In late August at my ALS clinic appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital it was determined that my lung capacity had weakened. After further pulmonary tests, my doctor, Merit Cudkowitz, recommended that I use a Bi-Pap machine at night to assist with breathing, as it would relax the muscles in my diaphram and give them a little rest at night.
A respiratory therapist visited and set me up and currently I am sleeping with the machine about 3 hours per night through a nasal mask. I need to increase the time to six -eight hours, but this is only the first week. Needless to say, this is not the sexiest bedtime experience, but Dan and I have some alternate ideas. It actually has NOT been as much of a hardship as I imagined, but it has had a big psychological impact on us, as my body obviously weakens. The advice one hears, "Take a deep breath!" seems to have new meaning.
