My Health in a Nutshell


You look at me and it is hard
to tell that I am sick.
I always have a smile on my
face and I try to continue to
be positive.

Wondering what is wrong?
EVERYTHING!

I joke with my mom all
the time telling her
that when God was giving
out body parts somehow
I ended up in the line of
parts that were to be
thrown out.
All my parts are bad!

I actually was fine until my
early 30's.
I got sick with bronchitis.
Never had it before but
I went to a walk in clinic that
made sure I had an inhaler and
the other meds I would need.

Feeling better, I had a relapse.
Twice, back to back.
The second time I was not
improving. I broke down and
went to the doc only to find out
I had bronchial asthma.


I have had that for 25 years now.
I really don't have an issue with it
much except in the spring and fall.
Mine is triggered by seasonal effects.

A few years later I ended up with
acid reflux. That stuff is wicked.
I ended up in the hospital thinking I
was having a heart attack.
I have been taking the generic of
Prevacid since 1998.

With meds this stays under control. But if I forget
to take it for a couple of days, I pay.

In 2004 I started having some really strange
things happening. I was exhausted all the
time. I road the bus to work and I slept
all the way, I slept all the way home
also. Then when I stepped in the house
I crashed and went back to sleep.
Upon waking I felt like I never
closed my eyes.
This all became an issue when
I found myself stopping at red
lights and napping.
At the same time I had been being
treated for major migraines.
Finally upon telling the neurologist
about having a headache everyday for
a year, that I went to sleep with it
and woke with it.....a red flag went up.
He sent me to have a sleep test.
Yep...
Sleep Apnea.

I was studied while I slept with all sorts of wires
attached. In a 7 hour sleep study I slept about
3.5 hours. I had 145 events and I stopped
breathing between 10 to 33 seconds.

Wow.....learning to sleep with a CPAP was
interesting but I have slept with it
all this time.

Eleven years ago I started hurting so bad.
I felt like I had the flu, every day. I kept
thinking that maybe it was caused
from some extra weight I had put
on. Finally talking with my sleep doc,
I found that I had what the world was
calling Fibromyalgia.
The doc touched me in several
areas that are called 
trigger points
Just touching those spots almost
had me shooting right off the exam
table.


As the years have gone by I have gotten
worse with each passing year.
I stay in constant pain.
That pain goes from the low every
day pain to flare ups that
are terrible pain.
I actually had one flare that
lasted from May 2012 to
April 2013. I thought I was
going to pull my hair out.

Now I struggle with the fatigue that
goes along with the fibro and the
meds. I can sleep a total of
15 or more hours a day.
Then comes those nights that
I can't sleep no matter what
I try.


Although you will not die from Fibro, there
are the days you wish for that just to have a
release from the pain.

And life gets even better.
Keep in mind that with sleep apnea
even using a CPAP machine you are
tired. Then you throw in the Fibro and
the meds....you have no energy to exercise.
With that comes weight gain.
And with carrying extra weight
you develop other issues.

Then came the border line high
BP.
It kept going up and
just barely crossed over the
line to be considered high
BP.

Diabetes.
It hit is 2012.
Metformin kept it under control.

Then came this in 2015.
A heart issue.

oops.....those bad parts were not
finished with me yet.
This summer upon having
my physical I learned that my
liver levels were running high.
Doc took me off Metformin and
tested them again.
No change.
Had a biopsy done on
the liver and I have what
is called a non alcoholic
fatty liver.
I am only 60 lbs over weight but
that little bit has destroyed my
body. The fat has moved
into the liver and it is not filtering
like it should be.
The biopsy showed that I have
the starting of some inflammation and
hard nodes.
In five years I will be full blown
cirrhosis of the liver unless
I lose the weight around my liver.
Well....its not like I have not tried over
the years. So it was suggested
that I have surgery.


Surgery for what?
Keep in mind that the liver is the only
organ that can repair itself.
In my case they think it will but
have no way of knowing for sure.
But the main thing, get rid of the
fat in the liver with weight
loss surgery.

I have been through the process.
I saw the surgeon on Tuesday
and although I was looking at having
the sleeve surgery done where the cut
away the lower portion of the stomach
and you actually have a long slender
stomach, that is not recommended for
me. Crap...what next?
It appears that folks that have the sleeve
develop acid reflux.
Remember me telling you I have that, well it
will get nothing but worse if I have that surgery.
So....it was recommended that I have
the Gastric Bypass surgery.
A little more invasive but
in the long run better for me


Doc is telling me that with only having to
lose 60 lbs, I will be down to that in
about 9 months.
Now he is looking at the 60lbs as the desired
weight of someone my height.
I will be good with that but
I personally hope to lose about
10 more. Putting me down
to what I was when I married in 1980.

Wow....I will not know how to act being
small again.
But the main thing is ..
hope for the liver
I will no longer need meds for
diabetes or acid reflux.
Hopes are that somewhere down
the line I will be able
to drop the heart meds and the
CPAP machine.

Fingers crossed.
Oh yes....surgery is scheduled
for the 21st of this month.

I will keep you all posted.

Thanks for stopping in,










Comments

Sharon said…
Holy Cow, Pam, you sound like me only different - er, different parts going to pot.
Will the fibro go away? I do wish you luck with your surgery. You'll have to let us know how it all goes.
I don't have a g+ account for personal reasons, just Blogger.
Nice to have you stop by!

Sharon
Darla M Sands said…
Wow! I don't know how you hang on. Blessings on safe, successful surgery.
Liz A. said…
Yikes, that's a lot. Take care.
Oh My Goodness... I had no idea... SO sorry to hear of all of the many health issues. I have a good friend in Maine who suffers from fibromyalgia.... She struggles constantly...

Good Luck with the upcoming surgery...

God Bless You.
Hugs,
Betsy
Oh My Goodness... I had no idea... SO sorry to hear of all of the many health issues. I have a good friend in Maine who suffers from fibromyalgia.... She struggles constantly...

Good Luck with the upcoming surgery...

God Bless You.
Hugs,
Betsy

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