If anyone reads this far I'm a network administrator for a manufacturing company based out of a little town 40 miles or so north of Chicago.
I've also been playing bass for a local rock band for the last 15 years. We're currently on hiatus because our guitar player is recovering from a broken neck that he received while in physical therapy for a different injury (a little sleep apnea doesn't seem so bad now). Because I'm the band computer-nerd I've been maintaining the band website at http://www.phantomstranger.com. Not much new there because we havn't been playing out but we've got an album available at http://www.cdbaby.com/phantoms.
Curiousity??
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DrainedDad
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:18 am
- Location: Caledonia, Mi
What an interesting way to spend an afternoon! I actually have been reading through this thread a little at a time for the past two days. I have enjoyed the diversity represented in our little community.
I am a 43 year old father of 8 (yes EIGHT) children, ages 20 to 4. My wife of 23 years and I started early and one became two, two became three...and before you know it number 8 was on the way. She is the joy of my life. It amazing how much more I know about being a dad and how much more I enjoy it at 43! People always ask what we were thinking and I just look at my kids and ask which one I should put back . I married off my 20 year old daughter and my 18 year old son graduated from high school so life has been extremely busy this summer. Tired is just a way of life around our house so maybe that's why it took so long to be diagnosed with OSA. Between school events, sports, church activities, and friends, I hardly ever know if I am coming or going!
In my spare time I work for an international ministry that produces one of the most popular and well read daily devotional books in the world. I have been with this ministry for 8 years and currently serve as the Fulfillment and Distribution manager. I spent most of my career as a supervisor in the meat industry (was lucky enough to have been in the Guiness Book of World Records for being part of the team that made the world's longest hot dog. It was 1996 feet long, made for the Atlanta Olympics.) I like to say I spent the first part of my career filling people's bellies with meat, now I get to fill their spiritual lives with the Bread of Life.
I enjoy being involved in church ministries. I have been a worship leader and church soloist for 20 years. My wife and I head up the married couples ministry, teach Sunday school and host home Bible studies.
If I ever get this OSA under control, I will start running again. Maybe someday I will actually be able to run a marathon again. Running used to be a way of life until exhaustion took over. I really don't want to do marathons again but it would be nice to be able to run around the block!
I am a 43 year old father of 8 (yes EIGHT) children, ages 20 to 4. My wife of 23 years and I started early and one became two, two became three...and before you know it number 8 was on the way. She is the joy of my life. It amazing how much more I know about being a dad and how much more I enjoy it at 43! People always ask what we were thinking and I just look at my kids and ask which one I should put back . I married off my 20 year old daughter and my 18 year old son graduated from high school so life has been extremely busy this summer. Tired is just a way of life around our house so maybe that's why it took so long to be diagnosed with OSA. Between school events, sports, church activities, and friends, I hardly ever know if I am coming or going!
In my spare time I work for an international ministry that produces one of the most popular and well read daily devotional books in the world. I have been with this ministry for 8 years and currently serve as the Fulfillment and Distribution manager. I spent most of my career as a supervisor in the meat industry (was lucky enough to have been in the Guiness Book of World Records for being part of the team that made the world's longest hot dog. It was 1996 feet long, made for the Atlanta Olympics.) I like to say I spent the first part of my career filling people's bellies with meat, now I get to fill their spiritual lives with the Bread of Life.
I enjoy being involved in church ministries. I have been a worship leader and church soloist for 20 years. My wife and I head up the married couples ministry, teach Sunday school and host home Bible studies.
If I ever get this OSA under control, I will start running again. Maybe someday I will actually be able to run a marathon again. Running used to be a way of life until exhaustion took over. I really don't want to do marathons again but it would be nice to be able to run around the block!
I will lie down and sleep in peace Ps 4:8
wow, what a diverse group we are!
35, 5'8" who shops in the plus department. Diagnosed with severe OSA a bit over a year ago. Chronic back pain sufferer with mild scoliosis (curvature of the spine) also diagnosed in the last year.
Spent most of my 20's in the hotel/resort industry (desk/reservations clerk) working from Kamloops, BC, Jasper, Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba in various hotels and resorts. Also worked as a word processor in a few law firms. My 'field' is probably customer service if I had to put a label on it.
More recently a freelance web designer in the Toronto, ON area (and completely self taught at that). I am also a cat fancier just starting out learning about showing and breeding Manx cats (which I've had for many, many years).
35, 5'8" who shops in the plus department. Diagnosed with severe OSA a bit over a year ago. Chronic back pain sufferer with mild scoliosis (curvature of the spine) also diagnosed in the last year.
Spent most of my 20's in the hotel/resort industry (desk/reservations clerk) working from Kamloops, BC, Jasper, Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba in various hotels and resorts. Also worked as a word processor in a few law firms. My 'field' is probably customer service if I had to put a label on it.
More recently a freelance web designer in the Toronto, ON area (and completely self taught at that). I am also a cat fancier just starting out learning about showing and breeding Manx cats (which I've had for many, many years).
Warm Regards,
Shannon
Shannon
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
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rpalmer
- Posts: 80
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:30 am
- Location: Maryland, but heart & soul are in the Swamp!
- Contact:
Great topic - what a wonderful idea! Can't believe it's taken me this long to stumble into it. Don't know if anyone will still be hangin' in there by page 11, but I'll throw my 2¢ in all the same. I guess if we have 1960 registered users as of when I logged on, we still don't have even 10% on this thread yet.
As has already been said, I can't believe what an eclectic group we have. No wonder so many of the posts are so thoughtful & well done - & sometimes great senses of humor even sneak in! And some of you are so active in spite of battling OSA it boggles my mind. I'm like the Bob Hope quote below, although nowhere near as old as he was when he said it, afraid my get up & go has got up & went!
I "retired" 4 years ago from my position as general manager of a golf/ski resort hotel in the western MD mountains after a 40+ year career in the hotel/travel industry. I actually changed careers several times, but always within the travel industry; from hotel general manager to founding & heading up a convention & visitors' bureau for a FL resort community to publishing a tourist publication in Orlando to blah, blah, blah.
Didn't actually "retire" 4 years ago, but went on disability. Sleep deprivation driven by OSA, COPD, Congestive Heart Failure & a whole menu of other issues had become so bad that I was increasingly experiencing narcoleptic-type episodes. I was known to doze off in meetings (even some I was leading!) & once actually fell asleep in a job interview I was conducting! Can you imagine how that poor applicant felt?
Haven't taken the time yet to figure out how to embed images in these messages, so I just changed my avatar to reflect what I imagine I look like with my mask on. I'm pretty sure I look just like Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer in the movie Top Gun getting ready to do battle in their jet fighters. In fairness, I should disclose that my wife doesn't quite agree!
This has already grown longer than I intended, but can't close without expressing my appreciation for the time & energy so many of you obviously invest in this forum. It's been a Godsend for me, and judging from many other posts, it is for many. Keep up the wonderful work (& great attitudes) & let's all try to get some sleep!
Rol
As has already been said, I can't believe what an eclectic group we have. No wonder so many of the posts are so thoughtful & well done - & sometimes great senses of humor even sneak in! And some of you are so active in spite of battling OSA it boggles my mind. I'm like the Bob Hope quote below, although nowhere near as old as he was when he said it, afraid my get up & go has got up & went!
I "retired" 4 years ago from my position as general manager of a golf/ski resort hotel in the western MD mountains after a 40+ year career in the hotel/travel industry. I actually changed careers several times, but always within the travel industry; from hotel general manager to founding & heading up a convention & visitors' bureau for a FL resort community to publishing a tourist publication in Orlando to blah, blah, blah.
Didn't actually "retire" 4 years ago, but went on disability. Sleep deprivation driven by OSA, COPD, Congestive Heart Failure & a whole menu of other issues had become so bad that I was increasingly experiencing narcoleptic-type episodes. I was known to doze off in meetings (even some I was leading!) & once actually fell asleep in a job interview I was conducting! Can you imagine how that poor applicant felt?
Haven't taken the time yet to figure out how to embed images in these messages, so I just changed my avatar to reflect what I imagine I look like with my mask on. I'm pretty sure I look just like Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer in the movie Top Gun getting ready to do battle in their jet fighters. In fairness, I should disclose that my wife doesn't quite agree!
This has already grown longer than I intended, but can't close without expressing my appreciation for the time & energy so many of you obviously invest in this forum. It's been a Godsend for me, and judging from many other posts, it is for many. Keep up the wonderful work (& great attitudes) & let's all try to get some sleep!
Rol
“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.â€
What I do
Community activist, involved with non profits and welfare to work program
more here
http://people.tribe.net/shipman
more here
http://people.tribe.net/shipman
_________________
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Live well One day ata time
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stetsongirl
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:52 pm
- Location: Florida
Curiosity??
Started adult life as an Executive Assistant for an international engirneering company. Went to college and got AS in Nuclear Medicine, did that for 10 yrs, hurt back. Went back to school part time while working at Stetson University and got a degree in Psychology. Worked as Case Manager for Community Mental Health until I burned out. Worked as an academic advisor for Embry Riddle Aeronautical Univ. for a little over 2 years, and found my way into the DME business. So now I manage the office of a nation wide DME company. Still haven't figured out what I want to do when I grow up! Although I do like being a grandmother!
If something comes to life in others because of you, then you have made an approach to immortality.
Norman Cousins
Norman Cousins
ahujudybear wrote:
I am also the nominal Town Historian for the Township where my farm was and with their help published a history book filled with stories of the old settlers in the area.
Definately cool topc. Isn't it amazing how many of us describe working, raising or co-raising children, taking care of others, (in other words completely functioning in the world) yet we still have a hard time getting milk from the store because we are so tired. Yay for us, boo for us having to put up with it for as long as some have without being treated.
I quoted the above because I too am an amature historian and just co-authored a book. (The Music Hall, Portsmouth. Published by Arcadia Press) I am the Production Manager at a historic theatre that was just named an American Treasure by the US Govt. (which means we get money to restore the place! Yay!)
By default (in other words no one else wanted to do it) I took up the archives of the 127 year old theatre and discovered that I LOVE it. WE've had tons of great vaudeville era artists, and early film stars, like the Barrymores, though we were open about 25 years before film began, in fact about 10 before electricity was commonly installed in our town.
Anyway, I work about 20 hours a week in the summer and sometimes 100 hours a week in the winter, but I couldn't do anything else, I love it.
It doesn't seem to be what people are looking for in this thread, but I'm 34 and as I stated in rant a little while ago, I've gained some weight which I am sure effects my apnea, but I quit smoking, so it's sort of the lesser of two evils right now.
I've been tired for about 15-20 years, but tested low on episodes in my first sleep study two years ago. It was either a mistake, or the 60 pounds added to compensate for not smoking really had an effect. (from average of 9 per hour to 34 per hour!) Still only what most call "moderate" but I think I have hypersomnia too, that is what my doc originally thought I had. I've been diagnosed with all the standard "tired" things, fibromyalga, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome etc.
Well, one of the reasons I don't get enough rest is that I wait until midnight to check my emai and this forum! Enough for now, must go to bed.
Quest
I'm scared, but I used to be very scared. - a quote used by the Freshman Class my senior year in HS (oh so many years ago) and have managed to use in just about every major step I have made in my life since.
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Guest
I ran a small daycare in my home for 18 years...and did that so I could be home for my own children while they were growing up plus I just love children...people were very upset when I decided I wanted to move on ( looked after 58 children over an 18 year period and I miss everyone of them ) So then I went into seamstress work...working with my cousin ...we worked on fixing wedding dresses. Woman would cringe if they knew how we took their dresses apart but they always looked beautiful when we were done. Then I decided I wanted to work with people so I worked as a cashier in a grocery store. I haven't worked for around 9 months now ( not because I am having a baby...hahhahaha ) because I have had a lot of health problems from not sleeping for years and it caught up with me...but now I am hoping to get back in a few weeks...will be nice to see some money again...anyway, that's my work history.
