My wife now sleeps with a masked man.
This does not upset me – in fact, I am very much in favor of the arrangement – since I am that masked man.
Why am I wearing a mask at night? Well, a few months ago I had a sudden minor stroke while traveling (A Scary Moment in Terminal A), and while most of the scariest potential causes have been ruled out, it turns out that I have sleep apnea.
Big time. Like, I was having sleep interruptions at the rate of 16 times per hour.
Sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke (did you know that? I didn’t); and, in fact, I had been experiencing constant exhaustion for many, many months. No wonder, with that kind of non-restful sleep pattern.
Happily, the other risk factors have been pretty much ruled out. And I’m actually thankful that this diagnosis was made.
So now I’m hooked up to a CPAP machine at night, and that has dropped my sleep interruptions to below 1 per hour. Resistance to the mask and air pressure is futile. Apnea is being assimilated.
The big plus: energy is returning! The warp engines are back online.
Many of you shared your concerns for me after the stroke incident, and I’m happy to report that my cardiovascular system is healthy, and neurologically, I’m clean – as you can see from the latest MRI results:
Thank you for your many good wishes and prayers during these months of follow-up tests. I’m feeling great and it appears that there are no ongoing concerns. Full speed ahead!
