Coming Up Roses

Things just keep getting better around here! Tuesday brought my new valve for my oxygen tanks. It's not only an upgrade from the one I had but it's also been upgraded a little too. It can go up to 6 on constant flow as well as 5 on the puff. My old Puff/Direct valve only went up to 5 on both which is why I ended up losing it when my Therapist decided I needed a level 6 direct flow to walk. I'm just happy to get my Puff back. And, additionally, just this morning, my Cardiologist said he'll see me in a year. Nothing's changed. Wow.

I'm also joining a new program to record my blood pressure, oxygen levels & a few other things - I'll find out what all next Friday when Telus hooks me up with the equipment. I'm a bit of a test run. It's designed to monitor my COPD & keep me out of the hospital. It all runs over an internet connection & all the equipment hooks up by Bluetooth to an iPad which talks to the monitoring station. I'm looking forward to it. I'm fairly stable but have difficulty defining when I'm having a 'crisis'. Apparently this will help. 

Knitting - I'm halfway through the first Mitred Square! I'd forgotten how simple they are to make. And they look gorgeous. I decided to use up my sock yarns to make them. I have enough yarn to make several blankets so what the heck. It's marinated for years so it's time to use it up before it goes bad. Right??

I Had To Tell Someone

 I booked another evaluation with the Respiratory Technician for today. This morning!! I do hate mornings, especially when it's damp & cold, yeah, that's me whining again .  .  .  .  and I haven't exactly been at the top of my game this week, either. But, I asked for the same one who assessed me last time & upgraded - downgraded to me - my O2 equipment. I wanted my puffer valve back!!!!  I need more flexibility with my limited O2 supply!!! 

I don't know exactly what happened but I've improved since summer! We figure it's the BIPAP machine. Most of my problem is that I don't get rid of enough carbon dioxide when I exhale. The BIPAP has been forcing me to take deeper breaths which increases my oxygen levels & decreases my carbon dioxide. So, I can now function at lower rates of supplemental oxygen. I GET MY OLD VALVE BACK. My tank oxygen setting dropped - DROPPED - to 4 when driving or walking & can switch to the puffer setting when at rest, which gives me oxygen only when I inhale. So, now, I have no idea how long one of my tanks will last but it will be a hellova lot longer than 90ish minutes! I have to experiment but I bet I will have at least 2 hours on level 4 for a start!!! 

This means I can get my flu & Covid upgrade. I can go to my Railway cafe for lunch & maybe I can see the Dentist for a cleaning once more. Whoopeee

Knitting - no knitting at all since I've been wiped out for the last couple of days. If I sit in my chair, I fall asleep. But, I have moved two bins of sock yarn within reach so I can start sorting colors for the afghan. 

Another Trip to the Clinic

Yesterday I had a cardiogram - kind of like an ultrasound of the heart - with a radioactive dye injected to show blood flow & movement of the heart. What a performance . . . . they gave me an early appointment which is really stressful to start. I don't have an alarm clock anymore & don't move quickly in the morning at all. I have difficulty putting on shoes & socks. My right knee doesn't want to bend at any time. And I have medication & puffers in the morning as well. Then I have to get down my ramp with my O2 tanks & into a foreign vehicle before 8:15. I am no longer a morning person unless it's summer.

What is it with being older & less able that produces so much anxiety with changes in routine??? I wasn't sure about the hospital O2 or how long my tank would last. Hell, I even took a 50' extension to my breathing apparatus to make sure I could reach any O2 outlet .  .  .  . Despite the early appointment, all the traffic problems & construction delays, we arrived ONE MINUTE before my appointment!! I was successfully wheeled from truck to Reception in a wheelchair & only presented my medical card before being whisked into the treatment room & hooked up to O2. I had agreed to put my personal info on the Hospital Net so everything was pulled up automatically - no forms needed - whoopee. I loved it. The only problem in the end was that no one could start an IV for the dye. My vessels just rolled away & disappeared. Several jabs later, they gave up & did the test without the contrast dye. The Tech said it was just fine & played me the sound of my heart working! Wow, that was so neat to hear.

So 45 minutes later I was whisked out of the hospital & home. We even stopped at the Railway Cafe for a soup - Broccoli Cheese - & sandwich to go. I made it home on fumes. I had cranked the O2 down when I got out of the hospital since I was only sitting so I had enough to get home. I walked up my ramp with my tank cart by myself & fell into a chair to catch my breath but I was DONE. I had enough energy to pee, use my puffers, take my meds, drink a huge glass of cold water & eat my lunch. Then I plugged into an audio book, reclined my chair & slept the rest of the day. Don't even remember the book. I did get up around 7, ate some yogurt, took more meds & went back to bed.

Today, I'm still tired but not exhausted. I've turned into a vegetable. A little trip like yesterday does me in for two days. Not good. Guess I'm ready for the Assisted Living Unit. There are days when I really need to be fed, cleaned & assisted. And other days when I can do almost everything myself so I don't want to be moved into Care quite yet. I'm fighting it tooth & nail! But I think I have someone willing to come & do dishes, vacuuming & dusting for a couple of hours a week. Hopefully that will help.

Knitting - not much knitting going on except another LONGER set of cuffs to help keep my hands warm. I'm definitely going to make an afghan with some of my sock yarn in Mitered Squares. I like the look of them & they'll be a small project, one square at a time! While surfing around, I also found a free pattern for a crocheted afghan made up of squares of colored Cats. Love it.

Thanksgiving is Over

 Whatever bug I had is now completely gone. But I feel weaker & wobblier than ever. I suspect my driving days are over since I haven't been down the ramp & out of my house since the trip home from the last visit to the hospital in July. I'm still linked to these damn O2 tanks that last for 90ish minutes each & I need 2 of them to go anywhere at all. I successfully managed to avoid all offers of dinner this year although I'm hoping for some leftovers. A ham bone with plenty of meat still attached has been frozen for me & some turkey & gravy from another direction has also been offered. I just don't understand how people can refuse to eat leftovers these days but they're still out there!! Just think of the free Ham & Barley soup I can make, yummm 

Next Tuesday I'm off to JPH for an Echo-cardiogram. My new Cardiologist wants to see how I am since my last test in June when I was so sick. My heart was skipping a beat now & then before I went into hospital which led to big changes in medication. I haven't noticed any 'skips' in my heartbeat lately but I HAVE noticed my finger tendons don't lock up anymore & no more charley-horses in my calves with all the Potassium I'm taking!! Have you ever had to choke down those HUGE pills??? Not fun. 

A friend is taking me to my appointment since I'm not able to manage two tanks & the walker on my own. My tank cart or the walker will hold one tank each & I can't use them both at the same time! So, he will load everything, unload me & a cart into a wheelchair, take me to my sign-in point, make sure I'm plugged into hospital O2 - I hope & pick me up when I'm done. The appointment is 2 hours plus registration, waiting time & traveling time to & from .  .  .  .  that equals about 3 hours if nothing goes wrong or runs late. Each tank holds around 99 minutes more or less. Going without the second tank is a risk I don't want to take. 

Knitting - I've been digging through some of my bins of sock yarn this past week to remind myself of what I have. When I was working full time, I invested in yarn for retirement knowing I wouldn't have any extra money - so I bought a lot of it. I have everything from inexpensive tough Kroy - my favorite, Opal Rainforest, Noro Silk Garden, Regia's Arne & Carlos etc. I bought them for color since they're all essentially the same in the end. Like a Magpie, I'm attracted to bright colors & wild combos. But I don't think it's worth it to buy fancy yarns for socks, hats or mitts that get a lot of wear. I'm quite impressed by what I have!! And I'm seriously considering making myself an afghan out of the wildest colorways to keep me warm when I watch TV this winter instead of more socks that I can't get into .  .  .  . 

Time Flies

Gad. Where has the time gone?
Mind you, I've had some sort of bug as well as a whole week of medical appointments in the middle of it. I have no idea how I managed to book three in one week. Craziness I guess. 

My sneezing & sore throat turned into a terrible headache with so much sneezing that my ribs hurt. My throat was almost too sore to swallow, my voice almost disappeared & every major joint hurt. And I was cold & hot but mostly cold. I drank a lot of liquid, ate hot brothy soup, swallowed a lot of Tylenol & slept. Days went by .  .  .  .  .  I ended up with phone appointments with my doctors because we all agreed I should stay home in bed. I woke up two days ago & realized my head & bones didn't hurt anymore. Wow. But I'm still cold. I guess I have to give in & turn on the furnace!

I have no idea how I got this bug but my pal Ron was sick too. He still feels bad but he had different symptoms so I'm not sure he shared it with me. Could it have arrived on a paper bag from Doordash?? I confess I ordered Wonton Soup a couple of times. Or did it hitch a ride on an Amazon delivery??? We'll never know. It seems the bugs find you even when you're hiding at home with limited contact with the world.

Knitting - yes, I have been knitting even though it isn't much or very important. I needed some cuffs to help keep my hands warm so I just made some with leftover sock yarn. They look like a sock top, just plain K2,P2 & about 4 inches long. I've been wearing them since the moment they came off the needles & wish I'd made them a couple of inches longer. I have a lovely skein of yarn called 'Frog Fight' - yes, it's a bright green with a few splotches of red & brown. I think it's going to be my next set of cuffs about 6 inches long. They should clash with everything I own.