So, since I've been taking the dopamine for my periodic limb movement, Shel and I have both been sleeping much better, and Shel tells me that she no longer hears me stop breathing - ever. Still, the initial diagnosis was of both of periodic limb movement disorder and sleep apnea, so I last night I went in for a second sleep study and remembered to take my camera. Meet Melissa. She's works nights at the hospital's registration desk and reports that her husband snores a lot, but that they still haven't gotten a sleep study scheduled for him yet.
I had a different polysomnograph technician this time. I guess it was Matt's night off, so Mohammad, who works full-time at another sleep lab and fills in for Matt when he isn't there got me set up and monitored my sleep and also served as my photographic assistant for this entry.
While we talked about the pros and cons of polysomnography as a career, Mohammad plastered a bunch of wires and sensors on me to monitor breathing, oxygen saturation, limb movement and brain waves. To do this, he used an adhesive paste. I didn't think to ask what this paste was made of and Mohammad probably doesn't know, but I think that it's probably equal parts beeswax and sovereign glue. I had Shel cut my hair the other day, but the beard still had plenty of length to grab.
Then, the piece de resistance: the CPAP mask, which blows air down my gullet all night to keep the airway inflated and open. Let me tell you, if the pressure is high enough, it feels like having one's eyes shoved out of their head from behind.
Boy, what a miserable night's sleep I had! Every time I adjusted, I'd spring a leak in the mask and it would start blowing on my eye or on my lip. These leaks were significant enough that Mohammad thought that I had my mouth open and threatened to come in an put a chinstrap on me to keep my mouth closed. Wearing the CPAP mask on meant I was able to sleep on my back - something I normally avoid to minimize snoring, but unfortunately it also meant that I couldn't sleep in any other position. The jury's still out, and by all reports it takes quite a bit of getting used to to before a person feels comfortable wearing the mask, but I'm starting to think I might not be completely sold on CPAP. Obviously, if the apnea is still a problem, I'll adjust and use the thing, but from what Shel says, the apnea may have been primarily caused by the periodic limb movement. My mother-in-law is worried about me building a dopamine resistance as sometimes happens with Parkinson's patients, but for now, I'm just stoked to feel rested in the morning and making it through the day without a nap or a breakdown.
The gas gauge was on empty last night when I drove to
Woodland, so Ithought I'd fill up before I tried to get home. The petroleum fairies came in the night and added a little fuel, but I thought that it might be nice to have a full tank, literally and figuratively and stopped by AM/PM for hot chocolate and a donut. $45 later, I was back on my way.
I'll post some more pictures later, of the ongoing bathroom remodel and my lovable dogs now that I've purged my camera onto the computer.
In the meantime, sleep well.
