CPAPtalk.com

robysue wrote: As far as the kitchen stuff goes: I wonder if there's any way that you and hubby could reorganize things in the kitchen to make it easier for you. Obviously you can't do the reorganizing yourself, but maybe if the two of you put your heads together while actually looking at the current kitchen organization, some small changes might occur to you, and even small changes might make it easier for you to independently get yourself a bite to eat when you want to.

For example, maybe you could simply store some of the most commonly needed items on the kitchen counters: If there's always a mixing bowl (or two) and a storage container (or two) on the kitchen counters, that saves you a few steps and some reaching and grabbing for things that are stored in the cabinets.

It's funny you say this because we actually have done this to a degree. One of the big things was moving my K-cup brewer to a lower table in the dining room where I can brew my coffee whenever I want. We also put a Brita water dispenser on the center island, facing out, so I can get water for drinking (a stack of plastic cups beside it) and the coffee pots whenever I want. My husband leaves a LOT of stuff on the island which I can drive my new wheelchair totally around, which helps a LOT. Our silverware is in a drawer in the island and I can get that from my chair or with only a few steps from the preparation area. It's hard to keep everything on the counter/island but we do things as we think of them.

We also try to keep things that I want to the RIGHT side of the refrigerator so I can grab them from my wheelchair. We don't always make it (you can't keep EVERYTHING on the right) but things they know I might want when I'm alone -- mostly to the right hand side.

Again, if anyone has made any suggestions that I haven't addressed, please forgive me. My doctor upped my dose of Metformin and I'm having a horrendous time adjusting (between that and the complete change in diet). My system is so messed up and I am so sick to my stomach, plus not keeping food in my system. I'm hoping I will adjust and be okay in a few weeks, but for now, I am one very miserable and unhappy camper. Not sleeping worth a crap either, but I can't deal with everything at once, you know?

So sorry you had to add diabetes to your plate of woes, you are a real trooper. Wish we could help you

Hope you feel better soon Madalot. It really sucks when the medication that's supposed to help you makes you feel like crud.

Best wishes

herefishy wrote:So sorry you had to add diabetes to your plate of woes, you are a real trooper. Wish we could help you

mgaggie wrote:Hope you feel better soon Madalot. It really sucks when the medication that's supposed to help you makes you feel like crud.

Best wishes

Thank you. I'll get through this, although at this particular moment, I am not overly enthused. But I truly feel that once I can get adjusted to the Metformin and the change in diet, I will be better off and hopefully feel better.

The oxygen thing: My RT came yesterday for her quarterly visit. I explained why I wasn't using the oxygen. She and I discussed the overnight pulse ox I did OFF oxygen and while I stayed above 90, I did drop to 91%. She also pointed out that my oxygen level was on a steady decline all night. It started out great, but you could see almost like the step of a ladder going downward. The possibility does exist that I won't be able to stay off the oxygen permanently. So, what she and I agreed to is I'll keep the concentrator I have now, but she's going to ask her guys to see if they can find one that is either new or very low hours and put it aside for me. If I decided to go back on oxygen, she'll arrange to get me a better one.

It's been very nice NOT to listen to that noise over night, but I do miss the way I feel with it. Diabetes control first, then I'll worry about the oxygen.

Madalot wrote: It's been very nice NOT to listen to that noise over night, but I do miss the way I feel with it. Diabetes control first, then I'll worry about the oxygen.

did you see my note about remote controlled outlets? that way you could have it in the spare room, and turn it on and off with a push of a button.

palerider wrote:

Madalot wrote: It's been very nice NOT to listen to that noise over night, but I do miss the way I feel with it. Diabetes control first, then I'll worry about the oxygen.

did you see my note about remote controlled outlets? that way you could have it in the spare room, and turn it on and off with a push of a button.

I did see that and I apologize for not responding to it.

The way our house is set up, there's really no room to put it. Our master is on the main floor of the house and is off the front foyer and family room. We would have to run a cord either behind the bed and outside the main door, across the doorway to the den or across the front foyer. There's just NOT a good way to do it based on the set up of our house.

That being said, I AM going to keep it in mind if there's no other choice. The first concentrator I had (I wish I had never said it was making a funky noise) wasn't that bad. I could sleep over it easily. It's the last 5 they've sent out that have been just awful. This last one started out fine for a week, but then after it ran a few hours, it sounded like the motor was wearing out.

Madalot wrote: The way our house is set up, there's really no room to put it. Our master is on the main floor of the house and is off the front foyer and family room. We would have to run a cord either behind the bed and outside the main door, across the doorway to the den or across the front foyer. There's just NOT a good way to do it based on the set up of our house.

I was just afraid the suggestion might have gotten lost in the flow of messages

I'd though the cordless remote switch might work, based on your comment about not being able (understandably) to get up and go to the other room to turn on the concentrator, so I just focused on eliminating the going into the other room part

I wouldn't be above an unobtrusive hole in the wall down by the baseboard if necessary... I've done worse *lol*.

maybe the DME will pull their head outta their butts and get you a machine that works.

You know that you can put a long "hose" on a concentrator, don't you? Drill a small hole through the wall in an unobtrusive place in the LR or foyer and thread the O2 hose through the wall. I put mine in a closet about 25' away from the bed and it worked fine

palerider wrote:I was just afraid the suggestion might have gotten lost in the flow of messages

I'd though the cordless remote switch might work, based on your comment about not being able (understandably) to get up and go to the other room to turn on the concentrator, so I just focused on eliminating the going into the other room part

I wouldn't be above an unobtrusive hole in the wall down by the baseboard if necessary... I've done worse *lol*.

maybe the DME will pull their head outta their butts and get you a machine that works.

My husband is very creative and *IF* it comes to that where I just cannot get by without it AND we can't get a decent concentrator, I will definitely mention this to him and see what he can come up as a solution for putting it in another room with the remote switch for me by the bed.

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some helpful suggestions. I talked with a few friends that are dealing with diabetes and they all asked if you had read the book "Blood Sugar 101." They say that the information in that book can help dial your diet in so you can get by with minimal medication, or none at all.

Prayers and wonderful thoughts headed your way, and if there is anything I can do to help just let me know.

When I had a bad knee problem, I put an office swivel chair in the kitchen and it helped a lot to be able to roll around and do stuff. It was adjustable height, which helped a bit, but I still had to stand up occasionally. I don't know how easy it would be compared to a rollator.

You still have to get up and down, and do the tuna stuff outdoors.

You can stuff the smelly stuff into a plastic container and put it in the fridge or freezer till later and make fewer trips to the outside trash can.

I've only been on APAP a year now, so we have never "met", but I'll throw my two cents in for what it's worth.
I have been eating low carb now for about 18 months. I was obese, but I lost 60 lbs and am now normal weight, just by going low carb. I am terrible about exercising, so that has not been a contributor to my weight loss.
I started out with Atkins. They have a great website to get you started. There are many varieties of frozen Atkins dinners, as well as shakes and bars, available in most grocery stores; these may help you, since food prep is so difficult for you.
I have since found all sorts of recipes and substitutions so I never feel deprived of the "comfort foods" that undue a diet. Try alldayIdreamaboutfood.com for one. ( I recommend the PB chocolate lava cake.) If you spouse can lay out the ingredients you need, they mix up quickly.
There are lots of other low carb sites and menus out there, and something is available for all food categories from appetizers to main course to everyone's favorite-Dessert!
For me, getting rid of carbs has made all the difference in the world.

HoseCrusher wrote:I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some helpful suggestions. I talked with a few friends that are dealing with diabetes and they all asked if you had read the book "Blood Sugar 101." They say that the information in that book can help dial your diet in so you can get by with minimal medication, or none at all.

Prayers and wonderful thoughts headed your way, and if there is anything I can do to help just let me know.

Thanks, HoseCrusher! I appreciate this. Something I'm doing (meds/diet/combo) must be doing something because all of my tests in the last week have been "In Range" and the range on my meter is more restrictive than the one on diabetes.org (I think). But I'll definitely look into that book!

archangle wrote:When I had a bad knee problem, I put an office swivel chair in the kitchen and it helped a lot to be able to roll around and do stuff. It was adjustable height, which helped a bit, but I still had to stand up occasionally. I don't know how easy it would be compared to a rollator.

Thanks for the suggestion, archangle. Probably not very doable since I'd have to use my legs to move around, then use my arms from a sitting position. One thing a lot of people forget is that it's not just my legs that are weak. My arms are very weak too and it's much harder trying to use them for cooking from a sitting position because I have to lift up. When standing, gravity works in my favor since you reach down from a standing position.

College3girls wrote:I've only been on APAP a year now, so we have never "met", but I'll throw my two cents in for what it's worth.
I have been eating low carb now for about 18 months. I was obese, but I lost 60 lbs and am now normal weight, just by going low carb. I am terrible about exercising, so that has not been a contributor to my weight loss.
I started out with Atkins. They have a great website to get you started. There are many varieties of frozen Atkins dinners, as well as shakes and bars, available in most grocery stores; these may help you, since food prep is so difficult for you.
I have since found all sorts of recipes and substitutions so I never feel deprived of the "comfort foods" that undue a diet. Try alldayIdreamaboutfood.com for one. ( I recommend the PB chocolate lava cake.) If you spouse can lay out the ingredients you need, they mix up quickly.
There are lots of other low carb sites and menus out there, and something is available for all food categories from appetizers to main course to everyone's favorite-Dessert!
For me, getting rid of carbs has made all the difference in the world.

Thank you, College3girls! I've been contemplating investigating some of the Adkins foods available in the grocery store. It's not a bad idea to have some of that stuff available, especially when I'm alone.

Madalot,

I'm glad to hear you and hubby have already done some serious thinking about the kitchen organization and that you've made a series of changes designed to help ease your troubles in dealing "simple" tasks that are anything but simple for you to do.

I'm also glad to hear that tests are all in range; that can help with the needed motivation to keep plugging away at all the necessary changes to the diet needed for the diabetes diagnosis. I do hope you adjust to the new diabetes medication relatively quickly.

And here's hoping that a solution to the pesky O2 concentrator problems is found by the DME. You've been through the wringer on that one.