December 6

From my brain

Jump to: navigation, search
St. Nicholas of Myrna
Enlarge
St. Nicholas of Myrna


Contents

2007

Me 19:43, 6 December 2007 (EST)

A chronology of the last 24 hours.

20:35, 05, December 2007 (EDT)
After wrestling through a decent photo session with the family to get Christmas photos done, we headed off to a Chinese buffet. OK, that's an insult to Chinese buffets as Mark Pi's Feast of the Dragon is just vile food. I remembered it before we went there, and told Wifey as much, but she didn't listen. Nasty, nasty food. I ate a bunch of crappy quasi-Chinese dishes (some not meatless as there was little to be found), and took off for my sleep test.
I found the hospital with easy, got to the valet parking area (was free with the test), they drove me over to the building where the test was at, and I called up for someone to open the door. The tech who came down was hawt. Like, "Wow, I hope during my sleep test I don't have happy-happy dreams," kind of hawt. Even, "I'm completely demeaning her training by finding her this attractive," kind of hawt. She also happened to have a warm, bubbly personality too (although a bit valley-girlish).
I originally was to be there at 8:30, but with the pictures and all (I had told them about that), I didn't get in until just after 9pm. She takes me up to the room, I drop off my stuff, she comes back with paperwork, and then says to put my bed clothes on (hawt; "Shall I put on something more comfortable? Sweat shorts and a t-shirt that says Groom on it from my wedding reception picnic? Ain't I sexay?").
When she comes back, she starts putting on all of the stuff for both an EEG and and EKG for the night. Additionally there are two probes attached to my manly-hairy legs, and the most ungodly of contraptions to check the rate of my nasal breathing. It was like a wire loop tripod where two prongs went up my nose for quarter inch and then the other hooked below my upper lip. To hold it in place there were to loops that went over my ears. (Damn I musta looked sexay.) She then asked I wanted to watch TV, and I said no...I want to sleep now.
21:40, 05, December 2007 (EDT)
Tonight's mantra:
  • Close your eyes and relax.
  • Open your eyes and stare at the ceiling; blink as you need to.
  • Look up and down rapidly without moving your head.
  • Look left and right rapidly without moving your head.
  • Look forward, and blink several times.
This would be all too familiar by this afternoon. However, I just followed instruction last night as I lay on my pillow, wires coming off my head, chest, and just below each knee, with a pulse monitor on my left middle finger, and this wire bit shoved up my nose.
"Now you can close your eyes and go to sleep. I'll wake you in the morning. Good night!"

"OK, it's time to wake up now. I'll be in there in just a minute"
I figure at this point she needs to do something or I pulled of a probe. I was only barely asleep. She then tells me that from what she's seen she wants to know if I can stay for the day to do some more tests. It will be a series of naps two hours apart. I say sure, as long as I can call in to work (and home) and let them know, I suppose.
"What time is it anyway?
06:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
"Oh good. I feel exactly the same as I do at home when I get more than six hours: still groggy, and like I was kick boxing last night." I sit up for awhile, filling out some post-test paperwork, and checking off what I'd like for breakfast and lunch. I'm slightly incoherent, but I circle and write somehow.
The Hawt Tech comes back in, takes of my nose thing, and unhooks the leg probes ("I'll let you take the adhesive pads off later. Most guys just wait for the shower."), but leaves my head wires on. I then pull out the chair, turn on the TV, and see how crappy morning television is.
07:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
Lisa, the day-tech introduces herself and tells me the routine. Breakfast will be up shortly, and then at 8, 10, 12, 2, and possibly 4, I'll lay down for a nap and they'll monitor me. Yay! A day full of naps! (It sounded good to start at least.)
07:30, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
A bagel that makes a Lender's bagel look like a bundt cake, a completely unseasoned lump of "egg cheese bake", and two containers of orange juice. It was edible at least. By the time I finished it, it was time for the first test.
08:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
Lisa asks how tired I am from 1 (wide awake, ready to go) to 6 (I'm falling asleep right now). I state I'm about 4 or 5ish. Kinda groggy. I lay down, and we repeat the mantra from last night.
"OK, time to wake up now. It will be very important for you to stay completely awake between all of these tests once I wake you." /yawn
08:35, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
"Do you think you slept?
Yes.
"How long do you think it took to fall asleep?
10 minutes or so
"Did you think you dreamed?"
Yeah, a little.
I pull myself together, and start my marathon of History Channel and Discovery Channel viewing. Took me back to the days in high school when I had migraine headaches. Man did I soak up a lot of useless knowledge back then!
10:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
I'm at a steady 4 right now. Repeat mantra.
(kinda loud) "I really need you to wake up!"
10:47, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
"Do you think you slept?
Yes.
"How long do you think it took to fall asleep?
10-15 minutes
"Did you think you dreamed?"
Kinda
Oh, this is seriously starting to suck. Disorienting as all hell.
11:30, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
Lunch arrives. Passable minestrone soup, decent bread stick, horrible mashed potatoes (filler for the small bowls of soup), and mediocre garden salad.
12:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
I'm 3-4 right now. Repeat mantra.
(again kinda loud) "Time to get up!"
12:45, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
"Do you think you slept?
Yes.
"How long do you think it took to fall asleep?
15-20 minutes
"Did you think you dreamed?"
No.
14:00, 06, December 2007 (EDT)
"OK, last one we think. We won't know until after the test if you'll need another one.
I'm 3ish right now. Repeat mantra.
I don't fall asleep, and the test is concluded. I can go home.

The only two bad points of it were that the goop they stick all the probes on with is horrible to remove (scrubbing with the washcloth) and the valet service sucked bringing my car back and I stood out in the cold. Otherwise, I've found out:

  • I don't have obstructive sleep apnea. They found this out at the night tests. That leads to the possibility (after reading it now) of central sleep apnea.
  • I don't need the second sleep test next week. That would include showing me how to use the machine. That would only be necessary for obstructive sleep apnea.
  • With that, they bump up my appointment. Don't have to wait until January now to talk to the doctor.
  • Seeing a hawt sleep clinic tech isn't enough to give my testosterone laden body happy-happy dreams (although I did have a quickie with the wife nearly as soon as I got home, and plan on more later tonight).

Back to the pit in the morning.

2005

Me 22:41, 06, December 2005 (EDT)

As Keanu would say: Whoa!

So you may have seen the Christmas House. The one choreographed to music for like 10 minutes?

Crazy thing: It's not a fake! Best yet, those Ohioans here can make the road trip to see it!

Dumbest thing: When Phantom and Ceraun were disputing it, we shoulda just went to Snopes who says it's the real deal too.

2004

Me 20:40, 06, December 2004 (EDT)

For Zejan: I really wanted to PS his face into there, but A) it would scare the HELL out of people, 2) no one on Fark would get it, and III) I couldn't find a pic of him.  :)

Avast! 'Tis a Fark PS Contest! Yarr!

Personal tools
blogonics