Re: New here and needing support

[Guest guest]

good to have you in the group. i am sure you will find tons of support here. look forward to hearing from you again. evelynDebstar <harleydiva.debbie@...> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator

I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to

289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have

soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock cure cystic fibrosis

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

what is ur sickness evelyn ? MINE IS MSevelyn <peaches0106@...> wrote: good to have you in the group. i am sure you will find tons of support here. look forward to hearing from you again. evelynDebstar <harleydiva.debbiegmail> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it

was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting

hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock cure cystic fibrosis Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie,

Welcome to the group and I'm sorry to had to join. But at least you have people

you can relate to on this group. I do not have diabetes, but have family

members who do. Have you considered trying any of the other devices for your

stick? I know we have a lot of nerve endings in the tips of our fingers and

I've seen the commercial for the one you can use on your arm (a lot less nerves

and according to the commercial a lot less pain).

I just moved from Texas to Illinois to be by my mother (I'm 52 and she's 72 and

in incredible health). I moved so she could help me get to doctor appts and

help me more. I was living with my daughter who worked full time as a teacher

plus has a 22 month old son. My other daughter was there also, and she also

worked full time, more than full time....she works for Child Protective Services

and her days average 12-14 hours!! So they couldn't help me very much and I

have gotten to the point I need a lot of help. I wasn't supposed to move until

after Christmas (I wanted to spend one more Christmas with my " family " - my

daughters and grandson are my life and I've never been away from them), but we

had a death in the family up here in Illinois, so the family on this end

(Illinois) decided for me I needed to stay when I came up for the funeral. So I

am heartbroken right now. I've been here 3 weeks and at least I'm not crying

everyday anymore.

But I moved from between Dallas and Fort Worth (I loved it there), all my

doctors were 5 minutes from the house. Now, I have to drive an hour to get to a

doctor. I know in my heart I had to make this move, it's just going to take a

while to really accept it and make the adjustment.

I had a BIG adjustment this morning. I have a dog and he always wakes me at 6

a.m. to feed him and let him out. I went to open the back door and couldn't!!!

We got about 5 " of snow last night (I haven't seen real snow in 20 years!!!). I

had to push and push and finally managed to get it open. I live in a trailer on

my brother's property (he's right next door). Anyway, I had to hold the coller

of my dog and tromp across the deck down 4 stairs and find his chain and get him

hooked up. Then I came in and got a broom and tried sweeping a path from the

door to the steps and then the steps. I did the best I could. I thought my dog

would love he snow and would run and play, but he's a Texan too, did his

business and wanted right back in!! I had to change clothes when it was all

said and done. My pjs were soaked half way up to my knees and my socks also.

I'm sure my brother will be over later today with the snow shovel or snow

blower. They're all worried I'm going to fall on this mess (yesterday we woke

up to 1 " and he came with the shovel and did both porches). It's going to take

a long time to get used to this winter weather......hardly ever had to worry

about this down where I used to live.

I have arthritis and this cold is killing me. I have a lot of health conditions

and just (finally after 2 1/2 years) went on SSD. What is worrying me the most

is they have found nodules on my lungs, on my lymph nodes in my neck and one on

my thyroid. I'm in the six month waiting period to repeat the CT's to see if

there is any growth. I had all the tests set up down in Texas for this month,

but, of course, the move, so everything got cancelled. Here, I can't get in to

the specialists until Jan 29ths, then they'll have to order the tests and who

knows how long that will take, and then the followup visit to get the results.

So I'm sitting here waiting to see if I have cancer. My husband left me when I

started getting sick (about 5 years ago). I managed to keep working until June

2005 and then I just couldn't go on anymore. I lost my job, my house, had to

pull out all my retirement accts to pay medical bills, I've lost everything.

This is a great place to " vent " . Everyone here understands. I wish I could

help you more, answer your questions, but I'm not that familiar with diabetes.

I will keep you in my prayers. And you might want to check out a different

tester.

Take Care, B. in Illinois

Debstar <harleydiva.debbie@...> wrote: Hi I am Debbie

and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am

type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday.

My sugars just won't stay under control. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know if I

have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac

yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by

helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health

issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist

suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the

chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age

15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen

started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the

gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic

Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of

being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289

fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have

sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also

my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me

right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries,

no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me

something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically

sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin,

but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care

of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting

hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle

remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping

that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for

listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor

kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.

  Debbie Bullock

cure cystic fibrosis

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try

it now.

Take Care,

B.

[Guest guest]

WELCOME TO THE GROUP;; DEBBIE;; THERE ARE SO MANY SUPPORTIVE FOLKS HERE ;; GOOD LISTENERS & ALSO A LOT OF GOOD INFO;; ONE OF OUR MODERATORS;; HELEN.. SENDS LOTS OF INFO TO THE GROUP AS DO OTHERS ALSO;; TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF HUGS DORT FROM MICH;;Debstar <harleydiva.debbie@...> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been

diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I

am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon,

but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock

[Guest guest]

Hey just curious if you are related to Boyce. Jeanne Boyce <cboyce1@...> wrote: Hi Debbie,Welcome to the group and I'm sorry to had to join. But at least you have people you can relate to on this group. I do not have diabetes, but have family members who do. Have you considered trying any of the other devices for your stick? I know we have a lot of nerve endings in the tips of our fingers and I've seen the commercial for the one you can use on your arm (a lot less nerves and according to the commercial a lot less

pain).I just moved from Texas to Illinois to be by my mother (I'm 52 and she's 72 and in incredible health). I moved so she could help me get to doctor appts and help me more. I was living with my daughter who worked full time as a teacher plus has a 22 month old son. My other daughter was there also, and she also worked full time, more than full time....she works for Child Protective Services and her days average 12-14 hours!! So they couldn't help me very much and I have gotten to the point I need a lot of help. I wasn't supposed to move until after Christmas (I wanted to spend one more Christmas with my "family" - my daughters and grandson are my life and I've never been away from them), but we had a death in the family up here in Illinois, so the family on this end (Illinois) decided for me I needed to stay when I came up for the funeral. So I am heartbroken right now. I've been here 3 weeks and at least I'm not crying everyday anymore.But I moved from

between Dallas and Fort Worth (I loved it there), all my doctors were 5 minutes from the house. Now, I have to drive an hour to get to a doctor. I know in my heart I had to make this move, it's just going to take a while to really accept it and make the adjustment. I had a BIG adjustment this morning. I have a dog and he always wakes me at 6 a.m. to feed him and let him out. I went to open the back door and couldn't!!! We got about 5" of snow last night (I haven't seen real snow in 20 years!!!). I had to push and push and finally managed to get it open. I live in a trailer on my brother's property (he's right next door). Anyway, I had to hold the coller of my dog and tromp across the deck down 4 stairs and find his chain and get him hooked up. Then I came in and got a broom and tried sweeping a path from the door to the steps and then the steps. I did the best I could. I thought my dog would love he snow and would run and play, but he's a Texan too, did his

business and wanted right back in!! I had to change clothes when it was all said and done. My pjs were soaked half way up to my knees and my socks also. I'm sure my brother will be over later today with the snow shovel or snow blower. They're all worried I'm going to fall on this mess (yesterday we woke up to 1" and he came with the shovel and did both porches). It's going to take a long time to get used to this winter weather......hardly ever had to worry about this down where I used to live.I have arthritis and this cold is killing me. I have a lot of health conditions and just (finally after 2 1/2 years) went on SSD. What is worrying me the most is they have found nodules on my lungs, on my lymph nodes in my neck and one on my thyroid. I'm in the six month waiting period to repeat the CT's to see if there is any growth. I had all the tests set up down in Texas for this month, but, of course, the move, so everything got cancelled. Here, I can't get in to the

specialists until Jan 29ths, then they'll have to order the tests and who knows how long that will take, and then the followup visit to get the results. So I'm sitting here waiting to see if I have cancer. My husband left me when I started getting sick (about 5 years ago). I managed to keep working until June 2005 and then I just couldn't go on anymore. I lost my job, my house, had to pull out all my retirement accts to pay medical bills, I've lost everything. This is a great place to "vent". Everyone here understands. I wish I could help you more, answer your questions, but I'm not that familiar with diabetes. I will keep you in my prayers. And you might want to check out a different tester.Take Care, B. in IllinoisDebstar <harleydiva.debbiegmail> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic

educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars

ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have

been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock cure cystic fibrosisBe a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. Take Care, B.Take Care Debbie

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

[Guest guest]

Thank you. I am glad to find this group.

 

Debbie Bullock

AVON Independent Sales Representative

AVON Beauty Advisor

Unit Leader

harleydiva.debbie@...

www.youravon.com/dbullock

-- Re: New here and needing support

good to have you in the group. i am sure you will find tons of support here. look forward to hearing from you again.

evelynDebstar <harleydiva.debbie@...> wrote:

Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control.

I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals).

So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick.

BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.

 

Debbie Bullock

cure cystic fibrosis

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

First I want to thank all for the warm welcome. I am sure I missed a few.

, I truly understand how you feel, ironically I am from Green Bay Wisconsin, and have moved to Utah. The winters are more mild here, and I have been here for 23 years, my drs are here (my family Dr for 18 years I couldn't bear to lose him). Then I have 2 special needs kids, a fab ped, and a wonderful ped dentists, the therapists, psycitraists, I don't know how I would replace them all. Gentle hugs to you.

 

Debbie Bullock

AVON Independent Sales Representative

AVON Beauty Advisor

Unit Leader

harleydiva.debbie@...

www.youravon.com/dbullock

-- Re: Re: New here and needing support

Hi Debbie,

Welcome to the group and I'm sorry to had to join. But at least you have people you can relate to on this group. I do not have diabetes, but have family members who do. Have you considered trying any of the other devices for your stick? I know we have a lot of nerve endings in the tips of our fingers and I've seen the commercial for the one you can use on your arm (a lot less nerves and according to the commercial a lot less pain).

I just moved from Texas to Illinois to be by my mother (I'm 52 and she's 72 and in incredible health). I moved so she could help me get to doctor appts and help me more. I was living with my daughter who worked full time as a teacher plus has a 22 month old son. My other daughter was there also, and she also worked full time, more than full time....she works for Child Protective Services and her days average 12-14 hours!! So they couldn't help me very much and I have gotten to the point I need a lot of help. I wasn't supposed to move until after Christmas (I wanted to spend one more Christmas with my "family" - my daughters and grandson are my life and I've never been away from them), but we had a death in the family up here in Illinois, so the family on this end (Illinois) decided for me I needed to stay when I came up for the funeral. So I am heartbroken right now. I've been here 3 weeks and at least I'm not crying everyday anymore.

But I moved from between Dallas and Fort Worth (I loved it there), all my doctors were 5 minutes from the house. Now, I have to drive an hour to get to a doctor. I know in my heart I had to make this move, it's just going to take a while to really accept it and make the adjustment.

I had a BIG adjustment this morning. I have a dog and he always wakes me at 6 a.m. to feed him and let him out. I went to open the back door and couldn't!!! We got about 5" of snow last night (I haven't seen real snow in 20 years!!!). I had to push and push and finally managed to get it open. I live in a trailer on my brother's property (he's right next door). Anyway, I had to hold the coller of my dog and tromp across the deck down 4 stairs and find his chain and get him hooked up. Then I came in and got a broom and tried sweeping a path from the door to the steps and then the steps. I did the best I could. I thought my dog would love he snow and would run and play, but he's a Texan too, did his business and wanted right back in!! I had to change clothes when it was all said and done. My pjs were soaked half way up to my knees and my socks also. I'm sure my brother will be over later today with the snow shovel or snow blower. They're all worried I'm going to fall on this mess (yesterday we woke up to 1" and he came with the shovel and did both porches). It's going to take a long time to get used to this winter weather......hardly ever had to worry about this down where I used to live.

I have arthritis and this cold is killing me. I have a lot of health conditions and just (finally after 2 1/2 years) went on SSD. What is worrying me the most is they have found nodules on my lungs, on my lymph nodes in my neck and one on my thyroid. I'm in the six month waiting period to repeat the CT's to see if there is any growth. I had all the tests set up down in Texas for this month, but, of course, the move, so everything got cancelled. Here, I can't get in to the specialists until Jan 29ths, then they'll have to order the tests and who knows how long that will take, and then the followup visit to get the results. So I'm sitting here waiting to see if I have cancer. My husband left me when I started getting sick (about 5 years ago). I managed to keep working until June 2005 and then I just couldn't go on anymore. I lost my job, my house, had to pull out all my retirement accts to pay medical bills, I've lost everything.

This is a great place to "vent". Everyone here understands. I wish I could help you more, answer your questions, but I'm not that familiar with diabetes. I will keep you in my prayers. And you might want to check out a different tester.

Take Care, B. in Illinois

Debstar <harleydiva.debbie@...> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock

cure cystic fibrosis

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.

Take Care,

B.

~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~

The Being Sick Community

Message Archives-/messages

Chat:- Scheduled Chats at

/chat

Bookmarks:-

Add a website URL you have found useful.

/links

Personal Complaints or problems:-

Please contact a moderator

email: -owner

Subscription Details:-

1) Individual email - means that every email sent to the list you receive.

2) Daily Digest - sends you 25 messages in one single email for you to browse. This is an excellent option if you receive alot of email.

3) Web only/No mail - means that you can pop into groups at your convenience and receive no email.

To modify your subscription settings please visit:-

/join

To subscribe or unsubscribe please email:-

-subscribe

-unsubscribe

This group is not intended to diagnose or treat illnesses. No one on this group is qualified to diagnose medical conditions. If you feel you need medical attention, seek the advice of a qualified physician.

~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~

When nothing is sure, everything is possible.

--- Margaret Drabble

~~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~ *** ~~~~

[Guest guest]

Hello DebbieThey make glucometers where you lance the forearm instead of the finger tips.   There's fewer nerves in the forearm so there's less of a chance of getting one of those stings.    You can usually arrange to be reimbursed for the price of a new glucometer as they make their money off the test strips.   As to stings from the actual injections, you could pull out and try another site when you feel the sting,   I usually just go ahead and inject and just live with the bruise as it would be just my luck for the next site to be worse.   The insulin pens are supposed to go in easier as the needles on them haven't been inserted through the vial's seal so they still have all of their lubrication on them, those needles tend to be smaller and shorter as well, I've had mixed results with the pens, sometimes I think it was less painful with the syringes.   What was the most painful is when they take arterial blood for the oxidation readings while in the hospital.Doctors in Brazil told me that it's pretty difficult to tell the difference between pneumonia, bronchitis and pulmonary edema from Congestive Heart Failure ( I was hospitalized in Brazil while on a business trip back in 2004, seems that the Brazilians are well versed in CHF as they have a very high salt content in their diet, the Brazilian office covered the expense but I've been religiously purchasing travel medical insurance ever since ).   What did they do to diagnose the water retention in your lungs?   With me, it was listening for the pop and crackles in the lungs while I breathe (sounds like rice krispies), the third heartbeat sound, a chest x-ray which showed enlargement of the heart and a echocardiogram to estimate the ejection fraction ( it was 15% when I was first diagnosed with CHF , fortunately it's gotten much better since then ). Have you contacted the pharmaceutical that makes Lexapro to tell them you had to discontinue using it due to expenses?   Usually they will arrange to provide you with the medication for free rather than have you stop using it.   They do this to defuse any criticisms of the high prices that they charge for the medications in the States by claiming that those who can't afford the meds will still be treated.   Medications are a lot less expensive in Canada and Brazil, having grown up in Canada, I refuse to believe the statements that the FDA makes about the meds there being potentially substandard, if anything it's more likely to be vice versa.What type of insulin did they put you on, was it something high tech like Lantus (gLargine) for a nice steady basal dose or something faster that needs to be timed to meals?   I think that anti-depressants are a good idea since maintaining a positive attitude is important to recovery.   I actually specifically asked for anti-depressants and a therapist when I was diagnosed with CHF, don't know if there was any actual depression, I just knew that becoming depressed when faced with serious illnesses was a sure way to die.   I did find Prozac a bit deadening in that it just numbed everything so I switched to Welbutrin, the transition was a little rough as your emotions go all over the place the first few days ( they really should warn people about that so arrangements can be made to not leave them alone and unmonitored ), but it seems to be better.   The diabetes followed the CHF by about a year so it could've been triggered by the stress of the heart medications which essentially kept the load on the heart down despite the need for bloodflow by the rest of the organs.   They first had me on Amaryl which just had the glucose levels all over the place, incredibly low after the meds were taken etc.   Once we switched to Lantus for a basal level and Metformin to try and control the fasting levels, it all evened out to a HgA1c of 5.5% with fasting levels between 90 and 100 mg/dl.   When you think about it, the absorption rates of oral medications vary a lot so it doesn't make sense to try and control something like blood glucose by oral methods alone.That helicopter ride must've been quite the experience, was it covered by insurance?Regards,On Dec 16, 2007, at 12:47 AM, Debstar wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I  and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.  Debbie Bullock 

[Guest guest]

Hey ;; Too bad you had to move from a warm climate to a cold one;; I pray that you will adjust soon;; so nice that you have your mom & brother to help you but Im sure you do miss your kids & g kids;;Can they get to come to see you?/ I also have arthritus & also Fibromyalgia & have lived in Mich all my life;; I sure would love to be in a warmer place for my body too but could never leave all my kids & g.kids here;;but it is true ;; the winters in our states kill us in the winter;; the cold & damp;But I cant handle high humidity either whether it is hot or cold;;;You take care Hugs Dort from Mich Boyce <cboyce1@...> wrote: Hi Debbie,Welcome to the group and I'm sorry to had to join. But at least you have people you can relate to on this group. I do not have diabetes, but have family members who do. Have you considered trying any of the other devices for your stick? I know we have a lot of nerve endings in the tips of our fingers and I've seen the commercial for the one you can use on your arm (a lot less nerves and according to the commercial a lot less pain).I just moved from Texas to Illinois to be by my mother (I'm 52 and she's 72 and in incredible health). I moved so she could help me get to doctor appts and help me more. I was living with my daughter who worked full time as a teacher plus has a 22 month old son. My other daughter was there also, and she also worked full time, more than full time....she works for

Child Protective Services and her days average 12-14 hours!! So they couldn't help me very much and I have gotten to the point I need a lot of help. I wasn't supposed to move until after Christmas (I wanted to spend one more Christmas with my "family" - my daughters and grandson are my life and I've never been away from them), but we had a death in the family up here in Illinois, so the family on this end (Illinois) decided for me I needed to stay when I came up for the funeral. So I am heartbroken right now. I've been here 3 weeks and at least I'm not crying everyday anymore.But I moved from between Dallas and Fort Worth (I loved it there), all my doctors were 5 minutes from the house. Now, I have to drive an hour to get to a doctor. I know in my heart I had to make this move, it's just going to take a while to really accept it and make the adjustment. I had a BIG adjustment this morning. I have a dog and he always wakes me at 6 a.m. to feed him and let

him out. I went to open the back door and couldn't!!! We got about 5" of snow last night (I haven't seen real snow in 20 years!!!). I had to push and push and finally managed to get it open. I live in a trailer on my brother's property (he's right next door). Anyway, I had to hold the coller of my dog and tromp across the deck down 4 stairs and find his chain and get him hooked up. Then I came in and got a broom and tried sweeping a path from the door to the steps and then the steps. I did the best I could. I thought my dog would love he snow and would run and play, but he's a Texan too, did his business and wanted right back in!! I had to change clothes when it was all said and done. My pjs were soaked half way up to my knees and my socks also. I'm sure my brother will be over later today with the snow shovel or snow blower. They're all worried I'm going to fall on this mess (yesterday we woke up to 1" and he came with the shovel and did both porches). It's going to take

a long time to get used to this winter weather......hardly ever had to worry about this down where I used to live.I have arthritis and this cold is killing me. I have a lot of health conditions and just (finally after 2 1/2 years) went on SSD. What is worrying me the most is they have found nodules on my lungs, on my lymph nodes in my neck and one on my thyroid. I'm in the six month waiting period to repeat the CT's to see if there is any growth. I had all the tests set up down in Texas for this month, but, of course, the move, so everything got cancelled. Here, I can't get in to the specialists until Jan 29ths, then they'll have to order the tests and who knows how long that will take, and then the followup visit to get the results. So I'm sitting here waiting to see if I have cancer. My husband left me when I started getting sick (about 5 years ago). I managed to keep working until June 2005 and then I just couldn't go on anymore. I lost my job, my house,

had to pull out all my retirement accts to pay medical bills, I've lost everything. This is a great place to "vent". Everyone here understands. I wish I could help you more, answer your questions, but I'm not that familiar with diabetes. I will keep you in my prayers. And you might want to check out a different tester.Take Care, B. in IllinoisDebstar <harleydiva.debbiegmail> wrote: Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health

issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals). So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with

me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick. BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.   Debbie Bullock cure cystic fibrosisBe a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. Take Care, B.

[Guest guest]

  Well, , I went to my family Dr and he put me back on Prozac. It is a good one that worked great for me, unfortunatley for me my great therapist passed in her sleep 2 years ago feb at the tender age of 52. And never found a good one since. I am going to a diabetes education with my husband on WEdnesday, and she has the name of a therapist that specializes in helping those that are chronically ill.

What happened was they did a an emergency stress and echo, and found the enlargement. The cardiologist that came to see me in the observation unit found the water retention and the water in my lungs the same way, listening. She told me the beginning of CHF. And to go off the avandia and see if it goes away.

Well surprise, my Dr (family one for 18 years) said he sees no CHF it appeared to be that with the water in the lungs at first (funny it disappeared with the absence of the Avandia for me but no Dr seems to notice that). He is checking to get my labs from the new endo, and see why they say I have a severe Vit D defecency enough to take 50,000 IU's for 28 days. I took them 2 days and felt more sick, so I called my aunt (she is 72 and has been the family med advisor for my whole life) and she said ask all the questions you need and don't ever take ANYTHING unless your questions are all satisfied. I think that is good advise. So no more til I hear a second opinion. I never heard a first just a call from a med assistant to ask for the pharmacy to call it in to.

Also I need a sleep test, to see if I have sleep apena. My Dr said try to go without the reg oxygen and I did one night, and felt horrible so I will keep on it, I am scared without it, I do feel clogged up and hoarse etc, in the morning after no oxygen. That is why he said if I want to, to try without it, but don't send the machine back unless I am sure I am fine without it.

Also I am THRILLED to be bloaty from the surgery, I tried to go shopping for a pretty new shirt after losing 18 pounds. Unfortunately my tummy is bigger. All I can think is I still have swelling from all the trama of surgery and the gas they pump you up with to remove the gall bladder, they said mine was bad and I was sick a long time before the removal.

I also want to say I am on Lantus, and Novalog. I know they make a pen for the Lantus I would like to see why I can't use that? The syringe drive me nuts, but the pen I can handle. I do also just stick and bear with it. I tried moving it once, but the needle is dull by then and it just plain stings anyways.

I also have special needs kids, and an 11 year old. It is hard for them too. The night home from the ob at ER, I just peeled up my jammie sleeve to peel off the tape from the iv, and my daugher (eleven and tender hearted) started crying a lot, I didn't realize my arm was bruised and it had the needle marks, etc all that lovely trama they do to you with EMT's hospitals etc. Also when I got the oxygen, she slowly backed away from me. She is used to it now, but it is sure hard with younger kids I spend my time smiling and pretending to them it is not so bad so they are not scared.

The helicopter ride is over rated, when you are in severe pain then on moriphine, but being in Utah, flying over the mountains in a windstomr was not my cup of tea. I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do with that money. And as for the expenses, my husband collects them up and says don't worry about it, I will take care of it. Well I know our money was bad before all this, but I will leave it for now, he is being over protective, and I am sure feels now he can see how easily he could lose me.

Debbie Bullock

AVON Independent Sales Representative

AVON Beauty Advisor

Unit Leader

harleydiva.debbie@...

www.youravon.com/dbullock

-- Re: New here and needing support

Hello Debbie

They make glucometers where you lance the forearm instead of the finger tips. There's fewer nerves in the forearm so there's less of a chance of getting one of those stings. You can usually arrange to be reimbursed for the price of a new glucometer as they make their money off the test strips. As to stings from the actual injections, you could pull out and try another site when you feel the sting, I usually just go ahead and inject and just live with the bruise as it would be just my luck for the next site to be worse. The insulin pens are supposed to go in easier as the needles on them haven't been inserted through the vial's seal so they still have all of their lubrication on them, those needles tend to be smaller and shorter as well, I've had mixed results with the pens, sometimes I think it was less painful with the syringes. What was the most painful is when they take arterial blood for the oxidation readings while in the hospital.

Doctors in Brazil told me that it's pretty difficult to tell the difference between pneumonia, bronchitis and pulmonary edema from Congestive Heart Failure ( I was hospitalized in Brazil while on a business trip back in 2004, seems that the Brazilians are well versed in CHF as they have a very high salt content in their diet, the Brazilian office covered the expense but I've been religiously purchasing travel medical insurance ever since ). What did they do to diagnose the water retention in your lungs? With me, it was listening for the pop and crackles in the lungs while I breathe (sounds like rice krispies), the third heartbeat sound, a chest x-ray which showed enlargement of the heart and a echocardiogram to estimate the ejection fraction ( it was 15% when I was first diagnosed with CHF , fortunately it's gotten much better since then ).

Have you contacted the pharmaceutical that makes Lexapro to tell them you had to discontinue using it due to expenses? Usually they will arrange to provide you with the medication for free rather than have you stop using it. They do this to defuse any criticisms of the high prices that they charge for the medications in the States by claiming that those who can't afford the meds will still be treated. Medications are a lot less expensive in Canada and Brazil, having grown up in Canada, I refuse to believe the statements that the FDA makes about the meds there being potentially substandard, if anything it's more likely to be vice versa.

What type of insulin did they put you on, was it something high tech like Lantus (gLargine) for a nice steady basal dose or something faster that needs to be timed to meals? I think that anti-depressants are a good idea since maintaining a positive attitude is important to recovery. I actually specifically asked for anti-depressants and a therapist when I was diagnosed with CHF, don't know if there was any actual depression, I just knew that becoming depressed when faced with serious illnesses was a sure way to die. I did find Prozac a bit deadening in that it just numbed everything so I switched to Welbutrin, the transition was a little rough as your emotions go all over the place the first few days ( they really should warn people about that so arrangements can be made to not leave them alone and unmonitored ), but it seems to be better. The diabetes followed the CHF by about a year so it could've been triggered by the stress of the heart medications which essentially kept the load on the heart down despite the need for bloodflow by the rest of the organs. They first had me on Amaryl which just had the glucose levels all over the place, incredibly low after the meds were taken etc. Once we switched to Lantus for a basal level and Metformin to try and control the fasting levels, it all evened out to a HgA1c of 5.5% with fasting levels between 90 and 100 mg/dl. When you think about it, the absorption rates of oral medications vary a lot so it doesn't make sense to try and control something like blood glucose by oral methods alone.

That helicopter ride must've been quite the experience, was it covered by insurance?

Regards,

On Dec 16, 2007, at 12:47 AM, Debstar wrote:

Hi I am Debbie and have been diabetic for 7 years this Feb 14. I just started insulin, I am type 2, and have a diabetic educator I and my husband am seeing this Wednesday. My sugars just won't stay under control.

I don't know if I have the energy or heart to tell my bit of my story, but my Dr put me on Prozac yesterday, I went off the Lexapro because of expenses. But I was flown by helicopter Sept 23, from Nevada back to salt lake. I have had multiple health issues. But mainly they found water retention and in my lungs, the cardiologist suggested going off the Avandia, so I did, then I got pneumonia, and still the chest pains, multiple ER visits (btw I am 45 and have 3 adopted children, age 15, 14, and 11, and a wonderful husband of 23 years). Well then the oxygen started when my stats were staying in the 80's. Then they found the pain was the gall bladder so it was taken out Thanksgiving week, the next week a new diabetic Dr and I went on insulin with a HgA1c of 9.8 (I am really getting so tired of being the only one that seemed concerned my sugars ranged from 229 to 289 fasting and before meals).

So now, I need a sleep study to see if I have sleep apena, I went without the oxygen, and woke up hoarse and stuffed up. Also my oldest 2 kids are special needs so a lot of stress around here. So that is me right now in a nutshell. And for my excitement, I am an Avon lady (no worries, no sales here from me). But if you do bear with me occasionally, it does give me something to do than sit around and feel sorry for myself for being chronically sick.

BTW, just a question. I usually do the pokes okay with the insulin, but sometimes get a lasting sting it bugs me. Is there anything that takes care of the sting??? Also, now that I am poking fingers 4 times a day, I am getting hardened on the sides of my fingers, I am thinking of using some of the cuticle remover or something from Avon, but does anyone have any secrets for helping that callused thing being a woman I do like to have soft hands. Well thanks for listening. I have been mostly quiet and depressed lately, or sarcastic humor kinda like Hawkeye Pierce I think to survive all the depressing health issues.

Debbie Bullock

[Guest guest]

Hello DebbieI'm not surprised that the CHF appeared to disappear after discontinuing Avandia.   CHF is basically a tipping point, at a certain point, your heart won't be able to provide the blood flow that's being asked of it so it enlarges in order to pump more blood but an enlarged heart is less efficient hence less blood gets pumped ( that's what Ejection Fraction measures, the percentage of the volume in the left ventricle that actually gets pumped out with each beat ), if less gets pumped out, the heart will enlarge more as it has not met the demands and the whole thing spirals out of control.   If matters can be brought back on the safe side of the tipping point and you haven't been in CHF too long, then things are good.   Stopping the Avandia probably brought you back from the edge of the cliff.   Going onto a low sodium diet will probably help big time as sodium causes fluid retention hence forcing the heart to work harder, the average North American diet has 12,000 mg of sodium per day but you shouldn't have more than 2,000 mg of sodium per day.I'm a bit surprised that they did a stress/echo as an emergency procedure  instead of just an echocardiogram.   It was about two years before they would risk putting me through the stress portion of a stress/echo, initially I was instructed to not walk more than ten minutes nor lift more than ten pounds which is difficult when it takes longer than that to cross a parking lot and a laptop weighs more than ten pounds.   Even now, I think they cut out the stress part short of the mark just to be on the safe side.I think that they can't tell how close you are to having CHF, just when you're already pretty bad off.   Of course, it's nice to hear them say that they can't find any indications of CHF.   My last stress/echo report simply said "appears normal with some evidence of left ventricle enlargement". I would also add "google everything" to your Aunt's advice.   The Doctor's just want to see as many patients in a day to increase their billables, no one is going to actually monitor your condition except yourself.   Particularly with CHF, the developments in treatment are all very recent; most Doctors would just have outdated information and how often does a GP actually get a CHF patient who's not 95 years old?   My GP and even my sister who's also a GP thought I was a goner and would be dead within two years (that was six years ago) but my Cardiologist who had been following the latest news on the subject was reluctant to make any predictions whatsoever, probably an indication of his greater experience and wisdom.   When I researched on the net, I found out that the drug regime that he put me on were based on very early preliminary tests and at that time had not been the accepted treatment though it became the accepted treatment within a year.The pen for Lantus is the Opticlick, there's another one that's available in other countries that's somewhat slimmer, mechanical rather than electronic and I think it's called the autopen.   The Opticlick is not available for purchase, the manufacturer will give the Doctor a sample and it's up to the Doctor to hand it out to one of his/her patients, the excuse being that the Doctor can train you on how it works but I would imagine that they have less liability if they don't sell it.   It comes with an instructional DVD, a carry case and a sample set of needles.   The cartridges are much more expensive than the vials but are convenient in that they only have 3ml each so you don't have to worry about using them up before they go bad.   Because the Opticlick is electronic, you can't put it in the refrigerator nor can you get it wet.   Frio sells a special travel sleeve with a nylon sleeve to separate the Opticlick from the bulk of the travel sleeve so that it doesn't get wet from the evaporative layers, it still gets a bit wet but I haven't had any problems with it.   It's tempting to try and get an autopen since it would fit standard travel bags better and could be refrigerated but that would mean getting a Canadian Doctor to prescribe it and so many Americans had gone to Canadian Doctors without paying that they now charge something like $160 just for a Doctor's visit if you live in the States (used to be $40 if you lived state side, they're not allowed to charge any kind of co-pay to Canadian residents), besides the autopen would also have to be purchased.Regards,On Dec 18, 2007, at 12:38 AM, Debstar wrote:  Well, , I went to my family Dr and he put me back on Prozac. It is a good one that worked great for me, unfortunatley for me my great therapist passed in her sleep 2 years ago feb at the tender age of 52. And never found a good one since. I am going to a diabetes education with my husband on WEdnesday, and she has the name of a therapist that specializes in helping those that are chronically ill. What happened was they did a an emergency stress and echo, and found the enlargement. The cardiologist that came to see me in the observation unit found the water retention and the water in my lungs the same way, listening. She told me the beginning of CHF. And to go off the avandia and see if it goes away. Well surprise, my Dr (family one for 18 years) said he sees no CHF it appeared to be  that with the water in the lungs at first (funny it disappeared with the absence of the Avandia for me but no Dr seems to notice that). He is checking to get my labs from the new endo, and see why they say I have a severe Vit D defecency enough to take 50,000 IU's for 28 days. I took them 2 days and felt more sick, so I called my aunt (she is 72 and has been the family med advisor for my whole life) and she said ask all the questions you need and don't ever take ANYTHING unless your questions are all satisfied. I think that is good advise. So no more til I hear a second opinion. I never heard a first just a call from a med assistant to ask for the pharmacy to call it in to. Also I need a sleep test, to see if I have sleep apena. My Dr said try to go without the reg oxygen and I did one night, and felt horrible so I will keep on it, I am scared without it, I do feel clogged up and hoarse etc, in the morning after no oxygen. That is why he said if I want to, to try without it, but don't send the machine back unless I am sure I am fine without it. Also I am THRILLED to be bloaty from the surgery, I tried to go shopping for a pretty new shirt after losing 18 pounds. Unfortunately my tummy is bigger. All I can think is I still have swelling from all the trama of surgery and the gas they pump you up with to remove the gall bladder, they said mine was bad and I was sick a long time before the removal. I also want to say I am on Lantus, and Novalog. I know they make a pen for the Lantus I would like to see why I can't use that? The syringe drive me nuts, but the pen I can handle. I do also just stick and bear with it. I tried moving it once, but the needle is dull by then and it just plain stings anyways. I also have special needs kids, and an 11 year old. It is hard for them too. The night home from the ob at ER, I just peeled up my jammie sleeve to peel off the tape from the iv, and my daugher (eleven and tender hearted) started crying a lot, I didn't realize my arm was bruised and it had the needle marks, etc all that lovely trama they do to you with EMT's hospitals etc. Also when I got the oxygen, she slowly backed away from me. She is used to it now, but it is sure hard with younger kids I spend my time smiling and pretending to them it is not so bad so they are not scared. The helicopter ride is over rated, when you are in severe pain then on moriphine, but being in Utah, flying over the mountains in a windstomr was not my cup of tea. I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do with that money. And as for the expenses, my husband collects them up and says don't worry about it, I will take care of it. Well I know our money was bad before all this, but I will leave it for now, he is being over protective, and I am sure feels now he can see how easily he could lose me.  Debbie BullockAVON Independent Sales RepresentativeAVON Beauty AdvisorUnit Leaderharleydiva.debbiegmailwww.youravon.com/dbullock RECENT ACTIVITY7New MembersVisit Your GroupGet cancer supportConnect w/ othersfind help & shareFruitaBü GroupA Parent´s Placeto share ideas onfamily cooking. HealthLooking for Love?Find relationshipadvice and answers..