Healthy Rose in 2009

So 2009 is starting off to be the year of health/medical related things for Rose. Well, either that or January is the month of …you get the point.

Saturday, I had CPR training. Our church was giving free training thru the local Red Cross for anyone who wanted it, but people who have anything to do with the children’s ministry were especially encouraged to do it. Well, I am in the Toddler’s Nursery for an hour each month, so I guess technically I qualify. But frankly, I have to say I didn’t take it because of my concern for the toddler’s in my care for that hour (and I realize that maybe that isn’t exactly the most Christian like attitude to have, but..) I took it in case I’m out in Wadesville with the ‘Rents and something happens to Dad (or Mom, I’m impartial). Living in the boonies, it could take a bit for the EMS to get there. Although as my mother pointed out, the odds of anything happening during the exact time frame of when I’m out there are slim, but still better safe than sorry. Plus I figure it was a good thing to do and highly recommend getting trained.

Next, yesterday I had allergy testing. For years, I’ve figured I have all sorts of allergies. I mean, I go outside and work in the ‘Rents’ yard and I get the hives or some strange poison ivy like rash all over me. Plus, year round, I’m snotting and snorting all over the place. Disgusting, I know. Then recently there’s the whole eye thing, with all the eye boogs and crusties. The ophthalmologist decided it was probably an allergy, maybe even to my cats. :( So, I did like I was instructed and took a week off of my antihistamines – which was very difficult because of the extra snotting and snorting – and showed up yesterday for my tests. They poked me with the usual 62 reactants and the two controls and I sat there with my arms stretched out for 15 minutes, itching. Good news! – I’m not allergic to ANYTHING, including my kitty-poos. Bad news – no answer to the eye boogs and snotting and snorting. Sigh.

So the doctor’s suggestion is that I flush out my sinuses with warm saline water – gave me a packet of stuff to use – and gave me a Rx for Nasonex. I did the flushing thing this AM and it was interesting to say the least. I had blown my nose before doing it, and I was amazed at what still came out! And as I’m sitting here breathing, there’s no snottiness present, despite my last blow being about 7:30. Too cool!

My next brush with the medical world will be a sleep study that I have this coming Sunday night. Over Thanksgiving, my sister Haley slept at my place, with the teenage girls, and lucky her, she got to sleep in my bed with me and the cats. Ok, she didn’t think of herself as being too lucky because I gather I snore and she said I’d stop breathing and then when I resumed, I’d be gasping for breath. Plus, for the past 6 months or so, I’ve just been exhausted. Even when I wake up from a good night’s sleep, I’m tired. So I figured it was time to investigate to see if I have sleep apnea and see if something could be done. So as I said, my study is Sunday night. I have to be there at 7:30 pm, I get to bring my teddy bear along, and it should all be over by 7 am Monday morning – which means I can still be at work on time… definitely a mixed blessing, that one.

So my theory is that after the sleep study next week, I’ll peruse the health insurance brochure and see what other kinds of specialists there are that maybe I’d like to try out!