My dog barked at me.....

Wednesday, I picked up my CPAP machine and that night was the first time I used it. Once I was all geared up and ready for bed, my dog took one look at me and started barking. My spouse laughed at me and I said, "No, you can't take a picture and post it on Facebook." I sat on the side of the bed and cringed. What had this all come to that I was going to bed looking like a combination of Darth Vader and a space alien right out of Star Trek? Google CPAP machines if you want to know what they look like. Thank goodness I have a sense of humor.

As I understand it, this machine is supposed to help me keep breathing during the night. This is supposed to heal my heart, my brain, and - according to some - create miracles in my life. Some of you who use this machine swear by it and say they wouldn't want to be without it. Others tell me they used to use it but stopped because it is so uncomfortable. I've only used it two nights so I can't yet say whether or not it is helping me. The first night I took it off after four hours. Last night, I made it a little over five hours.

The insurance company offers motivation: I have to use it at least four hours a night for 21 out of 30 days or they won't pay for it. I guess it is common for people to get these machines and then not use them. How do they know whether or not I am using my machine? Ah, they've got me covered there. The machines are very high tech. They record everything that happens while I am using it and then send the results over the internet to my account. Big Brother watches me while I sleep. Yes, very creepy. But also very cool because now I have an app on my phone that rates how well I am doing. Last night I scored an 82%. That plays right into my competitive spirit. Of course, I want to be at 100%! I'll keep you posted.