Saturday, February 18, 2017

One of the grandkids

I'm back in MT, trying a new treatment (tx) for what seems to be the cure-all be-all of my diagnosis so far: OSA. For the uninitiated, that's Obstructive Sleep Apnea. One stops breathing for some, perhaps many periods during the night, sometimes short periods. in my case up to 67 seconds. No wonder the rest of the body get's pissed, right? The heart is going...."Um, man, had no oxyhemoglobin here in a bit, what's up", the kidneys are transmitting..."Ok, no need to take a leak anymore, right?"

So as of last night I'm on CPAP.....Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.....the theory is as follows:


So I have this device, looks like this:


Fits on with a mask that covers nasal and oral passages, is hard to get used to, but I have little choice. It's 9:30pm, going to bed. Last night I got about 3-4 hours sleep with the device. The mask and accouterments take some getting used to.

In the mean time, I give you Fiona, sledding on a drawer of the RV. 


"So, Grandpa, where's the fun in this?" 


19 comments:

  1. Maybe Fiona would have fun seeing Grandpa tackling that hill-but this is by no means an encouragement to do that. Don't want that on my conscience.
    We have several friends who are CPAP users and to a person they swear by how they have improved their health and well being. Good luck during your orientation flights.

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    1. i have hopes for the same results, Tom. Thanks for the encouragement.
      Cheers,
      Mike

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  2. Those sleep apnea machines have come a long way. I have a friend who has been told he must use one. I guess when being long lived is at stake, you can get used to anything.

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  3. Glad you're back. Home is best.
    These machines used to be as big as a small dresser. Saving lives is so much easier, these days.

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  4. Good luck with it Mike. It takes some getting used to I would think.

    XO
    WWW

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  5. Mine is much bigger and clunkier than yours and it took some getting used to but I have slept through the night with it for years now. I also use an oxygen machine that taps right into the hose. SWMBO also has a bipap machine but the mask bothers her and she usually takes it off after a few hours.

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    1. You've raised a issue I'm wondering about, Bruce. O2 sats.....I'm around 88-90% at a non sleep, resting stage. A bit lower than it should be. No reason for it, my smoking history is around 11 years, nothing to cause a diffusion issue.
      I may be doing a similar thing....are you using a small tank, large tank. or accumulator getting it out of ambient air? The latter are, or used to be, noisy.

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    2. It's a pretty good size tank, probably about 2-1/2 feet tall. I keep it in the closet with the door closed. The hose runs under the door. I barely hear it when it's on.

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  6. It certainly looks like a pretty straightforward device to use and, considering the alternative, one very much worth getting used to. I hope it brings you long and restful sleeps, Mike. There's a granddaughter who will continue to need your love and guidance for a long time to come.

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    1. The appearance of the device (small) and it's lack of noise turns out to have little to do with getting used to it, i.e. success. It all has to do with can you keep the mask on all night. And that has to do with, relative, comfort of the mask.
      So far, seem on the right track. Time will tell.
      Nice to hear from you, all the best,
      Mike

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  7. In addition to improving your health, imagine how good it is going to feel to get a really good night's sleep. Every night!

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  8. Wait - it took them that long to diagnosis apnea? Seems like fully a third of my patients are on a C-PAP. At any rate, I sure hope it helps!

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