Will be going for an overnight sleep study, buggar.

My thoracic surgeon is getting the sleep study laboratory to send me an appointment for an overnight sleep study to check for sleep apnoea. If I didnt keep my basic health insurance up which is $100.00 a month I wouldnt even be getting any of this, as it is done private and is like a hospital admission.

With my disappointment over the not so nice bedside manner in the past few years with neurologists and neurosurgeons it was nice to actually get a thoracic surgeon who is also a respiratory physician who is thorough and has a decent bedside manner without judging me personally.

I had to go to him because of my bronchitis exacerbations for my emphysemia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, copd, due to smoking over the past 42 years. Sometimes physicians in this area wont even bother doing studies if they know you are still smoking, I know because I had been to one of those before.

So off for a chest x-ray today, lung function tests at another laboratory tomorrow and then travel down to Melbourne for the overnight sleep study to check for sleep apnoea.

My physician is Jewish, but he is not cranky or too old, he checked me over well and doing his job which I liked and he was nice with it. Then after all those tests have to go back for the results.

He didnt yell when I told him I still smoked but I told him what I suffer from and what I am on and he didnt judge. He actually said sleep apnoea makes any mental illness you have worse as well as increasing the risk of stroke when you stop breathing.

Mmmh.

What I don't understand - because I have never smoked - is why those that do; continue to do so when they know it is damaging their health? Can you explain this to me Biggs? I'm not having a dig, just curious is all. Any other smokers with an answer too?


I hope your doctor can do something for you. Good luck with that.

I am not ashamed to come out and say I suffer from manic depression and a range of other mental health issues associated with this, like obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and psychosis.

On major medication for this Lithium, plus Efexor-XR, two tablets 150 and 75 mg. If I dont take them I get suicidal.

Now there were other issues from early childhood and through my adult relationships where I was abused and still cannot relax totally now, eventhough I am divorced and am now living by myself with my cat Ed. Ed does not abuse me so I feel so lucky about that.

It is hard to describe how things get for me but I dont mind coming out and telling people about it. Another person in my family also has the same condition, so we believe it is generational mainly with the females.

I think my physician understood thank God, many dont and therefore wont even treat you.

A close relative has been enormously helpful to me with these problems and does not want me to kick off before hand, I do my best with this request.

I did tell my physician on Tuesday that if I did get cancer that I would not be accepting treatment for same. I worked in the medical field enough myself to know what the oncologists say about chemotherapy and some types of cancer. Hypnotherapy does not work on me, I have had heaps of that by different people for smoking etc, just doesnt work. The gum and lozenges are useless, might as well suck on cardboard. The patches only make me psychotic and I cannot take the new medication because I am on antipsychotics.

I hope this explains it a bit my love. xo