Mom still doesn't get it...and I keep winding up in tears...

[Kirsten]

Kristen, I did a sleep study at home! You get instructions on how to hook yourself up...All I had was an oxygen sensor taped to my index finger, a wee microphone (small disc) on my throat just above the hollow of it, and the cannula in my nose....that is the thin tube with the wee prongs that you wear when you are getting oxygen in the hospital...except this one just measures your breathing.

Oh - and medical tape...the mic and thin tube on the face need a little help!

Interesting, that sounds much better, but as far as I know, they only do it in a hospital here, in a so-called sleep-lab, where they monitor everything.

[Catty1]

Well, Kirsten - all you can do is ask! One is allowed to use a sleep aid for the hospital test. But hopefully there is the other option.

[Queen of Poop]

The Cochrane Humane Society has an opening, if you weren't aware, it is:

We are hiring a part time Adoption Specialist.
The position is 10 hours per week, Friday 2:00 - 7:00pm & Saturday noon - 5:00pm, with the possibility of additional hours

Maybe something you'd be interested in.

[phesina]

Dear Candace, that must be nightmarish (if that's the right word under these circumstances), not being able to get sufficient sleep. That's a reason to be depressed and have attention deficits and no energy right there.

I have no financial expertise either.. but it sounds like you have ideas and plans and some expert advisers to help you make them work.

As for Mom, all I can think is: I am guessing she is from an earlier generation, before conditions such as depression and sleep apnea and ADD were well known and studied and treated. In my parents' day, the solution was to put on the Stiff Upper Lip and Get Busy .. Perhaps your mother's too?

If so, see if you can regard her in that light when she gets on you that way... Remember, she isn't saying these things to hurt you or punish you; she really thinks that's the way to solve the problem.

That's a hard one, no matter what, contending with all that. I am wishing for you the strength and peace of mind to deal with all this. And I lit a candle: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/...g&cid=10105433

You are welcome to vent here any time you feel the need! You know you have loads of friends here who want nothing but the best for you.

Big loving good wishes to you and ~~~~~PURRS~~~~~ and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
from the cats and me.

[davidpizzica]

Candace, I may not be able to help you with your money problems, but I can give you moral support with the CPAP machine and the sleep apnea!

[Catty1]

Gayle, thanks - I didn't see that. Will go have a look. I did get a first interview for Admin Asst there last year, but not the second.

Will check it out.

Thanks, David...I am just getting the nasal mask, we'll see how it goes. I am determined to make it work, the results are worth it!

Pat - thank you for the candle. It is somewhat my mom's generation...but we are both elder daughters and that carries the attitude "Be reasonable - do it my way!"

ETA: Gayle, I looked at the job description and I am terrified. It is complicated, and one I would not consider until I am healthier. I can see me melting down...animal behaviour reports, dealing with surrenders and adoptions and people, emotional things. I am just not ready.

But THANK YOU for letting me know.

[Laura's Babies]

We have a very large guy on the boat who is next to impossible to wake up. In talking one day he says he has a sleep study done and had to have one of those C-PAC things and it made all the difference in the world in how he felt, able to get out of bed on time, full of energy, just changed his life and 100% improved it.. When I asked why he isn't using it, he said it broke and he can't afford to replace it..

This is a guy who takes his family to Disney world, plans week end getaways for him and his wife, buys big screen TV's, X-boxes, tons of games for them and all sorts of expensive "toys"... But he can't afford a machine that could someday save his LIFE?

It CAN and WILL make a difference in how you feel and your whole life could turn around as a result of that sleep study.

As for living in a mobile home.. I LOVE it! I know they all pretty much look the same outside but inside, they are so different and it is unbelievable how much they have improved since I lived in my first one. I could have afforded a bigger and better one than I have but my object was to get mine paid off asap. I had it financed for 7 years and paid it off in 5! Unless you have your own property, factor in lot rent. Once I move mine to where we will be permanently, I am adding a nice sized front porch and a room on the back for the washer/dryer and the girls litter boxes. I also hope to be able to put a roof over top of it..(I want a tin roof!)

I was talking to Rie Rie today about getting the water and sewage done NOW so when I get ready to move, all that I will have to do is move.

Keep to your plan. Everyone needs a plan. My life has been so much easier because I planned mine since I was 15 years old. Now I am planning for my retirement and that is when I will move onto private property and not have rent to pay, car notes or house payments, thanks to planning and sticking to the plan.

[Medusa]

Candace, you have my moral support, as always. As for financial advice, I'm hardly one to advise anyone. I do know how exhausting insomnia can be. Sleep has never been my friend and it's imperative for good mental health. I do hope that the CPAP machine helps. I saw something on TV today called "No Mask" if the CPAP turns out that you just don't like it. www.nomask.com

Prayers on the way. Keep the faythe.