Steph is home (yay!), and I'm having a love-hate relationship with my CPAP machine.
I brought Steph home Thursday afternoon, after waiting two-and-a-half hours for the hospital personnel to get the paperwork completed so we could check out. As Kris pointed out in the last post's comments section, Steph looks none the worse for wear, other than the pieces of tape covering her incision. I said this after each of our children were born [via C-section], and I'll say it again, she's one tough and determined girl -- her recovery has been nothing short of impressive.
Steph was exhausted when she got home, as she didn't get much sleep Wednesday night (her roommate's ailments kept her awake). I think she's happy to have her old bed back, because she went to bed at about 4:30 yesterday afternoon, and slept pretty much non-stop until this morning... it's very nice to know that she is home.
On the Sleep Apnea front... I was diagnosed with a mild case, but the results could have been swayed by the fact that I had so much trouble actually getting to sleep during the test. There were enough events where I stopped breathing (the longest was 41 seconds) that they felt I should at least try a CPAP machine -- so they gave me a loaner for a week.
I'm currently having a love-hate relationship with the CPAP (after two nights of use). I love the feeling of extra airflow going to my lungs; I love the deepness of the sleep I am getting; and I love actually waking up feeling rested -- I've never experienced this before. I do still wake up a few times during the night to adjust things, but I go right back to sleep, and then wake up at 5:00 or 5:30 and am ready to get out of bed.
The hate part comes from the mask, and occasionally from the extra airflow that comes during my apnea events. If I don't get the mask adjusted just right, it can put a lot of pressure on different parts of my face. Likewise, if I don't lay my head on the pillow just right, things can also get quite uncomfortable -- or a leak can be created because the mask isn't seated right, which blows air into my eyes. I have ripped the mask off both mornings because it was bugging me, but after getting up and visiting the water closet, I found that I wanted the mask back on when I got back in bed -- because the extra airflow when I breathe just feels so nice.
The jury is still out on the whether or not I will keep the CPAP, but I've got another five days to try it out. Steph said she didn't hear anything from it last night, so that is a major plus -- but she's pretty sure I'm going to scare the kids if they see me with the mask on. If I wake up feeling the way I have the last two days, I will definitely be keeping it -- I think I could actually kick my coffee habit with this thing!
So there you are... consider yourself updated! :-)
