Blog

  • Catching up on Sleep

    I am finally catching up on sleep. Whenever I change anything about my sleep equipment it makes it hard for me to get to sleep.

    Plus using the old machine really messed me up. So I’ve had trouble actually getting to sleep all week. Several nights I got less than 6 hours of sleep because I had to be up the next day.

    Yesterday, I laid down to take an hour or so nap, and ended up waking up at 5:00 when my husband got home from work.

    However, then I couldn’t get to sleep until after midnight, but woke up at 5:00 — which is when I’ve been waking up, but was able to go back to sleep for almost 4 hours more sleep.

    So I am at 37.2 hours on the machine and have had it for 5 days, so I am just past 7 hours a night average. I’d like to get to 8 hours.

    I’m going to take a sleeping pill tomorrow night and try to get to sleep for 8 hours. It is always hard to sleep the night before new students and I’ll be getting my summer school students tomorrow.

  • Finally

    Just heard from the nurse at the cardiologist.

    I got back an equivocal study. The nurse said that was common in women and that 8 out of 10 times, it comes back normal. Equivocal means that the doctor could not see certain parts of the heart because a muscle was blocking the view.

    The doctor even said that my uncontrolled gastric reflux could be causing the problem.

    I will be getting a test, basically a CT scan with iodine that replaces the old catherization. It takes about 30 minutes. I probably won’t hear from the lab that needs to do the test for at least anyother week.

    She recommends that I keep my activity level about the same, but not make any major changes or add to my program until we get the test done. She also agree, because of the local weather conditions that I do cut some of my agility practice runs in half.

    In other words, don’t panic. I hate waiting.

  • Minimed

    Commenter just mentioned the Minimed Continuous Glucose monitor. I emailed this reply:

    Yeah, but you have to do business with Minimed. They have screwed over way to many diabetics to suit me, and I almost got suckered into their pump during the waterproof debacle.

    And to add — I can’t believe their sales reps, either.

  • My latest fantasy

    Anyone who watches TLC a lot will know where I am going with this.

    So I’m in a grocery store and this really cute blond guy comes up and talks to me in an Austrialian accent. He offers to come to my house and cook an “amazing meal”.

    So I tell him I’m diabetic which means I want to go “slow carb” and low fat. We shop in the grocery store and find “amazing” stuff for the “amazing” meal.

    We go back to my house, of course, stopping at a local catering shop and he picks up a surprise gift (like he didn’t do enough when paid for the groceries!).

    I call my husband and insist that he be home between 5:00 and 5:30, and Curtis shows me how to make the “amazing” meal. He is charmed by both dogs, and by the cool house, even though the place is swamped with his 15 person crew.

    Yeah, it’s Take Home Chef, is that the coolest show or what? I swear to god, some of the women are very close to dragging him off camera, and I would be tempted too.

    And he really does come up with amazing menus. A few I even want to try, like the braised lamb and the pot o’ chocolat (sp).

    And I think it would be cool for him to come up with some healthy for a diabetic and that is amazing too!

  • STILL waiting and lap band thoughts

    I’ve yet to hear from either nurse at the cardiologist office. Obviously I’m not getting the == look for blockages == procedure done THIS Thursday, since it’s over.

    I also haven’t heard from the Nurse Practioner. I haven’t said this in the message but I want to talk to her about lap band too — she DID bring it up.

    Speaking of lap band, Maggie’s other mother had it done a few months ago and she is lost something like 50 pounds. Magggie is my bad beagle, yes, I introduce her as the bad beagle, and her other mother is the lady who rescued her “free to a good home”. Mom (short for Maggie’s other mother), is at 361 pounds which is almost 100 pounds more than I am. I don’t want to think about what she used to weigh, and is very happy with the procedure.

    I still think I can lose weight the old fashioned way, especially if I can get the new principal to help — and all I want him to do is to make sure that the Dean doesn’t mess with me for awhile. I’ve gained back 10 pounds and I figure 5 is from the schedule change and 5 is from freaking out over finals.

    I might have time for lap band after summer school and before regular school, but it is pushing it, because I have some workshops and a trip scheduled for then.

    I might even make time for it during the school year, though Joyce thinks I will have to spend time in ICU after because of the diabetes thing and the possible blockage thing.

    I could use the surgeon I met with last fall, I think he does it, though he might want me to do the full thing — I’m not sure about that.

    Anyway, I just want to finish the discussion she and I started and got interrupted on.

  • New Blog

    I’ve decided I don’t want to mix business with pleasure so to speak, so I am going to start blogging about school stuff at http://www.kweaver.org/cs

    That means I probably won’t blog here as much — an RSS feed is suggested — but it will go back to being about diabetes and dog agility — with only about 10% being dog agility.

    Anyway, the new blog is at http://www.kweaver.org/cs if you want to read it.

  • New PAP

    Still doing very well. The feature that I think that is making the most improvement is the leak detector. The first two nights it did go off and I think my mask has been leaking all along. It did not go off last night, but that’s because I knew what to do to keep it from going off.

    The humidifer is working out well too. No dry nose this morning which really makes a difference.

    Now if I can only get to bed at night. Last night I decided I had to stay up until the first two days of Algebra I work had printed and I had the printer sent to print as slow as possible (not on purpose).

  • Immigration Rant

    I’ve been putting this off. Yeah, it has nothing to do with diabetes. Even less with dog agility. However, it does have something to do with teaching, especially after CBS news last night. They did a story about how school districts recruit in other countries. And yes, my school district has been recruiting, mostly Spanish speakers who can teach.

    Here’s my problem with immigration (and out-sourcing). Many of the employers who actively recruit immigrants, my school district included, say they do it because they can’t find American workers. That is SO much BS. The reason they can’t find American workers is because they are not offering competitive pay or because they are offering substandard working conditions.

    And that is SO true of my district. I’ve been teaching 14 years and have a master’s and make just under $50,000. However, I have a Master’s in CECS (Computer Education and Cognitive Studies) and a BS in Computer Science. Anyway care to guess what I might be able to make on the open job market as a curriculum designer? I will admit one of the biggest reasons I stay are the benefits.

    And the working conditions. The building I work in is over 50 years old. Cleaning as at a substandard level which aggravates my allergies. The temperature control is non-existant, and the building is either so hot I’m having to wake up students or so could we’re all wearing sweaters — IN AUGUST. Though I’d rather be in the sweater state.

    Class sizes are too big. Almost all of my class sizes were over 30 students last year, only one fewer than 20 (and that was an AP class).

    I have a little story to relate, which will tell you exactly what happens to the teachers that get recruited from other countries. I worked as a computer programmer in Yazoo City, Mississippi, my first year out of college. Made $16,000, but I paid $150 rent for a 3 bedroom apartment. After working there for a year, TI recruited me to come and live in Dallas. They paid me $24,000, but I couldn’t find an efficiency apartment for less than $500 a month! Then I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get ahead, but grocery prices, clothing prices and gasoline prices were higher (car expenses stayed about the same). Can you imagine how it must work for someone working in Columbia? Or the Phillipines?

    What is worse yet, is the one who really take advantage of the illegal immigrants. I’ve seen news reports of how they will work as day laborers at car washes, get paid in tips only, or worse yet, get their tips taken from them and sent away empty handed. I do believe that we need to crack down on the companies who purposely hire illegals and shut them down and send the employers to jail. And not one of our nice ones either.

    I do believe in immigration — gee, I’d say over 50% of my students are immigrants themselves, and not all legal either. But LEGAL immigration.

  • Still waiting…

    Still haven’t heard from the cardiologist office, neither to answer my question or to schedule the CAT scan looking for blockages.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens NEXT Thursday though.

    Still doing well on the PAP, and tomorrow is a teacher workday for summer school.

  • PAP description

    I’m the commenter who asked the question — if you have any sleep issues this is a great blog to keep up with.

    sleepdoctor: The difference between CPAP, BiPAP, and auto-CPAP

    The difference between CPAP, BiPAP, and auto-CPAP