Come to the PARTY!

If you would like to be a part of Claudia's Champions, an awesome group of folks and maybe some of the COOLEST people on the planet (and NO, I don't mean ME!).... email Sharyll Martin at claudiasfamily@yahoo.com for more information. We're having a get together at my house on April 9th in the evening. I would love to see you there!!! Love, Claudia

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream, er um, Breathe I mean

Well, Melissa (respiratory therapist - RT) came to the house today and brought me my new "gadget"....I'm in for a lot of those (wow, I'd have settled for a home theater system! It would have been cheaper!). This time my new "toy" (ha!) is a Respironics BiPAP S/T. Evidently I was having a LOT of apneas and hypopneas so now I get "timed" respirations with my BiPAP. If my body decides it is tired of breathing (which evidently it had on numerous occasions), the machine will "breath for me" (or as Melissa put it, "you'll get at least 14 breaths per minute, whether you like it or not!") The technical explanation is: "In Spontaneous/Timed (S/T) the BPM (breaths per minute) control is active and synchronized breaths are given. If the patient doesn't initiate a breath within the set BPM interval, a time triggered inspiration is given and the BPM indicator illuminates."

My hope is that I'll feel more energetic during the day if I am actually getting enough oxygen (and, more importantly, less carbon dioxide buildup) during the night.

While Melissa was here, she checked my PIP (Peak Inspiratory Pressure) again, this time lying down (as opposed to at clinic Tuesday when I was sitting up). At clinic my PIP was 50 sitting up. Today, lying down it was 25....big difference and Melissa said that explained a lot.

SO, now I have "better living through pharmacology and TECHNOLOGY"! Love, Claudia