Last night I went for a sleep test. It wasn’t all that bad and I managed to get a enough sleep for the evaluation (they need at least 4 hours but prefer more). The sleep test was required by the pulmonary doctor as part of the evaluation process to qualify for gastric bypass surgery (planned for around Aug. 2009).

Before leaving I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and put on a pair of sweat pants, big t-shirt and socks to sleep in, so that way I wouldn’t have to change at the hospital before bed or in the morning before leaving for home.

I arrived at 8 p.m. and was given a private room with a private bath. The technician at the hospital was very nice and made sure I was comfortable. There were only three easy forms to fill out.

I was allowed to watch tv – but there was no remote and not that many channels to chose from, so I didn’t get see my two favorite nightly shows (Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow – luckily both are posted online so I can see them later).

About 9 p.m., an hour or so before I wanted to go to sleep, the technician came to start hooking me up. First step was to wipe each spot where a wire going to be attached with an alcohol wipe (to remove oils), then a mild abrasive (didn’t hurt at all) to remove dead skin. It took about 30 or 40 minutes to get all the wires attached, about 30 of them – several on my scalp, a couple around my eyes and temple area, three on my chin, two on my chest, and two on each leg. They wires were attached with a glue that is about the consistency of toothpaste, but stickier. I also had two stretch type belts put on (around the chest and waist areas), the belts held the wires close to my body and also had some wires attached to the clasps. Around my neck the technician hung a box with all the wires plugged into it.

I watched tv for a little longer and then the technician came back to tuck me in and plug in the wires from my box to the wall and attached another sensor to my finger. She I should relax and focus on going to sleep and that if anything came unattached she would come in and fix it. I was free to move and roll over if I need too, and if I needed her to come help me with the wires in order to roll over I could just call her. The intercom is on and active all night, so there is no need to press any buttons. There is also a camera that is recording all night that is mounted from the ceiling over the bed.

About 4 a.m. I woke up for my usual bathroom break. The technician came right away to unplug me and I had to take all the wires and the box around my neck along with me to the bathroom. I asked if I could leave yet, but she wanted me to try and get more sleep, which I knew wasn’t going to happen. By about 5:30 a.m. she came back and got me unhooked. She brought a towel and wash cloth so I could clean up a bit and wash off the glue spots from where the wires were attached. I have two evaluation forms to fill out, one asking about how I slep and the other asking about the technican. Both were very quick and easy to complete.

On my way home I stopped and got a surprise breakfast (egg and bacon on a fresh Kaiser roll) for my daughter, Angelgirl, who I knew would be just waking about by the time I got in the door. I got lots of hugs from hubby and Angelgirl, and a big smile and thanks for the sandwich.

The sleep test was a fairly easy process and not so bad. I would estimate that I got about 5 or maybe even 6 hours of sleep, which is more then the usual 4 or so I get at home.

In preparation for the sleep test, the night before I stayed up a bit later and made sure I was up my regular time so I was even more tired then usual. I also made of point of not drinking very much at all for two days, so I only had to go to the bathroom once during the night (usually I have to get up at least twice, and sometimes three times). Plus I didn’t have hubby going to bathroom too (which is right next to the bedroom), which usually wakes me up again.

It will be interesting to see what the results are. I have my followup appointment with the pulmonary doctor in about two weeks to find out.

Related Articles:

Currently Diet Pulpit is rarely updated. Lady Rose is now blogging at Blissful Moon, where she is staying healthy and continuing to have adventures, please stop by and visit.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Tags: ,