Remember 'Good Fren's little adventure at the Sleep Clinic in TTSH?
We met up with the specialist who gave us the results. According to the little observation, 'Good Fren' has an Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) of 22. In other words, he stops breathing 22 times per hour of sleep. For an 8-hour sleep period, his breathing would have stopped for 178 times. At this rate, his problem is considered 'moderate'.
Erm... ok... 'Moderate'... What does that mean?
So I asked the specialist what would happen if 'Good Fren's condition was left untreated. The specialist said with a straight face that to not treat 'Good Fren's condition was 'bad advice' because 'Good Fren' would risk developing complications such as hypertension, cardiovascular problems etc... 4 times more than 'normal'... not to mention other complications associated with fatigue.
Why does 'Good Fren' have sleep apnea?
There are many contributing factors in general. Those affecting 'Good Fren' are probably 'being male' and 'narrowed airway'. 'Narrowed airway' may block air flow, especially when one sleeps and the body is relaxed.
So what's the treatment?
I guess the specialist can't do much about 'Good Fren' being male, so he advised 'Good Fren' to get himself a machine which to create Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).
The CPAP machine looks like it must have inspired the creators of AVATAR.
You know... Connection between 2 entities... With one providing a function that the other cannot perform on its own. =)
The CPAP Machine regulates one's breathing during sleep. It 'forces' air through the airway at regular intervals, forcing any collapsed parts of the airway open and ensuring that the user has adequate air supply.
It was kind of funny for the first few nights, coz 'Good Fren's mouth would inadvertantly open during sleep and the pressurised air would escape through his mouth. And that is FUCKING loud... like BISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH! It's kind of hilarious, but I refrained from laughing aloud at 4am, and simply pushed his jaw to close his air-leaking mouth.
'Good Fren' also experienced 2 other problems with the CPAP Machine. Firstly, he could not sleep well for the first 2 nights, because it's kind of weird to have air literally forced down your nose while trying to sleep. But this problem disappeared as he got used to the machine. Secondly, with all that air molecules bombarding his throat, he developed a mild sore throat by the 3rd day. We then got the sleep technician to attach a humidifier to the CPAP machine.
So, this CPAP machine thing is kind of crude... But 'Good Fren' says he feels very refreshed after nights of machine-assisted sleep. I can't imagine that he has been surviving on oxygen-deprived sleep for the past 3 decades. He could have been smarter than he already is.... Orrrrrrrh... =)
According to the specialist, we are supposed to put up with the CPAP Machine for 3 months, before seeing him again. And if 'Good Fren' does not wish to continue with it, he can opt for surgery, i.e. to shrink the bits of tissues blocking his airway using waves or laser. Ooohh... Sounds exciting...
You see, the problem with the CPAP Machine is that while it works well to keep the sleep apnea at bay, it also means that 'Good Fren' will have to transform into AVATAR every night for the rest of his life. Not that I mind, but it's kind of inconvenient, especially if we travel. Imagine bringing the thing with us on a trip to Bali or Berlin. =_=
So I asked the specialist if we could just skip the CPAP machine and get right on with the surgery. He said that not the way he ran his clinic. O_o Probably an escalation of risk issue. For the specialist and for the patient.
Oh well... Till we see him again in a couple more months... Meanwhile, 'Good Fren' will continue to transform into AVATAR nightly, and I will continue to point at him and go,"FWAH! AVATAR!"
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