So, Thursday night I checked into Alvarado Hospital for the second night of my sleep study. This time I was fitted with what are called nasal pillows, then wired up for anothe nights of data gathering.

Nasa pillows is an alternative to the nose and face masks used by many CPAP users. A small hose goes to your nose and sort of like oxygen in a hospital you has vents blowing directly into each nostril. I found this setup much more comfortable than either if the mask arrangements.

I had a splitting headache so I did not work in the hospital that night and instead watched TV until it was time to sleep. (I was so brain dead that I found myself actually watching Futurama.)

The numerous leads for the data bothered me again so I did not sleep through the night, but other then that I slept rather well and the next day I was actually refreshed. My coworkers were able to see a difference in my energy levels.

Sadly I am back to normal now. It’s been two nights without a CPAP machine and I am tried and groggy during the day. I won;t be seeing my sleep specialist until Mid-May so it’s going to be a long two weeks.

This morning I awoke with a mild headache. Unfortunately this is a frequent side-effect of sleep apnea. I was lucky in that the headache was not of Migraine levels, so I was able to go to work. However, the constant irritations of bad phones lines and other negative stimului has conspired to ensure I will continue to have this headache.

It’s slowed my writing, but I have no stopped. More scenes have been completed and I am still looking at finishing th loved.unloved novel by mid-june.

Sorry I’ve been off-libe for a few days, but this past weekend had quite a few headaches in it and they sort of slowed me down.

I did learn the key number from my sleep study and they very much concern me.

My AHI, which is the number of time I stop breathing  in an hour , on average, is 36.5. My Oxygen saturation levels apparently fall to 82%, in a normal health non-smoker they should not fall below 95% so I’m quite a way from here I should be. I also have leg spasms with an average number of spasms of 10/hour and they occur in conjunction with the apneas.

Put all together it means I have sever sleep apnea. Sleep Apnea is a risk factor for a number of heart disease issues and I was already a risk factor for heart disease as my father suffered from it. Though I will find sleeping with any kind of mask uncomfortable and difficult I will adjust because I know its best for my health.

Due to my frequent headaches — also a side effect of sleep apnea — I had no Sunday Night Movie this weekend and I missed work yesterday.

All in all I am looking forward to get this damn condition treated.

The hospital called today and the tests show that I do indeed have sleep apnea. I am scheduled to go back soon for another night of monitored sleeping and mask tests.

What joy.

No time for a big post, it’s late and I am tired.

But I have no completed 38,000 words on Cawdor and I hope to bring it in around 90,000. This book is just flying along.

At times I look at it and I just love it and think it my best work, but then I look at it and I still love it but I feel that no one is going to like it.

le sigh

So Monday night I went in for my sleep study. It was not the most pleasant of experiences nor was it the hell that I know some have endured.

First there was the rush to get the hospital with the sleep lab. I got off work at five and I need to eat and get to the hospital by six-thirty. They were clear that I needed to eat first and get there by six-thirty. That meant I wolfed down a burger and nothing more for my dinner.

My sweetie-wife dropped me off at just after six and I checked in. Then I waited. Finally the tech showed up and I was taken up to the sleep lab. Since I was first — I could have had a much more relaxed meal — I got my pick of rooms and beds. There was a short dvd video explaining the process and then I was left to my own devices until it was time to get wired.

Sadly while I had brought my laptop I had not brought my powercord. I got some writing done but not as much as I had hoped. I spent most of my evening watching the History Channel and it had a sad lack of history to it. (Mostly it was the show American Pickers.)

Near ten the tech came in and wired me up. Electrodes everywhere until I looked like a hi-fi nut’s nightmare. Unlike other sleep studies I have been told about, I was allowed to sleep anyway I wanted. I sleep on my stomach and I thrash, it’s what I do.

It was rough falling asleep with the wires on my face but I did and slept in my regular fashion. (Lots of periods whereI wake up.)

The worst part was the next morning when I showered and there was no shampoo. The electrodes in my hair had used goop and that goop remained in my hair most of the day. (At lunch I went for a haircut and shampoo and that fixed that.)

Now it’s just waiting for my doctor to call and set up the follow-up appointment.

Tonight I have my sleep study. I will take my laptop in with me and so I may post but if there is no wi-fi I will not.

So this weekend had its ups and its downs. There was fun had at board and card gaming on Friday night. My friend Ray ran his D&D game on Saturday and though we had one player die it was a really fun game and a very exciting combat.

On the down side I have had a headache for more than 24 hours. That has made life less than fun.

Later in the week I will review Clash Of The Titan which I saw today.

So if I continue at my present pace I will reach the halfway point in the rough draft of Cawdor about April 15.. That’s tax day or the anniversary of the Titanic’s disaster depending on where your head is at I suppose.

I am really quite happy with the rate of progress and the ease by which the plot and the characters are unfolding. the six months of prep work has really paid off for this novel. I’m also finding more and more idea floating around in the background for the books that follow this one. Yeah, it looks like Cawdor will be followed by Exodus From Cawdor and Return To Cawdor.

Tomorrow I will post and explain how conservative sweetheart Michelle Malkin luvs Commies.

Courtesy of Funny or Die.