ANOTHER MACHINE COMES INTO OUR LIVES!

No, this is not a picture of me as a preschooler, but IT  IS a picture of a breathing assist, non-invasive machine called a Bi-Pap.  This is similiar to a C-Pap machine which many people use for sleep apnea.

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.