Month: August 2019

CPAP Therapy and the myAir App

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

I started using my new CPAP machine in late June 2019 and I just wanted to post an update on my progress.

When Aprea Healthcare told me that I wasn’t going to get a BiPAP machine, I was freaked out because I have been using a BiPAP machine since 2005 and I thought the CPAP, which is called CPAP because it’s continuous air, BiPap is for bidirectional air, I though the CPAP was going to make it harder to sleep, but this new CPAP is actually not that bad. I am able to inhale and exhale normally.

The mask they included with my new machine was the nasal mask that I was used to, but this new mask was a bit different. The old mask had the cushion and pillow, unlike the new ones that just have the pillow. Here is my old mask with the cushion and pillow on the left, and the new pillows with 3 different nose sizes on the right.

I never had a problem with the old cushion and pillow masks, I could breathe through both nostrils just fine throughout the ramp stage (when you first start for the night, your machine starts out with a low pressure and that pressure slowly builds up to the final pressure over time to allow you to get used to the air) and beyond. This new mask was just too restricting for me. I started with the medium, which was installed on the mask frame when I received my new machine, and decided to use the large one on the 2nd night, but I still had a problem getting air during the ramp stage. I called and set up an appointment to tell them I’m having trouble and they told me I could get a different mask before the first 30 days are up, so I went in and they suggested this new nasal pillow which goes into your nostrils, and that one seems to work better, but there are side effects, like me pulling on the hose while I sleep which causes the air to leak.

The guy at Aprea Healthcare suggested I use the medium nasal pillow, but it’s too small and when I wake up, my nostrils are in agony because both pillows have literally gone inside my nose lol. I switched to the large, and haven’t had any pain. It REALLY sucks waking up in pain.

So this is my update. I’m doing good with my new CPAP machine. I wanted to post something so people will know that if you have been using a BiPAP for a long time and the Sleep Apnea company that sends you a new machine refuses to give you a new BiPAP, but instead only wants to give you CPAP, don’t worry, it’s pretty much the same thing. You can breathe easier (that was my pun for the day lol) knowing it works for me, and I was adamant about getting a BiPAP. If you find that you have trouble with CPAP, tell them and they will work to get you a BiPAP. It was like pulling teeth to get this CPAP, so I’m not even going to try to get something else.

Oh and here’s the myAir app screenshot. I love this app because before I didn’t have any data, this new machine actually sends the data to this app and now I can see what happens when I sleep.

Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker

On By Michel McDonaldIn Food, GadgetsLeave a comment

Have you ever had a sandwich that was so good that you felt like you should probably blog about it? Well, I’m doing it anyway.

So a friends dog swallowed clothing lol. Like, she chewed it up and then swallowed it, but then she also swallowed 2 whole socks, and yes, it was a pair. Ever wonder where those missing pairs of socks went? LOL!!! So, naturally it wasn’t good and they had to take her to the vet and it was very expensive, so they were forced to sell a lot of their belongings to pay the vet bill. They can get all that stuff back in time, if they really wanted to.

I went to the yard sale specifically to buy something to help them out. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and I usually always leave yard sales empty handed because I’m never interested in anything people are selling, because they usually sell things even they don’t care about. But these guys had some things I wanted, and this was one of them. I’ve wanted this thing for years, and finally got it for $5.

I brought it home and cleaned it up because that’s what you do when you buy something like this, and put it in the cupboard. It was so hot that I just didn’t even feel like going to the store last night, so today I was going to just do research by watching YouTube for instructions, and they said you can use regular bread, which I happen to have. Bread, ham, cheese and an egg. I had those things, so I had lunch.

The bread isn’t round like an English muffin, so I had to use the round plates to basically cut the bread in a round shape. I buttered the bread and placed it butter side down, then I added some cheese and I put the egg part down so I could add an egg, and I did, then remembered I forgot to put the ham in, so I added that on top of the egg and then the top piece of bread with butter. Ugh! It was a disaster because I forgot to add the ham. The top bread was burning. It was still good though lol.

Take 2. This time I had it turned off. I added the first piece of bread, butter side down, then I added cheese and this time I remembered the ham. Then I placed the egg plate side down and this time I added butter to the egg plate because before it left this crusty egg residue. Then I turned it on to allow the butter to melt, then when it started to melt I added an egg, gave it a little scramble, then added the top slice of bread butter side up, closed the lid and set the kitchen timer for 5 minutes. That time it was perfect.

This is the perfect little gadget for making the perfect breakfast sandwich, but you can also make lunch with it and from what I hear you can make mini pizzas too. Just add the bottom part of a English muffin, or bread with butter side down (I like to add butter to the bread), then add some pizza sauce and cheese and other toppings, place the egg plate side down and repeat with the top part of the muffin, or bread, add pizza stuff, close and wait 5 minutes. Boom! Pizza!

So I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with my creativity with this. I’m thinking I can use pancakes and waffles and small bagels and so many more things for the bread, add cheese and different meats, if I can remember to add those before the egg lol.

Anyway, it’s good, you should buy one.