Angiogram @ hello! yoshi

So I got notified that there is no indications of any stenosis in my artery feeding my new kidney according to my CT scan. This is great news. That means no need to do an angiogram to open up the artery.

Good news for once is great to hear. On a different note…

We went to visit a nurse practitioner the other day to evaluate insulin pumps. Those are ungodly expensive but worth every penny I’d think. They can cost upwards to 5,000 bucks. That’s extreme though. I think with my insurance I would end up dishing out about 800 to a 1,000 bucks. Still pretty costly and it doesn’t include supplemental supplies like the tubing and the catheters.

I also learned I probably wouldn’t benefit too much from using it since I would have to replace the insulin every other day or so. It’s because I use anywhere from 150 to 200 units a day of insulin. Yes it’s quite a bit. Exercise and better eating will help this.

I’m going to see a nutritionist to see what she can recomend. I already know I need to eat more food that has a low glycemic index. I also know I need to become more active. With the neuropathy and back pains it’s Really tough for me but I have to do it.

I think I might pass on the insulin pump only because my case is a bit different. I am very very insulin resistant. And I already spend a fortune on medicine and Medicare. I don’t think I need to add onto that. I should probably talk to my wife about it and come to a final decision. Crazy!

So as of late, things have been going good. I’m starting to Really get into a routine of taking my meds and insulin at regular intervals. I’ve been getting used to doing readings every so often as well too. As of now, I’m on at least 18 different medications and two types of insulin. I’ve also been getting used to taking my vitals twice a day as well. So it’s all been getting routine.

Today was the monthly visit to the Nephrologist at University of Washington Medical Center. He’s such a great doc. Today, when we saw him he apparently heard something he didn’t like. Basically he could hear the blood pumping through my artery at my new kidney. What does this mean? There could be a collapse of the artery at that location, or there could be a “kink” in the artery because the kidney is shifting. He said in the past they haven’t Really done anything about it because my bloodwork looked Really good, and it wasn’t very alarming. But he said it sounded louder so it could be getting worse. He said it was better to take care of the problem while it was small instead of letting it get worse and worse then having to take care of it when it was critical.

So what does this all mean? Well, I had an ultrasound today which will hopefully help determine that. If indeed there is a big issue (a kink or collapse of the artery), then the next thing would be to do a cat scan. The cat scan will tell us exactly what it looks like and what is going on. After the cat scan, if indeed there is a big problem, then the next step would be an Angiogram. Fun. Yes, it’s similar to the angiograms for the heart. Actually it’s exactly the same procedure, except in a different location.

Lots of ifs going on there. But you know, everything is possible. We knew that eventually we would have to do something about this. Best to do it now than later I suppose. Luckily recovery is not a big deal, maybe a day or two of taking care of myself, nothing I don’t do already. I can’t do anything stressful to my body like lifting heavy objects, but you know, I can’t do that now.

So that’s what’s been going on as of late in my world of Malignant Diabetes. How’s yours?