Having A Self-Awakening

(Years back I had a bizarre form of pneumonia (no disease preceding it and apparently something got lodged in one lung). I hadn’t slept in nearly 2 days and I was exhausted. The doctors found the right combination of drugs to get me some relief. I’m in a bay in the ER and I can finally feel some welcome sleep approaching and just as I’m going under, there’s an awful squealing from some equipment nearby. I figure maybe it’s the guy next spot over dying or something. I calm down and try to fall back asleep again. Just as I’m about to fall into a nice sleep, that alarm goes off again. Dammit. Once again I’m awake from the guy next door. After this happens about four or five times, I think “screw it, I can ignore him and just sleep.” I did it. Next time the alarm went off I managed to ignore it and sailed right off to sleep. But it didn’t last. The next thing I know I’m being gently slapped in the face. I open my eyes to see the gentle face of a clearly worried and compassionate nurse who said:)

Nurse: “Breathe for me, honey!”

(In that moment I discovered I had sleep apnea… and also just how nice nurses could be. Thankfully they switched off the breathing alarm; I was the jack-a** who was making the noise that woke me.)