Back in November, I wrote about Fabgrandpa and I going for sleep studies. That started a round of about a hundred doctor visits for us that included me going to a cardiologist. The cardiologist did a gazillion tests, and found nothing wrong with my heart. That is a relief, but it didn’t tell me why my feet and legs swelled up and were so painful. She referred me for a sleep study to check for sleep apnea.
After I went for the sleep study, I had an appointment with a lung doctor, Dr. Reid. He said my sleep study showed that I stopped breathing 29 times in an hour. That is enough to be labeled as “Severe Sleep Apnea”. The next step was to go back to the sleep center for another sleep study. This time, they put one less wire on me. This test was to determine the settings for my BIPAP machine. I still didn’t feel like I slept at all, but they were able to get the settings and send them to my doctor. Dr. Reid then sent a prescription order to a home health supply place in Carrollton. We finally got the call from them last week that our machines were ready to pick up. We go in the morning to get them.
In between times of the sleep studies, I also went to my endocrinologist, D. Vavrik. I showed him pictures of my legs and feet, and he said “I don’t do feet and legs, if it happens again, go to your primary care doctor.” Well, then. My A1C was too high, at 8.9. This is not a good trend for me. We talked about my blood sugar numbers when fasting, and how much insulin I was taking. He raised my insulin dosage to 35 units at meals for the short acting Novalin R, and 3o twice a day for the long acting Novalin N. So far, those increased dosages have been keeping my fasting blood sugar under 125, which I can live with for the moment.
Fabgrandpa has also done the sleep studies, on the same nights as I went. His test results showed that he stopped breathing 66 times in an hour, which is more than once a minute. It made me wonder when he DID breathe. So Dr. Reid has also ordered him a BIPAP machine. I am really hoping that these machine make a difference in our sleeping, and therefore, in the way we feel during the day. Because, I am sleeping all day most days in my chair. I have no energy, no get up and go. If I do something like to to the grocery store, I wind up not being able to do anything for two or three days after. I still have to go and do it, though.
On Tuesday, I am going to a pain management clinic. I went to my primary care doctor over a year ago, and asked to be referred to a pain management doctor, but none of the ones in our area would accept me as a patient because my pain does not originate in my back. They know how to treat back pain. They don’t, however, know how to treat chronic pain caused by a 12 inch surgical scar and lack of core muscle. My primary care doctor finally found a pain group that would accept me and I am hoping that they can at least prescribe a new pain reliever that will help me feel better. We’ll see.
So, that is where we stand as far as health issues go. I have no heart disease, no congestive heart failure, no vascular disease. I DO have sleep apnea, chronic pain, and high blood sugar with type 2 diabetes. I hope that the coming year doesn’t bring any more issues for me. I also hope that whatever happens in Washington, D.C. doesn’t effect my health insurance. I have Medicare and a MAPD plan through Humana. It isn’t the best ever, but it is insurance. Have you been for your yearly checkups yet? What do you think is going to happen with the state of healthcare in the United States? Let’s get the discussion going.
Anne says
Oh, good luck with your BIPAP machines. Here’s hoping you adjust to them quickly and are able to get some good rest soon. And here’s hoping you’ll be able to keep good health insurance coverage, too!