Friday, June 18, 2010

Surely, You're Joking

No, I'm not.  This is me wearing the torture contraption that I will be sleeping with every night after the next time I stay over at the sleep lab on July 7th.  Probably not a moment too soon because you can tell by the bags under my eyes that I didn't sleep well last night.



And this is what the thing looks like when it's not on my head.  This is the kind for people like me who are too claustrophobic to have the mask that covers the nose completely.


I have no clue how I'm going to sleep with this on me.  When I would open my mouth to speak while the air was pushing through, I would feel like I was suffocating.  When I exhaled through my nose, it was like breathing into a really thick bath towel.  It's not easy pushing air out your nose while some machine is forcing air into your nose.  I'm going to whine about this a lot.  I'll just warn you now.

On a brighter note, I''ve been assured that I will get used to it, and that my quality of life will improve immensely.  Yeah, right, I can't wait to see how that works out for me.  But I'm determined that it WILL work out.  I have no other choice.  Sleep apnea is nothing to mess around with, plus I'm so tired of being so tired.  I'll get the hang of this thing, one way or another.  I'm thinking Ambien.  Lots of Ambien.  And Cheetos!  :-)

4 comments:

  1. Sheri in Las Vegas (Judy's buddy)June 18, 2010 at 11:25 PM

    Hi Debby, My husband sleeps with a mask...the first one, he had trouble with, he was then issued another one, it's actually larger then the one you have, but it works for him. I noticed a difference within a week of him wearing the mask "most of the night," about 4 hrs. to start. He was much happier, though he didn't notice the difference as soon as I did. The partners are notice the difference with the moods, first. Good luck with yours.

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  2. My sister told me that this mask caused a bit of tension in her friend's marriage. The husband started wearing it and slept like a baby. However, his wife is still suffering from insomnia......I'm glad you're putting your will power behind this. Give yourself time to get used to it and breathing will become natural. Just don't look in the mirror once you put it on. LOL

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  3. Hi Sheri (Judy's BEST friend. She loved you like a sister. She told me so.). It's great to know someone that it's helped. I also work with someone who sleeps with a mask, so now that's 2 people I know who can do it. I'm sorry Dad and I didn't get to come out to NV and celebrate the birthdays and make ice cream with you all. Maybe next year! :-)

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  4. Love the pics of you and your new best friend! Yes, my dear friend, you will get used to it and you will get a great night's sleep from now on. Hey, the only person to see you in the mask is Ginger and I know she loves you no matter what. Be careful not to frighten the cats, wouldn't want to alienate them! I, too, know someone that the mask has helped tremendously. It may take time to adjust, but that said, just keep thinking that this will help your quality of life and it's worth it. Keep us posted as to how you and your "new friend" are adjusting.

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