4/21/25 in 2020s

Tom’s at the lab now getting blood drawn, and since I haven’t gotten much alone time lately, I thought I would focus on a journal entry.

I finished both nights of testing, and after I removed the equipment, I got an email not too long afterward saying, Success! Your data has been captured and processed. Now all I have to do is hope to hell they catch the bastard that’s been robbing me of sleep and basically my life. Neither of us expects this to happen, since I’ve already been diagnosed with sleep apnea and the symptoms are a no-brainer, but I would be absolutely shocked and totally horrified if they told me everything was okay. I swear to God if that happens, as soon as my rat is gone, so am I. Really though, I can’t believe that will happen. The first night I slept poorly, as I mentioned in my last entry, waking up constantly and having trouble falling back to sleep at one point, plus I also had a nightmare. Last night I slept a little better, and when I was done, I logged it as Fair. I did wake up a few times, and I did have to get up to pee, but it was still better overall.

Yesterday was truly hellish for me because I felt so miserable. I was exhausted even with a nap, and I felt so winded. On top of that, my TMJ was acting up, and I was going from hot to cold, and my heart was racing. I suspect the estrogen cream may be getting in on that along with my thyroid meds, as me and hormones simply don’t get along. I don’t want to stop the estrogen altogether, but I’m going to cut back.

So I do feel a little better today, but I’m not exactly bouncing off the walls either. It isn’t just our brains that need good sleep but our hearts and lungs as well, so I’m still slightly breathless and my heart rate is slightly elevated. Twice I did the EKG tester and it told me I skipped a beat, but that’s usually harmless. I have to remember to be patient with myself and remind myself that you can’t pay years of sleep debt off just like that. Hell, sometimes I feel like I’ll be paying until I’m on Medicare!

So as long as we don’t get any message saying there was anything wrong with the equipment, the testing kit will be sent back up to New York where it came from.

Tom has been working on fixing the bedroom door. He put the last of the new lever knobs on and is fixing it so that it closes properly.

I’m going to be getting a couple of small airtight glass jars to harvest my oregano and basil with. The tomato plant grew so big and bushy that it choked the life out of the radishes and the cucumbers. Even the romaine might not make it. We should have gotten a couple of smaller hydroponic systems for things that get big and bushy. The lavender is looking good, so hopefully it will make it. When I get the glass jars, I’m going to bake the oregano and basil in the oven at 200° with the door slightly open for an hour or two. Then when it’s crisp enough to crumble, I can throw them in the jars.