1489 Paladimwit.

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Went to the doctor today. They drew a lot of blood and I’m super tired. If theres no other words here at midnight its because I fell asleep on the floor.

Well, I did fall asleep on the floor, but I set an alarm, so I woke up a minute ago.

The blood thing is because I have too much iron still in it. That’s because my c-pap is still wrong and not helping the way it should. which is because I can’t ditch my current provider until I change insurance. and even if I could it would be another 1000 dollars to do the sleep study over again. I’m dying very slowly so the cpap guys don’t really care. I’m not really sure they’d care if I was dying quickly and in front of them honestly. And people argue with me that human all human life has equal value. If that’s true then that value is very small. It seems to me that you’re most valuable just before you’re born, then your value drops sharply after that point.

I Bet I could make my own mask from stuff in my room that would work better. I have some moldable plastic… I should macguyver that shit. I could get $5 worth of that moldable rubber and make a seal that fits my face perfectly. Do it for a tenth of the cost…

I wonder if all plastic is medically sound.

53 Comments

Im sadder from reading this. I hope things get better for you bud.

I really need to stop talking about it. I’m going against everything Scott Kurtz ever taught me.

I had no idea who Scott Kurtz was, so I had to Google him. His comic probably wouldn’t interest me much because it’s Gamer-oriented, but he must be a good guy because dogs like him!

Theres a part when Brent and Jade are dating that is brilliant. Worth the read from the start just for that. It kind of deteriorated in recent times, in my opinion as his focus shifted away from it.

Have you heard of Oogroo? Or maybe it’s oogoo? Sugru is a kind of mold-able silicone that is used to make things, make bumpers for cell phones, etc. But, it’s expensive. Somebody came up with OOgroo which is silicone caulk mixed with corn starch to make an inexpensive facsimile.You might be able to make a mask, or a mold for a cpap mask. Just be careful with release agents if you use your face to mold it.

Thank you for talking about this. I appreciate it. I hope one of the commenters below can help you make a better mask.

“Furries are people that LARPers make fun of, and LARPers are people that gamers make fun of.” — Cass (The Gamers: Hands of Fate)

“And gamers are people that people make fun of!” — Natalie (the LARPer)’s response

Hey, I’ve got a 3d printer and a bunch of plastic, and also an entire college machine shop at my disposal. If there’s anything I can do to help, feel free to let me know. It’s the least I can do for all that this comic has done for me.

(You can scan your face using AutoDesk’s 123D Catch app, and if you do that, I’m pretty sure I can make a mask.)

Just took a stock of the stuff I have at my disposal, and remembered we have a thermoformer in the equipment closet. If your CPAP thing just blows air and not any fancy superchemicals, I can totally make you a mask.

Bumping for relevance/to draw attention/cause it’s just about all I can do that’s worth note at this point.

I’m still pullin’ for ya, Jackie.
Keep yer stick on the ice.

Cpap machines from my knowledge are just air pumps with a resevoir for distilled water to keep the air moist.

The CPAP actually concentrates oxygen in the air, so that the air it’s pumping is actually oxygen enriched. It’s not just an air pump.

No, no they don’t. It’s just air (sometimes humidifier or warmed) that’s kept under a constant pressure to prevent your air passages from closing up.

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cpap

Me moms a doctor, and this is from her, so…

I think you might have misunderstood her. The cpap does not concentrate oxygen in any way. It does however keep the air passages open with the effect that you’re getting more oxygen than you would with them closed. I have a mild to moderate apnea myself. Sadly, the best treatment for me would be losing weight which I have not displayed the willpower to do. I love my hamburgers way too much!

Your mom’s a doctor, and doesn’t actually run the sleep studies.

If they run O2 into cpap (or other pap masks), it comes in from an O2 tank or a … it’s been years. I forget what it’s called. Condenser? I don’t think that’s it.

I digress.

Procedures in the two sleep labs I worked in was to start CPAP if O2 events showed up. Once the mask was in place, the breathing should come back, demonstrated by a lap band and a chest band.

If O2 levels were still less than about 80% while sleeping, but no events were demonstrated by the bands, then I would apply O2.

It has been 2006 since I’ve been a tech, so R&K rules have doubtless changed. I doubt the application of O2 with CPAP is one of those changes.

I finally got around to downloading it.

The more varied the angle, and distance of the pictures, the more detail it can stitch the pictures together with. If you can get someone to help you with them, even better! I do need some way to scale the scanned model to your actual head-size, though. Any ideas?

Is the plastic food grade, it should be fine, if so.

The plastic itself is food grade, but the 3D printing of the plastic is not likely so. This is because you can’t guarantee that there are no voids in your plastic, which can trap moisture and bacteria.

You can, however, seal it with an epoxy or silicon resin, which would make it food safe.

I was actually planning to print a mold of his face, and then thermoform a plastic whatsit over the top of it. No voids, just a single sheet of stuff. Although the epoxy thing is a pretty cool technique!

This has nothing to do with the fit of the mask, but have you tried BiPAP therapy? The articles I looked at said it can sometimes help people who don’t do well with CPAP.

CPAP Machine? I should be using one of those myself… I’ve had severe sleep apnea for at least the last 10 years. Only reason I don’t is because I can’t sleep with them on and remove them in my sleep if I do manage to get to sleep so they never did me any good. And I figure if I ain’t dead from it yet, then I should be fine.

Reggie White thought that too. Don’t ever give up until you find something that works for you, or you might fall asleep one night and not wake up.

I breathe mainly through my mouth, that includes when I sleep. That means I needed a full face mask while I slept with it. I also am incapable of sleeping on my back or side, only on my stomach. With those factors it made it impossible to actually sleep with the machine on. Not to mention that the air constantly being forced in actually made it harder for me to breathe comfortably. I tried for several years before giving up.

I Larp.
Or I used to. I was actually pretty well know in a few different groups as someone that was unbeatable in melee combat.

4 years of martial arts and training with the staff made me a lean, mean Kilik mimicking machine.

Unfortunately, most of the Larping community these days are teenagers with a lot of anger issues. Not a good idea to put weapons, foam or otherwise, in their hands.

If the plastic is food grade, it should be safe. The CPAP concentrates oxygen in the air so your lungs have a easier time of it. You should just be able to make a mask, though, if you have the tools and the strength to do it. Make sure it’s completely clean and dry before you wear it, though. Steam clean it.

No oxygen concentration, just pressure. Don’t confuse these with an actual oxygen mask — they serve different purposes and are used to treat different things.

Go for it, Mike! Chicks dig guys who get into Live Action Role Playing!

A former co-worker from my Have Gun,Will Travel days was seriously into Revolutionary and Civil War reenactment. A couple of years after I changed careers, he pointed a very accurate, non-firing replica of a Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver at a Connecticut State Trooper during a routine pull-over for excessive speed, parlaying a $200 ticket and order to appear into a ten year felony conviction. He was always sort of over-the-top…

I hate to sound grim, but- pulling fake guns or real guns + weapons, on the police of any country, is a way to risk being killed by said police.

Reason being- the police don’t know if you are really trying to kill them or not.
By “you”, I mean the [theoretical you].

Or as a friend of mine likes to say:

Get stupid…get dead.

Thus endeth the lesson.

This might not happen in all encounters with cops + fake weapons, + [cops + real weapons], but it’s a good rule to remember, I believe.

What insurance do you have? Am I allowed to call them and find a legal reason for them to care about the life of one of their customers, or else I bring it to media attention?

I started to fade using the cpap too. So, as I mentioned earlier, I switched to a nose spray. It is a prescription steroid that tightens the loose flesh that can contribute to blockages and reduced airflow. The one I use is called mometasone furoate, but you could probably use one with out the mucous removing qualities, or even in addition to the cpap if you so choose. I was honestly feeling as you described, and still do if I do not use the spray (including falling asleep on the floor). It costs money, but a bottle of it lasts a month of daily doses, or longer if used as needed. Do what you think is right for you, I just thought I would mention what worked for me. I would feel wrong if I did not share information that has helped me. I will not speak of this topic again, so as not to bother you if you are not interested, and will continue to silently enjoy your comic. I wish you well

I just spent the last week or so trying to get medi-cal to work for me. I went to my doctor to see if I was covered, and if not, where I should go. Doctor sent me to medi-cal’s phone service. I talked to them, they sent me to my county service office. I went to them, they sent me back to the Doctor. I asked if I could just pay out of pocket, the Doctor said “No, because you have medi-cal and that would be fraud if we took your money” even though they don’t take Medi-cal.

Went to a real health insurance place and asked about signing up. Turns out the monthly rates are really low and affordable. Also turns out I don’t make enough annually to qualify for real health insurance, so the hospital that has real doctors that can help me can’t take me under real insurance. They also can’t take medi-cal in my case because I am too old for it and don’t have any dependents.

So… constantly feeling like I have been kicked in the left testicle is probably not a big deal, right? Probably be fine with just some ibuprofen and less bitching? Ugh… well, at least I have life insurance.

People don’t honestly have to care about other people. And without money, they have even less reason to care about you. Compassion and empathy are in short supply, so I hope that you take care of yourself Jackie. It’s brutal out there.

Our High School mascot was a Paladin & we had a medieval reenactment club that I was a part of.

This is some weird overlap.

The guy moved from historical re-enacting to LARPing? Usually it’s the other way around, although I know a number of people who do both. I wonder if he was a farbie who realized he’d be happier in a hobby with looser rules. :P

I would be remiss if I didn’t say you should have said “Or you risk getting club-clubbed” in the second frame =P

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