You guys are lucky. Sometimes, I wait so long to post about something, I get bored and impatient with it. It becomes a lot more succinct when that happens. You are welcome.
Part of the aforementioned patience was taken up by trying to remember how to spell “succinct” just now. I want to be a WRITER, not a SPELLER.
With that in mind. Sleep Apnea. I gots it. I’ve had a couple of tests done, at home, things on my finger that measure my blood/oxygen level and therefore, somehow, the number of times my sleep is interrupted. By lack of oxygen, I suppose.
For the past 6 weeks I have been trying out a CPAP machine. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. I’ve been using one like this with this mask. It blows I think the whole thing was kind of bass ackwards. First I saw a technican. A month after I started with the CPAP, I finally saw a medical sleep doctor and he had me fill out a pre-registration for an overnight sleep study in the hospital that won’t happen for another 3 to 4 months probably. Oh Canada. So I guess the ass bacwardness is good, since I’m already on the treatment.
They told me that there are three types of treatment
- special mouth guard – good for mild to moderate cases. I believe I fall into the “upper moderate” category.
- surgery – ouch. not always effective.
- CPAP – “100% Effective! It’s great! Buy one now! Do you have extended insurance coverage?”
Although, on the Sleep Apnea wikipedia page, they list “Learning to play the didgeridoo,” as an alternative treatment. No one mentioned that to me!
It’s annoying. It’s hard to get used to. If I can’t breath through my nose, due to allergies, I can’t use it at all. But… I’m no longer snoring. Wil gets a better nights sleep because of it. I seem to wake up faster when I use it. I don’t wake up with headaches. I have less daily fatigue.* And my blood pressure is way down. So that’s good.
Ultimately, I hope it helps the weight gain and depression as well. I’ll have to let you know.
It was all I could do not to just bullet point that entire post. Sleep well. Don’t forget to breath.
*due to a diagnosis of very low iron levels in my blood, I am still experiencing daily fatigue. But that should be better in a couple of weeks, since I am taking PILLS OF MIGHTY IRON!