Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:56:00
More CPAP/BiPAP/apnea stuff
Well that was fun. My nasal mask isn’t working, so the respiratory therapist pulled some strings and got me a “CPAP clinic appointment” on super-short notice - as soon as everyone sees my sleep test, they start pulling strings to get me taken care of ASAP. This must be even more severe than they are letting on, and they are actually telling me it’s pretty severe. Anyway...everyone hopped to and got me an appointment.
For 8:15 this morning. What an ungodly hour of the day, what with that burning ball of evil in the sky and the pleasant breezes and so forth. Who makes appointments for 8:15 in the a of m?? Why can’t we be civilized and meet at say, 2 PM! ;)
Anyway, a whole circus of various masks and pressures later, and I’m going to be ditching the nasal mask for a full-on MIG fighter pilot mask, and an increase in the top end of my pressure. It should lengthen the time I get to exhale, which coupled with the new mask should end the amazingly painful bloating/belching/bloating cycle that comes from swallowing air.
Direct quote from the doctor “Well, you probably need a full face mask because of these high pressure levels. I’ll be honest, I’ve only ever seen one or two others with levels like this in my entire career.”
Great. I’m a CPAP freak. Now I’m waiting for word that the “prescription” has been faxed to the equipment company so I can drive my happy ass an hour up there to pick it up and get the machine re-programmed...I’m not spending another damn night like last night. I think I slept for 11 minutes. What I wouldn’t give for a flying car; there is no worse highway to drive in this state than 84 around frigging Waterbury from noon until 7, unless it’s 91 over the Q...excuse me, the “Pearl Harbor Memorial” Bridge at, well, almost any time of day. I could walk faster. Well, someone else could walk faster, anyway. I’d be lucky to make it from the bridge to the end of the bridge
Another thing I’ve learned this morning; a ten percent weight loss results in 10 to 30 percent improvement in breathing function. I can sweat out a ten percent loss, so that’s my next goal - get on my physiatrist for not submitting my damn name for damn physical therapy so I can start losing some damn weight. That coupled with the mask therapy should kick my metabolism up quite a few notches and start the process of erasing the small medium-sized man I carry around strapped around my middle. I’m starting to look like Big Momma for fuck’s sake.
Posted by JimK at 09:56 AM on March 28, 2007
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#2 Posted by Noblebrown 
on 03/29 at 05:04 AM -
I may also have some diet tips and fantastic recipies that coincide if you’re interested, Jim.
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#1 Posted by Capmeister
on 03/28 at 05:47 PM -
Dude, I’ve lost 22 lbs in 42 days. If you need to lose weight, let me know and we’ll talk. I’ll even give you a call if you want (once I get my voice back--if you read SnarkBait today you’d see my cough raped me of my voice). I only wish I’d known years ago how easy losing weight can be. No silly pills or diet plans--doing it all myself and eating enough so I don’t feel like I’m dieting usually.