JSkinner, Where Are You? How Are You Doing?

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:00 am

James, are you all right? How are you doing? I keep hoping to read that you are improving and the new med is clearing up your nasal passages, sinuses and mouth AND that you are feeling better and getting rested again!

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:35 pm

yep, I was wondering the same thing, he looked pretty bad in that last picture, if I was a doctor I would have admitted him to rule out CHF.

I fear he is having a real battle with that fungal infection and not getting the best of medical care.

lvwildcat · Post by **lvwildcat** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 6:30 pm

Wow you guys I was thinking the same thing-those pictures looked like 2 totally different people

offlineon · Post by **offlineon** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 6:50 pm

My half a cent. It is more likely to be a result of an allergy, or a side effect of the meds he might have to take for his infection - my thoughts and hope any way.

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:47 pm

I'm still here (barely some days). Here is whats been going on.

End of last week I talked to my pharmacist and she thought that if I had a fungal infection then my tongue condition might have been brought on by the use of the antibiotics. I stopped the antibiotics and when to talk to my GP about it the next day. He denied the possibility at first but then conceded it was possible.

On Friday during the night it got to the point where I just couldn't take it any longer so I headed to a local hospital's emergency dept. When I got there the triage nurse was very understanding. She said she normally worked in the sleep lab during the day and she seemed very knowledgeable about sleep apnea. In fact she is the first medical professional that I have talked to who really seemed understand how bad this was and was able to understand my charts. She warned me though that the Emerge doctors would probably not know much about sleep apnea.

After 4 hours of waiting I finally got to see a dr. The dr. tried the best she could but she didn't really have any answers. She went and talked with the Resperologist on duty and came back saying that she would write a referral to a resperologist at the hospital to see if they could get me in sooner. She also suggested that I add Atrovant to my mix of meds to see if that would help any.

So after that I wondered home and crashed after being awake for about 36 hours. I was practically falling asleep standing up by that point. I was only able to sleep for about 4 hours though using the oral mask.

Not to much has happened since then. There might be a slight improvement but its hard to say for sure. I seem to be having some postnasal mucus discharge so I think thats a good sign. I've been feeling like crap since the oral mask doesn't control the apnea well.

Today I saw my GP and he wants me to try some prednisone for a week. He wrote me a script but I haven't started it yet. I'm a bit leery at this point. I have a CT scan of my sinus scheduled for Thursday so thats my next apt.

On Friday I have decided to fly to Nova Scotia to be with my parents. I'm just too worn out to be alone here taking care of myself any more. I will come back to Ottawa in time for my apt with a Resperologist on March 6th.

I probably won't be online much while I am home since I have to go 'into town' to get to a computer. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and concern. Hopefully I will more improvement to report soon.

-James

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:02 pm

Holy smokes! it would be easier to tell your doctor what you are NOT taking then what you may be taking:

Before taking prednisone,

* tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to prednisone, any other medications, or any of the inactive ingredients in prednisone tablets or solutions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of the inactive ingredients.
* tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone); anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); certain antifungals such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral) and voriconazole (Vfend);aprepitant (Emend); aspirin; carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol); cimetidine (Tagamet); clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpak); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); delavirdine (Rescriptor); diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac, others); dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexpak); diuretics ('water pills'); efavirenz (Sustiva); fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem); fluvoxamine (Luvox); griseofulvin (Fulvicin, Grifulvin, Gris-PEG); HIV protease inhibitors including atazanavir (Reyataz), indinavir (Crixivan), lopinavir (in Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase); hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, and injections); lovastatin (Altocor, Mevacor); medications for diabetes; nefazodone; nevirapine (Viramune); phenobarbital; phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek); rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate); sertraline (Zoloft); troleandomycin (TAO); verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan); and zafirlukast (Accolate).Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
* tell your doctor what herbal products you are taking or plan to take, especially St. John's wort.
* tell your doctor if you have an eye infection now or have ever had eye infections that come and go and if you have or have ever had threadworms (a type of worm that can live inside the body); diabetes; high blood pressure; emotional problems; mental illness; myasthenia gravis (a condition in which the muscles become weak); osteoporosis (condition in which the bones become weak and fragile and can break easily); seizures; tuberculosis (TB); ulcers; or liver, kidney, intestinal, heart, or thyroid disease.
* tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking prednisone, call your doctor.
* if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, or need emergency medical treatment, tell the doctor, dentist, or medical staff that you are taking or have recently stopped taking prednisone. You should carry a card or wear a bracelet with this information in case you are unable to speak in a medical emergency.
* do not have any vaccinations (shots to prevent diseases) without talking to your doctor.
* you should know that prednisone may decrease your ability to fight infection and may prevent you from developing symptoms if you get an infection. Stay away from people who are sick and wash your hands often while you are taking this medication. Be sure to avoid people who have chicken pox or measles. Call your doctor immediately if you think you may have been around someone who had chicken pox or measles.

allend · Post by **allend** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:15 pm

James, If I get a buy one get one free into sleep nirvana, you get it. The sleep Gods look very highly at you for all the work you've done in programming.

I have a feeling from what I've read here that I need more than a ten day supply of antibiotics because it was only 4 weeks from the end of my last sinus infection.

Maybe you need an infectious disease specialist who knows what fights whatever you have. I am wondering if the ENTs are really the best people to go to for antibiotics and perhaps an internist is better but if you're talking about fungus, you need someone who knows that inside out.

Have you tried research Medline or one of the medical databases? I'll check to see what I can dig up.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:18 pm

jskinner wrote:On Friday I have decided to fly to Nova Scotia to be with my parents. I'm just too worn out to be alone here taking care of myself any more. I will come back to Ottawa in time for my apt with a Resperologist on March 6th.

I've been wondering if there might be some place else you could stay, in case this might be an "environmental" issue in the place you're living. If things improve while you're in NS, it just might be a clue.

Best wishes,

Den

offlineon · Post by **offlineon** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:18 pm

Sounds like you are going through hell, James

Prednisone takes hours to kick in but they (corticosteroids) can be a real wonder drug. Your Doc would have told you to lower your dose slowly towards the end - this is important.

allend · Post by **allend** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:23 pm

Wulfman wrote:

I've been wondering if there might be some place else you could stay, in case this might be an "environmental" issue in the place you're living. If things improve while you're in NS, it just might be a clue.

Den

Den,

Good point. Could be mold of some kind.

Allen

-SWS · Post by **-SWS** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:25 pm

James, so sorry to hear about your difficulties. Is there any chance you might get better relief temporarily sleeping upright without CPAP---perhaps in a recliner?

I suppose the answer to that question would depend on just how severe your occlusions were while sleeping that way. Take care and get well!

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:42 pm

Wulfman wrote:I've been wondering if there might be some place else you could stay, in case this might be an "environmental" issue in the place you're living. If things improve while you're in NS, it just might be a clue.

Yes this is a secondary reason for going way, to see if being somewhere else makes a difference. Early on in November being away from my condo seemed to help so I thought it might be something here I was reacting to. At that point my allergiest thought it might be left over cat dander so I got my carpets replaced with laminate flooring. But when things got really bad it no longer mattered where I was.

When I went home for a visit last September I really noticed that I was breathing easier, however when I was home again for Christmas in Dec things didn't improve like they had on the previous visit.

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:45 pm

allend wrote:If I get a buy one get one free into sleep nirvana, you get it.

Oh Gawd, I hope you get one

allend wrote:The sleep Gods look very highly at you for all the work you've done in programming.

I have been so disappointed that I have not been able to work on EPA since this started. I was having so much fun working on it before all this...

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:48 pm

allend wrote:Could be mold of some kind.

And.... our building had a pipe mold issue a few years ago... which I am assure d was completely cleared up (for 1+ millions dollars). Although I do find mold on my windows occasionally...

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:50 pm

-SWS wrote:Is there any chance you might get better relief temporarily sleeping upright without CPAP---perhaps in a recliner?

I wish that was possible. If I even fall asleep for 30 or 45 minutes without CPAP then I have a splitting headache (and that apnea drained feeling) for the rest of the day.

JSkinner, Where Are You? How Are You Doing?

JSkinner, Where Are You? How Are You Doing?

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