Move, new doctors, surgery

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

I hope you are all doing as well as possible.

We completed our move from near Chicago, IL to

near Mobile, AL about a week and a half ago. Well,

by completed, I mean that all the " stuff " from up there

is now down here, much of it still in BOXES and more

BOXES!!

Last Monday, Mar. 4, my daughter, , and my

husband, Ed, took me to 3 doctor's visits.. I LOVE

all three doctors!! First, we saw the diabetic eye

surgeon.. he is a PEACH! I am considered " legally

blind " at this point, because the cataracts are so

bad... I can't even see the BIG E with correction ;-(

BUT, he scheduled the right eye for surgery on

March 14 at the surgery center on the top floor

of the EYE & ENT building, where he is located.

I would appreciate your prayers and thoughts -

not sure the time of the surgery, but I have to

be there at 8:30 am. Actually, he usually does

7 surgeries on his surgical day, and he " added

me " " making it 8 that day!..

Then, we stopped at the library.. and I rested

in the truck, while and Ed got books

for the grandchildren.. and I noticed that my

oxygen was not working properly...We ran

late after the EYE appt and measurements

of the eyes, etc. and had to skip lunch.

Went to the office where the internal med doctor

and the pulmonologist are located. Called the

oxygen supplier. The person who had come to

the house last Sunday when the concentrator that

the IL branch of Apria had given to us failed (he

just " happened " to have a " brand new concentrator "

in his truck - and brought it over before church!!)

was in the office, and explained that

I was at Providence Hospital Medical building

with 2 doctor visits yet to go and the extra tank

had a bad seal and I was out of oxygen.. Larry

brought us 2 new tanks.. THEN, we discovered

that the regulator was also bad.. and I was still

in trouble.. Larry came again, and brought

a new portable unit! I did not realize how far

he had to go until 2 days ago when we had to

take my C-PAP machine to their office to get

the pressure changed as the pulmonologist

prescribed!!! The people down here are

FRIENDLY, HELPFUL, and I love it..

Anyway, to get back on track... I saw the

Internal med doctor, who ordered an EKG,

and lots of lab work. for clearance for the

eye surgery, and filled out the papers, etc,

and wrote 15 prescriptions.. She is a JEWEL..

didn't really cover too much with her, as she

wants me to keep my glucose as good as

possible for the surgery, and then we will

have another appointment to really get to

know each other. She was my son-in-love's

mother's doctor, so comes highly recommended.

We then went upstairs and the pulmonologist

(who is also the head of the sleep apnea lab)

ordered a series of chest x-rays and a FULL

spirometry test. He is also very thorough,

yet LISTENS.. and when Ed explained that

I still had periods of my throat closing at night,

he looked at my throat and said the C-PAP

had to be reset.. He exudes confidence...

He is NOT going to change any of my meds,

which was my biggest worry.. ALSO, he told

me to FORGET the idea that I MIGHT get

off PREDNISONE.. He said (in a nice, round

about way) that the doctors in IL weren't very

PRACTICAL.. is how he put it to even attempt

to stop prednisone after being on it for 32 YEARS

(Gee... 1970 to now IS a LONG time, heh??)

Matter of fact.. he said it was ridiculous for me

to be on 19 mg & take one 10 mg tablet, one

5 mg tablet and four 1 mg tablets.. He upped

it to 20 mg per day! We talked for a while,

he wrote out the respiratory prescriptions,

and wants to see me back in 3 months OR

WHENEVER I HAVE even a SLIGHT

ELEVATION of temperature, or feel that I

MIGHT have a respiratory infection.. He

said to call his nurse, and he will see me

THAT day.. HE does NOT want me in the

HOSPITAL for any reason, at any time,

with my " compromised immune system " ,

which we both realize we may not be possible,

but it is a good " goal " anyway.. We also set

a goal of my having the eye surgeries, and then

beginning to exercise a bit more and losing

weight.. so all in all I trust and respect him

as well.

I have the print as big as it will go and can

barely read this, so I will end now.. Ed reads

some of my e-mail to me, but for the most

part I've gone on NO MAIL for all except

4 lists...I've been trying to keep up with what

is happening, and have been thinking about

all of you...

Please remember me on the 14th... Ed will

try to post on the 15th after the bandages

come off to let you know how it went..

I MAY even be able to see out of ONE EYE!!

If all goes well, and I keep my glucose in

excellent control, Dr. Salisbury may do the

other eye 2 weeks after the first one!!

May God continue to provide each of us with a measure of

STRENGTH, WISDOM and PEACE.

elaine