Hepworth, Party of Seven...

Finn had his sleep study done last night.  We were to be there at 8:00 p.m.  It was downtown at Primary Children's Hospital.  In order to get there on time I needed to leave by 7:00.  I left at 7:10, and had to stop and get gas.  As I got on the road, I realized that I forgot to grab my phone that was charging on the counter.  I couldn't turn around as I was on a one way road, and if I did go back, I would most likely be late.  I didn't go back.  BUT anxiety set in.  A whole night without my phone.  Was it possible?  It was the feeling you get when you realize that you forgot to pack your makeup bag for a trip.  I wouldn't be able to call or text Kurt.  What if someone needed to get a hold of me.  What if I wasn't allowed to use my laptop and my phone would have been my only saving grace for an entire night of sitting in a dark room with absolutely nothing to do?  I don't even have a data plan on my phone, but I think I'm addicted to having it with me at all times. 

We got there at 7:55-right on time.  Parked next to me was a suburban with two gentlemen sitting in the front seats wearing suits and ties and they were praying.  I didnt' want to disturb them, so I stayed on my side of the car (as they were parked on the passenger side) and gathered the diaper bag and all of my "toys" (minus my phone)  and waited for a couple of minutes to see if they were finished.  They weren't.  Finn was on the passenger side, so I had to go right next to their car to get him out.  You could tell they were fervently praying.  I got Finn out as quietly as I could, shut the door, and began to walk off; but not before glancing out of the corner of my eye to see if they were done.  They were not.  They were still praying.  It made me think.  Who were they praying for.  Was it a child.  A parent.  A friend.  From the way they were praying, I would say something serious was going on.  You could feel the reverence as they both sat there with their heads bowed, eyes closed, and the person in the driver seat offering the prayer.

Once checked in, we were taken to our room where they began to prep Finn for the night ahead.  They first used this jelly like substance followed by some Crisco looking paste to put all the electrodes on him.  There were 26 electrodes in all.  He had them all over.  After they got them all on they put a mesh cap on this head so he couldn't pull them off, then they taped all of the wire strands together so they weren't all over the place.  They then placed a cannula in his nostrils.  I fed and changed him and then he was out.  He slept through the whole night, I didn't have to pick him up once.

Once he was out, I ran to the cafeteria to get some dinner.  I hadn't eaten yet.  I got there with 2 minutes to spare, as they closed at 10:00 p.m.  Once I finished eating I returned to Finn's room and played around on Facebook for a while, and then got caught up on missed episodes of Project Runway.  At 2 a.m. I put my laptop away and tried to get some shut eye.  I was sleeping on one of those fold out chairs that they have in the maternity wards for the husbands to sleep on.  They. Are. Not. Comfortable.  At 5:00 a.m. I woke up and just sat there watching the monitors wandering what all the squiggly lines meant.  At 6 a.m. on the dot, the sleep techs came in and we were done.  It was time to get all the electrodes off and we could go home. 

To get the tape off that was holding the electrodes on was like pulling off a band aid.  It hurts, right?  Well, Finn screamed and cried.  When they got them all off, he looked like a ball of butter.  We all know what butter is-GREASY.  What they didn't tell me in the preliminary details was to bring your ugliest outfit and your cruddiest blankets because they would most likely be covered in buttery, Crisco like goo and will probably get ruined.
 
We won't get any test results back for 8 to 10 weeks.  Apparently there is only one person in the entire valley who interprets the sleep studies done at Primary Children's Hospital.  ONE!  and she has her own private practice as well.  And so we will wait.  Finn is being tested for sleep apnea-where the body stops breathing for a period of time (which I don't think he has). I think he has an obstruction that is blocking his airway causing him to stop breathing for brief periods of time, such as his tongue or adenoids.