Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

[The Old Hack 2,448]

4 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Thanks. Just got back from picking up prescriptions. The doctor says I have a separate upper respiratory (ear+nose+throat) infection to go with whatever the hell is wrong with my upper GI issue. He gave me Augmentin and benzonatate for the respiratory problems. He also felt around on my stomach below my rib cage and said it all seems "tight." Result: blood tests to check WTF is going on.

Oof. Hope it is nothing too serious. As always, take good care of yourself. Oh, and Pharaoh, no bloody Get-Better-Hippopotami this time. The last time did not end well.

[PSadlon 88]

New primary care physician because the only behavioral health doctor who will actually accept new patients with my insurance in my area (Brevard Health Alliance) requires you go to them for ALL aspects of you care (medical, dental, behavioral health).

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

6 hours ago, PSadlon said:

New primary care physician because the only behavioral health doctor who will actually accept new patients with my insurance in my area (Brevard Health Alliance) requires you go to them for ALL aspects of you care (medical, dental, behavioral health).

Wait, dental??  Is this person an MD/DDS?

[PSadlon 88]

They have MDs, DDSes, DOs, PsyDs, & DMDs on staff (plus standard support staff like ARPNs & RDHs). It's more you see any of their doctors for basic care, you see their doctors for any other basic care and if you need a specialist they refer you.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Blood test results:

White blood cell count still elevated (chronic leukocytosis).

Everything else is normal.

The doctor is going to see how I respond to the OTC Nexium + Augmentin horse pills. At least the swelling inside my right ear has decreased slightly.

[ijuin 572]

14 hours ago, PSadlon said:

They have MDs, DDSes, DOs, PsyDs, & DMDs on staff (plus standard support staff like ARPNs & RDHs). It's more you see any of their doctors for basic care, you see their doctors for any other basic care and if you need a specialist they refer you.

Ah so it's the whole clinic, not just a specific person. Reminds me of Kaiser Permanente, actually.

[PSadlon 88]

Yeah but without their own insurance.

[PSadlon 88]

So I had to go there today because in the last 5 day since my first appointment an allergy attack turned sinusitis.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

The swelling in my right ear is still decreasing. Not 100% gone yet, but it's getting there.

Haven't had a repeat of my upper GI problem since going on the Augmentin, although I did have to take a Phenergan Sunday night.

BTW, the upper GI problem involved an urgent need to barf immediately after eating. It happened three times in two weeks prior to the doctor visit. Could have been an H. pylori infection, which the OTC Nexium and the Augmentin will hopefully get rid of.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I'm stuck dealing with a side effect of one of the medicines the doctor gave me for the URI/UGI issues. He put me on 200mg of benzonatate (i.e., Tessalon Perles) 3x daily to keep me from coughing and re-injuring my right lower ribs (which I pulled while doing what is in the small print in my previous post). It's working, but in combination with everything else I'm on, it's knocking me flat out on my arse. Not even a WTFU cup of coffee can stop it.

I don't know if this belongs in the Changing Medications thread or the Things That Make You MAD thread.

At least I got my Grammy votes in yesterday and my disabled parking placard renewal mailed today. I've still got to pick up a prescription refill, get more Kleenex for the cedar fever drippage, and get my truck inspected. No way I'm getting all three done by the end of this week.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

2 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I'm stuck dealing with a side effect of one of the medicines the doctor gave me for the URI/UGI issues. He put me on 200mg of benzonatate (i.e., Tessalon Perles) 3x daily to keep me from coughing and re-injuring my right lower ribs (which I pulled while doing what is in the small print in my previous post). It's working, but in combination with everything else I'm on, it's knocking me flat out on my arse. Not even a WTFU cup of coffee can stop it.

I don't know if this belongs in the Changing Medications thread or the Things That Make You MAD thread.

At least I got my Grammy votes in yesterday and my disabled parking placard renewal mailed today. I've still got to pick up a prescription refill, get more Kleenex for the cedar fever drippage, and get my truck inspected. No way I'm getting all three done by the end of this week.

Ouch. I am really sorry to hear. Just remember that the top priority is getting better. Don't stress yourself by getting mad at yourself; you don't deserve that.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

I wanted to keep quiet about the medical problems I and my family have experienced recently.  But I have reached a point where I need to vent.

 

Near the end of 2015, my father had a stroke.  He was home by Christmas.  And he was slowly making steps towards recovery.  In the middle of February, he attended a reunion and realized just how bad he was.  At that point it was as if he lost the will to try.  He died by the end of March.

My mother had been showing signs of dementia back in the 1990s, but it was little more than an inconvenience.  I took mom to the hospital to see her husband after the stroke.  On the way out of the hospital, she asked me "who was that man?"  By July, I was unable to care for her myself any more and had her admitted to an assisted living memory care facility.  Just before Labor Day, she tripped on her shoelaces and broke her hip.  At the hospital, the prognosis was bleak.  Without surgery, she would be bedridden and in pain for the rest of her life.  With surgery, the hip could bear weight almost immediately, but the anesthesia could cause her dementia to accelerate.  I approved the surgery and her mind never recovered.  just further and further out of it every day.   The first rehab facility where she was admitted after the hospital was a crowded and stinky hole.  It was actually fortunate that she contracted an infection there and had to go back to the hospital.  The next rehab facility was much more professional. but her mind was almost completely gone at that point.  At least she was relatively comfortable for the last few weeks.  She died early in December.

I had been first diagnosed with depression back in 2004, but had been maintaining for over a decade.  Events over the last year seemed to push me beyond the capabilities of my medication.

Finally I got myself to my physician.  He sent me to a crisis counselor.  She sent me to a psychiatrist.

My weight is up.  Sugar and triglycerides are dangerously high.  I am adding at least two new pills to bring my daily pill count up over 20.  My severely pronated arches prevent me from any type of exercise involving walking, running, or jumping, so I need to join a gym because the doctor recommends ellipticals and rowing.  I must call my insurance company and beg them to let me have a sleep study to confirm sleep apnea.  And to top everything off, the psychiatrist informs me that I probably have aspergers.

Then just to add some annoying little problems, I go and snap my reading glasses.  The pharmacy cheaters are fine when I look directly at the screen, but warp everything in my peripheral vision like a fish-eye lens.

And I hit the half century mark less than a month ago.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

You have my deepest sympathies, on all counts. I've been there on some, seen my wife deal with others. Take care of yourself as best as you can.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

3 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

And I hit the half century mark less than a month ago.

You have my sympathies as well. Sometimes it is as life simply cannot get enough ordure dropped at you from a great height. If it is any help at all, our thoughts are with you and we will all be with you as you go through this. You are a poster I greatly value for your dry humour, your keen wit and your insights. You are an important reason that this forum is the place it is and so you may freely lean on us when you need to.

Be well, old friend, and take care.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Geez. Now you've got me wondering. I've never counted how many pills I take.

Turns out I take 22 just for the morning.

I take five more midday.

My nighttime dose? 28.

Good Lord, that's 55 pills a day. No wonder I sometimes feel queasy after taking all of them.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Good Lord, that's 55 pills a day. No wonder I sometimes feel queasy after taking all of them.

Remind me not to bitch about my 7 a day.  Granted up to 8 more on a migraine day, but that's still tiny compared to yours.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Taking so many pills irritated my stomach.  Eventually I wound up with acid reflux that would make lying down uncomfortable.

The solution was to add another pill.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

The solution was to add another pill.

Something like Nexium or Prilosec, right? That was pill #56 a week or so ago. Had to take it along with pill #57/58 (Augmentin 2x daily) to knock out an H. pylori infection in my upper GI tract. If yours doesn't get knocked out (heaven forbid), ask your doctor about H. pylori treatment. That many pills can throw off your gut.

 

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

Remind me not to bitch about my 7 a day.  Granted up to 8 more on a migraine day, but that's still tiny compared to yours.

Yeah, but yours are a significant bit stronger than mine, I'll wager.

[mlooney 3,417]

6 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Yeah, but yours are a significant bit stronger than mine, I'll wager.

I suspect so.

[mlooney 3,417]

TMI

The lower numbers on the Bristol Stool scale really, really and truly suck.  #1 in particular really makes me want to cry.  Or some times makes me cry, literally.

This moment of TMI brought to you by a handful of psychoactive drugs, despite the best efforts of a high fibre diet.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

TMI

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The lower numbers on the Bristol Stool scale really, really and truly suck.  #1 in particular really makes me want to cry.  Or some times makes me cry, literally.

This moment of TMI brought to you by a handful of psychoactive drugs, despite the best efforts of a high fibre diet.

 

 

Commiserations. My tramadol does that to me sometimes.

[mlooney 3,417]

3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Commiserations. My tramadol does that to me sometimes.

What's weird is that after the, ah, incident, I took my medications, to include a sleep aid.  I had one of those dreams where I'm not quite sure if it was a dream or not.  I was dreaming of laying in bed and farting.

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

Pill count: 11 to 12 1/2, one of them an OTC allergy pill.  Four are big ol' horse pills.  Plus chewable vitamin and, if I can at the right time, a couple of gummy melatonins.

Re Bristol scale, the big ol' horse pills tend to have the opposite effect, sometime all the way up to the top.

I haven't checked my weight in a while, so I don't know if it's up or down.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Damn. I started off the day feeling somewhat better than Monday, but now my coffee has given me nausea. Phenergan to the rescue.

/* brain starts fogging over */

Lousy side effects. I had stuff to do today. Now I can't drive without getting pulled over for a pharmaceutical DUI.