Troy had an appointment in downtown Denver with a sleep apnea specialist at 9:30am. I insisted on going along so that I could be fully informed about Troy's apparent sleep apnea. I also wanted to know exactly how the sleep mask (or apap) worked. We arrived WAY too early after allowing time for heavy traffic. So we waited, and waited, and waited.
Finally, the doctor informed us that Troy was having an average of 31 apnea episodes per hour. That means that his body and brain are basically waking up every two minutes because he's not breathing. Really?!?! Poor guy! So, we are now proud owners of an apap machine. The technician who taught us how to use and care for the new equipment said that this particular machine was a brand new, sleek version. "The Ferrari of the apap world," he said. And honestly, it's not horrible looking.
We spent the rest of the early afternoon having lunch at a favorite Chinese restaurant, browsing a Christian used book store, and having a cookie at a local bakery before returning home.
We arrived home at about 3:00pm because we were anticipating a delivery of a half ton of river cobble at about 4:00pm. Yes, a half ton. I wondered why Troy had ordered this amount. What were we going to do with 1000 pounds of 4 to 8 inch large rocks? I knew we needed to cover an area next to our patio with them, but that area was only about 5 feet long and 4 feet wide. It wouldn't take a half ton of rocks to do that. But Troy had plans for other parts of the yard.
Well, the half ton arrived. And this was it.....
Wow, a thousand pounds of rock seemed much more ominous than the little, dinky pile sitting in our drive way. This was a half ton? This? The young, very polite delivery guy told us that he was there when they weighed this load and he was a surprised at how little it was. We were disappointed and still feel that maybe we were taken advantage of, but we have no way of proving it. So, in the steady rain of the afternoon, we hauled 6 wheelbarrow loads of rock to the back yard and strategically placed them in the area next to the patio. A half ton of rock did not fill the 5x4 foot area, but we did the best we could and it does look rather nice. And it keeps a certain dog, whose initials are Leia, from digging in the dirt!
And the day wasn't over yet, no it wasn't.
Welcome to the first night of Troy versus The Machine! We "went to bed by day", as Robert Louis Stevenson so aptly expressed. It was only 8:15pm when we made our way upstairs. We normally will read a little before turning off the light, so it was about 8:45pm when round one began.
Troy is a trooper and started the night with high hopes of getting at least a little more sleep than before. I, on the other hand, remembered the technician saying that the body will reject the mask with a vengeance, much like an untrained horse with a saddle. I expected it to be a long, sleepless night. The technician told Troy to put the mask on every night but cautioned him to listen to his body. When the body said, "No more," the technician encouraged Troy to turn off the machine, remove the mask, and try again the next night.
8:45pm- While in a sitting position, Troy put the mask on and adjusted it so that it was comfortable.
8:50pm- After laying on his back, Troy adjusted the mask several more times.
9:30pm- More adjustment.
10:00pm- More adjustment. (loud velcro adjustable straps)
12:15am- Body said, "No More!" Mask off.
1:30am- Troy thought, "I can do this!" Mask on.
2:45am- Body enlisted help of anxious brain and said in unison, "We said, 'NO!'"...Mask off, Troy anxious and frustrated.
5:00am- Alarm.
Today, we are both feeling like a half ton of river cobble...heavy with sleeplessness and not adequate to do the task ahead of us.
1 comment:
On a much smaller scale, I do know the body will fight off foreign objects. I have always struggled to sleep with an oxygen mask during hospitalizations. I also struggled to sleep with a mouthguard when I first got it. I kept waking up choking and gagging all night long. I'll pray for you guys. He needs the sleep!
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