A Break in the Action

After playing four consecutive Sundays, my body told me that last weekend was a good time to take a weekend off and get some rest. It didn't hurt that the PGA Championship was on TV most of the weekend. While I missed physically being on the course, I still got my golf fix watching the best players in the world in the last major of the season.

One of the things my body was telling me was my left elbow was starting to hurt. Not so much when I was playing, because I always take an Aleve or Advil before my round, but after playing. I particularly noticed it when I would attempt to lift something with my left arm or would just pull out a club and waggle it. I already had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I mentioned it to him during my office visit. After explaining what I was feeling and an examination of my elbow, the doctor diagnosed the problem as mild tendinitis. He prescribed wearing a elbow brace when I play and icing the elbow after a round or whenever it is bothering me. He also suggested taking an anti-inflammatory if needed. I already have an elbow brace, so I will be wearing during all future rounds until the end of the season or the pain goes away.

This weekend off also provided my with an opportunity to compare this season to last. Ironically, at this point in both seasons I had played the same number of rounds: 12. During the those 12 rounds I took three strokes more this year than last, 1124-1127. My scoring round is also .3 strokes higher this year, 93.9 compared to 93.6 last season. Out of the 216 holes I have played, however, I have had two more holes at par or better than last season, 52-50. And I have made six birdies through 12 rounds this season, one more than I had through 12 rounds in 2011. My goal is to play at least 10 more rounds before the end of 2012, lower my scoring average, while making more birdies and pars.

A Weighty Issue

I went to the doctor's today for my routine checkup. While my cholesterol numbers were slightly elevated--although not at a level that caused big concern for the doctor--the biggest problem was my weight, which is now over 220 pounds. The additional weight is probably a primary cause of my sleep apnea and the slight elevation in my cholesterol count. These two factors, overweight and sleep apnea, were probably the main reasons why I felt some fatigue towards the end of my rounds late in the summer and through the fall. Starting in the new year, I plan to begin dieting and exercising with my wife in an effort to get down to a healthier weight. Watching my carbs and fats, while walking for 40 minutes four times a week, should help be be more physically fit by the time golf season rolls around in March. While I doubt I will ever cut a figure like Carmillo Villegas or Adam Scott, I don't want to look like Craig Stadler or Tim Herron either. It may also help me in dealing with the sleep apnea. While I doubt I will ever cut a figure like Carmillo Villegas or Adam Scott, I don't want to look like Craig Stadler or Tim Herron either. Hopefully, better fitness will mean better golf scores in 2009.

Restless Nights: Sleep Apnea

During the summer I found myself to be sleeping, but not really resting. My wife also told me that I was beginning to snore louder and louder; to the point where it was beginning to effect her sleep. It may have also effected my golf game because there were often times when I had very little energy towards the end of a round and my concentration on the course wasn't always the greatest. During a routine checkup with my doctor, who happens to specialize in sleep disorders, I mentioned these symptoms. Subsequently, I was tested for, and diagnosed with, sleep apnea. A person with sleep apnea stops breathing during sleep, often hundreds of times during the night, and often for a minute or longer.

According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, "Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated."

Among those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea are golfers Mark Calcavecchia and Hal Sutton; actors William Shatner, George Kennedy, John Candy, John Belushi and Chris Penn; author Anne Rice; Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia; NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White; and Rosie O'Donnell.

I am now using a a CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine to help me sleep at night. CPAP, which is one of the most common treatments, works by gently blowing pressurized room air through the airway at a pressure high enough to keep the throat open. This pressurized air acts as a "splint." The pressure is set according to the patient's needs at a level that eliminates the apneas and hypopneas that cause awakenings and sleep fragmentation, according to ASAA. I've used it for two nights now and it takes some getting used to, but hopefully, it will help me get better, healthier rest in the long term.