My journey to better health

If what I'm reading about my blood results are right my kidneys are wonky along with my cholesterol.   

The doc said my bloodwork is okay....A1C was 5.3 so normal. Turns out it's the hereditary kind of cholesterol but putting me on a statin could very well push me into fullblown type 2. So since I don't have high blood pressure or any other risk factors yet we're adopting a we'll see attitude about the cholesterol.

Found a lump though in my breast....right where the meter rests in my pocket to keep it warm. Doc said it was 'non distinct' but wants a mammo done pretty quickly. Pray the mammo finds nothing.....I'm scared to death of the state letting me die from cancer since I'm too poor to pay for any treatment on my own. They let a friend of mine die from very treatable lung cancer several years ago....she had a 98% success rate if the surgery was done immediately...the state waited and procrastinated until those odds dropped to 2%, then said go ahead. Surgery was finally done....and she died 2 months later from the cancer.

The wait see attitude on that type of thing is becoming more common. As to the other get it done as soon as possible.

Next Saturday.....so I won't be online at all. Hope it's just a benign cyst.

Techs said they found nothing wrong yet the lump is still there. Must be a harmless cyst. Still waiting on the pap.....
Eye doc called to remind me of my appointment next week. Let slip something about "my treatment options, maybe using eye drops". Huh? Last time I saw him he said my eye pressure was 'high-normal', but not glaucoma. Do they treat these days to prevent it or what? Does anyone have a clue? Am I going to go blind now?

It came back normal....now onto the eye exam.

I had my eye exam on Wednesday. Dilation is never any fun. But, all is well. They didn't say anything about eye pressure to me, so I'm not sure if they treat it early or not. I would definitely get the latest exam before I listened to treatment options. I mean... They have to know what/if to treat, right?

fiffur wrote:Techs said they found nothing wrong yet the lump is still there.  Must be a harmless cyst.  Still waiting on the pap.....
Eye doc called to remind me of my appointment next week.  Let slip something about "my treatment options, maybe using eye drops".  Huh?  Last time I saw him he said my eye pressure was 'high-normal', but not glaucoma.  Do they treat these days to prevent it or what?  Does anyone have a clue?  Am I going to go blind now?

Shoot, Fif - I just saw this. No, you're not going blind. I've been on the high side of normal for 20 years, maybe more. High normal is nothing that needs treating, just monitoring on a regular basis...and they're not kidding about that part. Because glaucoma doesn't show symptoms to the patient, they really have to stress this point. I worked for ophthalmologists for years, so I'm fairly familiar with seeing glaucoma patients including my dad and brother. And no, they don't treat it until you actually have it. But highly nearsighted people like you and me are more prone to it, and family history is an important factor too. Just make sure to go back for those regular check-ups.

I can do that as long as the ACA isn't recinded. If the republicans get in the white house I don't know if I'll have coverage to pay for it.
I'll find out Friday when I see the eye doc....I know I was 2 pts away from it 2 years ago. Just hope it didn't progress. I'd rather be dead than blind. Seriously.

Pap was okay too.....**whew**

I have to go on eye drops; I'm what the doc calls an 'in betweener'. My eye pressure is a few points too high, the retina is a bit thinner than normal, but my field of vision is still normal and no damage to the optic nerve yet. We caught it just barely in time, thanks to my getting Medicaid because of the ACA law. Now to get Medicaid to approve covering it as I'm over 4 prescriptions per month already; I might get to start the drops in a month or so (yes, it takes that long in IL to get approval).

Now I'm really worried about who gets in the white house next election; if the republicans get in they've vowed the first thing they'll do it recind the ACA and go back to the way it was. I wouldn't be able to get coverage at all for the asthma, allergies, glaucoma, prediabetes. If I just wanted to forgo meds for all that and only get the eye drops, those drops are over $200/month and with no ACA coverage I won't be able to afford medical coverage or pay out of pocket for those drops. Nice choice......bankruptcy or blindness.

Drops are covered as long as I don't refill more than once every 30 days. This month will be a challenge since I wasted at least a dozen learning to put them in my eyes. But at yesterday checkup I found out they are working. Dropped my eye pressure from 25 to 16 in only a week. Anything over 20 is considered glaucoma.

That's great Fif.

Now to get the dratted things IN my eyes without wearing it. This first bottle is NOT going to last a month. I have got to get the hang of this soon. I'm going to visit my grandpa in a few weeks and mom won't be there to help me and his hands aren't steady enough to help me with it.

I'm still afraid of who gets in after the next election, I cannot lose my medical coverage now if I want to be able to see and live decently. The allergy and asthma preventative meds are working so well I barely have allergic or asthma symptoms anymore. And with those under control I've only had one optical migraine needing imitrex in the past month.

Very puzzled as to why my BGL are running nearly 20pts higher than usual.......I'm not doing anything differently dietwise and I thought exercise (like from all the packing and climbing stairs) was supposed to lower it, not raise it.

Stress and heat can have that effect. Moving is always stressful even when you're headed for a better place. Take care!

Woke up in the lower 90's today, which is still high for me but lower than the past week. Usually a bit lower by afternoon (80's). I did finally get a good nights sleep since the rainstorms have quit for the time being. I just can NOT sleep through thunderstorms and I think the lack of decent sleep had an affect on my BGL too. Getting ready to see my grandpa in a few weeks also might be a cause of some stress....I haven't flown in 20 years.

You'll do fine and have a great trip.

I hope so....so far I have a ride to the airport lined up but none to get home when I come back. NO way am I paying $70-80 for a taxi home. No bus, no special van, nothing. So far no friends to bring me home either. I might have to walk/hitchhike the 35 miles home from the airport.....

Whatever you do, do NOT hitchhike. Yikes! Especially around an airport. Worse to worst, sleep at the airport until someone can get you or until a shuttle runs in the morning.

I'll second that one Becky.

Trouble is....there is no shuttle. It's either a taxi or somebody comes to get you (friend, relative). So far I have no one and no money for taxis. I will NOT blow 2 weeks unemployment on a taxi ride. Bad enough I have to buy groceries in FL with money I really can't spare (they won't take my IL SNAP).

My numbers are still running high, but still in the normal range, barely. Must be the stress of packing for moving and my trip. No other explanation comes to mind.

Between all the inspections, trying to find a ride home, trying to find something that meets the size requirements for luggage, and my neighbors partying to celebrate summer finally being here, plus the roof being torn off by roofers.......no wonder I can't sleep and my BGL are sky high 24/7. Been waking up at least 20pts higher than normal for the past week and it refuses to drop.

Speaking of health, I had to have an ear flushed out Monday and my blood pressure was over the moon. As I pointed out to the doctor
I couldn't hear for over a week I was pretty stressed out.