Sleep Clinic Hell

What a week! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you’ve been really busy, but when you stop and think about it you realize you didn’t finish everything that you wanted to do, or that you were procrastinating on a few things? Well, that’s the kind of week I’ve had.

I guess I should have known it wasn’t going to be a good week. Last Sunday night I couldn’t sleep at all. Mostly because I had a lot of abdominal pain. So I dragged myself around all day Monday.

Tuesday I was bitchy all day because I had to go to that sleep study appointment. I was right to be in a bad mood about it. The tech that was caring for me all night wasn’t very friendly. I tried to get her talking but I wasn’t very successful. I did find out that she’s a psychology major and attends classes all day, then works at the sleep study clinic three nights a week. I guess she was tired but it would have been nice if she’d been a little bit friendlier.

I got there at 8:30 p.m. just as I was told to, and I was led to my bedroom where I was told to fill out a number of papers. I finished the papers within 10 or 15 minutes and then I sat and waited for the tech to come back. I eventually started to read my book because she was taking so long. She finally came back at 9:30 and had expected me to be dressed for bed. “uhm, you didn’t tell me that”. So she left again for another 30 minutes. It doesn’t take me that long to change my clothes. Really!

When she came back she led me to a room where I was weighed, my height measured, and my throat circumference taken. The throat measurement worried me because I thought they were going to put something around my neck! It turns out that my neck was about the only thing that didn’t have something placed on it.

I ended up with wires stuck to my legs, chest, shoulder and all over my head. Most of them were on my head actually. They were stuck on with a thick wax like paste and white paper surgical tape. I had at least 6 wires attached to my face, right beside my eyes, mouth and on my cheeks. Then she strapped a belt around my body under my arms and across my breasts, and a second one around my waist. Oh fun, I can’t breath!

I walked back to my room thinking that it was a good thing all these wires were so thin. It was kind of like being covered with vermicelli noodles. There were 23 wires stuck in the “sandman” machine that was attached to me.

I was allowed to go to bed at midnight but I had to call the tech into the room at some point prior to that to attach the wires to the beside machine. I called her at 11:30 so that her coming into the room wouldn’t disturb my sleepiness, if I was sleepy, which I wasn’t. What I was, was in pain! I had taken a pain pill before I got there. Partly because I was having pain at that time, and in part because I know they make me a little bit sleepy. By 9:30 I had another, and I had yet another one at 11:30 plus a half Percocet. Yes, that should have taken care of the pain and made me comatose. Did it? No!

The tech came into the room at about 11:30 and attached the wires to the bedside machine, and then she put yet another thing around my head – it was something that rested just under my nose. I’m presuming it was to measure my breathing during sleep but she wouldn’t answer my questions so I have no idea if my guess is correct. I also had a pulse-oximiter placed on one of my fingers to measure my O2 content and heart beat. Then she left the room after telling me that she was going to talk to me on the intercom and run some tests.

I’m glad that I asked her to hook me up before my official bedtime because setting up the machinery took about 10 minutes. When she came on the intercom I had to move my eyes up and down several times, then side to side, then hold my breath, breath normally, and then hold my breath and move my stomach in and out. I did the stomach thing for about a minute before she told me I could stop. This was the most hateful test due to my abdominal pain.

Since I couldn’t get out of bed to turn out the light on my own she came back promptly at midnight to turn it out. I wasn’t pleased. I was almost wide awake and I wanted to continue reading as I usually get very sleepy when I read. She wouldn’t let me. Hey, I had a bedside lamp beside me, I could have read and turned out that light on my own- but no, I wasn’t allowed. So I ended up lying awake until sometime after 3:30 am. Getting boob wedgies from the tight band she’d placed around my chest. I heard every streetcar go by, all the partiers outside on the street, delivery trucks backing up. Everything.

With 3 tramadol and a half percocet coursing through me I should have been deeply asleep, but I was still in pain and just couldn’t get to sleep. I finally fell asleep only to wake up again by 5:30 am. I lay in bed until almost 6:30 and then I called the tech to come and unhook me so I could have my shower and get the heck out of there.

I practically ran out of the clinic when I was able to! I was free, I was free! I went home and unfortunately still couldn’t sleep. I did have an hours nap that evening though, so that helped.

I’ve spent the rest of the week feeling blah. My tummy is just in an uproar. It’s not happy, and when it’s not happy I can’t sleep and I can’t do much else either. I’m supposed to be at a party tonight. My husband went, and he’s playing guitar on the stage that they set up in the hall and I’m missing it. I’m disappointed. I really wanted to go and see my friends, and watch Chris perform.

As for the procrastinating bit. Last Friday Chris and I went to one of my favorite garden centers and picked up some more plants for the garden. Mostly annuals for summer color, but yes, I bought some more perennials (permanent plants) and I have no idea where I’m going to put them! In all, we bought 347 plants! I know that sounds like a lot but most of them were in those little containers that hold 4 plants each. They add up quickly. Why did I buy so many? lets see, I have three hanging planter boxes to fill, and 7 hanging baskets, 4 pots, 2 strawberry pots, and 4 rectangular plant boxes to stuff with blooms. The remainder will go along the edges of my flower beds. I’ve been meaning to get this done all week, but just haven’t had the energy to do it. Now it’s supposed to rain on and off all weekend. Well, if they don’t get planted at least they will be watered. Have to look on the bright side.