I just adore all of you, with your concern for me, your humor, your validation and encouragement, even your 'hand slap' to follow through!! :D
Well the followup with the pulmonary sleep specialist was this morning.....not good news, at least from my immediate perspective. It brought me to tears. I have "severe sleep apnea, with about 1 breathing cessation PER MINUTE and some evidence of restless legs along with it." WHO KNEW??!!! :( :shock: :shock:
I could have died if my DD had not been pushing for this study all year. She is a doctor who first started as a family practice doc, then changed to pediatrics. Today she said, 'Well, we didn't have to spend the government's money to learn that; I told you so!"
Doc says I've had this for quite a long time. ???!!
Doc has arranged for another sleep study immediately, during which we will use and titrate the CPAP.
Doc advised "they" will not do the impending total hip replacement surgery planned for mid-October without the CPAP in place.
(Oh, yeah, I've yet to share THAT little piece of news with you. I need TWO total hip replacements.
Doc said, "No wonder you've been in such pain for years. You are a square peg in a round hole, bone on bone, no cartilage at all, arthritis in both hips and up your lower back." I am currently in "pre"hab (rehab) for 4 weeks before surgery and have had the horrific cartilage-inducing shot into the hip joint. Sigh. I must say, though, after that thing I feel less/no pain now than I have in over a decade!!)
So I will be a busy little beaver for the next 6 weeks as I go to prehab 3x a week, go sleep around with strange bed fellows and a mask on, followup with the sleep doc yet again, and come home with a new, very expensive night-time toy. Maybe not the one I'd have chosen, given my d'ruthers. :?
Thinking seriously of a gin and tonic right now as I try to assimilate this newest health crisis and information. I'm telling ya, it's a scary and dangerous thing to visit doctors; you go in feeling okay, and come out with your tail dragging! :roll:
And to top it all off, the US Geological Survey just notified that there was a 4.2 earthquake in the "greater Los Angeles" area around 2pm, first one that big in months and months in LA, where my other DD lives with my DGS....and I wish she didn't!
Jan in VA (I just keep looking up for my Redemption is drawing nigh!)