We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

Post by em2nought »

jztemple2 wrote: Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:34 am I just had to post the following because I found it amusing.
Now, the funny thing is that she didn't ask me about almost any of that, but the way the report reads it sound like she spent an hour going over my entire medical history. Basically I filled out a few forms, she asked me briefly about my general health, then I got an EKG. But I guess she also gets paid for the illnesses I don't have :roll:
Maybe they need a check off for
reports not having driven past any gas station price displays in the past week
on that form. :lol:
Technically, he shouldn't be here.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Welp, I'm doubling down on better living through chemistry. As of today, my doctor has prescribed a statin to lower my LDL cholesterol levels on top of the medication I'm taking to lower my blood pressure.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Max Peck wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:42 pm Welp, I'm doubling down on better living through chemistry. As of today, my doctor has prescribed a statin to lower my LDL cholesterol levels on top of the medication I'm taking to lower my blood pressure.
A number of years ago my then doctor prescribed a statin, not because of cholesterol but because he always prescribed a statin to patients taking blood pressure meds. Each doctor since then has noted the combination and said if it wasn't bothering me to keep taking both.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Final test results are in. Had another CT scan that showed all clear and I also got results of a blood test (Signatera) that is supposed to monitor for cancer on a DNA level. It also came up negative, which is positive. Based on that, I'm going to forego chemo at this point. I've got an appointment in 4 months for the next round of blood tests, and then we'll do more blood work and a CT 4 months after that. Bottom line is that it's going about as well as it can so far.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Great news. Keep after it.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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jztemple2 wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 1:22 pm
Max Peck wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:42 pm Welp, I'm doubling down on better living through chemistry. As of today, my doctor has prescribed a statin to lower my LDL cholesterol levels on top of the medication I'm taking to lower my blood pressure.
A number of years ago my then doctor prescribed a statin, not because of cholesterol but because he always prescribed a statin to patients taking blood pressure meds. Each doctor since then has noted the combination and said if it wasn't bothering me to keep taking both.
I was hoping to start out by trying to make some lifestyle improvements and lose some weight, but he was pretty blunt about saying that while losing weight would help to some degree, it was far better to also go on a statin.

He also tipped me to a couple of options for industry-funded patient assistance programs that aren't means-tested and may reduce my out-of-pocket cost for the drug to just the pharmacy fees and taxes since they stack with private health insurance. I need to remember to follow up on that once I have the specific information on the prescription in hand. I had no idea that such things existed. It says a lot about how arbitrary drug prices are when you realize that the companies are willing to eat the difference in cost between the name brand and generic versions of many drugs.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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ImLawBoy wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:04 pm Final test results are in. Had another CT scan that showed all clear and I also got results of a blood test (Signatera) that is supposed to monitor for cancer on a DNA level. It also came up negative, which is positive. Based on that, I'm going to forego chemo at this point. I've got an appointment in 4 months for the next round of blood tests, and then we'll do more blood work and a CT 4 months after that. Bottom line is that it's going about as well as it can so far.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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It seems kind of odd but the last time I went to the VA my cholesterol was good. Right in the middle range. I've had high cholesterol for over 20 years.
I believe the reason is I've pretty much cut out red meat. It really wasn't a conscious decision so much that because my wife was gone I started eating differently. I eat tons of eggs now but no red meat. And it went down in less than two months. Probably more like one. I also still eat bacon and ham.
Just a thought.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Yeah, cutting down on red meat was (and still is) part of the lifestyle adjustment plan of attack. Saturated fat hadn't really been on my radar in terms of monitoring my dietary intake, and in retrospect I was consuming more than I should. My doctor wasn't convinced that it would make enough of a difference, and I wasn't convinced that me spending a half-hour of reading up on the issue of LDL outweighed his professional opinion.

The plan is to start taking the drug now, spend the next 4 months working on losing weight, improving my diet and improving my level of physical activity, then seeing how my follow-up bloodwork looks in the fall. If I drop enough weight, am in better overall shape and am settled into better eating habits, I'll revisit the issue of whether I really need to be on it at that time.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Saw the surgeon for the second post-op and he called me a freak. But, enough about my sex life.
I'm off to Puerto Rico for a week, and then back to work. I won't know how fully back I am until I get a week in at work. I still have issues with getting comfortable enough to sleep, certain areas of the knees are hypersensitive to the touch, and the muscles and ligaments on the front of the leg stiffen up quite a bit over night.
I have to say though, I'm looking forward to retirement in a year or so...
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Haven't seen a doctor in 6 years, turned 50 a couple weeks ago. Probably fine, right? :P
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Default wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:43 pm I have to say though, I'm looking forward to retirement in a year or so...
My brother-in-law, who is about seven years older than me, kept asking me after I retired (at 57), wasn't I getting bored? I kept telling him that the only time I've been bored is when I was working :wink:. He finally retired in his early seventies and now I understand why he kept asking me, it's because he doesn't seem to really like being home with his wife so much :D
Default wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:43 pm I still have issues with getting comfortable enough to sleep, certain areas of the knees are hypersensitive to the touch, and the muscles and ligaments on the front of the leg stiffen up quite a bit over night.
Are you still getting physical therapy?
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Done with physical therapy. The surgeon was pleased with the range of motion and was extremely happy with my recovery. The sensitivity is due to them going under the muscle during the replacement, and the ratcheting feeling is due to internal scar tissue that will wear away in time. Kneeling is not comfortable but that will get better.
The big thing with retirement is the massive change in the number of people I come into contact with and the lack of structure in the day.
Some things I have to plan for.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Default wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 6:04 pm the lack of structure in the day.
I'm married so even being retired there's a lot of structure to my day, desired or not :wink:
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I think I need to have my doc take a look at my right heel, which always feels a little stiff and tender and often feels like I stepped on a nail. Wife says it's most likely plantar fasciitus, or "fascist foot" as I call it. Anybody here ever have that treated?
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I had a bout of that years ago, but the pain was more in the rear of the instep of my foot than in the heel. My doctor showed me a stretching exercise and that pretty much cleared it up fairly quickly.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Speaking of feet my right one is very sore at the front of the ankle. its a muscle soreness. I thought it was because I drove a lot yesterday and during that i remember thinking it felt like I was having to reach further for the pedal. But that would be the back on my foot and ankle area not the front muscle.

yesterday or so I noticed my core muscles in my stomach were also sore when I breathed. like I had done a lot of sit ups and exercise...but hadn't . Not sure why Im getting sore muscles all over in different places. I can only hope its some girl that comes over at night and drugs me for amazing sex while Im asleep. if not it worries me.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Kraken wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 9:10 pm I think I need to have my doc take a look at my right heel, which always feels a little stiff and tender and often feels like I stepped on a nail. Wife says it's most likely plantar fasciitus, or "fascist foot" as I call it. Anybody here ever have that treated?
Dealt with it numerous times, it took about a year+ to go away. Twice in the arch and the other time in the heel. I finally went to a running store and they recorded how i walked with some computerized pad, recommended a shoe and insert and a month later my foot felt great. Shoe was Ex Wide Brooks Ghost with a Tulis Plantar Fasciitis Insoles insert.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Lassr wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:17 pm
Kraken wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 9:10 pm I think I need to have my doc take a look at my right heel, which always feels a little stiff and tender and often feels like I stepped on a nail. Wife says it's most likely plantar fasciitus, or "fascist foot" as I call it. Anybody here ever have that treated?
Dealt with it numerous times, it took about a year+ to go away. Twice in the arch and the other time in the heel. I finally went to a running store and they recorded how i walked with some computerized pad, recommended a shoe and insert and a month later my foot felt great. Shoe was Ex Wide Brooks Ghost with a Tulis Plantar Fasciitis Insoles insert.
I had it bad one time on a trip where I was staying in a room with stone floors :shock:. I bought an ACE Brand Plantar Fasciitis Sleep Support and wore it each night for about a week and that fixed the problem.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Max Peck wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:18 pm He also tipped me to a couple of options for industry-funded patient assistance programs that aren't means-tested and may reduce my out-of-pocket cost for the drug to just the pharmacy fees and taxes since they stack with private health insurance. I need to remember to follow up on that once I have the specific information on the prescription in hand. I had no idea that such things existed. It says a lot about how arbitrary drug prices are when you realize that the companies are willing to eat the difference in cost between the name brand and generic versions of many drugs.
This worked out well. I registered with a patient assistance program (Innovicares) last night, printed out the information they supplied and took it in to the pharmacy when I picked the new prescription this morning. The full cost of the refill (90 days worth) would have been $160. My supplementary health insurance would have knocked that down to a little over $30, but with the Innovicares discount stacked combined with the insurance coverage, my out-of-pocket expense was reduced to $2.75.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Went to see my ortho guy today because of a two-week long shoulder soreness. He thinks I might have a damaged rotator cuff, which is silly because I pitch with the other arm :wink:. Anyway I got a shot in the shoulder, which oddly came in from the back, and I got an elastic band and some instructions on exercises. And I see him again in six weeks.

Sadly his nurse, whom we have known for more than twenty years, is out sick with COVID. Just a good reminder why medical offices still want you to wear masks.

We then followed with up with a visit to my cardiologist's office, who after three weeks since my echocardiogram still hasn't sent my surgical clearance to my radical robot surgeon :wink:. Thankfully the receptionist was at lunch so I got to talk directly to the nurse who apparently was today's current holder of the brain. After some discussion in the back office, apparently with the doc herself, the nurse returned to say that I had my clearance and the letter would be sent to my surgeon this afternoon. I wonder how much longer it would have taken if I hadn't driven an hour and actually went face to face with them :roll:
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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jztemple2 wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:21 pm
Default wrote: Tue Jun 14, 2022 6:04 pm the lack of structure in the day.
I'm married so even being retired there's a lot of structure to my day, desired or not :wink:
I'm divorced, so am lacking that option.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I suffered wit ha painful shoulder for years until my pain doc at the time finally gave me a shot of something deep in it. That was 7 years ago and its still good. That day it was a little floppy like it was asleep but it wasn't..no tingles. Just felt weird. It was a side effect I find acceptable lol.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Two nights ago I started feeling nauseas and noticed going to the bathroom more. Then yesterday I was going to the bathroom (pee) about every hour, sometimes twice, and the most 4 times in one hour. Each session about 5-10 seconds.

Sent the doc a note, he ordered blood tests and urinalysis. Did that today. Urinalysis came back unremarkable. No UTI. I've been on a diet (WW) since April and lost 15 pounds because I got tired of feeling like shit and wanted to improve my health. Went on vacation last week and didn't eat well. I thought maybe I'm dealing with high blood sugar levels. That's where the blood tests come in. Waiting for results from that. The urinalysis test had my ph at 8.0 which is the very top of normal. Higher typically suggests UTI. I've seen things that you can have UTI at 7.5.

My doctor is typically, wait and see, which drives me nuts, because I want to take care of it now. Having it at 8.0 did me no favors. Now I have to wait for the blood results, to see if it's something else.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I got my diagnosis of prostate cancer back in February and I finally got a surgery date scheduled... in mid-September, right around hurricane season peak :roll:. There were more damn hoops to jump through than my wife's knee and back surgeries to get on their calendar and I still have to get my PCP pre-surgery clearance and that office is being a pain as well. I can't make an appointment by phone, I have to actually go there, paperwork in hand, before they will even give me a date for an appointment.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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My primary doc finally referred me to a surgeon to address my bloody hemorrhoids, which he said can be done in an office procedure. When I called to make the appointment they said Not so fast...you need to see a gastroenterologist first. Hmm, well, OK, that seems reasonable. So I had a consult with him and he decided he wants to start with a colonoscopy, even though I just had one a couple of years ago. Hmm, well, OK, I guess he wants to get the big picture for himself, that seems reasonable. He wants to make sure I don't have any polyps, and said he can address any rectal tears or anal fissures during that procedure. So now I have something to look forward to in October.

It would be nice to stop bleeding every time I take a dump.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I figure if they're bleeding then they're not getting bigger but if they're not bleeding they're getting bigger all the time.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Man reading this thread tells me I should stop getting older.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Wait til your prostate enlarges. :?
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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My ophthalmologist referred me to a surgeon for a cataract consult, so now I probably have cataract surgery to look forward to (surgeons almost always default to surgering).

On one hand I haven't had any surgery since I was a teenager and would rather not start now. OTOH, it would be nice to be able to focus my right eye again.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I was scarred to death of eye surgery until my wife had it. Then I had it and was quite please with the ease of the procedure and the results.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I had a sleep study a couple months ago. It was a fun/annoying experience. I felt like I didn't get any serious sleeping done at all, though I knew I might not be conscious of it. Apparently they got three hours of data and when I'm sleeping on my back I exhibit severe apnea... medium when on my sides. The sleep doc says my oxygen numbers dipped to 90, which is low enough to damage my heart and affect my memory.

He referred me to a CPAP device distributor. They called me to advise of an 8-9 month waiting list and told me they'd add me to the list, but to please call around to other distributors who might have a shorter wait and then call them back so I could have myself taken off their list. (Lol?) Apparently there's another local place that might not have a waiting list that I'm trying now. If my current condition might damage my heart and brain, isn't this kind of urgent? The associated anxiety isn't exactly helping me sleep. (Though I presume that warning was more of a CYA thing.)

As a fairly restless sleeper I'm not looking forward to being constrained by a tube and headgear and how it's going to change my bedtime routine. Though it occurs to me that the apnea may be part of the reason I am a restless sleeper. My snoring has also increased in intensity since putting on the pandemic pounds, and it's caused my wife to either punch me awake or wear ear plugs in bed. (I prefer the latter.) Half the time we don't even sleep together, but this is more due to our messed up schedules and is merely a convenient side effect.


I want to lose weight so bad. The shrink is trying to get me to focus on reducing my soda/juice intake again, and I've started tracking it on a spreadsheet. I've always known I need to, but I've just put it off because it's one of my biggest comforts. But by drinking one if not two liters of sweetened beverages each day I know I'm slowly killing myself. (And the added calories are obviously huge.) The hardest part is not having anything to replace it with.

I've never been able to bond with most reduced sugar/sugar-free options. I enjoy chilled water, but it doesn't fill the sugary void. I don't care for tea, and coffee upsets my stomach. Not sure if I'll give calorie-free flavoured sparkling waters another go or just go cold turkey/allow myself one beverage with dinner. (If it's in the house, it's too easy to give in to during periods of emotional stress or when I have the munchies.) I've largely eliminated sugary drinks from my diet a few times in the past, but it's just not fun.

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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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My dad had amazing, near instantaneous results from his cataract surgery. It corrected most of his considerable lifelong vision problems as a side effect. My mom's was botched though, and she still needs to have it corrected.

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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I got my C-PAP machine for free from the VA. Sorry it's a hassle for you. I still don't sleep worth a shit tho, but I am addicted to it now. It's like a drug.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Sudy wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:06 pm I had a sleep study a couple months ago. It was a fun/annoying experience. I felt like I didn't get any serious sleeping done at all, though I knew I might not be conscious of it. Apparently they got three hours of data and when I'm sleeping on my back I exhibit severe apnea... medium when on my sides. The sleep doc says my oxygen numbers dipped to 90, which is low enough to damage my heart and affect my memory.
About twenty years ago I got talked by my wife and my doctor into doing a sleep study. I won't go into the whole absurd story (unless someone asks), but after what to me was obviously some bogus testing they managed to convince my wife I needed a CPAP machine. My deductible was something like a grand :roll:. I used it for a week but I'm a side sleeper and every time I so much as moved a bit the seal opened and it made this hissing sound and since I'm a light sleeper it would wake me up. After that week I put my foot down and told my wife I wasn't going to use it. I told her instead that anytime she heard me snoring she was to wake me up. After about a week of that my snoring pretty much went away.

By the way, my story above was not to denigrate anyone who really has a medical issue and needs a CPAP machine. In my case my health was fine as far as I was concerned but the doctor and my wife wanted to find a zebra in the kitchen. Twenty years on, my health is just fine except for that pesky prostate cancer.
Sudy wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:06 pmHe referred me to a CPAP device distributor. They called me to advise of an 8-9 month waiting list and told me they'd add me to the list, but to please call around to other distributors who might have a shorter wait and then call them back so I could have myself taken off their list. (Lol?) Apparently there's another local place that might not have a waiting list that I'm trying now. If my current condition might damage my heart and brain, isn't this kind of urgent? The associated anxiety isn't exactly helping me sleep. (Though I presume that warning was more of a CYA thing.)
Good gosh that sucks. 8-9 month waiting list? Sheesh, when we went looking for one it was easy to locate a dealer. Of course I live in Florida where health care is pretty much our number 2 industry, right after tourism. And of course the dealer wouldn't take back a used CPAP machine for a refund :roll:. We finally donated it to a clinic which wasn't as fussy.
Sudy wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:06 pmAs a fairly restless sleeper I'm not looking forward to being constrained by a tube and headgear and how it's going to change my bedtime routine. Though it occurs to me that the apnea may be part of the reason I am a restless sleeper. My snoring has also increased in intensity since putting on the pandemic pounds, and it's caused my wife to either punch me awake or wear ear plugs in bed. (I prefer the latter.) Half the time we don't even sleep together, but this is more due to our messed up schedules and is merely a convenient side effect.
My wife and I quit sleeping in the same bed in 2008 after she had some surgery to her hand that left it in a very tender state. Since we had a waterbed every time I'd roll over (which I do a lot) it would cause her to bump her hand against something which gave her a sudden sharp pain. And it probably wasn't doing her recovery from the surgery any good either.

Turns out that we both were very happy to have our own bedrooms :dance:. She likes to fall asleep with the TV on, wants to have a phone with the ringer active next to her, and doesn't care about some sunlight coming around the curtain. My new bedroom, which was the guest room, has blackout window coverings, no phone and additional sound proofing. And while she continued with her waterbed (which she has had since she was a teenager) I was just as happy with a conventional bed.

But back to your issues Sudy. After my wife had her back surgery early last year she started sleeping in her living room recliner. After a while of adapting to it, she really prefers it. Even though she was a side sleeper, she found that being in the recliner at the proper angle allowed her to sleep on her back. I imagine that if you are going to have to be using a CPAP machine it would be easier to sleep on your back. Or not of course.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I changed my first CPAP mask as it hissed and stuff too. This new style works great as far as masks go.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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Sudy wrote: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:08 pm My dad had amazing, near instantaneous results from his cataract surgery. It corrected most of his considerable lifelong vision problems as a side effect. My mom's was botched though, and she still needs to have it corrected.
My dad, who was in his seventies at the time, drove himself to his first cataract surgery, then drove himself home. And he repeated that for his second surgery. Then he got around to telling us about it. My wife was furious, but of course I'd known my dad all my life and I knew that would be the way he would have handled it :D

I myself have been at category 3 (out of 4) level of cataracts for several years, but my eye doc says I shouldn't do anything till it bothers me. And it hasn't bothered me at all, although my wife has accused me of covering up because she knows I would absolutely hate to have anything done to my eyes.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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dbt1949 wrote: Fri Jul 15, 2022 12:21 am I changed my first CPAP mask as it hissed and stuff too. This new style works great as far as masks go.
Do you use the kind that covers nose and mouth, or the nose only? I tried both and didn't like either of them.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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I think they're called CPAP Mask Pillows . The VA just calls them sleep pillow mask.
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Re: We're getting old (OO medical complaints)

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My new gastroenterologist asked me a bunch of leading questions about my sleep habits. I deflected them. It's none of his business how often I wake up dying.
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