The Worst Of The Best
2006-03-22, 11:21

Whelp, I made it through my first night with the CPAP. The first and most important thing to note from this experience is that my wife had a good night of sleep; hence, I shall live to see another day. She said that she actually woke up a few times because she couldn't hear me snoring and it disturbed her somehow. I guess it's kind of like a city person sleeping in the country and being bothered because they can't hear the cars. She did say that she enjoyed the white noise from the machine, however, so lucky her.

And me? It was definitely a first night kind of situation: periodic fiddling with the mask, adjusting the humidifier, more fiddling with the mask, etc. Getting the mask in just the right place is going to take a few days, I think. The upper strap keeps slipping out of place due to my long, extraordinarily luxurious hair. That, and my funny-shaped head. I should be able to compensate, though. However, I'm not entirely sure that the humidifier as actually working. I kept turning the thing up to warm up the water, but nothing seemed to be happening. I'll read the directions (eew, directions!), but it's pretty obvious how to work the thing, considering it's just an on/off switch and a radial knob with increasing numbers around it. Not rocket science, to be sure. Compared to the cozy warm air I was getting during the sleep study, there's certainly something amiss.

But most importantly, I feel pretty good today, even considering the stunted sleep. My neck and shoulders are feeling strained, I think from compensating for the mask and trying to keep it in place. My head keeps hinting that it wants to make its way toward a headache, and I'm currently attempting to distract it from that goal with a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew (thank you, soda gods, for fixing the flavor of said drink from what it was when you first produced it). Go neurotransmitters, go! Otherwise, I've had but a little sleepiness early on in my workday, and have been mainly feeling pretty alert. The persistent cough I've had over the last two weeks is suddenly virtually gone, and I can only partially attribute my mainly clear sinuses to the nasal spray I used last night to make the CPAP work better. Could it be that all these years of congestion and sinus problems have come to an end? I dare not hope.

All in all, if this is what a bad night of sleep is like on the CPAP, I'll take it hands down over a good night of sleep without it. Bring on the awake. Just imagine how I'll feel after a whole week of this. A whole month! It boggles the mind. Or it boggles mine, at least. Not that it takes much; maybe someday soon, CPAP willing, it will.

-- End Transmission --