I've had 3 sets of tests now, but since the Dr. just got the last results yesterday I won't see him until Tuesday.
The first test was a stress ECG, but since walking from the parking lot into the hospital, riding the elevator up and then down the hall to the office knocked my O2 to the low 80's (though I was wearing my walkaround bottle), they wouldn't do the stress part and called my doctor, who told them just to do the ECG/sonogram part. Strange to watch the valves opening and closing and the whole thing beat while you're lying on the table!
The next day a respiratory therapist came to the house to do a respiratory stress test. Starting with it set at the 2 liters a minute my Dr. had prescribed, up and down my driveway once (250') had dropped me from 98% to 81% and she made me sit down on the patio. She turned it up to 3 and after my levels came back up and my heart slowed to normal, we tried again. That time it was 83%, and we stopped again, and kept going up until at 6 liters a minute, with her telling me to slow down (I was already moving much slower than I ever would have at work) I was at 89% when they want me to stay at 90%. (Below that does brain damage, apparently.)
So now I leave my concentrator in the house set on 2 unless I'm getting up to do something, then turn it up to 4 or 5 (max on it). If I'm walking I'm supposed to turn my little bottles up to 6 and walk slow; that means they last about 20 minutes. Riding in the car, 2 works; driving or talking 3 works, slowly sauntering through a store I can get away with 4 and drop to around 96%...
There is no way I can go back to work without the oxygen; there is no way I can do my job with it, so it seems I'm about to retire again..
The sleep test last Saturday night was interesting. Within an hour I ended up on a CPAP machine and for the first time in many years, I actually slept 4 hours straight! Supposedly I "qualified" for a machine, but haven't heard anything more.
So that's where things stand for now. The last of my vacation days run out on Tuesday and we'll see where it goes from there!
Meanwhile, I sleep 10-12 hours a day, nap in the afternoon sometimes and read and watch far too much news and play a few video games as I wait to be told what is really going on.
May life be kind to each of you!
alan
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5 comments:
Oh Alan, this doesn't sound like much fun. And doesn't like you at all - I have the image of you being a strong person and moving heaven and earth should it ever be needed. I hope that once everything stablilises that there are improvements. May life be kind to you!
It sounds very complicated. I agree with Doris, You were always a strong person. I hope that things fall into place better for you soon
stay strong alan, i will send positive thoughts your way
I hope you find a plan that works and keeps your energy and oxygen levels all in sync. Sending you best wishes for good news and good health.
How are you doing Alan - thinking of you. Doris x
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