So, I feel old today. I'm dealing with medical issues and I haven't felt like talking much today ... mainly because I feel like anyone who talks to me will feel like they're talking with their grandmother.
But ... hey ... I vent here, right? If anything, I feel young when I'm here because I'm still ThirtyWhat ... even though that name hasn't applied in years ...
Way back on November 2nd, I had my first night's sleep with my very own CPAP. I was a mess. I was sure things were going to end badly. I had all sorts of scenarios in my head ... some of which I shared with Stoney ... some of which I didn't. In some scenarios, I smothered to death when the power went out. In others, I would have a fatal heart attack because of forced air being pushed into my lungs. In one or two, I developed a painful case of pneumonia after the CPAP's heated humidifier malfunctioned. I have issues ...
But yesterday ... sixty days after starting therapy, I got my first compliance report. I'm 82% compliant ... and you must be at least 70% compliant for insurance to cover the treatment. So yay me. Out of sixty days, there were ten days when I didn't hit the minimum hour mark ... and only one day when I didn't even turn the CPAP on. I threw up that night ... so not wearing the mask seemed like a reasonable move.
On another front, I got my lab work back and my kidneys are down to 19%. Normally this would be very bad news. When you get under 20%, they start talking to you about what it takes to get on the donor list ... learning about dialysis options and whatnot. But we think the reason mine dropped was because I was taking Aleve every day for two or three weeks.
Aleve ... well, any NSAID ... is a big no no for kidney patients. We aren't supposed to touch it ... but I thought the risks of taking it would outweigh the risks of taking the narcotics they prescribe me. I lost 5% in under a month. That's a big negatory on the Aleve plan. I gave my bottle of Aleve to Stoney ... that way I won't ever be tempted when my back is hurting at work.
Good news is that, since I didn't take it for every long, they think I'll bounce back up over 20%. They don't know if I'll get as far as up 24% ... where I was before this debacle. But she said it's possible. So my job in the next 30 days is to keep hydrated ... keep taking my blood pressure meds ... and keep my fingers crossed for the next blood test.
Meanwhile, my parathyroid numbers are all jacked up. This is apparently a Vitamin D issue ... because I'm still extremely low. My once a month prescription pill isn't cutting it ... so they're giving me a "booster" Vitamin D pill each week to try to bump those numbers back in place. Again, next month's re-test will let them know if this is something serious they need to look at ... or if a little more Vitamin D will fix me up.
Aaaaaaaaanyway ...
So, kids ... thanks for coming by and visiting grandma! Be sure to take a piece of that ribbon candy over there on your way out. I'm gonna go sit on the davenport and have a fish stick and watch my stories ... I hear Roman and Marlena are getting back together ...
I want to give
I've been a miner for a heart of gold
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old
Keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old
Neil Young - Heart of Gold
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