A/C question - anyone know?

While in general I cannot fault the architecture on my condo, there is one major fault that I don't like. The a/c unit is outside right next to my bedroom window. Whenever it goes on, I wake up. Roomie's a/c unit is right next to it - often when hers goes on, I wake up wondering why mine is going on since it's set to 82 degrees at night. it drops to 75 degrees at 8 am, it goes on, and I wake up. Who needs an alarm clock?

Lately, mine sounds like it has rocks in it. I am wondering if the lawn service has actually knocked some small rocks in. If so, how do I get them out? I think this happened in my former house, and the thing continued to slog on day after day for 25 years, but I probably run my a/c less than most people do. I like to be warm and damp ;-)

Any suggestions?

I tried going to Google and typing in "my a/c sounds like it has rocks in it," and I got way more information than I need about a certain rock and roll band - ac/dc. So I decided to ask the experts.

You guys do know, right?

 

 

A Wake Up Call

It took many phone calls to finally get the doctor who did my first sleep study to send a copy to the new neurologist. It doesn't seem complicated, does it? It was. Luckily, I managed to get them sent before I went back for the results on the recent sleep study.

In 2006 I had the first study done. I had moved a week before, and was definitely deep into chronic fatigue as a result. I went into a "normal" (stage 3) sleep for 9% of the time. I never reached the deeper, stage 4, sleep, at all. Not for a minute. The rest of the time I was lightly sleeping or awake. All night long. It was a somewhat normal sleep for me.

This time, I felt I had slept more hours. I certainly gave it my best try, since I know they need to read the brain waves. They also read waves off my legs, but if it makes them happy, who cares?

Results? He was explaining to me some of the results in terms that I really don't totally understand. I suspect he was talking out loud to himself more than anything, trying to digest what he was looking at. I didn't fit his preferred pattern, and he was a bit confused. Finally, I said that I had slept 9% of the time last study, and asked how much I had slept this time.

"None. Zero. No minutes at all." I was confused at first, until he told me that I did not ever sleep deeper than stage 2. I was basically coasting all night up and down from awake, stage 1, and stage 2 sleep. People can be in stage 1 and even stage 2 sleep and swear they never slept at all. They are very shallow stages.

So, it seems I have a good reason to be tired most of the time. Who knew? He also thinks that lack of adequate sleep is probably playing havoc with my memory. I think he said that, I don't remember for sure.

I get to try a different medication to help me sleep, hopefully getting me to a deeper sleep. I might even have it by tomorrow, but probably not.

I would prefer to be taught to sleep, if it can be done, without any medications at all.

According to the doctor, even people who swear they have severe insomnia will generally drop into a good sleep within 5 minutes during a sleep study. I had to take more medication that normal just to try to sleep for him at all, and I didn't doze off at all for 25 minutes. I had even added a Xanax so I would be relaxed in the foreign environment.

I think he is still shaking his head. Sorry. I tried.

I asked if he has sleep problems. (Yes, same as I asked the foot surgeon if he has foot problems.) This neurologist is also a psychiatrist, I believe, and some sort of an electrical engineer and has degrees in all kinds of odd things. He said yes, he does have some trouble getting to sleep because practicing medicine these days is very stressful. He wishes he could try the medication I will be getting, but it's very controlled and he doesn't qualify for it. Then he changed the subject.

He still doesn't want to deal with my "vertigo." He said he wants to deal with the sleep issues first and he feels some of my issues will resolve if I can sleep. He again said he thinks he knows what it causing it, and said either he doesn't think he can fix it or it will be very hard to fix. Or both. He was mumbling at that point. Probably tired.

When I left, I asked for copies of my records. The receptionist told me she isn't allowed to give me a copy of my first sleep study. I let her talk for a while, sadly said those are my records, and I should be allowed to get them, and what do I need to do so I can? Meanwhile, she copied them along with everything else and handed it to me. She also told me that I will be receiving copies of my case notes every time I have been to see the doctor.

I have the typed notes from the first appointment. I need a medical dictionary for some of it. However, this I do understand:

"She had an episode of acute disseminating encephalomyelitis, autoimmune encephalomyelitis...The question now is whether she has a progressive demylinating disorder...Deep tendon reflexes are trace to absent."

Tired people will sleep for the nap times, he said. How many minutes did I sleep at 8 am, 10 am, noon, and 2 pm? Zero. Not even stage 1 sleep. I was awake; couldn't even doze.

I tossed out the fact that ST was in the process of moving when I had the study done and that I miss him very much. It's the only time thedoctor smiled at me.

This line I am OK with: "I don't think I can justify doing a LP at this time because I don't think she has had any recent attacks or episodes."

That means he isn't planning to do a lumbar puncture and suck some spinal fluid out. I am OK with skipping that experience. I have refused to have it done before, and will continue to for as long as I can. Nor will I easily consent to nerve conduction tests. I am just not into pain.

Meanwhile, my head feels like it's bouncing along on its own private little cruise in a storm, and "we" don't want to deal with that yet.

I am sure hoping that getting some sleep can get me off this ride, but who knows?

This entry is more for me to be able to come back for the information than anything. I am not feeling miserable or nasty or crabby or anything. Yes, I miss ST, but I understand he had to move. He understands how I feel.

Meanwhile, summer is slipping away. In two weeks it will likely be cool here. It's hard to imagine, but it is going to happen.

Hopefully, I can sleep through some of the colder weather this winter.

 

 

 

Which one works?

Theoretically, if you make a wish to come true on the only shooting star you ever saw in your state, and then make the same wish a week later on a regular star - then reverse it immediately to have the wish not happen, which one comes true? The wish or not-the-wish? Or do they cancel each other out? Is there a punishment for reversing a wish?

I have to think about something when I can't sleep.

I had my sleep study, along with the nap study the next day this week. It was awful. I carefully read the paper I was given and instead of telling me that I had to go to bed at 11 pm like last time, it said, "The sleep study will begin once you feel ready to go to sleep (usually at or before 11 pm."

That does not say I had to go to bed at 11 pm, does it? Noooo. It implies that I got to choose my bedtime. I had three books and my computer with me. Luckily I also had some Xanax and some sleeping pills. I took a Xanax to be able to allow the tech to paste electrodes and wires onto me. I took double my usual sleeping medication to be able to keep from running out the door screaming. I did sleep a little. I tried hard to sleep. The tech turned the bright lights on in my eyes at 6 am, after insisting that I absolutely had to be in bed with the lights out and trying to sleep at 11 pm. She didn't care what the papers said. (I decided it wasn't prudent to point out the typing errors in the papers. There are two of them.)

This is supposed to simulate a night's sleep for me? I sleep roughly from 2 am to 8 am. I sleep with a window open for fresh air if the low temp for the night is above 45 degrees. I leave the blinds open so I can wake up gradually to sunlight, or perhaps the kids behind me playing basketball. Or birds. Maybe the dogs barking at a dozen deer dancing in my back yard. I never wake up to someone turning on a light in my face.

Even if I am not sleeping alone, no one turns a bright light on in my face if they get up first. If it did happen, I am sure they wouldn't do it twice. My ex-husband didn't. Turning bright lights on in someone's face is just rude.

Two hours later I was expected to nap for 20-30 minutes. Very, very funny. After that rude awakening (and I really wasn't even sleeping at 6 am, so I heard her coming), I wasn't likely to nap at all. I didn't. Not at 8 am, not at 10 am, noon, or 2 pm. I was supposed to try again at 4 pm, but the tech gave up on me at 2:30 and let me go home. Each two hours I had to lie down in the dark and pretend to sleep on the bed.

I never nap in a bed. If I do nap, which is rare, it will be in my recliner. Once I am up at 8 am, I do not return to the bed for sleep until night time again. Even at a time like when I had my shoulder surgery, I didn't return to the bed for a nap. I also don't sit in a small room with no sunlight from 9 pm until 2:30 pm.

No one asked me what my usual sleeping hours are, or how I might nap, or anything. I was told to wear a t-shirt and shorts, but this being my second sleep study, I wore a tank top and sleep shorts. Electrodes have to be pasted on the shoulders, too.

Have I mentioned that I am allergic to adhesives? Recently I had an incident with a perfectly normal band aid. I must have shaved something too close, and I was bleeding under my arm. I put on several bandages throughout the day, as the bleeding continued for about 12 hours. I am not a bleeder by any means. When I removed the last bandage, I noticed blood leaking under my skin. It was very blue, then purple. Over the following several days, it went through the normal bruising colors. It also swelled up something ugly and was very red. It got dry, very dry, and is only now almost normal. Very weird stuff. Also, it was only from one side of the bandage, not both sides.

So, I wasn't very comfortable having adhesives on my face, scalp, neck, chin, legs, shoulders. The worst reaction was actually my shoulders, oddly enough. It's all better now.

Fat chance I would ever do another sleep study unless someone can come up with a really, really good reason or if I can take my dogs, who were left home with the child for the night. I was supposed to sleep without a beagle or something equally furry pressed up tight on each side of me?

I think not.

I think my next star-wishing will involve no more sleep studies in my future.

Or is it bad luck to tell someone your wish? I just don't remember the rules.

 

Free Stuff!

How often do you see a child under age 21 drinking in public? Probably not that often any more. Bartenders are generally instructed to check ID on anyone who looks under 40. Party stores are monitored for sales of alcohol to minors and can lose their licenses after being caught a few times.

How often do you see a child under 18 smoking? Oh, all the time, right? Is it legal? Hm. No. But no one does anything about it, do they? There is some smoke and saber rattling regarding sales to minors, but in general, any teenager or even preteen can get their hands on cigarettes and can smoke in public. I used to see grade schoolers smoking at bus stops on my way to work. Surely police saw them also. No one cares enough to enforce that law. Smoking while driving? Not so much an issue as drunk driving. That is a good justification for letting children slowly kill themselves.

How about stealing? Not so much a problem, is it? All you have to do is get someone's credit card information and have a good time. What are the chances that anyone will follow through on prosecution? Small charges, who cares? After a few billion, someone should. I am not researching the stats, but use your imagination.

In April or May my account number was changed on one of my credit cards. I called to find out why, and I was told they are making some change or another in their system and I should not be concerned. I was leaving on a trip, so I was concerned, but the new card came in time for me to take it with me. I shredded the old card into small pieces, and separated them into separate containers before tossing. Some pieces went in my pocket and were dumped in a trash container at a mall or gas station. I am careful with these things.

Imagine my surprise when I checked my balance online today on an account and found two charges that I didn't authorize - on the old account number. One was to blockbuster.com and one was to napster. I called my credit card company, wasting a half hour. They told me to call the two companies. So, I did that, wasting another hour or so. Neither would remove the charges from my account, although they were able to verify that they were fraudulent. I had to call the credit card company again, and at that time found out that someone had also charged something to iTunes to my account. Another hour or so of being transferred and having explanations pass back and forth. I also heard that email accounts were opened by "me."

Bottom line? Nothing is going to happen to the children who charged their music on my account. I am sure they did it on other people's accounts too. Why not? It's not any more risky to them than smoking in public. No one really cares. Everyone does it. I assume it's children based on what was charged. The amounts for each were small.

These are brave children. Two of the charges were made a week apart.

No one is going to do anything about it.

Sure, the charges are removed from my account now. But do you ever think about where they go? I do.

I don't know the stats here either, but my guess is we probably pay 50% more for goods than necessary, due to illegal activities like this. Or employee theft. Or bills just never paid. And so on.

Those of us who pay for what we buy are kind of stupid, aren't we?

Conspicuous consumption. At it's finest. If you can't afford it, buy it anyway. You deserve it, right?

Why?

So the rest of the people can pay for it for you?

Everyone can have a setback at times. These times are hard, too. But some people make it a lifestyle to see how much they can get without ever even intending on paying for it.

I do not know how they sleep at night.

They keep me awake sometimes.

 

 

OCD or nest?

Just from casual observation, it seems to me that most of us who use our computers on a fairly regular basis keep the computer area in one of two ways.

1. You are OCD, and there is never a piece of paper or lint in the wrong spot. Once you see an errant thread, you grab that offender and file it under "t" in your trash containers.

2. You keep a nest. In the general area of your computer, you have pens, pencils, paper, post-its used and unused, some snacks, a drink of your choice and perhaps even a dirty glass or empty can or bottle, maybe some lotion or a nail file, reading glasses, spare shoes or slippers, a book or seven, a lot of pet hair if you have pets, a comb and/or brush, a phone and a place for your cell phone, plus maybe a decorative plant, real or plastic. A lamp, and a lot of little notes.

Am I close?

I am a nester. I admit it freely. My computer area is my sofa where I have a recliner. My feet go up, I lean back, and my laptop goes on my lap. Next to me is a small end table with my junk on it. Two beagles are at the other end of the sofa, sleeping.

 

 

 

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