Though professional protocols strongly suggest that I not notify supporters and collectors of health matters, I am taking a detour because I believe more people need to know about sleep disorders. I have sleep apnea which is more common among people of my age, particularly women, than is believed. When diagnosed with sleep apnea, you are not told the cause of the disorder, unless you are over-weight. In 2009, I spent a year asking all kinds of doctors what the cause of my sleep apnea might be (and you don’t want to know some of things I was told). Finally, in an orthodontist’s office that provided a 3-D scan of my head and throat, I learned that I was born with an airway that is too small – hence the cause of my sleep apnea. For example, the volume of my airway is currently 88ml and it should be a minimum of 140ml.

During the past 18 months, I have been wearing braces to move teeth, correct my bite and stabilize my jaw, etc. On August 18th, I will have jaw surgery (in Santa Barbara, CA), that will move both my upper and lower jaw forward and open up my airway; this will double the size of my airway. Watch out, could this mean I might be able to sing?

For 12 weeks I will have several rubber bands to keep my mouth shut (comments from the peanut gallery are permitted!) and I will be required to eat pureed food. The length of healing varies with every person. I look forward to experiencing solid REM sleep for the first time in my life, waking up energized and being able to enjoy life to its fullest. I may even experience dreams more regularly! It will be interesting to discover how this surgery may or may not have an impact on my art making.

Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to re-connecting in September. Please support anyone you know who may be suffering from a sleep disorder.