Fascinating & Frightening

Yep. It's sleep apnea. 

Iain's appointment with the sleep doctor came and went and so his sleep study.  We went for the results and we were blown away just what they are able to tell from the readings of all the electrodes he had to sleep with. (That sounds bad, doesn't it?)  It's brilliant technology which is simply fascinating.   We were completely impressed and amazed with all this new knowlege and we were equally aghast at the findings.

I actually did expect a diagnosis of sleep apnea or some other sleep related disorder, but I didn't expect to hear such frightful facts.  Iain stopped breathing an average of 23 times per hour througout the night. STOPPED BREATHING!  That's scary stuff, y'all.  Even scarier.....he stopped breathing an average of 46 times per hour when he experienced REM sleep. The good (and bad) news is that he wasn't getting near the REM sleep that a person requires for good restorative sleep.

By looking in the back of one's throat, the doctor can tell how open the airway is.  A tighter airway would increase the chance of apnea. A level one is most open and a level four would be the most constricted.  Iain was between a 3 and 4 during the day. Yikes.

The long and short of it is, he'll be getting a CPAP machine and mask (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) to increase his night-time attractive husband factor help force the air he needs into his body. 

He actually already went back for a 2nd sleep study where they fitted him with a mask and he slept with it that night.  We've yet to meet with the doctor regarding those results, but Iain said he slept like a baby and the technician said he didn't snore once and got good REM sleep. 

We cannot wait until our appointment and subsequent acquisition of one of those magical sleep machines.  Both of our sleep has been compromised because of this and we are desparate to gain some normalcy in this area of our lives.  Thank heavens we had that scare several weeks back in order to force us to find answers. The doctor (and other friends with similar experiences) assures us that our quality of life will increase quickly and dramatically once this is addressed.  Bring it on!  We just can't wait to get some good sleep.

Thanks so much for those of you who have been asking about Iain's health and for lifting him up in prayer.  We are happy to be on the road to a welcomed remedy.

Now, if we can just manage to get as good sleep as THIS little munchkin gets....

....we'll ALL be doing much better. :)

On a side note, night-time sleep for our little one has been flawless lately. (12-13 hours and no interruptions - I quiver as I type this because just as soon as I do....well, you know what tends to happen.)  We are still in some crazy state of nap limbo.  Sometimes one nap, sometimes two naps.  It's been one heck of a long transition to the realm of the one-a-day nappers, but we're trying to do what's best for her. It just makes planning our day a little more challenging ~ which is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.