Waking up below zero
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 06:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniWow, a lot of opinions on yesterday's discussion question!
Speaking as someone who writes books that have been dinged as "too easy," "too hard," "cheesy," "guilty pleasures," "badly written," and "literary masterpieces" (often the same books), the only thing I can add is that every reader brings a different expectation to the table, and that no two reading experiences can be the same, because we all live alone inside our heads.
The qualification and certification processes are fascinating to observe, though.
FWIW, I was raised up by a band of feral newspaper reporters and advertising copywriters. Keeping it simple is one of the basic tenets of both forms. Good reporters must especially excel at being able to communicate sometimes very emotional, and very complex information clearly. So "easy read" in which "easy" stands in for "clear" and "accessible" is sorta the Grail.
Yesterday became All About Doctors. Not only did Steve have an appointment, but I got a lightning appointment with my doctor, too. Nope, not jealous, but. . .Steve reports that I sometimes stop breathing when I'm asleep, and then start up again, noisily. And I have for a couple years now woken up from time to time with a "recurring dream" that I'm not breathing, and start gasping for air. Which, yanno, I figured was Just Stress.
Turns out that it might be sleep apnea, and the gasping thing is my brain yelling, "Hey dummy; you're not breathing! Wake up!"
So -- a sleep test in my near future. I'm not worried about getting any of the answers wrong, because I intend to brush up with Mozart, who has a double-doctorate in the Art and also the Science of Sleep.
However! I think that some of you on the FL have had this test? What can I expect?
For today -- a couple hours at the day-job, then a drive to Bangor in the maybe-snow, for -- wait for it -- a doctor's appointment.
Speaking as someone who writes books that have been dinged as "too easy," "too hard," "cheesy," "guilty pleasures," "badly written," and "literary masterpieces" (often the same books), the only thing I can add is that every reader brings a different expectation to the table, and that no two reading experiences can be the same, because we all live alone inside our heads.
The qualification and certification processes are fascinating to observe, though.
FWIW, I was raised up by a band of feral newspaper reporters and advertising copywriters. Keeping it simple is one of the basic tenets of both forms. Good reporters must especially excel at being able to communicate sometimes very emotional, and very complex information clearly. So "easy read" in which "easy" stands in for "clear" and "accessible" is sorta the Grail.
Yesterday became All About Doctors. Not only did Steve have an appointment, but I got a lightning appointment with my doctor, too. Nope, not jealous, but. . .Steve reports that I sometimes stop breathing when I'm asleep, and then start up again, noisily. And I have for a couple years now woken up from time to time with a "recurring dream" that I'm not breathing, and start gasping for air. Which, yanno, I figured was Just Stress.
Turns out that it might be sleep apnea, and the gasping thing is my brain yelling, "Hey dummy; you're not breathing! Wake up!"
So -- a sleep test in my near future. I'm not worried about getting any of the answers wrong, because I intend to brush up with Mozart, who has a double-doctorate in the Art and also the Science of Sleep.
However! I think that some of you on the FL have had this test? What can I expect?
For today -- a couple hours at the day-job, then a drive to Bangor in the maybe-snow, for -- wait for it -- a doctor's appointment.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 04:58 am (UTC)I was tested one year ago, with the initial diagnostic test done in December, and a follow up with the mask in January. The first test was done at the hospital sleep lab (University of Michigan Hospital), and involved having dozens of electrodes attached to me (chest, back, legs, face, lots glued to my scalp with sticky red goo, etc.). These all attached to a box on a strap, which in turn plugged into a cable.
After the electrodes were attached (which took longer than you'd think) they did let me read for a while before going to sleep, since that's what I normally do, then they hooked everything up, and told me to at least try to sleep on my back (I'm normally a side sleeper), and if I wanted to switch to my side halfway through I could.
It was one of the worst nights sleep I've ever had. Had trouble going to sleep, what with all the wires, the tubes in my nose, the fact that the guy had taped together a bunch of the wires and caught some of my hair in the tape, etc. And every time I woke up and had to use the bathroom, I had to ask someone to come unhook the O2 and unplug the box from the cable so I could carry it with me.
Apparently while on my back I stopped breathing 107 times an hour--severe obstructive sleep apnea. And I only got about 3 hours sleep total, and felt worse in the morning than I did when I went to bed.
I had to go straight to work afterward (bad idea, even if the building where I work is connected to the hospital), and had to use their medicinal shampoo and no conditioner to wash the goop out of my hair. I'll second the recommendation to bring your own!
The second test was at a satellite lab closer to my house, and the woman there managed to put the electrodes on in a way that was less uncomfortable. I mentioned that I have allergies and can't always breathe well through my nose, and she recommended I still try a nasal mask first, since it's apparently easier to convince the insurance folks to buy you a full face mask when you already have a nasal one than vice-versa.
Again I read for a while, and then got plugged in and went to sleep. And had the best night's sleep I'd had in at least 2 years, despite all the odd paraphernalia.
My CPAP has made a HUGE difference in my quality of life. I no longer have to struggle to get out of bed to get to work, I don't have to fight to stay awake in meetings (any more than anyone else), my energy level is far higher, and I don't have to get up in the night to use the bathroom anymore. I did end up getting a nasal mask, which I use most of the time, and (as my first replacement) a full face mask to use when I have a cold or my allergies are bad.
So in summary:
Bring your own shampoo and anything you need for your normal bedtime routine (though I doubt cats are allowed).
If you bring your own pillow as recommended above, I'd consider using one of their pillowcases on it, unless you want to get goo from the scalp electrodes on yours.
Don't plan to get much sleep, or to go to work the next day, if you can help it.