Eighty-five Karen Kuhl 6/14 '21

Dunna Vetta

(or: My Life as an Insomniac)


It's lightening and thundering, though I can't hear it too well with the earplugs in. But the air is charged, and the cool breeze through the window is welcome. The soft boom and roll is comforting.

Rog is here in bed with me. (That feels oddly TMI and yet, why?) Anyway, we are test running the sleeping arrangements in prep for my family vacation in one week. He has the CPAP, the chin strap, the other sleep apnea device (Inspire), and I have the earplugs, the sleep mask, the sleep meds, and the cat locked out.

I think it's working.


I mean, actually working.



I am cheered by this thought. I don't know how the entire night is going to go yet, but I'll just take this little feeling and hold on to it.

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6/14 '21 9 Comments
This resonates for me. I have a feeling there's a CPAP in my future.
Lindsay Harris Friel
It's definitely an adjustment for all involved.
Karen Kuhl
I read somewhere recently that there's new data that indicates certain types of night mouth guards may be as effective at keeping your airways open for some kinds of sleep apnea. Can't find it at the moment, but it's probably worth investigating or asking about if it looks like you need a little better O2 intake at night.
Anne Mollo
Not to hijack someone else’s post but , I know it’s something concerning my throat.
Lindsay Harris Friel
The mouth guard is a relatively cost-effective first shot. If it works, your partner will know pretty fast. Rog was not a candidate for that.

His particular situation was that he has a large tongue and a small pallet. Hahaha, the jokes we made. Anyway, he relaxes and his tongue plugs up his throat like a ball-valve (doctor's phrase). Top that off with weight gain as he aged, and the freight train comes through our neighborhood every night.

There is a surgery for it, but the first line is usually CPAP. With the mask that covers the nose AND mouth.

I am not a doctor, so you'll want to see one, but I hope it's an easy fix.
Karen Kuhl
Lindsay Harris Friel
I can't see this comment.
Karen Kuhl
How’d it go?
Lindsay Harris Friel
It went swimmingly until he rutched around to scratch his arm and I immediately woke right up. Ten minutes later, when he moved his foot, I woke up again. We tried some more for a half hour until we gave up and he left for the other room.

Not thrilled. We share a king bed at the motel, so here's hoping that's an improvement over my wee double bed.

This experiment made me realize how much worse my sleep is. Even if I may be getting more hours lately, I'm barely asleep.

The good news is we definitely have improved the noise (freight train) situation, and in separate beds (like most hotel rooms), we should be pretty awesome, and that's a relief.
Karen Kuhl