Getting old ain't for the faint of heart.

[petefrom bearswamp]

I have had too many surgeries etc to list.
Sleep apnea diagnosed about 12 years ago been using a cpap since but dont like it.
As a previous poster said earlier I get dry mouth in the morning.
Ill look into pressure reduction, thanks for  the hint.
Left bundle branch block found 5 yrs ago, pacemaker in May 2020.
Go for an echo every year.
My cardiologist has left the local practice, I really liked the guy.
Surgery scheduled for left middle trigger finger and duputrons  contracture next wednesday.
jumping thru the hoops prior to this, Covid test and labs tomorrow, EKG tuesday surgery time to be determined wednesday.
Yup, is aint easy, but I muddle thru, as Im sure a lot of us do.

[RetiredTech]

  Finally got the rest of the stitches out of the foot yesterday. No more showers with plastic bags. The nueroma tested non-malignant. There's still a good bit of swelling around the incision area and it's very tender to walk on, but the doctor said that's normal at this stage and will get better.

  I go one day next week for my consultation visit with the sleep apnea Doctor. I'm sure he'll order a sleep study test. I was thinking about asking for a home test. Has anyone had any experience with one? I've read that they don't get as much data from the home study. Do they give enough data that you you don't have to do more tests on top of them?

[doc henderson]

I think if they are neg. you can be done.  more of a screen.  If positive, I think you will need a formal test to qualify for home oxygen and or CPAP.  ask the doc when you go to see about it.  

[RetiredTech]

  I was kinda thinking the same thing. But I was hoping I could get the home test faster and be done with it. Between my wife and the nurse after the  foot surgery I'm pretty sure I'm going to need something. Trying to get all this behind me as soon as possible. There's just so much that needs to be done this time of year. 

[thecfarm]

Get you walking around without a lot of pain will lift your spirits.
I went through a hernia operation last year.
Spent the summer on the couch. 
All the things needed to be done was still there in August.  ;D

[doctorb]

I did the home test a year ago.  Not too intrusive.  I am not familiar with what data is obtained from one test to the other.  Mine was negative for sleep apnea, so I don't want to look for it again!

[doc henderson]

I did sleep studies back in the mid 80s when sleep medicine was catching on.  we did them in the ICU in an otherwise empty room.  I put up a partition so the pt. had some privacy, and I could also take naps in a recliner.  I was there for the bad ones, we would sometime add O2, or try some CPAP.  If I was ornery, a nurse might sneak in though the adjoining bathroom and squirt me with a little dey dose saline packet.  even 3 cc seems like a lot when you are sleeping.  this was Lawrence Memorial Hospital, home of KU.  Grad X 2.  Oh and that nurse got a near full squirt bottle of ultra sound/doppler gel down her scrub top.  Do not mess with the bull!   smiley_bull_stomp  

[RetiredTech]

  I went to see the Sleep Dr. this morning. She indicated that since I have the heart problem, sinus issues and several other small issues that I needed to have the full study done instead of the home study. She said the home study basically focuses on breathing and O2 levels where the full study monitors the arms, legs, heart, brain and how everything is working together during an event. She said the full study sometimes brings problems to light that would otherwise go un-noticed. Waiting for insurance approval and an appointment now. It will likely be early May before they get to me, but that's OK.
 The foot is still healing. I have a pair of very soft soled shoes that I can wear fairly well. I can get most things done with minimal discomfort, except working on a steep slopes. I tried cutting brush on the pond levee a few days ago and paid for that one big time.
 I go back to the Cardiologist in about 2 weeks. Hopefully, I'll get good news from him. I feel a lot better about things now. They had my head spinning for a while.  

[RetiredTech]

  The sleep doctor and the the insurance company are trying to work out if they will pay for the home study or the full study. Hopefully they'll get it worked out soon.
  In the meantime I saw the cardiologist today and he wants to do a heart cath. to see if I have any blockages that need attention. Looks like the saga continues.
  All in all I feel pretty good. The foot is still healing. I do get winded fairly easily, but I just take a break and then get back to it again. At least I can see from the posts above I'm in good company. I hope everyone else is on the mend.

[Old saw fixer]

I glad to hear that your foot is healing @RetiredTech , that will be one problem done. 
I had a procedure last month that segued into wearing a heart monitor for a month.  That was one itchy 30 days with the monitor taped to my chest.  In the 30 days there was 2½ minutes of Afib. Now taking Xarelto instead on low dose aspirin.  I have had an Echo cardiogram and go back to see my cardiologist next week. 
A few years ago I had a cardiac ablation to fix an atrial flutter.  I am sure that was caused by an improperly wired strobe power supply that shocked me when I reached in the trunk to see if all the strobes were connected.  I was thrown back from leaning in the trunk when I touched the bare wire.  I was a good 270# then.  All I noticed that I had to stop frequently and catch my breath when walking our Basset, Murphy.
We all have problems as we get older...

[RetiredTech]

  I had the heart cath done today. They went through the left wrist instead of the groin. The Doctor said there were only a couple partial blockages in the 30%-50% range and none that would require a stint or change in medication . He also said that they were on the opposite side of the heart from the area where the stress test showed the slight abnormality. So the stress test was a false positive. I've got to take it easy for the next week and can't lift more than 7 pounds with the left arm. Then I should be good to go. The foot is still getting better. I might try resuming my morning walks in a few days. Things are looking up.
  Oh, the Sleep Test is next week. Insurance won't pay for the in lab test unless you're in worse shape than I am. They will pay for the home study so that's what we'll do. By the end of the month I should be completely out of doctor appointments.

[RetiredTech]

I think if they are neg. you can be done.  more of a screen.  If positive, I think you will need a formal test to qualify for home oxygen and or CPAP.  ask the doc when you go to see about it.  

Well you nailed that one on the head. My insurance would only pay for the home study because I had not had heart failure. The home study showed I was on the higher end of moderate sleep apnea. Now they want to do the in lab study to find out what the settings will be. Now we go back to the insurance company for another attempt to approve the in Lab test. It's all strange to me. I'm not one of those people that sit down to talk to you and fall asleep. I thought I slept pretty good at night.

[thecfarm]

I think I sleep good too. But ask Brenda. 
Toss and turn all night and talk too.
I have even stood up in bed to work on the fan when it was going. :
She hollered at me to get down and go back to sleep. Like a good husband I did and had no idea what I was doing the next morning.

[RetiredTech]

Wow, I do toss and turn a lot, but I don't think I've ever tried to stand up and work on the fan.lol

[farmfromkansas]

  You guys should not put off having your sleep studies if the doc thinks they are warranted.  i had mine done about 5 years ago, my daughter was on me, as she is a respiratory therapist, and saw symptoms.  When I got mine done, they rushed to get me the right machine, as my brain forgets to breathe occasionally, and since getting the machine, feel much better.  Thought I was just getting old.

[doc henderson]

I don't know.  if you guys have hair thinning on the top, that may be from the ceiling fan at night.   :D :D :D