March 21, 2000 ~ Dr. Schilling (the Otolaryngologist) did a Fiberoptic Laryngoscope (all these big words! LOL) and said I most definitely have Obstructed Sleep Apnea. But I need to do the study for documentation and to calibrate the CPAP. My insurance covers the test and the device. The Sleep Center called and the earliest date is April 21-22. The Dr. has ordered a 2-day study. Now we wait. In the meantime we are already trying the post op diet and the chewing practice. It'll take awhile for me to get used to eating such tiny bites. Drs. S & P recommend cutting your food to about the size of a pencil eraser and chewing very slowly, your meal should take 20 minutes to eat, if no you are eating too fast or too much. Of course we don't eat the post op portions, but we are making big changes in our everyday eating. I am slowly giving up my Pepsi and changing to water and Crystal Light. Big Change!! My ultimate weight goal is 120 lbs. That will take a lot of work on my part but I am ready. I am going to make this work, but I have to do it right, so this study is just one small step to that goal.
April 12, 2000 ~ Staple Mates meeting. Again WOW! I car pooled with the two ladies from my side of town and we had a lot of fun. We meet new people and saw a lot of success stories. We even got to see the results of one member that had a tummy tuck and breast job. She is now a tiny size 2-4! It was great to see the doctors interacting with all the people, pre and post-op. I feel so comfortable with them.
April 21, 2000 ~ The Sleep Study Night 1~ I arrived on time (8:30 PM) and ready to sleep. I had been told to have no caffeine after 2 PM and since I get up for work at 4:30 AM everyday, I was ready for bed. I took my pj's, my own pillow and blanket and a bottle of water. I also took a book just in case, (good thing, one tech, three patients). I was weighted (I've lost 12 lbs!), blood pressure taken, (a little high, but I was nervous) and the study was explained. Now for the wires! Most of the wires have small round metal disk at one ends with sticky pads on them, the other end is like a plug. They were stuck all over my head and face. The three on my head were stuck on with a putty (a big gob of putty), two on the each side of the crown and one on the lower back of the skull. These measured brainwaves. A large butterfly shaped senor (thin, soft plastic film) was taped under my nose, this was to measure the amount of airflow in and out of my nose and mouth. Wires were stuck on the front and bottom of my chin to measure the vibration from snoring. A was wire stuck by the outside of each eye, (very close, torn off a couple of lower eyelashes, ouch!) these measure the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, this is the deepest stage of sleep. Two more wires were connected to my forehead, (sorry, don't remember what these were for.) The worst two wires were the thick ones placed behind my ears, these crosscheck the brainwaves. A large round sensor was stuck to my calf to measure leg movement (kicked it off 3 times). Three EKG sensors were used, two placed on my chest and one on the left side. Two belts were tightened around me, on just under my breast and one around my stomach. These monitored respiration. A small pad with a tiny red light was taped to my finger, this monitored the oxygen in my blood.
All of the wires were plugged into a little box and hung on the side of the bed. Now the hard part, finding a comfortable position to sleep. I tossed and turned for about an hour before falling asleep. I woke up 6 or 7 times during the night. I didn't get much restful sleep and I my head hurt from caffeine withdrawal and the sensors behind my ears made them hurt so bad. The tech came in about 5 AM and said I was done and began unhooking me. YEAH! The tech did say that I had several episodes of apnea during the night, but I will have to discuss that with Dr. Schilling on May 18th when I go back to see him. I was home, showered and in my own bed by 6:00 AM. I slept till almost noon, my ears still hurt.
April 22, 2000 ~ The Sleep Study Night 2~ I arrived on time and ready to sleep. Again no caffeine since 2 PM. I was hooked up with all the same wires and sensors except for the butterfly shaped one under my nose. This time they placed a small mask over my nose. This mask has a long hose connected to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device. The mask fits tightly to you face and is strapped around your head. I was not ready for what happened next. They turned the CPAP on and all I can say is OMG! It's like driving down the freeway at 80 miles an hour and sticking your head out the window. What on earth do dogs see in this? For one thing the air was very cold, I was holding on to the bed rails waiting for my head to blow off. Then the tech says "Oh, sorry, that's a little high for you." Thank God! They turned it down and helped me adjust to breathing this way. I was almost hyperventilating, trying to breath all the air in that came in the mask. The techs explained, just breath normally and let the device do its work. Then they said the funniest things, "OK, go to sleep and we'll see you in the morning". LOL Yeah, right! I tried to relax. Of course they didn't say anything about not opening your mouth. When you open your mouth the air pressure comes out of your mouth and chokes you. You must keep your mouth closed. I woke several time in a panic, choking and and trying to scream, of course when you open your mouth all the air comes rushing out. The tech refit me with a smaller mask, if you have to have this done make sure the mask fits your nose only, not touching you eyes in any way. My first my mask pushed against the lower eye socket, putting pressure on my eyeball. The second mask did not, it fit just the nose. I did not sleep well at all. The straps for the mask pushed my (already sore) ears back down onto the thick sensor that was pushing my ears out. Does that make sense? I'm writing this on April 26th and my ears are still sore. Finally the techs came and unplugged me and I was home, showered and and in my own bed by 5:30 AM. I slept till almost noon.
March 8, 2000 ~ I attended my first Staple Mate meeting. WOW! The Cen-Tex group met at the Alamo Cafe and it was great to finally put faces with the names. I meet two great ladies that live right in my own section of town that are pre-op also. After listening to the doctors talk about the procedure and answering questions from people, I felt so relieved. I had no doubts about this at all. The Doctors are so positive and so encouraging, they truly want their patients to be as educated about this as they possibably can. Some one asked about what kind of tests should we have done before we see them for the first time. They said the usual, pap smear and sleep study if necessary, bu that they would take care of the rest. Well, that got me thinking, I had read so many site about the problems with sleep apnea and knew that I had a lot of the symptoms. I called the next day and made another appointment with my PCP. Next is the first consultation with Dr. Selinkoff on May 10th. That's only 2 week away! I can't wait.
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