It’s been a while since my last health update, but that’s because there hasn’t been much to report. I had an appointment with my cardiologist, Dr. Desai, on April 26. He remains satisfied with the state of my heart. I’ve been wearing the defibrillator for four months now, and it hasn’t had to do anything. Dr. Desai thinks we can dispense with it soon, but before deciding, he wants me to have another echocardiogram. My first one was on December 31, while I was in the hospital. Comparing the two should be useful for measuring my progress. The new echo is scheduled for May 10.

Dr. Desai also commented on my weight. It seems that I have gained a few pounds (four or five, I think), and he would prefer that this trend not continue. He doesn’t think it’s fluid this time, just calories. I told him he’s probably right about that, since I’m been focusing mainly on sodium and fluid intake, and not on calories. After the appointment, I decided that the wisest course of action is to rejoin Weight Watchers. I’ve actually signed up for the service already, but I probably won’t start rigorously tracking my food for a week or so.

I had an appointment with my pulmonologist, Dr. Vora, on April 18. He wasn’t aware of what had happened since the last time we met, so I spent some time bringing him up to date. He listened to my lungs and said they sounded healthly. He asked if I could remove the SmartStick (basically, a USB flash drive) from my CPAP machine and bring it in so that he could download the data. I was a little surprised, because I’ve been using the machine for many years and have never been asked for the SmartStick before. After I dropped it off the next day, his practice called to say they couldn’t read the data. I made a few phone calls and, after talking with a local medical supply store and the customer service line for the company that made the machine, I concluded that it’s probably not possible. The problem is that the machine is so old that nobody really supports it anymore.

I was told that insurance companies will pay for a new machine every five years, and I’ve definitely had mine far longer than that. Current CPAP machines don’t use USB sticks for data — they connect to your Wi-Fi and upload the date over the Internet. They’re also smaller and lighter than the one I have, which will be nice for travel. I called Dr. Vora’s office and asked him to write a prescription for a new machine.

But there’s a snag. The insurance company will want to see the sleep study data that indicates a need for a CPAP. My original sleep study was close to twenty years ago, and I have no records of it. I don’t even remember who conducted it or where. Dr. Vora suggested that we repeat the sleep study. Fortunately, I won’t have to spend the night in a lab as I did the first time. I can do a home sleep study. I have appointment to pick up a sleep study kit tomorrow, at which time they’ll instruct me on how to use it. Afterward, I’ll drop off the kit and they can analyze the data it recorded.

One other health note: I am currently sick with a cold. Nothing major, just a runny nose, achy joints, fatigue, and possible fever. (I feel rather warm at times, but I’ve tried measuring my temperature with one of those forehead thermometers, and it always says 97.6.) I started feeling ill on Saturday evening and spent pretty much all of Sunday in bed, resting. Today is Monday, and I felt well enough to work. But I’m probably going to bed early tonight.

And that’s it for now. Nothing much going on with my health, which is how I like it.

Update: I called Dr. Vora’s sleep lab to tell them that I was sick, and we agreed that it makes sense to postpone my appointment to pick up the home sleep study kit to next week.