Another Update on Rob

just got back from the Internal Medicine/Sleep Dr. Rob's sleep study wasn't so good, he only got about 3 hours of sleep (out of 8+ hours) and didn't ever go into REM sleep. He had 'apnea' disturbances 113.5 times (normal is 5) anything over 30 is SEVERE Obstructive Sleep Apnea, so what does he have? Extreme Severe? SCARY! His oxygen fluctuated from 60%-90% depending on the moment, but it went up and down A LOT! They said that everytime his oxygen would dip his brain would wake up telling him he needed oxygen, hence the lack of sleep.

So the game plan is he is getting a CPAP Machine with an Auto adjust mask on it to adjust the pressure to keep his airway open. In about a month he will go in for another Sleep Study, this time using the CPAP Machine (if they can get him into a deep sleep). I hope this helps him, he's been exhausted lately and wakes up tired, he hasn't been sleeping very well. We are hoping to get the CPAP this week.

I must say I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO grateful for my new Doctor (seriously my prayers have been answered), who is on top of things and immediately sent Rob to specialists. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't....I don't even want to think about it. Next week Cardiologist to find out results of Echocardiogram, then 2 weeks the Pulmonologist to hopefully get his Asthma better under control, he is on steroid, and using Nebulizer everyday

He is being a good sport about all the appointments, he's had a lot. Hopefully by the first part of May we will be done with appointments.

Spent day at Dr's w/Rob today

Rob and I basically went from one doctor straight to the next today.
Cardiologist: He was somewhat helpful, agreed that Rob's heart isn't pumping the fluid back up from his legs like it should, and that it could be due to lots of things:
a- Verapamil (one of 2 bp pills he's on) causes fluid retention
b- Rob's weight (which we already knew was an issue and we are working on)
c- Could have heart damage that is making the heart weak so it's not able to pump it all back up
d- Pulmonary Hypertension (which we will get checked out more at Pulmonologist the end of April).
e- He also explain that when you are sitting down a lot for your job your legs pinch off the vessels (or something) so you are more prone to water retention.
He ordered an Echocardiogram for next Monday, with an appt on the 13th for a followup to discuss the results and go from there. He does want to get Rob off of the Verapamil though as it is known to cause fluid retention and it interferes with us getting pregnant too. So he said he would see what the results of his Echo are and go from there

Internal Medicine/Sleep Disorders Clinic:
Rob definitely went lower during the night on his pulse ox, had one where he spike REALLY low, but his average was 86-93%, so he didn't feel it was the 'panic' level they let on to us on the phone and getting the oxygen right away, but Rob is feeling lots better with the oxygen so that's a good thing, yesterday he said he was able to go down the stairs like a 16 year old. He was very in depth explained a lot about Sleep Apnea, and the causes behind it, again putting the fact that Rob is overweight and that he also has it running in the family (dad and 2 sisters) so they are having him do an overnight sleep study and if they get enough info they will wake him 1/2 way and have him try a CPAP machine on and see if levels improve with it. This is scheduled for this Saturday with a follow up the next monday (6th)

So we did get some answers but have to wait for further testing before we know more. So it looks like poor Rob is going to have a Dr's appt every week on Mondays in April except the 20th....poor guy!

Sacrifices or Investments?

"You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." --Gordon B. Hinckley

What wonderful words of wisdom! It seems like lately there have been a lot of sacrifices here.
As Rob and I have been facing his difficult health challenges, we are very blessed to have a skilled Dr, whom when I think about it, I believe I was 'lead' to him, as I didn't really get a recommendation for him just was checking out the list of 'approved' providers near our house, and The Alpine Clinic was one of the closest to our house and they had a picture of their doctors on the website (always a bonus you know :) . But I honestly believe we were lead there, it just felt right. When I called to make my first appointment they wanted to make sure I knew they were more 'natural' as opposed to conventional medicine. Fine by me, Rob calls me the 'supplement' queen.

Without this doctor, Rob may have died in his sleep. We have been going to another Dr for 4 years, as well as Rob had been seeing him before, I don't think he took Rob serious. We found out today that his oxygen levels drop so low at night he's VERY lucky. Talk about a scary thought. We will find out just how low they are on Monday when we go in for his consult with the Sleep Clinic. We have been working with the home health care place and our Dr. since Wednesday trying to get the Oxygen delivered as they want him on it right away. Well Rob was a little late to work today as they were having a potluck and he was making a hamburger gravy for the baked potatoes, they called while he was making it and the driver was in the area and was just going to stop 'just in case' someone was home as they were so concerned about it. So he will start on oxygen at night tonight. I'm hoping it will help him sleep better, so that he may wake up renewed and refreshed instead of tired all the time. He is still continuing to do well with his weight loss, he said yesterday that he didn't have to 'stretch' out his pants like he normally does after they are washed! YEAH! He also had to put a new notch in his belt to make it smaller! I am so incredibly proud of him!

I pray that we will be able to get him healthier so he may be around for a long time to come...long enough to see his Grandkids go on Missions! First we have to have kids, but I think I know now why we haven't been blessed with them yet, we need to get Rob's health issues under control first. I'm crying as I write this, it's like I'm being told by the spirit what is the 'plan' for our future, and what lays ahead. Goodness, I know that may sound weird but wow, I'm overwhelmed at the moment. He works in mysterious ways!

Update on Rob

Well we have been playing phone tag with the Dr for a week, still haven't been able to get through to them, but he did the overnight pulse oximetry test last Monday, and the Dr told the Home Health Service they want a sleep study to determine what type of sleep apnea he has and what he would need to be one, in the meantime they are so concerned about him, they are putting him on Oxygen at night until he is able to do the sleep study, they are working with the oxygen company to get something set up ASAP, but need more info from Dr, so will be calling them 1st thing in the morning (Dr's office closes at noon on Weds/Fri). We have an appointment next Monday with the Cardiologist (for his Blood Pressure), then the Sleep Study place also that day for a consultation and to set up his overnight study. We have an appt with the Pulmonologist in a month. (That was the soonest they could get him in).

As for him right now, he's doing pretty good, his weight is starting to come down, he has to make an extra notch in his belt as his belt is too big for him. He has been eating a lot more fruits/vegetables and is eating a slimfast smoothie at night instead of dinner since he gets home so late. I'm really proud of him. His BP is also doing better as he has a lot less water retention in his legs, and they are 'squishy' now instead of tight, he's been taking the Heart Health Pack from Costco. Anyways just wanted to post a quick update. He tells me he's 'mad' at me for making him go see my 'witch' doctor, but at the same time very grateful we now have a Dr who has half a brain, and is getting him the help he needs.

The Verdict is in....

I broke my finger! Just got back from the Dr. He looked at the X-rays an it took him a while to find it, but I have an oblique angled fracture in my pinkie finger that is already starting to heal so probably happened about 2 weeks ago or so. It's lined up right and everything because of the angle, but the inflammation my dad was seeing on the xray is the new osteoblasts that are forming. I also apparently sometime broke my middle finger on that hand too as there is noticeable changes on that finger as well. I'm thinking I injured/broke my pinkie finger when I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago.

I confused the heck out of his assistants trying to give my history...lets see I fell around the first of the year 3 times in one week, gave myself a concussion, so my dad x-rayed to make sure nothing was fractured, then last week I had a bruise but my middle finger hurt to move so we x-rayed again, and noticed the pinkie, then Saturday my cat bit me, but that's already healing and taken care of so we are just here for the pinkie finger bone :) I think they were ready to boot me out the door. Anyways I'm relieved that it wasn't anything more serious. I guess now I can say that I've broken a bone before as I've never had a broken bone.

My ouchie!

Saturday night I got bit my cat. It was an accident and entirely not her fault. Visit: http://notime2weight.blogspot.com/2009/03/ouchie-ouchie.html for details. Rob has done a wonderous job of doctoring me up so far, we put a part of a tongue depressor under my finger as the bite is right on the knuckle so everytime I was bending my finger it was reopening the cut. OUCH!

Keep Rob in your thoughts please...

Just got back from the Doctor. He was very thorough and addressed a lot of Rob's needs. He was VERY concerned about Rob's health and is sending him to 2 specialists and having a Sleep Apnea test done on him next Monday night. This all would be a lot less scary if he had been aware of some of the issues all along...apparantly his health hasn't been 'maintained' like we trusted our previous Dr too.

Here's the jyst of what's going on:

1- Asthma Pulx/Ox levels were at 89-91% which is very Low, they should be at 97%, he said Rob is on the verge of needing oxygen all the time. (This is the FIRST time Rob has had a Pulse/Ox done since he was in 3rd grade...which is NOT normal for people who have chronic asthma).
2- Sleep, he's having a Sleep Apnea test ran on Rob, said he probably may need Oxygen at night, this is scheduled for next Monday night
3- Asthma he is sending Rob to a Pulmonologist to get a better idea of the oxygen saturation levels in his blood and for better controlled Asthma, right now Rob is on Symbicort (steroid), hit's his rescue inhaler at least 4-5 times a day, and sometimes his nebulizer every day.
4- Hypertension/High Blood Pressure, his blood pressure is in normal ranges, however he was very concerned with the amount of edema in his legs, and said there was some Hemo (can't remember the rest) condition that was causing a breakdown and deposits of something in his legs (purplish color) so he is sending him to a Cardiologist for that as well.
5- Weight, of course he was VERY concerned about this and suggested 2 different Weight Loss Programs
1- HGH (I think that's what he said, anyways it's a Human hormone that women get when they are pregnant, anyways he said it can cause rapid weight loss of about 40# a month Drawback $600-$800 a month, we are thinking we might do this in May when Rob's normal hours return.
2- Firstline Therapy, which addresses the health issues of 'weight' problems instead of just the weight issues, so they will help with the risks for Cardiovascular Events (Heart Attacks) which he said Rob was at HIGH HIGH risk for, and it is usually covered by insurance. They said you are 'fully' evaluation by body composition, your level of metabolism, then put on the diet, which is basically shakes, bars and then a healthy dinner. You go meet with a counselor once a week. It's about $200-$300 per month for the shakes/food which isn't covered by insurance but the visits are. http://www.metagenics.com/tlc_programs/firstline_therapy.asp, this is a meal plan I found: http://www.drfeely.com/Documents/Ctrl_Hyperlink/Menu_Plan_Worksheet_uid8292008357392.pdf and more info: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healtheduc...e-therapy-diet they said it is a slower process of about 15-20# a month, maybe more.

Rob is planning on signing up for the Firstline Therapy weight loss program. I am so proud of him. He is probably going to adjust his schedule so he has Mondays off so he can go to the Dr each week, without having to lose sleep. He is also having about 10 different blood tests/panels ran on him, but they couldn't find a vein at the Dr's so he has to go to the Hospital to get that done. He HATES having blood drawn. He hasn't had a good blood panel ran on him for quite some time. It was nice to have a 'real' Doctor treat Rob with respect and concern instead of just skimming over his problems.

Going to the Doctor....

Yesterday I had a bruise about the size of a quarter between my middle finger and my ring finger on my left hand, the bones were EXTREMELY tender so I had my dad xray it (he's a veterinarian....on of the perks is not having to go see a Dr all the time LOL!) Anyways no broken bones in my hand however the pink finger metacarpal bone is swollen, and sort of 'bumpy' on the edges and not as dense in the middle. We compared it to x-rays he took 2 months ago when I slipped on the ice and sprained my wrist really back, and there are some definite changes. Here are the radiographs it's on the pinkie finger

Notice the pinkie finger (bottom finger) in the x-ray see how it's all bulgy?

These were the ones taken before about 2 months ago, notice the pinkie finger.....it's normal.

I'm Deficient LOL!

Well I got my blood test results back yesterday...WOW only 1 week! I STILL haven't heard from my other Dr other than that my pap was normal. Anyways I'm Vit D Deficient. Normal ranges are 32.0-100.0 My level was at 30.3. It says Recent Studies consider the lower limit of 32.0 ng/ml to be a threshold for Optimal Health. So I guess I need more sunshine :). He wants me to start taking 5000mg twice daily for 2 months then down to 1x day with rechecking levels in 6 months. It explains some of the bone/muscle weakness/pain I've been experiencing while exercising.

Natural Medicine?

As many of you who know me know, I have a lot of different health issues (PCOS, Arthritis, Gastric Reflux (GERD), Allergies, SEVERE Dry Skin & more), anyways I was looking for a new Dr here in Lehi, and called one that my insurance was good with, they told me the next opening wasn't until February with the Dr but their Nurse Practitioner (her hubby) could get me in sooner. BUT they were a more Alternative/Natural Medicine Philosphy. So I weighed my decision and decided what the heck, I already take a bazillion supplements so why not give it a try!

Wow! I was SOOOOOOO impressed! They took a THOROUGH history of all the medications/supplements I'm taking right now, then the Nurse Practitioner spent OVER AN HOUR with me going over my issues, the different meds I currently take, and supplements, what to change, what to discontinue and what to add, as well as doing a full blood panel with some vitamin levels as well. He also informed me of the risks of the GERD drug Prevacid I take, it depletes your calcium as well as you become 'addicted' to it because it stops you from forming acid, so therefore if you ever try and go off of it, you produce acid in WAY EXCESS....so we are trying to wean me off of it using Licorice Root (DGHL) on an alternating day schedule. So far the Licorice Root seems to be working GREAT. EVEN with the Prevacid I am BAD Refluxy right now no matter what, and the Licorice Root seems to be helping and can be taken every 15 minutes with no side effects if needed. It just upsets me as my Dr nor Pharmacist has EVER mentioned the problems with the Prevacid.

Then I am adding some 'mood' supplements as soon as we can afford them ($65/month), and added a cheaper one that will help with my Mood issues. We also scheduled an appt in 3 weeks for a followup/discuss results of the bloodwork (my previous Dr I have to call and BEG the results out of them!). He is also going to send me a copy of all results. He thinks that if I lose weight, a lot of my issues will be lessened/dissappear, which is true as a lot of them are aggravated by weight loss, he also commended me on the weight loss so far. I also added a steroid inhaler as if you have to use the rescue one more than once or twice a week you should have that one too. And discontinuing a nose spray that my other Dr put me on as it causes Reverse Congestion. I am doing saline rinses instead now. I feel somewhat better

Although he did tell me that my issues would probably be pretty bad for a while until we got things stabilized going off of some of the drugs/supplements so it's gonna be a rough ride, but I think it will be worth it! SORRY if TMI for people, I know some people have some similar issues so wanted to try and be 'helpful'. Let me know if you have any questions.