Sleep Apnea

A relative suggested I write about my experiences with obstructive sleep apnea. You can find more information at

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea

I have always been a heavy snorer. This caused many personal problems with other people trying to sleep in my vicinity (camping trips, house guest, military barracks) and was a huge negative in my marriage.

My father died in his sleep at age 64. He was very fit. His Levi’s waistband was probably within one inch from his twenties. In later years, with better information, we now realize he showed all the signs of classic sleep apnea. He was a loud snorer. If you know someone who snores, who stops breathing for a minute or two, then snores again, they need to be checked. That minute or two is the only time they are completely asleep.

By 1995, my problem had grown so bad I fell asleep at red lights. I once fell asleep on a test drive; my customers woke me up. My general manager called me in. He pointed out we had HMO health coverage. He flat put it to me, get tested NOW or get fired.

Boring, but typical story, navigating Seattle Group Health’s rat maze, finally got me to the sleep order clinic. Much arguing led to me taking the equipment home, attaching the various leads, etc. and returning the equipment the next day (hint: Do shave the area the stickum adheres to).

Later the next day I start getting calls from the lab; they want to see me now. I’m busy and try to stall them. They finally call my boss. He explodes, tells me, “You damn mule, get your ass over there.”

At the lab, I meet the MD who is in charge. He starts off nice, showing me video screens with colored line and explains what they represent. He sees I’m not convinced so he smacked me with a 2x4 with the following.

“Mr. ______, I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that within six months you will have a major medical event. It may be today, next week, next month, but within six months it will happen. If you are lucky, it will kill you. Otherwise, you will be an invalid. You do have available to you, don’t you, constant nursing care for years to come? No, well you will require it.” Silence. (As a salesman I admired his closing skill) Finally, I said, “And my options would be?

Two days later I was using a CPAP. Other than one trip where I forgot it, one trip where I forgot the power cord, and a few nights when the power has been out, I’ve slept with a mask on my face and air blowing up my nose every since.

CPAPs and masks are a pain. You nose itches and sweats. Moving around the bed is restricted. You must make up your mind that you will use it, period, no excuses or rationalizations. CPAPs add new considerations for travel. Security check points, weight and space problems, and where is an outlet? I pack a 25’ drop cord to insure reaching an outlet. As an aside, I end up looking behind night stands and under beds for outlets. Rarely are those areas clean in the motels. Camping, or sleeping anywhere with out power, is a problem. Most CPAPs are set up to run on 12 volts. How far do you want to pack a battery? After one night, how do you recharge it?

For me, the biggest hassle has been dealing with the medical folks and, especially the medical appliances folks. Need a replacement anything? We want a prescription. Prescription? Need a new sleep study (at about $5,000 or so).

I love Craigslist, Google, and Ebay. All of my replacement CPAPs I’ve found on Craigslist. Those oh so secret adjustment manual the respiratory techs use are on Ebay. Now, I would happily pay the techs for their expertise if it didn’t come with the whole “need a prescription” deal. I can hear them saying now, “But we are required …………”. You are, I’m not. I’m a scofflaw.

The principal benefit to using the CPAP is, I’m still alive. Within the first six months, I lost over a 100 lbs. My blood pressure normalized (for me, 170/95 - bite me). My energy level zoomed. My sex drive became stronger; horny as a teenager (bit of a problem as I was divorced). According to those who had to deal with me, my personality went from “Impossible” to “Aggravating”.

I’ve never used things like humidifiers and supplemental oxygen. My nose won’t tolerate Nasal Pillows. I see ads for non CPAP solutions but have never perused them. What I have works for me.

Hope this can help anyone dealing with sleep problems, themselves or people in their lives. The machines have improved, and their size and weight are down. For some, surgery can help.

For those without health insurance, you may need to go the self help route. Google is your friend. Don’t fear it. My experience is the machines won’t produce enough pressure to harm your lungs. Crank it up till the mask starts fluttering then turn it down a notch or two.

Wisdom

Wise words from my 80 year young aunt.

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

Can I Irritate an Engineer?

“An engineer can only be in one of two conditions” an engineer friend once told me, “Approximately right or absolutely wrong.” He was a retired aerospace engineer who had started with a slide rule and ended up doing CADCAM. Expounding further, he stated, “The ones with the courage to be approximately right are rare. The ones who can only be absolutely wrong are common, and only good for padding a ‘cost plus’ contract.” Harsh word, to be sure.

In my late twenties, I had the good fortune to work for a weird, off the wall, engineer who was also a Harvard MBA. No slack allowed.

He was fired from an aircraft maker for a project gone wrong. He devised a system, using compressed air, to fire fowl at aircraft windscreens. His system worked, but was a public relations disaster, as he used live fowl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SphwjDru8Fw&NR=1

The Russians may not have cared.

He wasn‘t tightly wrapped. Allegedly, at home, he liked to watch television with a unloaded revolver at hand. When there was a gun fight on TV, he would dry fire at the screen. He would use binoculars to examine cracks in his ceiling. He bought a house based on the location of the sun during his commute. Salesmen calling on us would be worn down but the unending questions he could generate. He was also very familiar with distilled spirits.

Many people who worked for him were not happy campers. We got along. I’ve always believed that every day I put my job on the line. He liked that. I gave him accurate information. Often the information was negative. Not all projects were successes and our business was high risk construction. There would be yelling, then decisions made, and we would go forward. I learned many valuable business lessons from him, especially diligent planning. He also gave me near impossible assignments. One was collecting accounts receivables from those lying sacks of shit at Boeing. Another was finding month to month renters for our excess warehouse space. We ended up storing parts for the Unlimited Boat Teams based in Seattle, PACCAR (Kenworth Trucks), and the LSofSs at mother _______ Boeing. Some of my more extreme collection methods were discussed behind close doors and greatly modified.

He might rip me in private but he always backed me publicly. When he and the new stockholders got sideways, I soon followed him out the door.

His replacement was an engineer of the second type. After bankrupting the company in less than two years, he went on to greater glory by screwing up the propulsion program for a new class of state ferries.

There are six steps to a project.

1. Initial enthusiasm.
2. Disillusionment.
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty.
5. Punishment of the innocent.
6. Praise and honors for the non participants.

Today, my part time job involves working for several engineers. From where I sit, little has changed. You just wait them out as they get tired from running their mental hamster wheels. The good part is the general manager has the courage to be approximately right.

Despite all the barbs, I have a lot of respect for engineers. Takes brains and dedication just to get through the schools. Way smarter people than me. Their problem in dealing with me was decision making. I would make more decisions in the first two hours of a day than they would in two days. As an example, we were vacuum forming a different plastic than usual. The exhaust from the vacuum tank was in the center of the vacuum tank and was distorting the plastic. While they were standing there discussing the problem (at $37 per minute), I grabbed an electrical double wall box, placed it over the vent, and viola!, no more problem. I must have spent at least ten minutes on that. Onward we went, on a six figure project, that, By Gawd, stayed on schedule.

The engineer quoted at the start of the posting taught me a painful lesson. I didn’t want to take the time to learn computer stuff, DOS, whatever. He created a one of a kind program, just for me, that I could use without brain damage. Using that program for preparing bids, we went from apparent low bidder 32% of the time to apparent low bidder 78% of the time. Smack me with a 2x4!

For an endeavor to succeed, all types need to contribute (even bean counters and lawyers). I most admire those individuals whose leadership can blend it all together. They, if not hobbled by the absolutely wrong rules enforcers, can make this country grow and prosper.

During one of the many construction slumps, I started selling cars. The intention was to do that until business conditions improved. Guess they didn’t improve again for the next twenty five years. What I learned from my MBA Engineer boss was to plan, keep records, measure results, and plan again with better data. Worked for me, even thought I did it (and still do) with the willing grace of a pig on ice skates.

Blinded by Arrogance???

My sister says I think to much during the hours I spend driving. She may be correct. The only time the radio is on is when I get sleepy.

So I got to thinking about Fast and Furious. The “smart” set that thought this one up, continue to pedal along their predetermined path, even when the whole thing is blowing up around them. The impression I get is they think they are so smart and we are so dumb, they can still pull it off. As a possible alternative, they mainly talk to people who already agree with them. Thus, they don’t fathom the problems catching up to them.

Next spurious thought it this cluster fuck may be typical of all the grand schemes the Lightbringer’s accomplices have created. This gives me hope that all their schemes will ultimately fail.

They have, and will continue, to create a lot of pain, debt, waste, and time consumed to fight, stop, then reverse the country’s course but it is doable.

Then again, I probably think too much, and not too clearly.

A Citizen's Duty

Received a complaint my blog has become too serious; that there are too few “foolish” postings.

When my mother became unable to handle her affairs, I started receiving her mail.

One day a summons for jury duty arrived. Since I had already ignored several, decided I had best do my duty and put the date on my calendar.

Arrived, signed in, sat down and waited. Waited some more. Finally, heard my mother’s name called. Yep, I had answered her summons.

MYOB????

Westbound on I 76 overtaking a car hauler with a huge cloud of white smoke coming from the right rear of his trailer. Pull along side the truck and try to attract the drivers attention. He is on a cell phone. He ignores me.
*CSP - hit Send.

"Colorado State Patrol, how may we help you"?

"Calling to report a truck going Westbound on I-76 at Mile Marker 36 with a lot of smoke coming from the right rear of the trailer. The truck is a blue car hauler with a sleeper cab."

"What is a car hauler."

"An automobile transport truck."

"Have you tried to attract the driver's attention"?

"Yes, he didn't pay any attention to me; he is on a cell phone."

INSERT Dispatcher gets my name and number.

"Well, what do you want us to do about it"? !!!!!!!!

"How about you dispatch your guys with the blue and red lights; bet they can get his attention. Hell, he will be in Hudson in two minutes. Call Hudson PD."

HANG UP and start cussing.

Maybe my friends and family are right. Maybe I need Anger Management Classes.

Nothing to see here? Just a brake and/or axle fire directly below a gasoline powered vehicle's fuel tank. Said vehicle is sitting on perforated steel ramps. What could go wrong?

Pesky citizen should just mind his own business.

Bullshit Squared

The Lightbringer, in addition to transparency, promised to attack waste and fraud. One of his speeches highlighted the issue.

http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/03/10/obama-speech-on-health-care-waste-and-fraud/

Tedious to wade through, I assure you, but if the lying crook directed the agencies under his control to accomplish a fraction of what he promised, we would see some help for our economic crises. How much? Try $23.7 billion in 2007 alone.

http://www.insurancefraud.org/medicarefraud.htm

How about the Defense Department? Billions upon billions.

http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20110203/ACQUISITION03/102030303/

John McCain, has said we can’t, won’t, and don’t, attack fraud and waste. Bloviating Zeppelin posted one McCain’s speeches where McCain says as much, about 2 minutes into his speech.

http://bloviatingzeppelin.blogspot.com/2011/07/down-to-wire-its-tea-partys-fault.html

May be the only honest thing he has said in years.

Medicare and Medicaid fraud has been documented and exposed over and over. Why is nothing done? Like wise the Defense Department. Yes, I understand $800 toilet seats are a way of funding “black” programs.

May I suggest, campaign contributions? During the Roaring 20’s, the bootleggers paid off the police and judges. Still happens. Want to bet the big operators in the fraud industry are also big campaign contributors?

When the honest men and women in government service raise the issue (Whistleblowers) they get hammered.

Great. The ones thieving from us, payoff the ones who should be looking out for our interests, so all of them can profit.

Term limits, damnit! Vigilantes, anyone?