More information than you probably want

Lynn asked me about the type of CPAP machine I have. I have a Respironics Auto APAP with Aflex. It is fully data-capable, which means it records useful and important data while I sleep, and I can access this data myself and use it to make sure my therapy is going in the right direction. Or I'll be able to access the data again once I get my used laptop with Windows XP in the mail; the software is not Vista 64-bit compatible. Phooey.

Auto-adjusting or APAP machines are truly the jack of all trades and can change as the patient's needs change. They can be set to straight CPAP - one constant pressure. Or they can be set to CPAP with C-Flex - one constant pressure with exhalation relief. They can be set to APAP - varying pressure that responds to the needs of the patient at any given moment, with or without exhalation relief. You can get them with only compliance data (hours of use), or you can get them fully data capable.

APAPs can also be used to correct or determine the right pressure for a person, but having the data available is essential for this to work.

After getting absolutely no help with questions or information from my regular doctor and the ENT "sleep doctor" I saw for a consultation, I hit the internet and found CPAP Talk, a forum for CPAP users. It was there that I learned why a data capable machine is a beautiful and essential thing.

Ultimately, my therapy is my responsibility. I did not want to be one of those people who fails to adapt to CPAP therapy (failure rate is over 50%!). By being able to see my data, I know if my therapy is effective. It tells me if I am having apneas, or if my mask is leaking too much, or if I'm having mouth leaks where all the air is going out my mouth instead keeping my airway open, or if I'm having hypopneas (apnea wannabees). Without the data, I might think I was doing fine when in fact I'm really not. At this stage of the treatment, I'm not yet "feeling fine" as I have too many years of sleep deprivation to catch up on. If I didn't have the data to tell me I'm doing good, I might get discouraged and not keep on keeping on.

Of course, experienced hoseheads get to the point where they know if things are going okay without checking their data based on how they are feeling and functioning. But still it's nice to be able to get concrete empirical data.

A lot of the hoseheads I know over at CPAP Talk also use oximeters to check that their blood oxygen level is staying at the proper saturation. Sleep apnea tends to cause low blood oxygen levels which can cause tons of health issues (besides killing brain cells). An oximeter is a little gadget that clips on your finger and reads your blood oxygen levels - no needle is involved.

So if you've made it reading this far without your eyes glazing over, I commend you. Just remember, if you have sleep apnea, and you are not getting treatment, it WILL eventually kill you one way or another. Now on to other topics...

No, I haven't been stitching much lately. I've been on a reading jag. After I finished reading the newest Star Wars saga, I decided to go back and read all of our Star Wars books. Sometimes another galaxy is better than our own. But I'm sure I'll find my stitching mojo soon.

What a week

Well, I pretty much spent the week getting my new computer up to snuff. I got all the programs loaded that I use. Vista is weird, but I'm getting used to it. I love my new honkin' big monitor. I love my new Logitech Wave keyboard. And after years of being on dial-up, I am now using an AT&T "air card." I can connect to the 3G network and enjoy a speedy internet connection. And I haven't stitched a lick.

The one program that I loaded but couldn't get to work on the new computer is the software for my data card for my CPAP machine. Turns out it's not compatible with Vista 64-bit. Lovely. I need to be able to read my sleep data every day so I'll know how my therapy is going.

So, I found a refurbished mini-notebook at a good price that is loaded with MS Windows XP and ordered it. I'll be able to use it to read my data card. I was not really happy about having to spend money due to a software problem. Let's see, Vista has been out for how long? And Windows 7 is coming out when? And Respironics, the company that makes my CPAP machine and is international, has done nothing to address this problem? Idiots.

DH and I worked our backsides off yesterday working in the yard. It's been raining like crazy off and on for a month and the temperatures have been warm. However, it never dried out enough or stopped raining enough for us to mow. Poor Emma was disappearing in the knee-high grass. DH manned the weed-whacker and I mowed with both the push-mower and the riding lawnmower. At least we can find the dog in the yard now.

We also had to put our AC window units back in. When we took them out last fall, we hoped things would progress to where we'd have our central HVAC installed by now. Oh well. Soon.

Emma likes to go outside and lay in the sun until she gets all hot and pants, then she comes in the house and cools herself off; she knows exactly where the AC blows.

Protected and transferred

Well, I went to DH's work and downloaded the full AVG 8.5 program in five minutes with DSL - it would have taken over nine hours on dial-up if my ISP hadn't kept timing out. Then I got home and checked the mail and the AVG CD was in it. At any rate, I got my new computer all protected and up and running.

Those little thumb-sized flash drives are great. I got a 2G one for about eight bucks. I recall that the first computer I bought about 15 years ago had a "huge" hard drive at 540MB. How things change.

I used the flash drive to transfer pertinent files from the old computer to the new. I'd store them on the flash drive, plug it into the new computer, and then run a virus check on all the files. I had to spend a lot of time figuring out what files to transfer. It's amazing how you can let files junk up your hard drive. I had a virtual cleaning frenzy!

Now I am killing my old hard drive with a program from http://www.harddriveeraser.org/. Then I will box up old the old computer pieces and send them back to Dell. Dell has a free old computer recycle program. When you buy a new computer from them, they'll send you free UPS labels to mail off your old one.

I didn't find Vista too hard to adapt to. MS Office 2007 is new and improved and somewhat annoying, but once I get my tool bars set up, I'll be fine.

The only thing about my new computer that I didn't like was the keyboard that it came with. It looks like it came out of a gumball machine. Very minimal and I don't like the feel of it. My old keyboard came with my original computer of 15 years ago as I've never seen the need for a new one. DH persuaded me to get one of the newer fancier ones, so I picked the Logitech Wave.

I'm a big Logitech fan as they are the only folks that make a quality trackball mouse with a thumb ball. I'll go into deep mourning if they ever stop making them. I love trackball mice!

And no, I haven't stitched much lately.

The day began with a resounding thud.

Saturday, DH and I went to Austin for the monthly IH35 Stitchtogether. I stitched and DH went to Cabela's and bought himself man toys used for hunting. We had a good group and had a lot of fun stitching and eating and discussing everything as usual. DH found such a good sale on his man toys, that they would not all fit in the Jetta and he will have to get his tree stand during next month's trip. We did come home with the deer feeder in the back seat. My hobby takes up less space and is less expensive than his!

While walking up our muddy driveway to the car on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn, I had a mishap. DH had placed some pieces of OSB board over some of the biggest puddles in the dip, and as I stepped on one to get across the puddle, it broke and I fell like a stone. I wasn't hurt, just completely muddied up and had to trudge back to the house to wash and change clothes. This made me grumpy for awhile.

Last Friday, I was successful in setting up the new computer. However, I could not download the virus software I wanted due to our dial-up being so slow; it kept timing out. So I am going to go to town to see if I can download the program to a thumb drive from DH's work computer. I don't want to get on the internet at all until I can get the new computer protected. In fact, I am posting this from the old computer.

I have finally reached the end of my rope with dial-up. We are investigating getting broadband out here; rumor has it that it is available. If so, we're getting it. I waste a lot of time at the computer waiting on stuff to download.

A note from my stitching chair: I've been stitching sporadically. I just need to stitch the "Boo Y'all" words on my WIP and I'll be done with it. The fabric is a Solo I got from Silkweaver.

The Navasota River...

...overflowed its banks yesterday north and east of us. DH was very concerned as we are in the 100-year flood plain for it. So I spent the morning moving things close to the floor farther away from the floor. Whee.

We have been absolutely inundated in rain here. Both ends of our road flooded at one point, and the county had to repair one end (the end we don't have to drive on to get to our house). We are very tired of cloudy, rainy weather and wet and soggy terrain. And boy hidey are the mosquitoes loving it! I got bit about ten times yesterday walking up the driveway from my truck by those mosquitoes whom I could not swat unto death.

Tomorrow, DH and I will travel to Austin for the IH35 Stitchtogether. Whee-e-o! I'm looking forward to it.

And today, I will be setting up and using my NEW COMPUTER! It arrived Wednesday evening, but I didn't want to debox it and put it all together that late at night. Yesterday, I didn't do it because of the possibly imminent flooding. But today is the day!

After deboxing it, I have to install the modem. I could order a modem separately, but not pre-installed with this "level" of computer. Luckily, I am well-versed in modem installation. Then I have to download the full AVG protection software (which will take several hours with my dial-up) before I do anything else. But hopefully, I will have it up and running by this evening. Then I just have to get used to MS Vista.

I always get the newest OS about a year or so after it comes out. Then I install it and get used to it. I figure I'll be doing that for the rest of my computer-using life, so why not just do it and get it over with. Whining doesn't help and a Mac isn't an option for me. But I reserve the right to vent!

Shh...

...be very quiet and don't tell IE that I'm making a blogpost. I've discovered that for the first hour my computer is on, I can sneak over to IE and get online without the computer locking up or IE throwing me offline.

So I'll post. I was planning to go into town today to to the mall to buy some new sneakers. Now that we own a house that we are working on all the time, I once again find myself needing "working" sneakers and "fit to be out in public in" sneakers. I didn't need two kinds of sneakers during the nearly three years we lived in the rent house. I only have working sneakers right now. They are covered in floor glue, floor paint, and wall paint.

I hate the mall. I hate buying shoes. I have very wide (EE), weirdly shaped feet. I also hate shoes that pinch ANY of my toes or are too tight. I hate wearing heels and won't. I buy most of my sneakers in the boys department. I buy other shoes online from high-priced wide shoe stores. But I need new sneakers so I must go forth and shop. *shudders*

Here's what I'm stitching on. I'm not using the same color of fabric (lavender for Halloween?!!). I'll post a picture of it stitched when I get it finished.

According to the FedEx website, my new computer was picked up in Nashville, TN on Sunday, and is "In Transit." I can't wait!

New computer is on the way...

I am going through severe blog posting withdrawal. I've tried posting with Mozilla Firefox, but I'm not having much success. As IE is allowing me to access it and it hasn't thrown me out and locked up my computer YET, I'll try a quick post.

I'm stitching on "Boo Y'all" by Redbird Designs and should get done with it soon. DH is working on the new bathroom, with Emma being terrier-obsessed with the holes he's drilled in the floor for the plumbing.

It's been raining like crazy here. Our driveway is a mess, but we finally got a guy out to do an estimate for getting the slippery hump and puddled dip fixed. The weather is wet but nice - warm days and mild nights.

I'm looking forward to going to the IH35 Stitchtogether this coming weekend. DH plans to go to Cabela's and buy either a hunting stand tripod or a deer corn feeder. Man toys - more expensive than cross stitching!