Living with Diabetes and Lapband

I saw Dr. Luterman today, I see him yearly.  He’s been out of the office for 11 1/2 months.  He told me that coronavirus wasn’t going to be a big deal last year, that we get one of these every election cycle.

He was happy with my numbers but agreed I should sleep more hours with the machine.  He isn’t doing fittings, and isn’t up today on masks, so we’ll need to leave it to Hope Home Medical, scheduled for next week.

I think I need a mask that spreads the weight/force of the equipment further across my face.

I switched to a nasal cushion last year because my full face mask was wearing holes in my skin and my skin needed a rest.

I just saw my sleep doctor Thursday and asked to go back.  He prescribed a Phillips Responics DreamWear Full Face mask.  He showed me one that was similar to the nasal cushion mask, but I didn’t like that style as well.

The biggest problem was figuring out how to put it on.  It fits below the nose with two holes for your nostrils.  I’m so use to a full mask that goes over the nose I was confused.

Once I figured it out, I was good to go.  Didn’t wake up, and sleep soundly.  Also, when I woke up the mask was still on me.

Last year’s mask was this one: ResMed AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear

The issue was that it would slide up my head and would be loose in the morning.  The machine wasn’t registered that as a leak or other issue, which surprised me.  It was the top fit that was an issue.

He had me try one a similar full face but I could tell I would have the sliding issue again.

I think it is because my stress level is so much better, but I've been getting more than 6 hours a sleep and often more than 7.5  -- that's one thing nice about the Microsoft Band, when I remember to wear it.  Which is most of the time lately.  I do forget to set it for sleep but it can calculate it.

The stress level has been slowly reducing – sometime in the fall, I finally realized that what I did and said didn't really matter anymore.  That's hard for people to get, if they haven't taught.  But when you are a teacher, you have to watch every single thing you say and do.  Probably still do that well on the internet, but it doesn't stress me out like it did.

I did have some bad nights while I was dealing with the gas leak, and a bad one over the whole celebrex thing, but I'm hoping we have that solved.

The whole retirement thing is really helping the stress level – I started working on our taxes this weekend, since most of our paperwork has come in.  I realize that if something would happen that my husband's income disappeared, I could manage without it.  That helps.  As a woman who has lived in Mississippi that is more important than you realize.  It isn't a community property state.

Also the other important numbers are coming down – weight and overall blood sugar.  In fact, my blood sugar this morning was the lowest fasting blood sugar I've seen in a while.

4 1/2 hours of sleep according to Fitbit. Worrying and husband was out late.

Keeping to fairly normal hours

Took awhile but I finally got to sleep.  We'll know better when I see a sleep doctor. 

Woke up at 5:30 and started dumping.  It's a bariatric thing.  Not sure when it will settle down.  Plan is to go to the gym and work out. 

Went through school email and forward some things to my department chair that effect students.

Recovery: I'm hoping.  I spent the afternoon at my couselor's and primary care physician trying to come up with a plan.  I'm very sick -- and I'm realizing the not sleeping thing is as bad as the diabetes.

Today's plan is see the sleep doctor.

Good news: second set of blood pressure medication arrived.

During winter break I'd taken a rest from Express Scrips, prescription drugs and the whole mess after my endo and I had figured out our plan. 

I have lovely system to manage my medication.  I have individual pill containers from container store, nicely labeled, that screw together and stack.  I have a two week supply and each week I fill up a week and when I see that I am going to run out of a medication I refill it. 

I find using Medco/Express scripts system means I end up with too much medication -- especially since we've had to redue dosages as I lose weight.  Especially blood pressure medicaiton.

I skipped a week, the wrong week and ran out of blood pressure medication.  I ordered the one I was closest one AND needed doctor approval.  Got that right away, it arrived Saturday and then the landlord replaced the door on my mailbox office and no one could get to the mailbox <sigh>  The mailbox owner got into the box on Sunday -- which is fine since I had medication until Sunday.  Won't be doing that again (skipping a week of managing meds).

Saw the sleep doctor today.  I really LIKE the new CPAP, especially since it gives such good reports to the doctor.

It showed that I sleep an average of 7 1/2 hours a day  and that I stay at "12" most of the time.  It's an auto CPAP so it adjusts and that it keeps me have having apnea events all night.  It also shows that my mask leaks 21 minutes a day on average.

I had shucked my new mask because it wasn't fitting right, and was using a REALLY REALLY old one.  Doctor fitted me for the new mask and it is a completely different size than the one I had.  I also asked for all new hoses and filters since it's been a year. 

The nurse fussed at me because it's full of dog hair, which is WHY I need the new filters.

They should be here in a few days.

I had several people come out to the house, and I found someone who could replace the entire system for $4800.  I'm going to have someone cover my class from 12:00 pm on tomorrow and meet them at the house.  I want to make sure they do replace what I think I am paying for.

I don't trust my husband making sure of that.  We had problems before with workers when I made the arrangements and he let them in.

I can't wait.  Yesterday we didn't get TOO hot, but I have trouble sleeping with the street noise.

I started this when I was actually in Houston. I did some really smart things hotel wise. I always have trouble sleeping at these things. First, just the stress of driving there -- I did not get to Houston until after 9:00 and it always takes me several hours to wind down after driving. Second, the stress of being there. This conference, every teacher in the room seems to be stressed out over the curriculum audit. I'm trying hard not to do that.

Anyway, the hotel I chose was Comfort Suites. It's not a real suite -- a real suite has a door between the living area and the sleeping area. One thing I find sleeping in a hotel is that I wake up anytime anyone walks down the hall. Having a bigger room, with some space between the bed and the door helped. Also, I ran the fan in the bathroom all night, adding some additional white noise. The CPAP white noise always helps too.

The first night, I got to bed really late, didn't get sleepy until after 1:00 pm and then woke up early, but laid in bed. And I even took a sleeping pill. The second night I was able to get to bed and sleepy by 10:30, but woke up once to go to the bathroom. Again, I woke up early -- it was normal time for me, but I didn't have to be up that early.

One of the reasons these workshops are so stressful, is that they just don't fit my learning style. My learning style is to go to class for an hour or so, then work on the topic in front of a computer for hours. Those workshops just aren't set up for that. You'd think after 14 years, I'd stop stressing over it, but there you go.

I got my new Fisher and Paskel 432 mask last night.  I'm sold on the full face mask since I first tried one.  I let air leak of out my mouth so I need a chin strap which is really a pain literally -- thus I've got to full face mask.

And like all CPAP mask users, I'm on the search for the perfect mask.  The one seems closer than I had before.  At first I was disconcerted because it hissed, but I figured out quickly it was the rebreather -- the silicon was stuck.  Fixed that, and had no problems.

Was able to wear it through the night.  The biggest test will come in 7 days -- we're seeing 50 minutes of leakage every night, and the machine only shows a 7 day average.

When the DME brought me my CPAP last Friday, I made sure that he saw my emergency backup battery and cleared it with him for use. I did a test run last night, and was able to use BOTH the CPAP and the humidifer all night on battery backup.

While Pittsburg is in the same country, I will still bring the backup battery, in fact, I might very well use it on the plane -- I did call and clear it even though the person I talked with said -- it's not a night flight so you don't need it and I didn't contradict her.

Anyway, I'm thrilled it works well with the new machine. Primarily because it cost over $250.00 I haven't used it much -- in two power outages locally and when I tried to go to Monte Carlo. There were plenty of times I wanted it before I bought it, so it's been a good purchase. I try to remember to take it on trips, since once when I went to Austin they had a power failure and I ended up driving home instead of waiting for the power to come on -- I did wait an hour.