'Like a 500-pound fat man'
Umm, yeah.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, I couldn't exactly draw on experience, but that was how Craig Hansen described his snoring before his early November surgery to correct his sleep apnea. He said roommates and others privy to his snoring told him that's the sound he made, likely in between throwing pillows at him to get him to stop.
But that's all over for Hansen, he reported today. He had participated in a sleep apnea study last offseason, which revealed that the pitcher had 56 interruptions in an hour's worth of sleep. That's about 50-some odd more than the average person. It led to Hansen getting about two hours of sleep per night, and he often found himself yawning or dozing off at inappropriate times.
In fact, the Red Sox brass called him in to discuss it, at which point he let them in on what was happening. So he had the three-hour procedure at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston this offseason, ended up with a soft cast on his nose, and didn't throw until early January after his recovery.
He said he feels much better now, far less tired. He got up this morning at 6 a.m., before heading over to the player development complex. Didn't have anything better to do.
That's good news for the Sox. And good news for anyone who has to sleep anywhere near Hansen.
This is an underappreciated disease many people aren't aware exists and leads to an array of other health problems. Corrective surgery for my apnea which was not quite as severe (36X) 2 years ago has significantly improved my health. Maybe we'll finally see the Craig Hansen who's potential has been so promising. He would be the other live arm the bullpen needs.
The Curse is back!
The Curse does not show itself in a fell swoop. It is more subtle, more nuanced. It descends like a plague, slowly but inexorably. It haunts Boston. Its the bump in the night just before the house falls in. It’s the iceberg looming out of the dark; a touch of the flu before the outset of the Plague. “E-3” did not happen in the final game of the World Series, but it allowed the final game to happen. “Bucky’s Homerun” came in the middle of "the Game" and was not our Yankees’ last at-bat.
The true artistry of The Curse is that it always leaves you an out. It only slightly tips the playing field and tells you, “If you’re really good, you can get out of this – but, you have to be really good”. How good? Reference the "bloody sock" and know that you have to be warriors. You seldom are.
That’s the nature of The Curse; nuanced, deadly. The Promised Land is always in sight, before the door is slammed shut.
So too it was on the occassion of the forty-second Super Bowl. Manning’s scramble and Tyree’s catch did not comprise the final play. If the Pats were really good, they could still have won the game. The Pats would have to fight the fatigue, keep their heads, and The Curse told them, “See it guys, there it is: the Promised Land, but you have to be good to get there…really good….” They had to be warriors...SLAM!
Pitchers and catchers are gonna be reporting - see you in September!
Father Knickerbocker
Hey Father Knickerbocker,
Don't get too excited. The NY Giants don't play baseball.
I had the surgery to correct my sleep apnea and it makes a significant difference.
I had an average of over 50 interruptions per hour and was always tired and never realized the problem until my wife (then girlfriend) moved in with me and we started sharing a bed.
The first week we lived together, she was horrified... She would tell me that my snoring was very, very loud and there would be times that I would stop breathing for over a minute at a time and she would have to shake me half awake so that I would start breathing again.
After three seperate sleep studies which all concluded that my sleep apnea was severe and was actually posing a potential serious risk to my health and life, I tried (and failed) sleeping with the CPAP mask before reluctlantly agreeing to having the surgery and what a difference which I noticed almost immediately.
After the first few months, I had noticed that I was slepping better and did not feel tired and run down all the time and over the next year, I noticed I was not sick as much and I was overall in better health (blood pressure was down, choresterol was down, weight was down, etc). I was so glad that I had the surgery (as was my wife).
So, if you snore and always feel tired, I recommend that you talk with your doctor and get tested... It can save your life!
I had the surgery to correct my sleep apnea and it makes a significant difference.
I had an average of over 50 interruptions per hour and was always tired and never realized the problem until my wife (then girlfriend) moved in with me and we started sharing a bed.
The first week we lived together, she was horrified... She would tell me that my snoring was very, very loud and there would be times that I would stop breathing for over a minute at a time and she would have to shake me half awake so that I would start breathing again.
After three seperate sleep studies which all concluded that my sleep apnea was severe and was actually posing a potential serious risk to my health and life, I tried (and failed) sleeping with the CPAP mask before reluctlantly agreeing to having the surgery and what a difference which I noticed almost immediately.
After the first few months, I had noticed that I was slepping better and did not feel tired and run down all the time and over the next year, I noticed I was not sick as much and I was overall in better health (blood pressure was down, choresterol was down, weight was down, etc). I was so glad that I had the surgery (as was my wife).
So, if you snore and always feel tired, I recommend that you talk with your doctor and get tested... It can save your life!
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