Sleep Study...again

The head bone's connected to da rainbow wires....

(Right after I took this picture Hannah looked at it and said, "That's beyond belief." This will make her later comment more relevant.)

The rainbow wires are connected to the junction box...


The junction box is (almost) connected to Molasses...Oh hear the words of the Mom...



This is so crazy. I am so impressed with my kid. She didn't complain once about all this stuff. Again. This is the third sleep study, and while she didn't have quite so many wires this time, I'm sure it still was a difficult time. We thank the beneficent, merciful neurologist who took the time to arrange alternative EEG adhesives because Hannah had asked about them--her only fear. When Hannah heard that there would be no "stickies" she said, "That's a relief! No, that's beyond relief!"

She was wired and ready for action, not sleep, so she wore her wires around while she colored and I read her joke book outloud. She thought she looked like the robot from an old Davey and Goliath show.


Getting ready for bed--almost done loading her up.


Her favorite part: the pulse oximeter!! Now she can play E.T. (red light on finger...'I'll be riiight heeere.')

I encourage you to click on the above picture so you can get a better idea of all the paraphernalia with which she was equipped. It all adds up to a great sleeping experience, don't you think?

She actually did very well, except for being extremely thirsty. Guess what? They had no straws. Impossible to drink from an open cup with the mask on. She woke up about every hour to get a drink. Fortunately they found a coffee stirrer, so she drank three cups of water through the stirrer during the course of the night. Built in Oral Motor exercises!

They cranked the humidifier as high as it could go, to keep her moist (the CPAP has a built in humidifier), but apparently she needed more. It was really hot in the room, and the mattresses were those vinyl hospital ones that reflect the heat back to where it came from. I had an identical bed right next to her, so I could pop up when she'd whisper (it's hard to talk with that mask on).

The good news is that she tolerated the CPAP quite well. She didn't rip it off in her sleep (what little she got), and she didn't complain about it. We should get the study results within 2-3 weeks and then, most likely, have her very own machine delivered.


The tech was excellent. He let Hannah complete her dream cycle before he woke us up (@ 6:15), which makes for a better arousal. He also had some good tips about getting the dried paste out of her hair. Don't add shampoo too soon. Let the shower soften it up for a good long time, then work most of it out before you add any soap. It worked like a charm!

We had our IHOP breakfast on the way home, and spent the rest of the day trying to fit in a very elusive nap.