Sleep Apnea

In the last month I have spent two nights at the sleep clinic doing sleep studies.  The first was to see if I had sleep apnea. I do not sleep well and Tom often comments on how I have destroyed the bed with all my tossing and turning. My cardiologist thinks sleep apnea may be a contributing factor to my leaky valve getting worse and so she referred me for testing.

I have been told that I have severe sleep apnea when I am in REM or deep sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic "Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts." 

According to the nurse I stop breathing an average of 27.3 times per hour. They prefer you only do that once per hour, if at all.  So in 60 minutes that means I stop breathing or breath very shallowly every 2.2 minutes on average, for a few seconds to minutes.   

Sleep apnea is very disruptive to your sleep and moves you out of deep sleep into lighter sleep which means that you are getting a poorer quality of sleep and results in excessive daytime sleepiness. This can lead to more accidents, 

Sleep apnea is often undiagnosed because doctors can not detect it without a sleep study. There is no blood test for it. Often times it is noticed by your partner who may be the first to notice the signs of excessive snoring, snorting or gasping for breath in your sleep. It disrupts your sleep cycle and though you may not fully wake up, it does wake you up to a point, that disrupts your sleep.

You can have sleep apnea for years and not even know it because you become conditioned to the feeling of fatigue or daytime tiredness.  I never even thought of it as being the problem, I just knew I was tired a lot and would fall asleep in my chair. I would mention it to the doctor, but they never seemed to think it was a problem. Or at least not until my leaky valve got worse and my cardiologist said it could be a contributing factor and we needed to rule it out.

So now I have a diagnosis and know that a CPAP machine or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open. It can help me sleep better, and breathe while I am sleeping. It increases air pressure so your airway does not collapse and decreases daytime sleepiness.  It can also lower blood pressure which will put less pressure on my leaky valve.

In my research I have found that use of a CPAP machine can improve vitality and motivation, Job performance mood sexual drive and performance alertness while driving, quality of life, and quality of sleep.  While untreated sleep apnea can lead to hypertension or high blood pressure, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

I have been doing a ton of reading about sleep apnea and the CPAP machines so I have a better idea of what is going on with me and how to treat it.  I do know that I want a smaller machine that is quiet and easy to travel with and that I definitely want one with a humidifier as it can get very dry here in Alaska, especially in the winter.

Once I have had my follow up with the doctor and started using my own CPAP machine I will know more and I am sure I will see a difference in how tired I am. I will update this topic at that time. Right now I think I will go take a nap.

The Nazi Officer's WIfe

The book is the story of one woman's survival during the most horrendous chapter in the history of the world, the Holocaust. It is the story of  Jewish girl and the tribulation that she survived both working on a farm and as a Nazi officer's wife.  She was hidden in plain sight.

Edith Hahn Beer tells her story beautifully.  It is emotional. She survived the ghetto and labor camps. She was hunted and went underground, scavenging food, and searching for a place to sleep each night. A Christian friend helped her to re-emerge under a different name. She worked as a nurses aide for the Red Cross,  She met Werner Vetter who was a member of the Nazi party. He knew her secret, yet married her anyway.

Edith lived in fear of being discovered. She gave birth to her daughter without pain meds,  because she was afraid she might expose her self under the influence of drugs. When her husband was captured by the Russian army and her home was bombed she and her daughter hid from drunken Russian soldiers.

Edith saved every paper to document her story and even succeeded in taking pictures while inside the labor camps. She is a hero, a woman who did what she had to to survive during a terrible time.

I loved the book and highly recommend it to everyone. 

Allergy Testing is the Pits

Over the last two weeks I have gone through extensive allergy testing.  First the skin prick test, then the sublingual under the skin testing and now the patch tests for contact allergies. 
Of the three the patch testing is the worst. You cannot shower for four days. You are taped up all over your back and itch like crazy.  Today they took the tape off, but I still cannot shower until after I see the allergist tomorrow afternoon. I have black marks all over my back and tape marks, and bumps and itchy spots.  I have been scratching my arms for three days. It helps when I am focused and doing something like quilting or driving because I am not thinking about my back itching, but when I am sitting quietly or trying to go to sleep at night the itching is intense.
The other bad thing is you have to be off your allergy meds for seven to ten days prior to testing and through out the testing.  I do have a new nasal spray I can use to help with the runny nose and the is helping but it had a nasty  after taste that hangs around for a couple of hours after you spray it up your nose.
Hopefully they will be able to help me with my allergies after this all done and I can start back on my allergy meds tomorrow after I see the doctor.  If not I may be in for more testing.

Tom's Car Accident

Tom had a minor mishap on his way home from snowboarding last night. He slid on a slick patch on the road down from Arctic Valley and hit the back end of another car. 

He also blew out a tire in the accident.

He was not hurt, but his car needs some serious repair.

The guy he hit had hit someone else after sliding on the same spot.  There were other cars in the ditch and one guy almost went off the road in the same general area.

I am just glad he was not hurt. Now he has to deal with the insurance and car repair people.  I just need to drive him to work a couple of days and share my car.

Biking Season is Fast Approaching

I noted today that the bike trails along the roads near out house are getting clearer every day. Soon the snow will be gone and we can get the tandem out and ride.

It takes longer for some trails to clear than others because of the shade from the trees, but we can ride along the side of the road near home as there are bike lanes.

It was actually above 40° today which means it definitely getting to be biking weather.  My husband said, "It is only April and we could still get snow."  I am praying for sunshine and warm weather because I want to ride my bicycle.

I do not ride in the snow, but hubby does. He has a fat tire bike and studs for his mountain bike. I personally think he is a little nuts as it is way to cold to bike in the winter in my opinion.

Then tonight the weatherman said that more snow is expected this weekend and early next week.  YUCK!!! I am sick of snow and messy roads, I want sunshine and clear roads.

Winter has been too screwy for me this year. I think I will bring the bike inside so I can ride until the roads are really clear and no more snow is predicted.  Besides if I ride in the house I will be in better shape when it is time to hit the roads.

I think that will be on my list for tomorrow, now if I can only get the bike down off the hooks without knocking myself upside the head all will be good.

Memories of my Dad

I remember the story my mother told of my father returning from Germany when I was small. I had a picture of my father and that was my memory of him. When he returned he did not look like my picture and it took me several days before I realized he was my father. I was afraid of the strange man who got off the plane, with a few days growth of beard. He was not the clean shaven man in my photograph.

I look back on photographs of my father as a young soldier and see a different man than the one who died just over three years ago.  The man who died was thin and weak, yet still told me "I love you kid."

He was physically weak from the cancer that ravaged his body bit he was still the man I knew as a child.  He still had a sense of humor and enjoyed golf. He was the man who yelled at Jack Nicholson when he missed a putt, and cheered when he got a hole in one.

He still enjoyed pulling my leg and teasing me and he was still my father whom I loved dearly.  He traveled the world with the military to places like Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines,  Taiwan, and Kinmen.

He was a great man and is sorely missed. I love him very much and know that he is watching over me from heaven.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 good size sweet potatoes peeled & chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped 
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 - 2 tsps Ancho Chili Powder
• 1 - 2 tsps  fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 - 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 - 2 tsps black pepper 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 -3 TBSP Lime Juice
• 1/2 - 1 TBSP olive oil or butter your preference

Chop the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic, then saute in olive oil or butter until tender, about 10 minutes. 

Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes while the onions, etc... are sauting.

Add the broth and spices stir well to make sure they are mixed in.  Add the sweet potatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes, or several hours until the sweet potatoes are tender.  I like to let it simmer all afternoon or cook over night and all day in the crock pot on low.


Puree in blender and serve. 

Serves4