And now the ball is rolling toward hopefully—hopefully—getting my energy back and my nose cleared. Now that the new insurance has kicked in, I messaged Rhonda on the portal to ask for a referral to the ENT she recommended and also the first pulmonologist I saw. Tom and I both agreed it would be good to go back to him because he’s not only close but also has all my records. He’s the one who first diagnosed me with sleep apnea, so he has a definite head start on understanding what’s going on.
Unfortunately, he’s going to want me to do an out-of-home sleep study, but I’ll do what I need to if it’s going to help me in the end. He told me when I saw him a little over a year ago that if I gave up on the CPAP and changed my mind later, I’d have to go to a sleep lab. That’s definitely going to be tough because, first, there’s my schedule to consider. We’ll want to time it for when I’m at the end of my day. Plus, I’m not used to sleeping without my sound machine. I could probably put a foam earplug in my good ear, but that’s about it since they’ll be monitoring me remotely and need to hear what’s going on. I think they’ll be watching me too, which will definitely feel weird and nothing I’m used to.
All I have are nightgowns that I wear around the house but not to bed. I sleep in just a g-string because I don’t like how nightgowns tend to bunch and twist around me. Knowing it’s likely to be chillier in there than I keep it in the house most of the time, I’d like to get some pajamas for the occasion. It’s definitely going to be tough because I’ll have the double whammy of having to give up my favorite sleeping position, and second, I’ll have to get used to the CPAP. Something’s got to give, though, because my brain and body can’t take this much longer. I’m waking up every fucking hour and spending almost all the time exhausted.
I know part of it is age, and maybe the Levo is connected to it as well, but according to all my research, the bulk of the problem seems to be the sleep apnea. Since I’m not going to be able to lose any more weight without damn near starving myself, I’ll have to work around it. I think the fatter I got, the more it became a problem. Not always, but sleep apnea is usually connected to weight. While I’m not overly big, I’m still a little heavy. I’d probably be fine if I lost 20 lbs, but that’s like asking me to lose 100. If I could manage to get my thyroid within range, that might make a difference, but I don’t know. Most older people are fat, and they don’t all have thyroid/med issues.
I don’t expect the pulmonologist, the study, or getting the CPAP back to take too long, but I doubt I’ll be able to get into the ENT before June if I had to guess.
I was still up when Tom got up this morning because I was afraid to go to sleep, knowing it would be a disaster. He asked if I had any visions like I often do on New Year’s, but I didn’t sense any real change anytime soon. I swear I picked up more about A than us, but I don’t know if it means anything or not. Not sure how much I should share or where because I don’t want to freak anyone out. It’s nothing bad—though I’d be tremendously worried if I had a bad dream about her. I have been known to have nightmares about people I’ve never met face-to-face and then learned something bad happened to them even if it wasn’t like in the dream. The only thing I sensed was that she might not get the job she interviewed for subbing in a cafeteria, and something about a supermarket. I don’t know—maybe she’s meant to work there instead, or maybe a close friend of hers is going to start working at one. I don’t know what it means, if anything at all.
The only other thing going on is that I’ve been lightheaded, but Tom and I are pretty sure it’s because my ear needs to be cleaned. I’ve been oiling it, and I’m going to have him blast it tomorrow with the water thingy to see if any dead skin clears out.
Anyway, after five hours of pathetically shitty sleep, I was up for a while, then napped for a bit, and then got up to do some cooking and cleaning. I golfed with Tom and played with the rat as usual too.
Later…
Unbelievable! In less than a week, I will be seeing the ENT I wanted to see! Not only did it turn out we didn’t need a referral for him, but he can see me on Wednesday. This will take a ton of stress off me. He’s also going to take care of my ear at the same time. This is perfect timing. Amazing how things are already improving now that there’s no longer a 4 in the year. I’m hoping he’ll figure out something that will get me out of needing a CPAP, but I wouldn’t go that far regardless of what year it is. I’m still a fatty with the wrong throat structure.
Another reason it’s a good thing that we’re seeing him first is that once we know exactly what’s going on, it will give us a better idea of what type of mask is best for me. I think whatever is going on with my nose is why I couldn’t use the nasal pillow, but that may otherwise be suitable for me if we can fix whatever’s going on with my nose. A nasal pillow is a lot more minimal than a full-face mask and therefore would be easier to get used to. Plus, I’m still a nose breather in my sleep, and they don’t leak as easily as full-face masks. I just hope it doesn’t require surgery to fix the problem! The most we could need to pay is two grand. But that’s still a lot of money for a couple of poor retirees.
I went ahead and got pajamas just in case I do need to do an out-of-home sleep study. If I don’t, they’d still be good to have anyway. I wanted short sleeves but long pants. Because I’m short, I got capri-style pants and that way they won’t be too long.
I slept a little better with one exception. About an hour into my sleep, I woke up hot as fuck and my heart was pounding like when I was going through perimenopause. I don’t think I suffocated awake, but I don’t know for sure. I doubt it. I was lying on my side. I usually fall asleep on my stomach and shift to my side in my sleep.
The Heart of Iron Challenge is out! There are 7 rides ranging from 24 miles to 38 miles. They’re in locations where Iron Man events have taken place: Utah, Panama City, Chile, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Walmart really needs to quit being sneaky. I love salmon, and I can freeze it, but I’m getting tired of them periodically doubling up on things at random, hoping we’ll just accept it anyway to make an extra buck.
AI gave me a good idea to try. Sometimes I make cucumber water, but one of its suggestions was mint, so I got some fresh mint leaves.
Loading comments...