Let me tell you a little story…
Back in November I had one of the worst asthma attacks I’ve ever had. So much so that my Fitbit alerted me to breathe. I felt myself struggling but was leading a meeting and was trying to power through. I ended up muting myself and shutting off the camera so I could take my Albuterol and lay down for a bit. It was weird. The next day things were fine but the day after, I had bad asthma and again, and on top of it I had a low grade fever. Beyond that, I felt fine. Still, after a couple of days with the fever I contacted my doctor and she sent me for a COVID test (my second one). It came back negative but the fever persisted so she sent me for a chest x-ray.
She saw no pneumonia or bronchitis, and nothing involving COVID on the x-ray, but she did see something she didn’t like and sent me for a second set of chest x-rays to get more views. After seeing the same thing again she referred me to a pulmonologist who sent me for yet another type of x-ray, a fluoroscopic sniff test, only to determine that what my doctor saw was a chronic condition. That condition is the elevation of the right hemidiaphragm with stable scarring or sub segmental atelectasis at the right lung base. Basically it means that my right lung is somewhat sluggish with a slight delay when I breathe. Awesome.
The pulmonologist said there was no treatment for this condition but recommended a sleep study, which I did right after Christmas. That resulted in me being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. They told me that my breathing at night is interrupted five times more than normal per hour so yeah, that’s not great. It increases the heart rate, which of course puts me at a higher risk for stroke and heart issues. Cool.
So, tonight I’m using a CPAP machine for the first time. This is basically a breathing treatment that I wear while I sleep. It’s…interesting. But I know a number of people who use CPAP and they say it changed their lives, that they didn’t realize just how bad their sleep was until they had the machine. The doctor says it could take 3-4 months before I see any significant change, which seems like a long time, but for something I will likely use for the rest of my life, I suppose it’s not a big deal.
Anyway…that’s what’s happening over here…honestly, I’ll just be happy if I don’t have to go back to Kaiser for a few months!
I've been meaning to ask you about the sleep study, and now I'm kicking myself for not asking. I hope the CPAP helps you sleep better and feel more rested. xoxo
I'm one of those whose life was changed for the better by a CPAP. I used to have trouble staying awake while driving before I got the CPAP (not to mention being more tired during the day), so definitely better.
For me, adjusting to it was easy. I put it on the first night and never looked back. But I do know some people who took a while to get used to it. So, be patient with it if you need to. It's definitely worth it.