If you haven’t checked out Our PDX Network, you really should. Granted, it’s a Portland-centric site, but it’s taken off quite strong, and it’s something I’m very pleased to be involved with.

Perhaps it’s due to the excitement of being involved in the launch of a new site, but I’m going through a bit of reorganization and housecleaning here. I’ve been experimenting with ads again, in my fruitless pursuit of the Holy Grail: monetization (translation: it would be nice to be able to offset the hosting costs). The newest player in this constant reinvention is an ad from Project Wonderful. I’ve heard good things about PW, although I suspect it works best for blogs with a greater readership. Nevertheless I’m giving it a try.

On another front, I’m considering retiring my Google Video Gadget. I’ve enjoyed putting odd and/or cool video clips on it, but after more than a year, it really hasn’t gone anywhere. It still sits in the Google Gadget index at <100 users, and not one single rating. Plus, I never get any feedback on the items I include in the Gadget.

One of the reasons I set the Video Gadget up in the first place was to avoid posting too many videos here at PP. I didn't want this to become a "video site" at the expense of other content. But maybe that's not an issue. Or maybe you love the Video Gadget. Either way, why don’t you let me know how you feel?

via Dark Roasted Blend

I have an unexpected appointment this afternoon to get fitted for a CPAP! Whoo-hoo! Restful sleep here I come!

Last Friday marked the first time I ever spent the night in a hospital. Fortunately, I was able to walk in under my own power. As I approached Admissions, the staffer immediately said “Sleep Study?” She said it was pretty easy to recognize folks coming in to the sleep clinic, as they were carrying an overnight bag and usually their own pillow. I would also bet that virtually all of them are overweight older men.

I checked into the sleep clinic at St. Vincent’s at 8:00 pm and was escorted to a small room with a bed and a complete nocturnal surveillance system, including a remote-controlled low-light camera and an overhead microphone. I watched a short film that explained sleep apnea, and went into detail as to exactly how hard it is on your system to slightly suffocate a hundred times each night.

Then I got wired. Leesa, my polysomnographic technologist (love that title) started fitting me with the sensors she would use to monitor my sleep. By the time she was done, I was wearing:

- two sensor bands, one around my chest under my arms, one at my waist
- EKG electrodes on chest and back
- microphone taped to the base of my throat
- two electrodes on each calf to monitor restless leg syndrome
- a dozen electrodes on my scalp and face
- a thermocouple wire taped under my nose to detect exhalation
- a blood oxygen monitor on my right index finger

I looked funky.

Leesa told me that they would monitor my sleep patterns, and if they determined that I was, in fact, suffering from sleep apnea, they would wake me up to fit me with a CPAP and attempt to titrate the pressure. That is, they would try to determine the positive pressure that the CPAP needed to deliver to prevent the apnea.

I took a sleeping pill, which was itself ironic, since one of the reasons I was undertaking the study was my chronic sleepiness, and they turned out the lights.

The next thing I knew, Leesa was attempting to reattach two of the electrodes on my scalp. I had, of course, sweated enough to wash off the cement attaching them to my scalp. Then she put a facemask on me, and air started getting pumped into my nose. It was an odd sensation. Then she left, and after a few minutes, I drifted back to sleep.

At 6:00, I was awakened. The face mask was still in place. Leesa began taking off the various wires and sensors. I asked he if I had indeed been exhibiting apnea. She assured me that they wouldn’t have put the CPAP on me if I hadn’t. Unfortunately, they hadn’t been able to completely titrate the pressure needed, so I couldn’t take a CPAP home. But I should make an appointment with my primary care physician to go over the results from the sleep study and I would get one then.

So, how did I feel? Well, I was only wearing the CPAP for maybe half the night, but even so I felt pretty chipper all day. I can only imagine that having a full night’s quality sleep will be a truly restorative process again.

And no more snoring.

It’s a brazillion degrees in Portland today.

So OF COURSE our heat pump has shut down.

In order to maintain compliance with FCC regulations, and in the interest of serving the public, PAgent’s Progress hereby provides two Public Service Announcements (PSAs):

Sing-a-Long

Check ‘em
Note: the following may be a little discomfiting to those of a particularly prudish nature.

For further information, please contact the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation at carpetestes.org. For more excellent testicular videos, see YouTube channel checkyourselfout.