Happy birthday, Mother / health update

Beowabbit

Now mostly on Facebook (and rarely caught up even there)

4th-Oct-2006 01:37 pm

First of all, happy birthday to my mother! I just got off the phone with her, and she’s home from the hospital and doing considerably better and expecting to go back to work next week.

Secondly, I’m home with a cold. :-( I suspect I may have picked it up last weekend. If so, it was worth it. :-) It’s not the world’s worst cold, but it was bad enough this morning that I decided to stay home from work. Mostly sore throat and general icky feeling, but fortunately no stuffiness, because...

Thirdly, I’ve got my CPAP machine, and I’ve used it two nights now. (Unfortunately, the person who brought it only brought a nasal mask, not the full-face one and the mouth-only one I have on order. That’s why it’s a good thing that I’m not stuffy.) The first night (Monday night) I had a lot of trouble waking up during the night for various reasons, but I still felt a lot more alert and better-rested the next day. Last night I had much less trouble waking up (still did a bit, but not as much), and while I feel cold-icky today, I again feel more alert and rested than I remember feeling in a long time. So, that’s very good news!

Finally, I had a great Indian-dinner date with

plumtreeblossom on Monday (after getting my CPAP machine but before coming home to use it for the first time), and Friday she and

docorion (and maybe

cathijosephine) and I are going to have Japanese food in Quincy, and then

plumtreeblossom gets to discover whether she can fall asleep with Darth Vader breathing next to her. :-)

Tags:diary, family, health, plumtreeblossom

Comments

4th-Oct-2006 07:03 pm (UTC)

chienne_folle

Yay! Sorry to hear that you're sick, but Mom out of the hospital and CPAP machine on your nightstand are both great pieces of news!

My CPAP machine comes with a built-in heated humidifier. The CPAP machine iteself tends to dry out the air, which isn't a bad thing in the summer. Once winter hits, though, and the indoor air is already too dry, having the CPAP machine dry the air further can make it hard to breathe.

There are pass-over humidifiers, where the air you breathe passes over a reservoir of water before you breathe it, and heated humidifiers, where the air passes over a reservoir of heated water (and so picks up more humidity on the way).

If you wake up feeling too dry, I encourage you to check out adding a humidifier to your equipment.

Hugs. Looking forward to a well-rested Jay!

4th-Oct-2006 11:36 pm (UTC)

beowabbit

Mine has a humidifier, actually. (It’s technically not built-in, but it clips onto the front and doesn’t use a separate power cord and might as well be.) I made sure they were going to give me the humidifier especially because I want to try using an oral mask.

(So in addition to actually being able to breathe consistently, I’ll be breathing filtered, warmed, and humidified air. I wonder if that has any health benefits on top of treating the sleep apnea.)

5th-Oct-2006 12:58 am (UTC)

chienne_folle

Oh, good!

Well, in THAT case, you should know that it's very important to put a CPAP machine that has a humidifier lower than your bed (but not on the floor). When it's cold in the winter, the water in the warm, moist air tends to condense inside the hose. If the machine is not noticeably lower than the bed, then said water drips on your face. Like many things, I discovered this the hard way. :-)

They also sell little hose parkas to put on the hoses in the winter to keep them warm. You can buy pretty much anything in this country. :-)

As for plumtreeblossom and Darth Vader, maybe she'll find out that she's attracted to the Dark Side. :-)

Cory

P. S. -- I have a post in my LJ that I'd like you to read.

5th-Oct-2006 02:23 am (UTC)

beowabbit

Well, in THAT case, you should know that it's very important to put a CPAP machine that has a humidifier lower than your bed (but not on the floor). When it's cold in the winter, the water in the warm, moist air tends to condense inside the hose. If the machine is not noticeably lower than the bed, then said water drips on your face. Like many things, I discovered this the hard way. :-)

Makes sense.

Not on the floor, though? Why, just because the floor tends to be dusty?

As for plumtreeblossom and Darth Vader, maybe she'll find out that she's attracted to the Dark Side. :-)

Well, we do have all the cool outfits!

P. S. -- I have a post in my LJ that I'd like you to read.

I have, and keep meaning to reply, but I haven’t settled down to the point where I can schedule stuff in the last week or so. Hopefully soon!

4th-Oct-2006 07:25 pm (UTC)

plumtreeblossom

then plumtreeblossom gets to discover whether she can fall asleep with Darth Vader breathing next to her.

I could braid my hair like Princess Leia...! :-D

*snuggles*

So glad your Mom is doing well.

4th-Oct-2006 11:37 pm (UTC)

beowabbit

Where is the Rebel base, Princess?

5th-Oct-2006 08:47 pm (UTC)