At Home Behind The Podium

Before I came down with the crud, I was happy to once again stand behind the podium at the Carnegie Institute and teach some of the students about Sleep Medicine. This is something that I did last year and I was thrilled to be asked back again.

I spoke to the students of the Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist (EEG) Program. Last year the class was about 10-15 people. This year’s group was a bit smaller, but they were very interested in what I was presenting.

EEG and Sleep Medicine have a lot of similarities. We both look at brain waves, however, in sleep we look at respiratory as well. Last week I presented what our studies look like in comparison to what theirs look like. We compared the equipment that both EEG and Sleep techs use. And we talked about some neurology stuff.

The first week is mostly review for them, with a lot of new sleep stuff thrown in. They found it interesting and asked a lot of questions. The second week’s presentation, however, is my favorite. I get to spend the time going over the various sleep disorders. They always find these fascinating.

Naturally, I will talk about the types of sleep apnea. That’s our main thing in the lab. Then I get to talk about narcolepsy and the various symptoms that go with it. We’ll talk about Restless Leg Syndrome and REM Behavior Disorder, too. Those are the common ones. It’s the rest that really get a lot of interaction.

If you are ever interested in reading about some of the really crazy ones, I highly recommend the book by Dr. Carlos Schenck – it’s called Sleep.

Sleepwalking is a fun one to talk about. So is Sleep Related Eating Disorder! There are some really crazy videos on YouTube that will leave you speechless. You did read the cover correctly – there really is a sleep disorder called sexomnia!! Oh, and Exploding Head Syndrome sounds cooler than it is!

I’m looking forward to being able to teach again this Wednesday. I’m just glad that I am feeling good enough to be able to do it. I’ll have a bag of cough drops and lots of water with me … just in case!

I truly hope that I can continue to be a part of their EEG learning a week or two each year. It is a lot of fun for me.

Ready for the Holiday Weekend

It’s lunch time at work. In just a few hours I will punch out and head home for the holiday weekend. I am truly looking forward to four days with my family. It’s been a very busy year for all of us.

I was ready to write that my son had his last appointment for the year today, but I remembered he still has one more. Today we saw his neurologist. We discussed the results of his sleep study, the MRI, and his EEG. It was a long appointment and we have some direction and a plan of action.

I left the appointment and went right to work. I’m only a mile or so from the doctor, so I punched in early knowing I will be able to leave early. I was able to get most of my work done before lunch, so I thought I’d blog.

The other appointment, incidentally, will be to pick up his AFO leg braces. This is something that will help eliminate the toe-walking. Hopefully, he won’t need to be in them too long.

I recently blogged about our family tradition of getting a new Christmas ornament at Bronner’s. We had yet to go this year, but someone (maybe someone who read my blog) did the work for us. We received a Bronner’s box in the mail and the message inside said, “It looks like Daisy needs an ornament for that tree of yours!”

This week, I found out that McDonald’s has adult Happy Meals. Sam took the kids to get lunch and they brought me back one. Ella apparently said that mom and dad needed a toy, too!

How silly is that?!

Money has been a bit tighter this year than in the past. Normally, I would try to get something small for my boss and co-workers for the holiday, but I just couldn’t swing it. One of my coworkers got bags for everyone. There was a small gift and some chocolates. My gift was socks! Go figure, right!? Well, they are actually pretty cool.

If they only made socks with the Miser Brothers on them …

I’m looking forward to Christmas for many reasons. One of them is that the Elf on the Shelf goes back to the North Pole! It becomes work to do something with it each day. Some people really go all out! It’s crazy. My favorite one from this week ties into the last bit of news to share …

I don’t care if I use this one every year! Here is Twinkles, the elf, reading from the Bible. I said that it ties in with my last bit of news.

This week, I finished my 1st semester of the second year of my Bible classes. I will have three tests to do over the next week or so. Then I will move on to the second semester. I feel like I have really accomplished something. Actually having a lunch hour (which we really never got when I was on midnights) allows me to watch an entire class and take notes without any real interruptions. I’m hoping to keep it up and press toward the mark.

I know many of my blogger friends are taking a break over the holidays. I’ve got plenty of things lined up over the weekend, I don’t know that I will not blog, but just in case I don’t, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. As we get ready to wrap up another year, I find myself grateful for you. Your own personal blogs, the comments you share here on my blog, and your friendship has brought me much happiness.

I look forward to a year of sharing experiences with each other.

“It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree that’s important, but rather who is around it.”

“The best Christmas gift is to realize how much you already have.”

“The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.”

“From home to home and heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other.”

Another Test

So much testing is happening with our little guy. Yesterday, Sam took him in for the Barium Swallow study. He’s been choking a lot and while it may be because of low muscle tone, they wanted to see it in more detail.

Next test is his EEG to check out the Neuro stuff. One of the things they told us was that he needed button up pajamas for the study. Sam found a few pair and I’m not going to lie – I think they look cute on him! Of course, the slippers and my reading glasses make him look like a little old man!

He was handling things pretty well and is loving having his own backpack. He and mommy are playing with playdough, coloring and snuggling.

Hoping for good news after these tests. Next up – MRI.

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. It means so much to us.

Oh, before I forget, Dave asked for more puppy pictures. So here is Daisy in a totally weird sleeping position …

Still Using My Voice

Not too long ago, my boss at the sleep lab left to pursue another opportunity. Before she left, she asked me if I would be willing to speak to an EEG class at the Carnegie Institute. It was something that she was lined up to do and with the new position, she was unable to do it.

I have done a few presentations for my job. I have spoken at a local sleep conference, presented at a senior living center, and other various appearances. This is something that I truly love to do, so naturally, I said I would do it.

There are a lot of similarities between sleep and EEG, but also a lot of differences. This talk, and the one next week, will offer the students a look at the sleep side of things. Tonight I presented a basic “intro” to the students and will go into the various sleep disorders next week.

The director and the president of the institute were there to greet me when I arrived and were both very pleasant. I felt very welcome. They showed me the room I would be presenting in and got me set up.

It was a nice group of students and they asked some very good questions throughout my presentation. The class is supposed to take a couple ten minute breaks, but they opted to not take them tonight, which allowed my to finish a tad early. (From my days in the college classroom, I can tell you that I always loved when the class let out a bit early.)

As with most classes, there were those who bolted as soon as I was finished and those who hung out afterward to ask questions about sleep in general, CPAP, and even getting into sleep after being in EEG.

I am really looking forward to next week’s presentation!