Oops! New background and maybe new fonts

I just spent the last hour trying to change the font on my title. It didn't work. I'm done for the night.

I also changed the background. I like it a lot. I'll be fiddling with the look for the next while though, I'm still a long ways off.

No news. Still working and stitching. Off the oxygen except at night. I see the pulmonologist on Monday. Hopefully I can get rid of the tank and the portable oxygen unit.

Oh. I did vote yesterday. Woo hoo and congratulations to all the winners. I did want the Republicans to take the Senate, but they didn't. Perhaps in 2012. Congress now has an opportunity to listen to the American people and change some things.

Supplemental oxygen is da bomb!

Yep, my oxygen levels are bottoming out. So I am back with the canula up my nose and the oxygen set at 1.5 litres per hour. My oxygen level stays at 93-94, so that makes me happy (and my lungs very happy.) I need to get R2D2 filled again and pick up some pristine canulas. My exciting life.

I see Dr Clark on Friday, we'll talk then about all my lung issues. I get a cold and it goes viral on me, I can't afford to miss a week of work a month due to illness.

I do see Dr Campbell the first week of November too. He is my lung doctor and maybe by then my lungs will be better. Hope springs eternal!

Sinus infection and oxygen

Blech. Another sinus infection. I started feeling icky on Sunday afternoon (slept through the last session of General conference.) Went to the doctor on Tuesday, yep, a sinus infection with lots of mucus. He started me on Omnicef (warfarin friendly), and a saline nasal wash. Ouch, but it does help.

I'm sleeping on the oh-so-comfortable chair in the living room. Actually, it is very comfortable. The cat doesn't like me sleeping there, but that is OK.

I had to go back to the doctor today to get a permission note to go back to work (after 3 days of illness, we need a note.) The sinus infection has moved to my lungs. Lots of wheezing. Good news is that it is upper respiratory. I get to watch it very closely, all I need is another bout with pneumonia (knock on lots of wood.) My oxygen level has been fine, except for today. It dipped to 84 so I hauled the portable oxygen unit out. I don't stick the canula in my nose, it is in my mouth, which works just as well. So I will take it easy for the next 3 days. I'm just glad I have a job that is will fit my needs. Whew.

Speaking of the cat. Here are some pictures of Miss Priss who runs my life and household. I love her dearly.

I forgot to tell you that she is a nerd kitty. She loves to lay on the laptop to get warm (and post when I'm not looking.)

Off to bed, rather off to the comfortable chair in the living room. LOL.

P.S. I will post pictures of the samplers I am working on from the Shepherds Bush retreat. Lots of fun stuff.

Change!!!

Change, change, change in my life.

Changed the background to my blog. A little more summery rosey blog.

Off the oxygen almost all the time (except at night.) Woo hoo!!! I'm going to Park City on Wednesday for the Shepherds Bush stitching retreat. I am getting a portable Helios system base to take with me. Thinner oxygen may give my lungs some problems. Better safe than sorry.

My right knee is getting much better. Falling on it three times in 3 months is not a good thing. :) Last Thursday I rammed my left little toe into a wooden pallet. It is really bruised, but I don't think it is broken because I can still wiggle it. It hurts to walk, so I am swimming right now for exercise purposes.

I don't know why I am so accident prone, especially this last year. I think I need to be wrapped in bubble wrap. LOL.

Tomorrow I get my hair cut and a permanent. My hair has NO body or curl. So I get a permanent, then straighten out my hair. I'm also getting a pedicure and gel toes. I think I will get the Little Miss Muffet pink sparkly again. It is glittery and pink.

I can't wait for the retreat. I am driving up on Wednesday afternoon (can't check in until 5:00 pm.) There is a farmer's marker at the Canyons every Wednesday, so I want to catch that.

We reserved a 2 bedroom suite at the Grand Summit at the Canyons. I got a killer deal for 2 bedrooms, a jetted tub, deck/balcony, full kitchen, etc. Registration starts at noon on Thursday, one class is on Friday, and 2 classes on Saturday, with a closing banquet Saturday night. I'll come home Sunday.

Don and I went to Shepherds Bush on Saturday. The projects are BIG. The Shepherds Bush project is 16" by 21". R & R Reproduction's project is 16" by 16". I did email Jeannette Douglas Designs and she is bringing 2 extra kits for Don and I. She is one of our favorite designers. There are 2 tracks of classes at the retreat. We're on the Shepherds Bush track, along with R & R Reproductions and Thread Gatherers. The other track is Blackbird Designs, Jeannette Douglas, and Charland Designs. I'm hoping the other teachers bring extra kits or I can order them for after the classes. It was hard making a choice of what track to choose, but Shepherds Bush is my favorite place and designs.

On the family front, 2 more great-grandchildren are coming. That will make 7 great grandchildren for my parents. Wow!!! Also, my nephew is getting married in December 2010 (just got engaged.) Becky and Frank found a truly cute house in North Carolina to rent. I hope they come to visit us for Christmas. :)

My dad is doing really well, much better than I have seen him in the past 2 years. He has recovered remarkably well from the last stroke. He doesn't take a nap anymore, much more energy, and doesn't have his spells. He's 79 years old, so this is great news.

Well, I had better rest up for tomorrow. Perm, haircut, toes, and stitching night. And dinner at Kneaders.

New background

A new background for my blog! How exciting.

Good news from the pulmonologist. If my oxygen level stays at 90 or above during the day, I don't have to use the supplemental oxygen. Woo hoo!!! Except now I have a cold, so I am still using oxygen 24/7.

He also wants me to do an overnight pulse oximeter test that records my oxygen levels at night. I may be able to get rid of that too eventually and just have the cpap. So good news all round.

Update

Wow, it has been a long time since I updated this blog. So here goes...

I ordered an Express Pass from UDOT this evening (Utah Dept of Transportation.) I was number 1629, so received the transponder for FREE! (Thus saving $8.25.) In my account, I put $25.00. The express pass will enable me to drive in the HOV lane as a single driver. I commute daily from Provo to Murray and I think this will cut down on my commute time, especially in the morning.

I'm still on oxygen. Woo hoo. I have an appointment the first part of August with Dr Campbell, my pulmonologist. We will discuss the weaning off the oxygen issue. He wanted me to lose 20 pounds (April to August), one more pound to go.

I'm also on warfarin (rat poison.) Apparently I had a blood clot in my left lung while I was in the hospital with pneumonia. So for the next 3-6 months I will be taking it daily. Once a week I get to have my blood checked (called an INR). The results should be between 2 and 3, last Wednesday it was 2.8. I have to be careful of greens, liver, cranberries, etc. My doctor told me not to become a rabbit. I still have a salad daily, but no dark leafy green veggies (brussel sprouts, broccoli, etc.) It has put a cramp in my lifestyle change.

I also am experiencing joint pain. I will talk that over when I have my next blood test. I can't take any NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naprosyn, etc.) Tylenol is as needed because it affects the liver, which affects the clotting time. Sigh.

I am stitching on the Halloween sampler slowly. I am on the second page of eight pages. I will post an updated picture when I figure out how to make it bigger.

I bought a new laptop (Dell) with Windows 7 on it. Still trying to learn Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 7 (uck.) I also bought a new Ipad, which I love, love, love. I highly recommend an Ipad. It is portable, you can read, watch movies, take notes, have Internet connection, etc. It goes everywhere with me.

I have also become a great-aunt again. Welcome Caleb James!!! He was born on July 3, 2010 at home, weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces. He was 10 days early. He is very mellow. His older brother Scott just adores him.

I had better go to bed. I get to work tomorrow. This is a short work week since I take every other Friday off now.

Catch Up Time

Whew! It's been awhile since I updated my blog.

I went back to work on Monday, February 15. Woo hoo! It was exhausting to sit for 8 hours and read my email. Don picked me up at work and we went to his house to await the oxygen tank arrival.

The portable oxygen unit I had lasted about 8 hours, obviously not long enough for 8 hours of work, 30 minutes of lunch, and about a 90 minute daily commute. So I did a little research on the Internet and found the Helios Marathon. It is the BIG brother to the Helios unit I had. So I just called the medical supply place to see if I could swap out for the larger unit. Little did I know that my five day journey for the Marathon portable oxygen unit.

I called the Lindon branch. No clue about it, and "No, we don't have one." I called the Salt Lake store and "No, that isn't available." So I thought compromise and made arrangements to have a small liquid oxygen tank delivered to work. Uh oh. I work for a large multinational corporation and talked to HR about the tank. "We have to go through corporate, yada yada yada." Fine.

So Don, being the good friend he is, offered his house, which is very kind. I could run up to his house on my lunch and fill the unit. OK. So then I called to see what time and when the refill tank would be delivered. "We don't have that order. What did you want again?" So on Saturday, someone in SLC finally found the order and said it would be delivered on Monday. No time frame though. Sigh.

So I called Monday morning from work. They didn't know what I was talking about. Great. First day back at work and I get to leave after 6 hours to fill my oxygen. Grrr. Then they found the order and said the delivery would be after 4 pm. !!! So I let Don know

Fast forward to Don's house at about 6 pm. I'm getting a little antsy and then the phone rang. It was Cuso the delivery guy. "Now, what did you order? I have an order here for a refill unit and the top fill." The top fill is the portable unit. That's NOT what I wanted. So we talked for awhile about it and he said "Why don't you try the Marathon unit?"

Me: "I thought we didn't stock them." Cuso: "We do, let me see if I have one." He did!!! So he came over and we swapped units and he cancelled the other order, etc. Woo hoo! So sad the delivery driver knows more about the inventory than the offices do.

I really like the Marathon unit. 20 hours of oxygen when it is set on demand. On demand delivers a puff of oxygen every time I inhale. Coolness. And I don't have to worry about running out of oxygen when I am out and about. It does make a little puffing noise, but doesn't bother me.

I also have made many friends with my liquid oxygen unit. I've given little demonstrations and referred many people to the company. They should give me a commission. LOL.

The only problem is that it doesn't come with a carrying case. I carried it by the handle for 2 weeks, which was just not very convenient. So I searched the Internet for a carrying case for the Helios Marathon unit.

Everything I found cost over $65.00. Waaaaaay too much money. So I went searching for something at Target. It took 45 minutes, but I found a canvas bag that closes at the top and I can sling it over my shoulder. It looks kind of like a fashion accessory, not medical equipment (until you see the cannula stuck up my nose.)

So I am a happy camper. Time for bed.

Monday Monday

I was going to get so much done today. Instead, I didn't do anything. Stupid head cold/bronchitis. I got sicker over the weekend (although I did make it to church.) My nose is running (and having a cannula stuck up it doesn't help any.) I'm coughing, but nothing is coming up. I'm wheezing big time, the Symbicort lasts for a couple of hours then I wheeze in multiple sounds. It's so annoying.

So I started taking Azithromycin today. 2 pills today, then a pill a day for the next 4 days. I can't be sick, I go back to work on Feb 15. I'm also taking a cold pill (antihistamine/decongestant) and the "magic" cough syrup at night. I don't have a fever. I'm hoping to get magically better so I can go stitching tomorrow night. /whining

Tomorrow I need to pick up the handicapped placards at the driver's license bureau. I also need to pick up a form for my doctor to fill out and fax in (I am diabetic and need a release to drive.) I need to call the company who is managing my medical leave of absence and see what kind of a doctor's note I need to go back to work (will the generic form work that says Feb 15 is the big day?) I need to call the medical supply company and see if I can get a Helios Marathon portable oxygen system.

On Saturday, I went to Salt Lake. I left at noon with portable oxygen unit. I just performed normal activities (prescription and grocery shopping, Don's haircut, shopping at the craft place, and dinner out with friends.) The oxygen was gone by 8 pm. I had it on 1 most of the day. For work I need at least 11 hours of oxygen.

The Helios Marathon system gets up to 20 hours worth of use at the setting of 2 liters. And it only weighs 5 pounds when full. Sounds perfect for me.

I need to remember to call and have my old medical supply place pick up their oxygen concentrator and the 3 big ole green oxygen tanks too.

On Saturday night we went to a little pizzeria called Rusted Sun Pizza. Yummy. I had an Italian salad, Don had a calzone, everyone else had either a calzone or pizza. I'll bet 28 people was the maximum number of eaters that would fit. It was a little place, but so good. We had a great time. There were six of us, four sat in a booth and Don and I sat at the bar across from the booth. Good food, great company.

If you are in Salt Lake City, give the Rusted Sun Pizzeria a try. It is located at 2010 South State Street. Here is a link to their menu.
Rusted Sun pizzeria

They don't take reservations.

My cat

I have a Siamese cat who is about 9 years old. She is a typical Siamese cat who yowls, but she is my cat and loves me. You know the saying "Dogs have masters, cats have staff." Exactly.

My new oxygen unit is controlled by my inhaling. So there is a little puff every time I inhale. It scares the poor kitty when I hold her. Of course, everything scares the poor kitty. I have put a chair next to me at my computer desk and that is where she takes her naps. She'll lay there for hours. I love my kitty cat even though she does run my life. :)

She is a very curious cat too. When the guy was here to set up my CPAP machine, she looked and sniffed. Usually she runs down the stairs at a full gallop. "Stranger danger."

I have to work at getting a better picture of her. I used to have some, but I can't find them. She is a beautiful cat, even though my nickname for her is "Miss Priss" and "Miss Persnickety."

OK, last update on my blood oxygen level. I set the oxygen to 1 liter per hour and my blood oxygen level is 94. Coolness. The unit will last even longer. What an exciting Friday evening. I'm off to bed to rest up for my big day tomorrow. (Salt Lake City with friends and dinner.)

Friday

I went to the doctor this morning for my 3 month checkup. Sigh. My A1C was 7.2, which averages a 170 blood sugar for 3 months. My dr was very encouraging and didn't scold me. He said since I have been so ill the past 2 months that is probably it.

He did change my medications. I am now taking Janumet, which is a combination of metformin and sitagliptin (Januvia.) I did take glipizide when I was first diagnosed and only had to take it for about 6 weeks. After that the metformin controlled my blood sugar levels.

He also changed the triglyceride med from Lovastatin to Simvastatin. I'm stopping Lovastatin right now and will wait to start simvastatin (I have to get my meds via a mail in pharmacy.) If my blood sugar numbers drop, then I'm not taking any statin. I'll eat lettuce and chicken to keep the blood sugar and triglycerides down. My overall cholesterol is 192, but the good cholesterol is a little low and the bad cholesterol is a little high and my triglycerides are a little high. Thus the tricor and simvastatin. I'll just experiment (I can hear the drs out there shuddering.)

I am able to control my blood sugar through the diabetic exchange diet and exercise. Since I have been on Lovastatin, the numbers are through the roof. I have been researching on the Internet and there are cases of blood sugar being unmanageable with the statins. Also, it says in the patient inserts that statins can cause blood sugar to go up. We'll see.

The dr also put me on lisinopril to protect my kidneys. I guess he does that to all of his patients with diabetes. My blood pressure was 128/90 (it has been 122/75.) So not too bad. I feel like a walking pharmacy.

Now I have chest congestion. My mom has bronchitis and that is what I thought it was. But the dr said that it is asthma, I am wheezing big time. So now I have an inhaler (Symbicort). He also wrote a prescription for a Z-Pack for me to have in case I cough up colored mucus with a fever. So far just a tight cough and wheezing.

Let's see, what other exciting things did I do today? I am testing out the portable oxygen unit to see how long it lasts. I had a bit of a problem filling it this morning, it ran out after about 20 minutes. I did have a big ole green tank in my car, so I was OK. As soon as I got home I refilled it again and it lasted about 10 minutes. So I called Praxair.

They were very nice. George told me when I filled the portable tank to press down on the top of the unit until it is full. I wasn't doing that. And it worked. That was at 12:15 pm. It is now about 8:45 pm and it is still going strong. I'd like the unit to last at least 11 hours. I'll be testing it tomorrow when I go up to SLC. Of course I will have the big ole green tank along just in case. 11 hours will get me to work and back home (I plan on an hour to and an hour from work, with 8 hours of work and a 30 minute lunch. I may have to plan on an hour lunch initially.) We'll see. The best part is that I have had the unit at 2 liters per hour. I am usually at 1 liter per hour, but the wheezing is making my lungs unhappy.

I also got the pulse oximeter today. Excitement city. Of course I played with it. With the oxygen set at 2, my blood oxygen is between 94 and 96. The next experiment was to take off the oxygen, go to the bathroom, get my blood testing kit, and then take the blood oxygen. It was 80. Oops. Way too low. The good news is that my blood oxygen does go up to 90 after about 45 seconds after putting the oxygen back on. I guess I will be on the oxygen for quite awhile.

I then walked with the oxygen on at 2 and my oxygen level was 88. Not good. I'm pretty sure it is the wheezing causing these problems because on Tuesday the numbers were much better.

My next experiment is to turn the oxygen down to 1 and see what my blood oxygen is. I lead such an exciting life. However, the pulse oximeter will help me keep on track.

I almost forgot. I asked for a handicap sign for my car. The only time I plan on using it is at work. The building is set an at odd angle. There are no parking places in front of the building for the employees. However, there are 3 handicapped parking stalls. For the winter I am going to use it. The cold air does a number on my lungs. I also hate to trudge through the ice and snow in the parking lot. I can even ask for 2. I do plan on walking everywhere else because I need the exercise.

Oxygen and me, part 2

I went to the pulmonologist on Tuesday morning. The good news is that my lungs look OK. There is still some cloudiness in my left lung from the pneumonia, but he wants to let it rest. So no tap and no antibiotics. Woo hoo!

Bad news is that my blood oxygen level was at 87 when I got to the doctor. And that was with oxygen. Sigh. So I am indefinitely on oxygen 24/7.

I really like the doctor, Dr Campbell. He did the thoracentisis on me in the hospital and was so gentle and kind and competent. I'm clanking around with the big green tanks of oxygen and he said he wanted me to have liquid oxygen. The portable tank is about the size of a loaf of bread and I carry it over my shoulder. Wow!!!

It only weighs 3.5 pounds when filled. I tried it out Tuesday night and it was wonderful. I put it over my shoulder and went out to dinner. No more fussing with the big ole green tank of oxygen.

There is a reservoir of liquid oxygen that is now in my house. It's probably 4 feet tall and 16 inches in diameter. I refill the portable unit from the reservoir, which is pretty easy. Depending upon my use and how much I go out, the reservoir tank lasts at least two weeks.

I'm going to have to experiment and see how long the unit lasts. The brochure says 10 hours at 1 liter per hour and about 8 hours at 2 liters per hour. I may have to request the Marathon unit, which lasts up to 20 hours when I go back to work.

Dr Campbell also wanted me to have my very own pulse oximeter so I can keep track of my blood oxygen level. The oximeters that climbers use run about $200. I called the medical supply place and they can order me one for a mere $850.00!!! There is no insurance coverage. So I went to Amazon.com and found a pulse oximeter for about $52 with free shipping. It should be here on Saturday. It comes with its own carrying case and a cord to wear it around my neck. (I don't think so.) I will be able to monitor the oxygen a lot better with the oximeter. (I have more medical toys now. Goody.)

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It is my three month checkup for diabetes. I've been having a really hard time keeping my blood sugar levels down the past 10 days. That doesn't make me happy at all. I've been sticking to the lifestyle eating habits change (sounds better than a diet.) I've cut out yogurt for breakfast, which has been fine for the past 3 1/2 years. I'm really careful what fruits I eat, and I've cut out all white stuff (bread, potatoes, rice, sugar, etc.) I'm not a happy camper right now. At least the weight is still coming off, albeit slooooooowly.

Good thing I have an appointment tomorrow, because I have congestion in my chest. Yep, and I'm wheezing. It's a tight cough and not productive at all. And my chest hurts. So.....I'm hoping it is just bronchitis and an antibiotic will clear it up. I'm rather discouraged about this whole thing right now. Of course, if I have an infection then my blood sugars are going to be out of whack. I just took it and it is at 217. Not good at all. I wonder what my a1n will be. Til tomorrow.

Oxygen and me

I was coming home the other night. I dutifully put my oxygen on and got on I-15 to go home. In about 3 minutes my nose started to ache and I felt like there was a hurricane of air going up my nose. LOL.

I guess the knob that controls the amount of oxygen got bumped in the car. I think it went to 5 (liters per hour.) I'm at 1 - 1.5 liters per hour during the day. And of course I can't get off the freeway to adjust it. So I fiddled with the knob and got it down to 2.5, which worked until I got home. Sigh.

The medical supply company also delivered oxygen to me on Tuesday. I usually have 2 tanks, but he gave me two more tanks. That means either I don't have to get the oxygen as often and/or they don't have to deliver to me so often.

Just for fun, I took a picture of all the tanks I have. I call it my oxygen farm. To the right in the picture is the oxygen concentrator that I use during the day. The tanks are for when I get out of the house. I'd really like to get a smaller unit for both.

Bummer part 2

Well, I'm still on medical leave of absence. There is little change in my lung x-rays. I also didn't wear my oxygen for an hour this morning and my blood oxygen level as 83 at the doctors. At that point I put the oxygen back on and it popped right back up to 92.

Since I still have little stamina, we decided that I would wait another 2 weeks to go back to work. I probably will have to go back with oxygen. The silver lining is maybe I can get one of the cute portable oxygen concentrators. The doctor even said the bad word "permanent", which did NOT make me happy.

I lost 3 more pounds. Woo hoo! Now I need to increase my walking to a daily event.

I am going to stitching group tonight. My brother will drop me off in Draper and Pat B will pick me up. Dinner is at Paradise Cafe (yum and nutritious). Don will bring me home.

Now I have to decide what project to take. I have a Jim Shore Santa on perforated paper that I may take. It is a Mill Hill and is way cute. And very portable. And small.

I could take some tatting too. Or knitting. Decisions, decisions. Here is a picture of the Santa.


I called my boss to inform him that it would be at least 2 more weeks before I would be able to come back to work. He then said he had something to tell me. I thought "oh crap". There has been a reorganization at work. The product I have been working on has been dropped. Uh oh. There is still the legacy product to work on, and other projects that need more bodies. So my job is safe. I will have a new boss. However I have worked with her before, so that will be great.

Adventures with a CPAP machine

Last Tuesday, the guy from the home medical supply place brought me my very own CPAP machine and humidifier. It is a ResMed and much smaller than I expected. The guy went through the whole spiel about hooking up the CPAP, the humidifier, etc. It took about an hour. He fitted the mask to my face and told me how to quick release the mask if I needed to get up during the night.




Of course, the first night was an adventure. My brother even took a picture and my mom giggled.

So my routine at night is fill the humidifier water reservoir with distilled water and click it into the CPAP, being very careful not to spill anywhere. Shut the lid firmly so the CPAP starts properly.

Attach the hose to the humidifier. Attach the other end of the hose to the mask. Plug the CPAP machine in. I hit the Warm Humidifier while I am going through the rest of the process.

I also need oxygen at night. So the tube from the oxygen concentrator is attached to the hose end that is attached to the humidifier. I turn the oxygen concentrator on.

Then I brush my teeth, get my jammies on, take my meds, and turn down the covers. And turn out the light (I usually have the TV on.) I put the mask on. It's pretty cool because the CPAP machine is automatically programmed to start as soon as I put the mask on. And it will stop when I take the mask off.

There is also a ramping feature. It starts the air pressure at 4 and ramps up to 10 (which is my air pressure setting. It can go up to 20.) The air pressure is what keeps my airways open so I can breathe properly when I sleep. The technician set the ramping feature for 20 minutes initially, I have it at 5 minutes now.

I'm sleeping better now, I think and resting. I'm still sleep during the day at times, but I can't tell if that is my lungs or if the CPAP isn't working as it should. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so I'll wear the mask until then. and beyond. I haven't had many problems with the mask.