It gets worse...

 The doctor is still on vacation, and we have to wait until Monday for him to review the sleep study test and approve it for a CPAP despite being labeled as 'EMERGENCY" and heart failure. A lawsuit may be in a few people's future.

I listen to him all night, every night. He sounds as though he is climbing up a very steep hill, and then there is a period of time where he is silent with no apparent breathing at all. He is sleeping in a recliner to keep his head elevated. Oddly enough, his Blood Ox readings are well within normal. Yesterday, at about 5 AM, we went to ER because he was afraid to go to sleep, and he checked out okay. The doctor in charge tried to call the sleep apnea facility in Ames to see if he could get things moving, but he is the third doctor who has tried and failed. They did say he was first on the list for Monday. So this being Saturday morning, we now have two more nights to get through before he can get a CPAP. I am fully aware there may be other issues, but my thought and prayer is that the CPap will have a positive impact on his recovery. They cannot put any more pressure on his system until the sleep apnea issue is resolved.

So enough for now. I will pass along 'news' as I come upon it.

Bump in the road

 Butch had his sleep study in the hospital and it went well. It was a Split Study, meaning the first half was without a CPap and the second half with it. The results were alarming, encouraging, and alarming in that order. His results were listed on his MyChart, and two words stuck out: severe and heart failure. It was decided that he definitely needed a CPap. BUT and it is a big but, the guy who would read the results is on vacation! And nothing can be done about getting him a CPap until he sees the results and posts it. So no relief for us on knowing he can safely sleep through the night until he returns and resumes his job.

I decided I should see if there was any way around this obstacle. It seemed to me there should be a way, especially since it had emergency status. So I finally reached the doctor who ordered the sleep test, and I am waiting to hear back from him. The fact that the doctor on vacation surely should have backup to cover situations like this, but doesn't, strikes me as a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The new-to-Butch heart doctor was a bit stern and asked why we waited so long to see him and I lobbed it right back at him that I had tried to get an appointment before we left Texas, but was unable to do so, and when we did get back to Iowa it wasn't any easier. End of discussion. 

To be continued...

Things are looking up

 Butch's appointment with his cardiologist took place this afternoon and we are greatly encouraged. His throat scope has been cancelled because he cannot be taken off his blood thinners for 6 months, and that would have been required for that procedure. That one was making me nervous for that very reason.

He will be getting a new med tomorrow that should take care of the high heart rate, the sleep study tonight, and a better outlook should improve everything.

And to top it off, I went to the pharmacy to get refills, and thanks to the staff at McFarland clinic who gave me a card, I was able to get an 80% reduction in my most expensive med. Down from $247 to $59.50! Oh, Happy Day!!

Finally!

 Butch recieved word yesterday that he will be getting his sleep study done tonight in Ames Iowa. It was a perfect birthday gift. It feels like we have been waiting for ages. We have two doctor visits today, too, and fortunately, they are local visits. My cardiologist comes to Jefferson a couple of times a month, and after today, he will also be Butch's cardiologist. There are numerous reasons a person can spontaneously lose weight, and we are investigating all of them. Last week, Dr. Merchant, an oncologist, said it may be something simple, and we won't know until we check.

So, as many of you know, dancing with Doctors can be time-consuming, and we're hoping for a quickstep. Maybe by July 1st, we can say we will sit the next one out.

Leo and Keri put together a small birthday celebration for Butch's 84th birthday. Jason and Laura played cards with us all afternoon, then we all went to Casa de Oro for supper. It was a happy time, lots of fun conversation.

The Birthday Boy

Clearly!