Maybe the Incredible Bulk
Permalink | December 30, 2006 by John in Uncategorized
You are the Hulk.
| Hulk |
|
65% | You are a wanderer with amazing strength.
|
| Spider-Man |
|
65% | |
| Superman |
|
50% | |
| Green Lantern |
|
50% | |
| Robin |
|
45% | |
| Batman |
|
45% | |
| Iron Man |
|
45% | |
| Wonder Woman |
|
40% | |
| Supergirl |
|
35% | |
| The Flash |
|
35% | |
| Catwoman |
|
30% |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
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50 Things
Permalink | December 29, 2006 by John in Uncategorized
50 Things We Know Now (That We Didn’t Know This Time Last Year) 2006 Edition
This just in: I really need to learn to like wine:
19. Red wine contains anti-inflammatory chemicals that stave off diseases affecting the gums and bone around the teeth.
20. A substance called resveratrol, also found in red wine, protects mice from obesity and the effects of aging, and perhaps could do the same for humans.
48. Red wines from southwest France and Sardinia boast the highest concentrations of chemical compounds that promote heart health.
I love this one (of course, the greenies will have their own spin):
22. The hole in the earth’s ozone layer is closing - and could be entirely closed by 2050. Meanwhile, the amount of greenhouse gases is increasing.
Who gets to research this stuff and how do I sign up?
32. Just 30 minutes of continuous kissing can diminish the body’s allergic reaction to pollen, relaxing the body and reducing production of histamine, a chemical cell given out in response to allergens.
And finally, if this doesn’t get me to exercise, nothing will:
49. One of the most effective ways for athletes to recover after exercise is to drink a glass of chocolate milk.
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BiPAP Update
Permalink | by John in Uncategorized
Yesterday I dropped off my old BiPAP at Lincare for diagnosis. They’re going to try a new power supply and see if that’s the problem. If that doesn’t work they will send it to Respironics for further investigation. In the meantime, they gave me a new BiPAP for a loaner.
What a sweet little unit (as I write this I don’t remember which model it is but it is a Respironics model). It’s much more compact, about 2/3rds the size of my old model. The humidifier is built in and not attached as an afterthought like my old BiPAP. It isn’t any quieter, though, but pushing 23cm through a 3/4″ hose ain’t ever gonna be that quiet. However, this unit has me questioning the function/configuration of my old unit.
The Bi in BiPAP stands for “Bi-Level,” meaning there is a lighter pressure when you exhale, making exhalation easier for higher pressure prescriptions. Both machines do that — it’s the very essence of a BiPAP (vs. a CPAP which only has one pressure). Both machines have a feature called “BiFlex” in addition to the Bi-Level functionality. I don’t think it was working or even activated on my old machine because it is FREAKY on this new machine. Near as I can tell it just helps the Bi-Level sense and adjust for how much you’re breathing in or out, and compensates accordingly. It took me awhile to fall asleep because the pressure (and therefore noise) is not at all consistent. I found myself concentrating on the noise it was making. However, once I did fall asleep I was out cold and having the usual freaky dreams. It definitely works.
My old machine seemed to have the two different levels (although the guy at Lincare seemed to indicate they were both set to 23cm) and I could hear them working, but they didn’t seem to be that different (probably because they were both set to 23cm. As far as the BiFlex feature the pressure wasn’t as responsive/reactive to my breathing patterns. If I get my old machine back I’m going to review the configuration in detail and see what the heck is going on.
The guy at Lincare said this machine is probably somewhere around $900-1100. I do have $1000 “Health Reimbursement Account” with Lumenos so I just might keep this baby, whether they can fix my old machine (wouldn’t hurt to have a spare). As I said in my previous post, I’ve only had my old BiPAP for 2.5 years. I could be screwed if that means I now have to wait 7.5 years to get a new one. But it shouldn’t be an issue unless I change health insurance. ::cough:: Theoretically, I could blow my HRA on a new one every year.
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MEDIC! BiPAP DOWN!!!
Permalink | December 28, 2006 by John in Uncategorized
So my Respironics BiPAP Pro2 has been “acting up” lately. Before today, it would seem to lose power and/or reboot itself during the first 10-15 minutes of use. But after that it would let me sleep through the night. This didn’t happen every night, more like every third night or so.
The bastard woke me up at 6am this morning. It was freaking out. It acted possessed. It lost power and/or rebooted constantly for several minutes. I finally pulled the plug, rebooting it manually, and it only came on at 14cm (air pressure). I stopped the pump using the regular buttons and the next time I turned it on it was at the full 23cm (my prescription). Then it shut off. So I gave up, killed it and got out of bed.
The good news is that I’m now over one of my biggest fears since I got the thing - what would happen if it shut off while I was sound asleep. More good news is that at least I got 6 hours of sleep. I’d've been plenty pissed if this happened at 3am. The bad news is that after talking to Lincare, we have to send the thing in to Respironics for diagnosis. Luckily Lincare has loaners. The other bad news is that I’ve only had the BiPAP for 2.5 years and I’m not due for a replacement until 5 years. Not sure what that means - whether I’d have to pay for a replacement out-of-pocket or not.
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President Ford Dies
Permalink | December 27, 2006 by John in Uncategorized
This is definitely going to make or break some people’s “dead pools.” President Ford was the first president I was really aware of growing up. Even so, as with many Americans, he failed to make any impression on me whatsoever.
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