This week has started early for me as I usually see Monday as the first day of the week but I need to hit the ground running for the next five days.
Despite being abruptly woken by man and cat at 06:30 h this morning I’m feeling strangely positive and energetic, which is just as well as I really need to crack on with my reading because I’m going to be busy for most of the week doing non-reading and non-reviewing activities. I am going to be fitted for a CPAP mask tomorrow morning and am curiously looking forward to the experience as it will be my first and I can honestly say I don’t recall ever experiencing a CPAP mask fitting before as a clinician or observer.
Mondays mask fitting pales in comparison to Tuesdays trip to Sheffield, which will be tiring, due to an extremely early start, the usual nerves of getting to the venue, rush hour traffic and the second most intrusive appointment of the week.
Wednesday will see me home with a CPAP device in the mornings whilst the afternoon will be spent in uncomfortable contemplation in a predictably strained session at group therapy, which doesn’t feel to be going very well at the moment and could evolve into chaos.
Thursday I see my GP to tie the week off nicely. Blood results and new diabetic medication aside I hope I will have nothing further to discuss at this appointment. I’m not sure if it’s the underlying current of having no choice where CPAP is concerned or the added nuisance of women’s issues, when my reproductive organs have been less than successfully functional in my lifetime, but I am trying hard not to instigate feelings of hard luck as I navigate another busy week of being a patient. I can’t quite define my feelings at the moment but they are somewhere between anticipation and foreboding, so business as usual really.
Thankfully I do not go through all this alone and am accompanied by my literal tower of strength. Once this week is over I can concentrate on being positive for my birthday later this month, on the proviso there won’t be anymore intrusive appointments for four weeks from Thursday.
Ajoobacats Blog 
A fellow diabetic? Well I never. I am looking for a doctor who HAS diabetes, since they may have greater skills than most under trained GP’s who are inclined to administer pills instead of insulin. Being on insulin is great for long term Type 2 sufferers, because at least one can live comfortably, from moment to moment and can balance the day. The things we don’t know about each other! Good luck x
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Thanks, I’ve been on insulin in the past, but with the help of Slimming World managed to get my sugar control optimal 2013-2015 but alas age and my genes are against me at the moment. I found insulin difficult as I had hypos overnight and am willing to take anything else that will help before going back to insulin therapy.
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Sending happy vibes and sunshine (well, I’m trying) your way
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Thank you for the vibes and sunshine (sun is out, so it’s working!) 😀
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Yes, but you become good at it in the end – plenty of test sticks (if one can get them free on the NHS),four times a day – which I regard it as a bonus, not a threat. I got my life back in shape very quickly and the fast working Apidra is great if you are feeling ill, and with a little rest and you are back to normal in no time. What I do is see a large cream cake check my glucose level – take a few units – and enjoy every moment. No guilt, no nagging friends and neighbors and I feel quite normal. The night thing is about fear mostly – I have had one or two wobbles over the years, so have your emergency chocolate biscuits handy and a glass of milk. Cheers
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I used to sleep with a stash of emergency Cadbury’s Fingers, which pushes healthy eating out of the frame a little and informing the DVLA and all that rigmarole was a right circus and I hated monitoring blood glucose daily let alone twice a day as I was told to. Bottom line: I’m not a very good patient.
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Hope you have a brilliant week, despite all the medical appointments 🙂
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Thank you, I’ve just picked up Stephen King’s Revival, so I’m counting on a good read.
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Ah – they don’t call ‘patients’ patients for nothing. I can see you have a tiring week ahead. Good luck. May it all go as well as it possibly can.
Patrick: A word of caution regarding your search for a diabetic doctor: I was delighted some years ago to find I was on the panel of a doctor who suffered with hypo-thyroidism, as do I. She professed to taking her thyroidism entirely in her stride and, when I got out a list of what I considered to be symptoms caused by my less than optimal treatment, she told me to ‘just get on with it – I do’. Which is all to say – be careful what you wish for … 🙂
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Thank you, Judi, I hope so too, but if it’s hard going I will be aiming for the nearest bookshop.
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It’s good to have energy so I’m happy for you 🙂 The CPAP is my dear friend. After my first week’s use I realized I was much more functional so I should have started much earlier as my quality of sleep increased tremendously. What can I say about the insulin except better to have it than not but I’m better for it as well. Cheers!
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Thank you for your positive words about CPAP, my sleep has been awful for so long it might just be a huge turning point. My Hba1c doesn’t warrant the insulin yet, but if I need it I will go with the flow, as I do.
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Giving yourself shots is a piece of cake if you do. No skill and no discomfort 🙂
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Yes I used to manage it fine in 2012 when I was on insulin, but its such a chore checking levels and taking it especially if eating out.
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PS I forgot to mention regarding the CPAP, I’m using the nasal pillows as opposed to the mask and they seem fine to me.
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I have heard of nasal pillows, but since I started tadalfil for my pulmonary hypertension I find breathing through my nose very difficult as it always seems congested, so I think I will probably have whatever covers my mouth and nose. The obligatory fitting is tomorrow at 09:30 h, so I will know soon.
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The mask is good too 🙂
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I’m hoping I get used to it quickly so I can sleep again
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Sending strength and love your way!!! ♡♡♡♡♡
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Thank you 💕
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Good luck with all of it. It sounds exhausting, really.
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Thank you, after my first night with the CPAP, I think its fair to say it will take a little getting used to.
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