What A Great Fall Day!!!

I'm lovin' it!!!  It's cool enough to have to use a blanket at night and chilly enough in the morning to really enjoy my hot coffee.  It's windy and the leaves are whirling and twirling about. 
I've invited my children and their families over for dinner today so this morning I plan to work on some crafts and then will have to put everything away ( that means put everything on my bed until they leave and I can put them back out on the dining room table) so we will have a place to eat!  That's been one of Tom's biggest complaints, that the house looks so cluttered with all my crafts spread out between the dining room, our bedroom and the computer room. 
Our youngest daughter still lives at home but is planning to move out in November to live with her boyfriend.  They have been  looking at apartments.  I plan to change her room into a sewing/craft room before Tom tries to move any of his jukeboxes or soda machines in there!!!  He has the entire basement and garage....he CANNOT have her bedroom too!!!!  I have staked my claim and Mrs. Hyde will help me protect it.  She still has that cow prod Thomas.
I've already purchased a long banquet table to use as my craft table and to set my sewing machine on.  I've been searching Craigslist and the PennySaver for wooden shelves and book cases to use for storing craft supplies.  I've also been perusing websites looking for the 'perfect' window treatment.  I would love to use a tobacco cloth panel, but I would need 4 and they are quite expensive, so I'll have to settle for some homespun valances or panels.  The very first thing I want to do, is repaint.  My daughter wanted pink walls and they are soooo ugly, LOL.  She had started to stencil a rose border along the top of the walls a few years ago and never finished it, 3/4 of one wall is done and 3/8 of another wall is done.  I'm going to choose my curtains first and then I'll choose the paint color.

 My 2 year old grandaughter has pink eye again.  She had it last week and it cleared up right away with the prescribed eye drops.  Mom's going to take her back to her pediatrician this morning.  Poor baby woke up at 7:30 crying "I can't see...I can't see" but wouldn't let me wipe her eyes with a warm wash cloth.  She fell back to sleep. 

 I'm still having those 'spastic' throbs on my right side below the ribcage.  I'm not in any pain but they are annoying the crap out of me.  I'm due to see my Dr. soon so will be sure to bring that up.  Someone told me they thought it might be 'gas'.  If that's true....I could blow up my entire street with the gas that's building up in me.  It doesn't feel like gas.  It feels like my intestines are having a free for all or doing the boogie.

It's All Good

My 9 year old grandaughter started her first day of 4th grade yesterday.  She spent the night Wed. night and had a hard time falling asleep because she was too excited.  I'm sure it was well after 11:30 before she finally fell into a deep sleep.  I thought I was going to have a hard time waking her up at 8 am but she was up at 6:30 with her 'Poppy'.  He told her it was too early for school and to lie down with Gramma.  She came into our room and climbed into Poppy's side but kept tossing and turning and I believe trying to 'wake me up'.  I ignored it all for about 15 minutes and then gave up.  I told her to go on and get dressed.  She didn't want breakfast, too excited to eat but I managed to get her to eat half of a half of a toasted bagel with peanut butter and a glass of milk.  School opens it's doors at 8:30 and provides free breakfast for the students but since Jordyn wanted to eat at my house the first day we planned on leaving at 8:50 as school is only a 3 minute drive away.  Jordyn moved the time up to 8:40 and then at 8:25 she couldn't wait any longer and we left for school.  I was hoping that once she saw her friends in the cafeteria she would change her mind and eat a little more breakfast.
This morning, she was hoping to walk to school with a couple of her friends who live down the street from me and eat breakfast with them at school.  She was waiting on the front porch for them at 8:15 and when they hadn't walked past by 8:25 I woke up the other two grandkids and with pajamas still on loaded them in the car.  Jordyn spied her friends being driven to school today, lol so I don't think we will rely on her walking to school every day.  Jonah starts kindergarten next Thursday and he's getting anxious now too.  Now next week, I won't be driving them to school, as they will be walking together.  Mom and I just weren't comfortable with Jordyn walking alone.
Our friend John called last night to talk about our planned cruise in May of next year.  Tom and I have been going to Atlantic City with John and his wife Teddi in February for the past 5 years.  John worked with Tom for over 20 years and is now retired.  Tom's turn will be coming up very soon.  Originally we were planning on a 4 day cruise to Bermuda but John found a better deal for us all and it's a 6 day cruise.  Sounds good to me!!  Tom and I have never been on a cruise before, so I'm very excited.  John and Teddi have been on several.
We are all going to get together on Sunday for dinner and go over the brochure.
Now that the weather is cooling off I'm going to start back up at Curves.  I stopped going there for awhile only because I was so HOT and had absolutely no energy to exercise my hiney off and sweat some more only to sweat even MORE when I got outside and back home.  Just couldn't do it.  It's one thing to sweat while exercising and then go outside and have some nice cool air cool me down, but it's another to sweat like a roasted pig and jump from the spit into an oven.  Doesn't work for me.
I am LOVING this cooler weather - I have more energy and am actually looking forward to going outdoors now.
I stayed cooped up in the house most of the summer with the ceiling fans going all day long.  Normally I would spent 3/4 of that time in the pool but we had so much trouble with algae this year we closed it early.
The grandkids are already asking for lunch ( it's only 10:45 ) so I'll have another cuppa coffee and see what's in the fridge.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

It's Been Awhile

Have been very busy. Leading up to our 2 week family vacation to the seashore in Wildwood NJ 3 weeks ago, I was busy working on craft orders.

While on vacation, I had every intention of going to the Curves in the area, made sure I had a traveling pass but I never used it. The nearest Curves was 20 miles away and I don't know what it is about being at the seashore, but it sure makes you hungry!! I ate what I wanted, but in moderation and we did walk quite a bit, whether it was on the beach, on the boardwalk or around town. The weather was wonderful, the ocean was cool but felt so good on those hot hot afternoons and we had a great time. We all got nice tans and for once I didn't get sun poisoning as I usually do. That 50 spf is wonderful!! You tan without the burn.
Our middle daughter Carey wasn't able to go for the 2 weeks, but she did fly into Philadelphia on Thursday July 2nd. Tom and I drove to Philly ( which is normally a 1 1/2 hour drive from Wildwood)leaving our motel at 7:30 pm and it took us two hours. Traffic was beginning to back up for the July 4th holiday. Carey's plane got in at 9:40, was on time and we headed back to Wildwood. It was the trip from HELL. It took us 4 hours to get back, not arriving until 1:45 am. We were exhausted.

Grandson Jonah (6) had a misshap on his scooter a few days before that and had to be taken to the ER. He flipped over his scooter when he tried to go around a bed, hitting some railroad ties and he landed mouth first on the pavement, knocking out one of his front baby teeth and loosening the other. One of his permanent bottom teeth was also loosened. He had a cut in his mouth so was cleaned up and given antibiotics.
When we got home, his mom took him to the dentist to make sure that permanent tooth was going to be OK. She was told that it 'should' root back but depending on how much damage was done to the nerves, the tooth could discolor.

We got home last Sunday and since then I've also been busy working on more craft orders and modifying blogs for customers, catching up on laundry and housework. I put off going to Curves this week because I've just been so busy but will get back into the routine again on Monday.

Day 7 at Curves

Daughter Deana and I went to Curves early this morning since it's so nice out. She will be working out in the yard this morning and then taking the kids to their softball practices this afternoon. I'll be doing housework. Yuck. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Today was Deana's time to get measured and weighed and she lost 5 more pounds and several more inches!! I am so proud of her and she's looking wonderful. She gives me inspiration. I have 19 more days to go before my weigh in. I think I'm doing pretty good watching my portions and spacing out my food during the day. I noticed that the capris I bought to take to Chicago last month are feeling a bit looser in the waist.

I have a feeling Mrs. Hyde took an extended vacation. She's not been around for quite a while now, the least she could have done was left me a note. After all, I named this blog after her since she was such a big part of my life. Now she's left me high and dry ( pun intended as I've not had hot flashes for a long time now).

Everything else is going well. Carey is now in her 13th week of pregnancy. She is starting to show already - such a cute baby bump!! She is going to go out shopping for maternity clothes today.

Have a great weekend!!

It's Been A Week

Well, I joined Curves on April 7th. I'm wanting to get there everyday that they are open ( they are closed Sundays) and up until yesterday I did go every day. My middle daughter and son-in-law came over for dinner so I didn't want to push them out the door before Curves closed, lol. I was unable to get there in the morning but it worked out today. Going to Bunko tonight so wanted to get that workout in since I missed a day. They leave me feeling energized. I need that. I've cut back on my portions and am eating 6 small meals a day. I won't be getting measured and weighed until May 7th, so will be anxious to see how I'm doing.

It's been about 4 months or so since I've been using the CPAP machine. Once in a while I'm able to keep the mask on for a full night, but the average time is 4 hours. I wish they could come up with something more comfortable and less cumbersome. I'm supposed to be feeling more refreshed and have more energy, but that isn't happening. I still find I am nodding off in the middle of the afternoon or early in the evening.

My incision has healed up beautifully. For a while there I felt like Frankenstein, but it looks pretty good, for a scar.

I've had this nasty rash on my left leg since mid February. I thought it was hives and my sister-in-law thought it was cullulitis. It was neither but my Dr. isn't sure what it is exactly. It started off on the lower region of my leg, above the ankle and towards the center. The itching was unbearable. Dr. gave me scripts for an anti-itching pill and a steroid ointment, not to exceed 14 days. Well, the original area looks great now, except for a couple scars from scratching so heavily, but the rash began to spread behind my leg and around to the other side. And now it has appeared on my right leg. I have an appt. with a dermotologist on the 28th.

My middle daughter is 13 weeks pregnant with her first baby and we are all so excited for her. She'd been trying for over 3 years. We are already planning her baby shower for the end of summer.

Joining Curves

I've been wanting to join Curves after seeing the wonderful results my eldest daughter has made in the 2 months that she's been a member. She's lost a little over 20 lbs and 8 inches on her last weigh in and measurement a few weeks ago. Besides Curves, she is also doing Weight Watchers and she gets a lot of walking in on her job. I was hesitant about Curves because of my Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, so double checked with my cardiologist and he gave me the go ahead!

I've had this nasty rash on my leg for 2 months that I thought was hives. My sister-in-law thought it looked like cellulitis so I did go see my doctor a week and a half ago. She said it was definitely not hives nor cellulitis but didn't know what it was. She gave me scripts for a steroid ointment and anti-itch pill. The ointment seems to have worked so far as clearing up the area I had......but now the rash has spread to the other side of my leg and upwards to to the calf area. It's driving me crazy and is so unsightly. I'm going to call a dermotologist this afternoon to see if I can get in this week.

Tom and I just returned this Sunday from a week 'road tripping'. We had a great time and when I got home I had several craft orders waiting for me so I've been busy the past two days working on those.

We got some snow flurries overnight and this morning. The tops of our bushes and cars were covered but it's not laying so that's a good sign.

We noticed as we were coming home from our trip from Illinois and riding the turnpike through Indiana and Ohio that the closer we got to Pittsburgh the greener it was. I think we are all wintered out and looking forward to some nice warm weather. Notice that I didn't say 'hot' weather. Or 'humid'. Once summer gets here I'll be looking forward to some nice winter weather I'm sure. That's the fickle menopausal monster in me.

Still Waiting

I'm still waiting to hear when my genetic testing will be done. My cardiologist was supposed to be contacted on Thursday, but I've heard no word yet. I think I'll call his office today.

I've been able to leave my CPAP mask on for 5-6 hours a night now. I still don't feel much different though, still don't have much energy and feel like I'm still not getting a good night's rest. Everyone else who uses one claims they feel great and notices a big difference.

I've been busy filling some craft orders the past few days. It's funny how I get really busy for a short period and then nothing.

I can't say that I've had any 'hot flashes' but I'm still more comfortable keeping the thermostat at 60 degrees. Of course I do turn it up when I have my 2 year old granddaughter here, I don't want her turning into a popsicle.
Last night though I will admit I was freezing. I even had the temp up to 70, and we have 2 nice cozy quilts on our bed. I knew if I slipped on a pair of socks I'd warm up really fast, but I was too cold to jump out of bed to get them.

I think Mrs. Hyde has gone away. I don't know if it's temporary or permanent. Maybe she's just hibernating.

Traffic Court

Back in late Sept. I received a traffic citation for 'rolling' through a stop sign in our neighborhood. I had all 3 of the grandchildren in the car with me, so I'm always 'extra alert' when I have them. I stopped, but apparently not long enough to suit the motorcycle officer who pulled me over after I'd already gone halfway down the street.
I wasn't about to argue with him, I grudgingly took the ticket, paid the fine and there was an area to tick off if you claim 'not guilty' and wanted a court date. I ticked it. I was bummed out as in my 32 years of driving, that was the first citation I'd ever received.
It turns out that this particular traffic cop had been 'hiding' on the hill and had given out over 75 tickets that day. Not counting the two previous days. I didn't know he was there, I wasn't looking for police, as I wasn't trying to do anything illegal and get away with it.
Anyway, my court date was this morning. Since I don't drive downtown, my son-in-law John drove me down as Tom had to work and John was off.
When I found a seat in court, someone called my name..it was a co-worker of Tom's and he lives in our neighborhood. I asked Ron why he was there and he said his wife Janice had gotten a ticket for rolling through a stop sign......at the same intersection I'd gotten mine. She was prepared though...she had photos. The officer had been hiding on the hill - facing UP and was using his rear view mirror to 'catch' people sliding through. Only Janice says she is also not guilty. She also produced a newspaper article that came out a few days after the tickets were given out showing that the city had collected over $11,000 from ticket citations in the last year and they were 'able to purchase' these super modern looking motorcycles for the department.
It turns out there were a total of 10 people at court today, that I knew of, could have been more, that had received tickets at the same intersection. We all live in this neighborhood, do they really think we don't know that stop sign is there?
Another guy had also brought photographs. He was the first one called up. I couldn't hear what he was saying but apparently the judge didn't like it and literally screamed at him " so whatta ya want???!!! A hearing with the police officer present?!! The guy was in his mid 60's and was very upset when he walked away and sat back down. I looked at Janice and she looked at me and we both muttered " this ain't gonna be good'.
When the 2nd guy had his turn in front of the judge, the judge muttered to the female police officer standing to the side "same intersection, same violation" This guy also wanted a court date with the officer.
Janice finally had her turn and when the female officer read her violation the judge said "another one". Janice was trying to show him her photos but he wasn't really interested and I couldn't hear what he was saying but when Janice passed by me she told me she got the points removed. There was one more guy before my turn and his was for speeding in another neighborhood and changed his plea to guilty and wanted leniency. He got it.
When my turn came, I thought, I'm keeping this very simple, this judge is mean and doesn't look like he's really interested in what we have to say anyway. I took the oath to tell the truth and he stated my infraction and asked me if I was pleading guilty or not guilty. I said not guilty. He looked at me for a few seconds as if I was supposed to say something more so I just said " I did stop at the stop sign, I had my 3 grandchildren with me and would never do anything to jeopardize their safety". He said something else but it sounded like mumbling to me and I said "excuse me sir, I can't hear you" He got this nasty look on his face like he'd eaten something that didn't agree with him and said rather testily to the female officer "will you please tell her what I said".
So she did. I don't know why he thought it was such an imposition to repeat himself. He's the one that wasn't speaking clearly, not me. My options were to request a court hearing ( ya really think I'm coming back here???)
or to have the points removed. I wanted the points removed and I wanted outta there. I hope I NEVER have to go back to court.
The way I look at it, if I had requested a hearing with the motorcycle cop, it was going to be my word against his anyway....and who do you think the judge would rule in favor of? Why wasn't the cop there today? And there was no guarantee that I would win or even have the points removed. I was playing it safe.

Killer Chili

Ok.... I have a warped sense of humor, I admit it. I don't normally use the 'F' word ( it's not what you think) online but let's face it. We all do it. If we didn't, we wouldn't be normal now would we? When it happens to me, I prefer some privacy but there are those who don't care about privacy for this normal bodily function, they just want some immediate relief. Farting. There I said it. I do it, you do it, celebrities do it and the President of the US does it. If you won't admit to it, you are either lying because you're embarrassed or you really are quite abnormal and should be in the Guinness World Records book.
My sister sent me the following in an email yesterday and I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face. I dare YOU not to laugh out loud.
If certain 'cuss' words offend you ( The other F word is not used) please do not read any further.

**************************************************************************************
Killer Chili
author unknown

I went grocery shopping recently while not being altogether sure that
course of action was a wise one. You see, the previous evening I had
prepared and consumed a massive quantity of my patented 'you're
definitely going to $h!t yourself' chili. Tasty stuff, albeit hot to the
point of being painful, which comes with a written guarantee from me that
if you eat it, the next day both of your butt cheeks WILL fall off.

Here's the thing. I had awakened that morning, and even after two cups of
coffee (and all of you know what I mean) nothing happened. No 'Watson's
Movement 2'. Despite habanera peppers swimming their way through my
intestinal tract, I was unable to create the usual morning symphony
referred to by my next door neighbors as 'thunder and lightning'.

Knowing that a time of reckoning HAD to come, yet not sure of just when,
I bravely set off for the market, a local Wal-Ma rt grocery store that I
often haunt in search of tasty tidbits.

Upon entering the store at first all seemed normal. I selected a cart and
began pushing it about dropping items in for purchase. It wasn't until I
was at the opposite end of the store from the restrooms that the pain hit
me.

Oh, don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm
referring to that 'Uh, Oh, gotta go' pain that always seems to hit us at
the wrong time. The thing is, this pain was different.

The habaneras in the chili from the night before were staging a revolt.
In a mad rush for freedom they bullied their way through the small
intestines, forcing their way into the large intestines, and before I
could take one step in the direction of the restrooms which would bring
sweet relief, it happened. The peppers fired a warning shot.

There I stood, alone in the spice and baking aisle, suddenly enveloped in
a noxious cloud th e likes of which has never before been recorded. I was
afraid to move for fear that more of this vile odor might escape me.
Slowly, oh so slowly, the pressure seemed to leave the lower part of my
body, and I began to move up the aisle and out of it, just as an elderly
woman turned into it.

I don't know what made me do it, but I stopped to see what her reaction
would be to the malodorous effluvium that refused to dissipate. Have you
ever been torn in two different directions emotionally? Here's what I
mean, and I'm sure some of you at least will be able to relate.

I could've warned that poor woman but didn't. I simply watched as she
walked into an invisible, and apparently indestructible, wall of odor so
terrible that all she could do before gathering her senses and running,
was to stand there blinking and waving her arms about her head as though
trying to ward off angry bees. This, of course, made me feel terrible,
but then made me laugh. .......BIG mistake!!!!!

Here's the thing. When you laugh, it's hard to keep things 'clamped
down', if you know what I mean. With each new guffaw an explosive issue
burst forth from my nether region. Some were so loud and echoing that I
was later told a few folks in other aisles had ducked, fearing that
someone was robbing the store and firing off a shotgun.

Suddenly things were no longer funny. 'It' was coming, and I raced off
through the store towards the restrooms, laying down a cloud the whole
way, praying that I'd make it before the grand mal assplosion took place.

Luck was on my side. Just in the nick of time I got to the john, began
the inevitable 'Oh my God', floating above the toilet seat because my ass
is burning SO BAD, purging. One poor fellow walked in while I was in the
middle of what is the true meaning of 'Shock and Awe' . He made a gagging
sound, and disgustedly said, 'Sonofabitch!' , then quickly left.

Once finished I left the restroom, reacquired my partially filled cart
intending to carry on with my shopping when a store employee approached
me and said, 'Sir, you might want to step outside for a few minutes. It
appears some prankster set off a stink bomb in the store. The manager is
going to run the vent fans on high for a minute or two which ought to
take care of the problem.'

That of course set me off again, causing residual gases to escape me. The
employee took one sniff, jumped back pulling his shirt up to cover his
nose and, pointing at me in an accusing manner shouted, 'IT'S YOU!', then
ran off returning moments later with the manager. I was unceremoniously
escorted from the premises and asked none too kindly not to return.

Home again without having shopped, I realized that there was nothing to
eat but leftover chili, so I consumed two more bowls. The next day I went
to shop at Albert son's. I can't say anymore about that because we are in
court over the whole matter. Bastards claim they're going to have to
repaint the store..

CVS - Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

I've never heard of this disorder until yesterday. My 5 year old grandson Jonah has been diagnosed with it. After reading the four phases of CVS and the triggers and symptoms, I totally agree with the diagnosis.

For a few years now Jonah has repeatedly awakened during the middle of the night or early in the morning with severe vomiting for no apparent reason. Poor little guy would vomit all morning until there was nothing left and then would have dry heaving. He was listless, pale and did a lot of sleeping when he wasn't vomiting. By mid afternoon he would be fine.
Last June, he was so excited about our 2 week family vacation to the Jersey seashore. It's all he talked about and he started packing his suitcase with toys weeks before we were to leave. The morning of our departure, Deana called and said he woke up vomiting. We were undecided about what to do but she brought along a bucket for him to use and he slept a good deal of the way. He did get sick once when we stopped at a rest stop and he didn't make it to the bathroom in time. By mid afternoon he was fine.
His school has set aside one day a month for the parents to visit and stay for the day ( or a few classes). He was very excited to have mom or dad come. At the Sept. Parents Day his mom went. Deana's plan was to spend the morning classes with Jordyn and the afternoon classes with Jonah. His first afternoon class was gym. During exercises he clutched his stomach and said he was going to throw up. Mom took = him to the bathroom where he was sick. She signed him out and took him home.
In October it was dad's turn to go to school. That morning Jonah woke up vomiting. Dad spent the day with Jordyn.
In November it was mom's turn again and Jonah was sick again that morning. Do you see a pattern here?
This month Jordyn asked me to go to Parents Day ( while it's called that, grandparents, aunts & Uncles and older siblings can go). That was yesterday. Mom was going to go to Jonah's classes in the morning while I watched Ayden and then mom would take Ayden while I went in the afternoon to go to Jordyn's classes. Deana called me early in the morning and said " you aren't going to believe this.....Jonah is sick again". I believed it. I worried that he has an anxiety disorder. I told her I saw a pattern emerging and then it got her to thinking too. The morning of Ayden's 2nd birthday party, Jonah was again sick. This was Dec. 12th.
She called his pediatrician. He'd been to the doctor a couple months back for the same problem and had several different tests done including blood work and CATSCAN on head to rule out a tumor. All the results came back negative, which we were relieved about, but still concerned as he keeps getting sick. Yesterday when Deana explained to the doctor that I wanted to know if young children experienced anxiety/panic attacks too and why I thought that, the pattern I'd been seeing, the Dr. conceded that yes they can and do and she now believed he suffered from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome


It all makes sense now. Poor little guy would be so excited or stressed about events coming up that he made himself sick.

CVS is very hard to diagnose since there aren't any clear tests to identify it. Symptoms and medical history are used to identify it. Migraines are believed to be related and in our family history both myself and daughter Carey get episodes.

Although CVS can begin at any age in children and adults, it usually starts between the ages of 3 and 7. In adults, episodes tend to occur less often than they do in children, but they last longer. Furthermore, the events or situations that trigger episodes in adults cannot always be pinpointed as easily as they can in children.

This statement has me wondering if I might have had CVS years ago. There was a time when I would host all of the family gatherings for the Holidays. There would be my mom and Tom's mom and dad, my 6 brothers and sisters and their families. It never failed, the morning of the holiday I would wake up with what I believed to be a migraine and would be vomiting all day. I wasn't sick for a few hours but literally all day. I would miss the holiday meals and my company would have to finish getting the meals ready. Some Hostess huh? It's very possible I felt anxiety and was making myself sick. For the last 8 years, my eldest daughter hosts Christmas dinner and the last 5 years, my middle daughter hosts Thanksgiving, so maybe a lot of the 'pressure' I may have been feeling has been lifted.

I do still get recurring migraines but they are fewer and far between. I also haven't noticed any patterns, but now that I know about CVS I will be more alert.

Duh.....It's The Humidifier

I called the Home Care Provider yesterday morning to see if someone could explain why my CPAP was gurgling and spitting. It's because water got into the hose from the humidifier being turned up too high. That wasn't in the troubleshooting section of the manual but I guess if I had been getting enough sleep the common sense section of my brain would have been more alert and guessed that on my own. DUH. Never occurred to me. All I had to do was turn the knob on the humidifier down a notch - from 3 to 2 and hang the hose and mask over the shower to drain. Last night there was no more gurgling, although I was only able to keep the mask on for 4 hours. It was really bothering me. I tried to loosen the straps some but that only made air leak from under the mask, which isn't supposed to happen if you have it fitted properly. It's going to take some getting used to. I can't say that I've had a really good night's sleep since getting the mask Monday...but I'm not giving up yet.
When my daughters asked Tom if the machine bothered him he said yes, since I got the machine HE hasn't had a good nights sleep and he's not too sure he likes sleeping with Darth Vader.

Double GRRrrrr

I'm about ready to take a hammer to my CPAP machine. When I went to bed last night it seemed to be okay, there was no detectable gurgling coming up from the tubing into the nose mask and I breathed a sigh of relief. I slept for two hours. Then that damned gurgling started up again and this time it was spitting water up my nose. I tried everything I could think of to get it to stop and the only thing that worked was taking the mask off and turning the machine off. It was nice and quiet now and I didn't have water spitting out at me but I could NOT get back to a good sleep. If anything I may have made it to stage two but no further. Horrible night. I have a splitting headache this morning which I'm sure is due to a poor night's rest.

I searched the manual troubleshooting pages and there is not one mention of gurgling or spitting anywhere. I'm going to have to call the home care provider this morning.

GRRRrrrr

Stupid mask!!! I cleaned it out, refilled with distilled water and made sure the hose part was connected properly and it's still gurgling. Now how the heck am I ( and Tom) supposed to fall asleep with that irritating gurgle?!! I didn't wear the mask at all last night. Mainly because I think Tom would have kicked me out of bed and had that happened, Mrs. Hyde was sure to retaliate and I'm not sure what she would have done. Sometimes I just don't trust her.
Take last night. Tom tends to 'poof' when he's sleeping. It's not really a snore. His mouth is slightly open and little poofs of air blow in my face. Usually I'll just either roll over or say "Tom, roll over" and he does and no more poofing for at least a half an hour or so. Last night Mrs. Hyde was already irritated because she was looking forward to a good night's sleep and we didn't wear the mask so that plan was shot down. We were just ready to fall into stage one of sleep when the 'poofing' started. She reached over and was about to pinch Tom's nostrils when I gasped and restrained her. I didn't realize just how strong she is, she fought me for a good three minutes and then Tom rolled over on his own. Whew...he's lucky. I really have to figure out what's wrong with that stupid mask so we can wear it tonight. I don't know how much longer I can restrain Mrs. Hyde, she's been so irritable and exhausted and I think she needs a good night's sleep better than I do.

It's Finally Here

My CPAP machine was delivered last night. It's actually much smaller than the one I used at the Sleep Center. Matt, the guy who delivered it and explained to me how to operate and clean it said some of the benefits to using the machine besides a good night's sleep it helps to lower blood pressure, reduced levels of depression, increases concentration and may even speed up metabolism. That last one is news to me, and I'm trying to find a source that confirms that but so far haven't found it. Wishful thinking, lol
I let Tom hear the machine hum to make sure it wasn't going to bother him and he did wince and suggested if it bothered him that I could 'move' into the living room onto the couch. Maybe he could just move to the couch!!

I waited until he was asleep and then put the mask on and turned on the machine. I had to adjust the chin straps a little because the nose part was 'leaking' some air. I'm not sure how long I lay there with my eyes closed waiting to fall asleep, it felt like it took about an hour.
I do know that I made it to the dream stage because I had a couple of doozies. I woke up at 2:30 to use the bathroom and instead of taking the mask off, I pulled off the hose and then put it back on when I got back into bed. I must not have had it on securely because the nose part was making some kind of 'burping' sound that was driving me insane. I tried to readjust it with no success. I'll need to read the manual this morning. I made it 7 hours with the mask on and then had to rip it off. The burping sound is what was bothering me and I know it bothered Tom too, I could tell by the little sighing noises he made. It was almost 6:30 time for him to get up for work anyway. I kept the mask off and did fall back to sleep for another hour and a half. I wish I could say I woke up refreshed and felt like I had a good night's sleep, but I didn't. I guess it won't happen overnight.

Sleep Treatment

My sleep study treatment was last night. I was all hooked up with the wires by 9:30 and just lay in bed watching TV until I got tired which was about 10:30. Lisa, the tech came in to fit me with my CPAP mask. I had several to choose from. My first choice was one that resembled the tubes that go with an oxygen mask/tank. Instead of the two narrow prongs that fit up inside your nose, this one had two oval 'pad's that fit right under your nostrils. I thought it might be the best one for me since I'm a side sleeper. I had a half hour of getting used to it and I wasn't at all sure I liked it. I felt like I had cotton stuffing up my nose and it bugged me. I switched to the mask where it covered my nose only instead of the full face mask. It has straps with velcro that fits across the forehead, and has a chin strap and other straps that run down the side of the face. It was about 11:15 when I settled in for the night. I woke up shortly afterwards to use the bathroom and when Lisa came in the room to unhook me from the CPAP machine she commented that I was halfway done. I asked her the time and she said it was 3:30. I was very surprised, as I thought I'd only been asleep for about an hour. She said I was into a deep sleep within 5 minutes of closing my eyes. I did have a hard time falling back to sleep but I eventually did. Once again I needed to use the bathroom and Lisa said 'good, you're all done, it's time to get up'. It was 6:30. Fastest night of sleep I've had in a long time.
After Lisa removed the mask and all the wires, she gave me a copy of my Sleep Study Interpretation.

There are five stages of sleep:

1st stage: is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling.

In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

When a person enters stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

In stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them. In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bed wetting, sleepwalking or night terrors.

The fifth stage is the Rem period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the body loses some of the ability to regulate it's temperature. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night.

My first study shows that I have an abnormal sleep architecture. Onset of sleep was at 5.5 minutes and the REM latency was unachieved all night. Lisa explained that I went from stage 1 to stage 2 and stayed there all night. She says it's no wonder I am always so tired and have no energy. Last night she says I was in all 5 stages but went into deep sleep ( stage 4) within 5 minutes of closing my eyes. She said I experienced several REMs during the night which means I had been dreaming.

My first study shows that I experienced a total of 86 apneas (stopped breathing) and hypopneas ( shallow breathing / low respiratory rate) which is about 15.4 an hour. A total of 12 obstructive apneas were recorded.
Last night with the CPAP I experienced no apneas or hypopneas.

I am definitely going to be getting a CPAP. Lisa said I'll probably have it after Thanksgiving. I'll have to go back in January for a followup to make sure the CPAP is working properly and some data from it will be downloaded.
I'll be seen by a Respiratory Therapist who will review my equipment and resolve any issues I might have had since receiving the CPAP. I'll also be examined by a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders.

I feel pretty good today, the most rested I've felt in many months.

The mask will take some getting used to. The machine makes a humming sound but it didn't really bother me. I hope it won't bother Tom too much. Lisa gave me a paper on troubleshooting if I experience things like mask leaks, skin irritation, pressures sores, nasal congestion, chest discomfort. The last one on the sheet was 'bed partner intolerance' Possible cause: noise, anxiety Correction: promote education of the patient and bed partner, recommend attending a patient support group. In other words 'suck it up bed partner and deal with it'!!

Hello From St. Charles, IL

We've had a great trip so far. We left home Sunday morning and stopped to antique in Ravenna OH and Medina OH. We then drove to Port Clinton to spend the night at a friend's condo on Lake Erie. Monday morning after breakfast we drove on to Maumee ( Toledo) to do some more antiquing. I found some old clothespins for $3 to use in my crafts, an old sugar mold for $10 that I'm going to use as a candle holder. It 'had' two glass candle holders inside the molds, but Tom accidentally turned the mold upside down to get a better look and one fell out and broke. Good thing I was buying it anyway. I had seen newer candle molds but I liked this one because the wood really looked 'old'. From Maumee we drove to Allen MI. There are approximately 5 antique places in a row but there are also two shops that feature country primitive items. I was a little disappointed as I'd hoped to find some handmade items for myself but most everything was purchased wholesale for resale. The items had factory tags on them. Not for me. Besides a lot of the items I was seeing, I can make myself. I know crafters hate to hear that, but I'm a crafter myself, and it's true. People normally purchase items they know they can't make or don't have time to make themselves.
I had been looking at faux fireplace mantles. I want one so badly. I found several in the antique shops that were electric and had wood mantles and faux brick fronts. One was 'junk' but there was one I fell in love with and the price was only $175 compared to $450 that I had been seeing. I would have bought it on the spot but Tom insisted we wouldn't have room for it once we got to Chicago. I was silently fuming. Mrs. Hyde was heating up herself and I really had to hog tie her or she would have ruined the whole trip. To calm ourselves down, I silently declared that when we returned home, I was going to do some fireplace searching. I want one in time for Christmas decorating.
From Allen MI we drove through to South Bend, IN to spend the night. In the morning we drove over the state line into Niles, MI where there is an antique shop I love that also has primitive style crafts upstairs. Of course, because I had money to spend, I didn't find much. Looked like I had missed a sale and things were picked over. I did purchase a couple of handmade tree ornies though.
We hit about 5 antique shops in the area and about 1 pm hit the turnpike again and headed to LaPorte IN. There is another shop there that I like and it also has an upstairs with primitive crafts. I bought a wooden sled wall hanger that was handpainted with a pineapple. Really cute.
From there we drove through to our final destination, St. Charles IL.
Yesterday we woke at 7 am and Tom headed over to the Kane County fairgrounds and after my shower I came over to my 'office'. That's what Tom refers to it as...the motel's guest computer.
I checked my emails and websites and it just amazes me how fast the time flies when I'm 'working', before I knew it, it was 10:30 and Tom had come back to take me shopping. Our first stop was The Country Store. I bought a dozen of these really cute little silicone star shaped thingees that you fit over mini-lights. They're going to look perfect entwined with some fresh pine branches that will be sitting atop my non existent fireplace mantel. Calm down Mrs. Hyde, I'm working on it.
We made stops at WalMarts, Hobby Lobby and Menards and called it a day at 5 pm. We were both wore out. Amazing, we didn't work, we just shopped. We didn't even feel like going out for dinner so while I got into my nightie Tom drove over to Arby's and brought us make a sandwich.
We watched TV all evening and just relaxed. I had to really fight to keep my eyes open. Our bed was so comfortable and I know I kept dozing off repeatedly. I managed to stay up until 10 and that was it I was ready to go to sleep. As tired as I was though, I must have gotten up at least 10 times during the night. I have dark circles under my eyes and feel like crap. It will be nice to know what a good nights rest is like again. My appt. for the sleep treatment is the 21st.
Today we are moving over to the Pheasant Run Resort and will remain there until Sunday.

Nov. 8, 2009

I've not had a chance to write in this blog for a while. Tom and I are leaving in the morning for our 'road trip' to St. Charles, IL and I won't have access to a computer at least until Wednesday morning.
I'm hoping something interesting happens between now and then so I can have something to blog about, lol.
Til Wednesday then!

Sleep Study - No Report Yet

I'm still waiting for an official report on my sleep apnea. Thought for sure I'd have it by now.
I'm still experiencing the snorts and they are really starting to drive me up the wall. I can be in bed for 9 hours and still wake up feeling like I've not had a good night's sleep.

I've asked Tom that if he hears me snorting, to wake me up and tell me to roll over. What does he do?? He pokes me in the back!!!! AARRGGHH I hate that so much. All he has to do is say 'Hon, roll over' and I'll hear him. Do NOT poke me, that in itself can awaken Mrs. Hyde who hasn't seemed to be affected by sleep apnea at all, go figure. If you wake Mrs. Hyde, I will NOT be responsible for any damage she may do to Tom. As long as SHE seems to get a good night's sleep, she is on her best behavior. On the mornings that I am irritable I know that she must have had a few of her own snorting bouts. I may be still tired when I wake up but I'm not normally irritable. It's all her.

I'm going to wait until the middle of this week and if I still don't get the results of the study, I may have Mrs. Hyde make 'the' phone call. She seems to get quicker results than I do. Must be her winning personality.

My Sleep Study

Several weeks back in a craft forum I belong to - one of the gals mentioned she was just tested for sleep apnea and that her results were positive. Some one else posted that she had it too......until there was about 15 gals who have sleep apnea. They described their symptoms and I thought........I have all of those, especially waking from snorts and being overly tired during the daytime even if I'd had 8 hours of sleep. So I mentioned it to my doctor the last visit and she gave me a script for the study. She said she was surprised at herself for not thinking to have me do this years ago - since sleep apnea can cause strokes and heart attacks and I have cardiomyopathy. It just never came up.

I had to be at the Sleep Center at 8:30 last night. There are three bedrooms, all are very homey and comfortable with regular beds ( awesome mattress!!) and pretty quilt comforters. I was impressed with how it was made to look more like a hotel room than a hospital room.

I was supposed to relax and read or watch TV for a while - didn't feel like reading so turned on the TV - they had cable but it was out and could only get 6 channels and NOTHING good was on. At 9:30 the tech began to attach wires to my body. There was one on each leg ( calf), one under my left breast, one on my chin, one on my belly, one on each temple, one on my forehead and about 5 on my scalp. Also had to wear a tubing device up my nose ( like one wears with an oxygen mask - but no oxygen was delivered) and a pulse oximeter that clips to your finger so they can measure oxygen being taken in.

This is the test I had done:
Polysomnogram. This test records several body functions during sleep, including brain activity, eye movement, oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels, heart rate and rhythm, breathing rate and rhythm, the flow of air through your mouth and nose, snoring, body muscle movements, and chest and belly movement.

I went to bed at 10 pm but it took me a while to actually fall asleep. I'd say a good 20 to 30 minutes. I woke up several times during the night. The first time was around midnight to use the bathroom ( had to be unhooked from a machine that registers everything but all the wires were hanging from me, felt very creepy.)
I woke myself up several times during the night with 'snorts'. Sometimes I was able to fall right back to sleep and a few times it took awhile.

I woke up one more time to use the bathroom and I could hear the tech talking to the man in the next bedroom ( there was only two of us last night) about his mask appliance. To alert her that I needed something, I was to take off the pulse oximeter and that shows up on the screen she is watching. Since she was in the next bedroom and not at the screen, I had to wait. It felt like a half hour or so and my bladder was ready to burst. I would close my eyes and try to go back to sleep but they were talking so loudly, that was impossible. Finally it got quiet and I assumed she returned to the screens and I removed the oximeter. She came in right away and said it was time to get up. I was stunned. I thought it was about 2 am and it was already 6:10 am.

The tests show positive for moderate sleep apnea. When I 'snort' - that's because I had stopped breathing and that's the body's way of waking you up to remind you to breathe. The tech said I did a lot of snoring during the night too. Sleep apnea usually occurs during dream states. She said I dreamt alot, although I don't recall any of them.

With sleep apnea - the tongue and soft palette collapse into the back of the throat causing obstruction. If you have a large uvula ( that hanging thingee in the back of the throat) that can also contribute.

I'll get the official results in about a week. From there it will be determined what type of treatment I'll receive. One is a CPAP - (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) - I believe it's a type of mask.

Another treatment is oral appliances - but I do NOT like the description of these - a tongue retaining appliance and a mandibular repositioning appliance. If I get my druthers, I'd druther have the mask.

Rescheduled Sleep Study

I had to call and reschedule my sleep study from tomorrow night to Friday Oct. 10th. I've been sick all week with a bad head cold and it's now going into my chest. I 'm up half the night blowing my nose and spraying my throat so there's no way the sleep study would be a 'true' one anyway.