Category: Blog

I’m anticipating that I will have to put Marcie down tomorrow.  She’s a good beagle, she’s had a good beagle life and I am not going to torture her any more than I have to .

She’s had a bout of pancreatis before, and she started vomiting on Saturday.  I took her to the 24 hour vet on Sunday afternoon, and they have her stabilized but she isn’t feeling better.

The plan is to continue re-hydrating her until tomorrow afternoon and make a decision then.

Between the sleep doctor, myself, and the head doctor, I’ve come up with a new plan for sleep. It’s July and I am STILL tired!

So I’m taking Sonata each night and I am trying to get to bed by 11:00 pm.  I really should try for 10:00 pm, but I"m not ready yet, besides I can sleep until 7:00 am most of the time and that is 8 hours of sleep.  So I made it Tuesday but didn’t make it last night — it was 11:30 then, and then I woke up after 6:00 am today, so not great, but at least that is 7 hours.

The first night on the new mask, I woke up twice, but only woke up once today.  I am feeling better, so that should help with everything else.

I’m still coughing though.

Seriously!!!!

http://www.rodeogrillmarchi.com/ — it’s called Rodeo Grill and it is a Brazillian BBQ buffet.  I know we have some immigrants from Brazil — the lawn guy I used at the old place was Brazillian as was most of his employees and I’ve had students from Brazil and they have always been fun.

One of the waiters said he is a painter and interested in private computer lessons — something I’ve always thought of doing, so maybe when I get back from Vegas.

But I"m hoping to take a friend or two this summer.  I LOVE this kind of food, very diabetic friendly, very plain and simple.  Dr. Atkins would approve!

Last night was my first dog class since I had to go to the hospital and it was nice to be back.  No one, not even baby Macy, forgot anything.  Well, Maggie quit when I started coughing but I am working on that. 

It was really great to be back and doing what I enjoy most — and also getting back into the hot tub without guilt!

I saw my sleep doctor first, this morning.  I’ve been trying to get with him, but between my schedule, the cath, and his schedule, it didn’t happen until today.  He’s order new mask, filters, and new reservoir for the CPAP machine.  Since he is a pulmonary specialist, in fact THE guy to go to in town for pulmonary, and since he’s solved the cough thing before — different cough through — I asked him about it.

He looked at my meds and decided that either or both the Symlin and the benazepril part of the Lotril could be causing the cough.  So I’m off the symlin for a month as of today, and as of the afternoon (see more below), off the benazepril.  He said if I was still coughing after a month, call and make an appointment and he’ll try to track it down.

So then I saw the cardiologist this afternoon.  The wound from the cath is completely healed with no bruising etc.  So I’m cleared for dog agility agility.  She repeated that the stress test was a false positive, and that my heart was healthy with no blockages.  She did say that I have a valve leakage typical of untreated sleep apnea, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

She took me off the Diltiazem (Cardizem) that they put me on when they told me about the abnormal stress test, and switched me to ExForge.  I apologized for talking with the pulmonary specialist but she said no problem, I’d seen him longer — and that the cardioloist had already suggested that I see a pulmonary specialist for the cough.

All in all a good visit, and I will let her live…. though I did mention to her that they really had me and my family stressed out over the false positive.

Though my husband was surprised I hadn’t done it already — hit the hot tub tonight.  It’s part of my nightly ritual, getting in the hot tub, relaxing, especially easing the knee and the hip that is bothering me now, plus getting rid of a layer of sweat.  Haven’t been able to get in it since the catherization, but it’s healed well, so I went in it a day early.  I’ve only been obsessing with it since Thursday evening, so I’ve done well.

Or her bra?

And I am starting to believe that this is an accessory, not a whole new system.  Wouldn’t that be cool!

Quoted from http://jnjbtw.com/?p=299:

JNJ BTW » Blog Archive » It’s a . . . System

With OneTouch Ping, that pumper can leave her pump on her belt or in her tank top and just tell it what to do with a device the size of a cell phone or BlackBerry.

I’ve been worried that the timing on my needing a new pump might be wrong, BUT Animas just announced the "Ping".  I need a new pump in February — warranty will be out then, so this will be ready in time, and probably debugged. 

I’m glad I haven’t shipped out my unused One Touch strips, HOWEVER, I still love the new Accu-Chek Compact Plus.

Quoted from http://www.animascorp.com/ViewAnnouncements.aspx?ID=85:

Animas Corporation. a Johnson & Johnson Company

Animas Corporation announced today the clearance of its OneTouch ® Ping TM Glucose Management System by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). OneTouch Ping is the first full-feature insulin pump that wirelessly communicates with a blood glucose meter-remote. Using the OneTouch Ping meter-remote, a person can calculate insulin doses and opt to wirelessly instruct the pump to deliver them without touching the pump at all, giving patients more freedom and flexibility in using their insulin pump.

 

 

I will admit to having a love / hate relationship with my Dexcom system (a CGMS system).  I can’t afford to use it all the time, which is one facet of the hate relationship.

When I have used it, it has been invaluable, and I mostly save it for those occasions — last year I went on my first cruise and it saved me from lows several times — and a nasty high caused by the TSA agents accidently knocking off my set.

It’s also saved both me and the students I was testing from a nasty low.  I’m not sure what would happen to those students if something would happen to me, I would hate it if the tests were invalidated.  Wouldn’t help the school any either.

Yes, CGMS should be covered, no matter what kind of diabetic or the age.

Got a message from the nurse practioner and basically it was one of the good news, bad news.

Good news, your heart is fine.

Bad news, we don’t know why the stress test was bad and why you have symptoms.

I’ll see them next week though and ask good questions.