Monday, September 27, 2010

2nd Sleep Study

I arrived at The Sleep Source Thursday night promptly at 9pm for hopefully what was my last sleep study to be done. I was shown into my room for the night. It was just like the last one I had except turned around.

After I got ready for bed the technician gave me 3 different masks to play around with and see which one felt the most comfortable. After several tries at all three I finally settled on the one that we agreed seemed to fit my face well and was somewhat comfortable. Of course I was all wired up again. I took some pictures of myself on my cellphone but I am sparing you all when I tell you they are still ONLY on my phone! It is amazing where all the wires have to go in order for the readings to be correct.

I finally got to sleep after tossing and turning a bit. It took a little longer this time to get to sleep but once I did I was out. I woke up once and buzzed to go to the restroom. After that I didn't know anything until she woke me up at 5:08am the next morning. She went on to tell me what happened. She started the machine out on a 4 which is standard. She bumped it up to 7 for a while and at some time later on apparently I started exhibiting signs that I needed more air so she adjusted it to a 9. She told me that once she got it on 9 I slept pretty all night long.

Let me tell you something. Even though I didn't actually get enough sleep that night (since my appt. was later and it took a tad longer to get to sleep than last time) I felt the difference almost immediately. I showered before I left the facility and headed toward work. I felt fabulous! It was almost too good to believe. I thought there was a chance that I might feel a bit of a difference but I did not expect to feel this good!

I decided to treat myself to breakfast since I had over an hour before I needed to be at work. I found a nice breakfast place and enjoyed a really hardy breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, biscuit and gravy and diet Pepsi. I sat at one of those little booths where you can see the cook while he was preparing other orders. It was like he was choreographed. The relationship that he had with the waitress' was really remarkable. I sat there thinking to myself about how there are so many different way for a person to make their way in this world. I felt that this young man really was enjoying his job. I wondered if he was married and had a family or if his Mom and Dad were still alive. The joy in the way he performed his job was inspiring. At least to me. There aren't very many times that I see someone really enjoy themselves like he was doing. I will definitely be back to eat there again some early morning!

It takes about a week in order to receive the CPAP unit that I will claim as my own. The doctor will go over all of the tests and results to ensure all was done correctly and that this is the device best suited for my needs. So I don't have the unit yet but that didn't stop me from having a great weekend. I had such a burst of energy this weekend like I have not had in a loooooong time! I slept fairly well and ended up cleaning my bedroom from top to bottom. Cleaned more around the house, baked pies, cooked breakfast both mornings, made dinner Saturday and Sunday night and even prepared dinner for this evening's dinner. It only has to be put into the oven for 45 minutes and dinner is ready!

It felt so good to be productive. I can't tell you how long it has been since I have felt like doing much of anything on my days off from work. I feel that in my mind I know now that there is hope. There is help for this sleeping problem that I have but actually didn't even know I had. It explains so many things to me. I had wondered if I would ever feel like doing anything again. I had wondered if it was just my age creeping up on me. I had found myself falling into moods that were not flattering. I had taken out my frustrations on the ones I love the most. My family. I hope they were able to see that this weekend I felt so much better. I will be so glad to leave that old tired grumpy Trailboss behind. She has overstayed her welcome, that's for sure!

6 comments:

Karen said...

I'm so happy for you! This is a great post. You have captured exactly how I felt after getting a CPAP and finally getting a good night's rest. It's amazing, isn't it? What lack of sleep can do to a person, and you don't even know it's happening. I actually look forward to going to sleep now! knowing it will be a restful time.

Love your thoughts on watching the cook at the restaurant. The world is full of possibility.

Dan and Betty said...

Good for you. Sleep is really important.

Dan

Paint Girl said...

This is so wonderful!! I am so happy that you are feeling so good. It is amazing how much better you feel once you get a good nights sleep.

I struggle only because I am a night owl and usually stay up until 12:30 or so, but have to be up at 6:00 a.m. I tell myself that I need to go to bed earlier, but just never end up doing it. I end up with only 5-6 hours sleep, and I know my body needs 8-9 to feel really good.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

So glad you are getting proper rest , or you will be.There are a lot of people who suffer sleep apnea and go undiagnosed! Yay for you

Bill said...

That's good news. I think Americans in general underestimate the benefits of quality rest.

I enjoyed your observations on the short-order cook. So many people spend most of their hours doing work that they hate, and it shows in their attitude toward the world. Money isn't everything.

Syd said...

Glad that you are getting some sleep. Enjoy!