with the first of the sleep masks she wanted me to try. It only covered my nose.
I didn't like it. It felt like the Alien stage that attaches itself to your face. But after about a half hour I fell asleep. A bit later Nurse Cindy woke me up and told me my mouth was falling open, which destroys the effect of the C-PAP. She attached an elastic band around my head to keep my mouth shut. Now I felt like both the Alien and the Mummy. Not very comfortable.
She woke me up a bit after that and said let's try another one - this one covered my nose and mouth both. It felt better than the first one, though I felt a bit like Jacque Cousteau on an aqua lung. After a bit the piece across the bridge of my nose begin to cut in a bit too much. Didn't like it much, but it was an improvement from number 1. And I did fall asleep with it on.
A bit later she woke me up a third time to try yet another one. This one simply stuck up my nostrils with a rigid plastic bar built in to keep my jaw up. It was the least obnoxious of the three, though when she took it out after the test my nostrils hurt. Still, she said that was the one I did the best with as far as sleeping went, and that I would get used to it. Easy for her to say.
By then it was 5:30 am so I packed up and left. Went to the Huddle House for a good old fashioned high cholesterol greasy breakfast of pork chops and eggs. Then out to the Boone Greenway was a long walk, and then over to my office at school.
It was about 9:30 and I needed a nap.
... of a few weeks ago finally came in - I definitely suffer from sleep apnea. That is almost certainly the reason I have trouble staying awake when I am driving. So - one more trip to the sleep lab to see if I can sleep. This time with the C-PAP as they call it. It consists of a small vacuum cleaner on exhaust attached to various types of clear plastic masks to force enough air down your throat to keep the soft tissues from collapsing while you sleep.
Nurse Cindy was there at the door to greet me when I arrived about 9:30 pm. Got me set up with the first of the sleep masks she wanted me to try. It only covered my nose.
I didn't like it. It felt like the Alien stage that attaches itself to your face. But after about a half hour I fell asleep. A bit later Nurse Cindy woke me up and told me my mouth was falling open, which destroys the effect of the C-PAP. She attached an elastic band around my head to keep my mouth shut. Now I felt like both the Alien and the Mummy. Not very comfortable.
She woke me up a bit after that and said let's try another one - this one covered my nose and mouth both. It felt better than the first one, though I felt a bit like Jacque Cousteau on an aqua lung. After a bit the piece across the bridge of my nose begin to cut in a bit too much. Didn't like it much, but it was an improvement from number 1. And I did fall asleep with it on.
A bit later she woke me up a third time to try yet another one. This one simply stuck up my nostrils with a rigid plastic bar built in to keep my jaw up. It was the least obnoxious of the three, though when she took it out after the test my nostrils hurt. Still, she said that was the one I did the best with as far as sleeping went, and that I would get used to it. Easy for her to say.
By then it was 5:30 am so I packed up and left. Went to the Huddle House for a good old fashioned high cholesterol greasy breakfast of pork chops and eggs. Then out to the Boone Greenway was a long walk, and then over to my office at school.
It was about 9:30 and I needed a nap.
Labels: apnea, Greenway, medical stuff, problems
posted by Clemens | 9:37 PM
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