Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

11:08 p.m. CDT 20170607. Oww. This damned hydrocodone/Tramadol mix is not giving me decent pain relief. I can feel the pin on the inside of my left big toe sticking through my skin—and moving around. I took my last dose about an hour ago, along with the rest of my "drug cocktail." This included my last dose of Augmentin and my last booster of vitamin B complex. This is not fun.

The right leg is still lumpy after the bout of scratching earlier today. It's still less purple, but it's a little bit red now.

Doctor's appointment times tomorrow—10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CDT. I'm going to miss almost all of the congressional fireworks, unless it's on a TV where we go to get lunch between appointments.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

2 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Before I finally put my mother in an assisted living facility, I had home health services that would come in three times a week and help my mom shower and get her medicines.  This was covered by her insurance.  Is there a service that could help you bathe and regularly change the wrappings on the leg?

I had that when I broke both my ankles and was unable to take care of myself back in 2009/2010. I think I had to have a prescription for that. This is much, much different. I can walk, albeit with my left foot wrapped and in a moon boot and with my right foot in pain from spinal nerve problems. All the person would have to do is unwrap my left foot, wash it, and re-bandage it. I don't think I could get a prescription for that.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

4:07 p.m. CDT 20170608. Many developments today. Two doctor's appointments, a trip to a medical supply store, and a referral call, all within a few hours. Busy busy busy.

The first appointment was with my primary care doctor. He checked out several things: declared my edema vastly improved if not gone, said the redness from my bruising was probably a flood of macrophages that entered the bruised area and caused the itching, looked at a sore I've had on my ear for about 5 months and told me to put some steroid cream on it, and ran blood tests on my white cell count and my vitamin D levels. He also said he'd work with me on solving Dr. [Redacted]'s stupidity about the hydrocodone prescription, but more on that to come.

Next stop was at a medical supply store to get a new orthopedic shoe that I can wear in the shower, wrapped in plastic. The one I have is at least 15 years old and accidentally got wet, so it has reached its end of life. This one's much sturdier.

Stop number three was at the podiatrist's office. He unwrapped my foot and gave it a good cleaning for Mrs. Prof's sake. While he was out of the room, I had her take photos of it. Now, due to some problems I've had with the nail on that toe (it went ingrown twice and is not a pretty sight), along with the nails on the other toes, I am not going to post these pictures in the open. If someone can show me how to post a picture using the Spoiler feature of the board, I'll post them then, but only then. Trust me, they're quite gnarly. Anyway, he re-bandaged the foot and told me to come back in a week. Said I'd probably have to have the "K-wires" in my toe for three or four more weeks.

The final medical matter happened once I got home, practically after I walked through the door. UT Southwestern Medical Center's Neurosurgery department called to set up an appointment for—get this—tomorrow! One day after I receive the call from the referral! Wow. The only bad thing is that Mrs. Prof is going to have to drive us through rush hour traffic from the far east side of Dallas through Downtown, up to the Medical District and the appropriate UT Southwestern tower (where they charge $5 for valet parking), and she'll have to get us there by 9:00 a.m. CDT. How she'll pull that off without a double dose of coffee I'll never know. In the meantime, I've filled out most of their online new patient surveys (I couldn't fill out their Neck Pain survey, since it asked questions that conflicted with the Back Pain survey), only to find 23 more pages of paperwork in my inbox that has to be filled out by tomorrow morning. Yeah, I think that'll happen after a bit of a nap. (I had a near collapsing bout near the medical supply store.)

This day has almost been too much to handle all at once, and I haven't even turned on the TV to find out what happened in Washington, D.C. today. Grant me strength to make it through the night.

[Vorlonagent 442]

28 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

4:07 p.m. CDT 20170608. Many developments today. Two doctor's appointments, a trip to a medical supply store, and a referral call, all within a few hours. Busy busy busy.

The first appointment was with my primary care doctor. He checked out several things: declared my edema vastly improved if not gone, said the redness from my bruising was probably a flood of macrophages that entered the bruised area and caused the itching, looked at a sore I've had on my ear for about 5 months and told me to put some steroid cream on it, and ran blood tests on my white cell count and my vitamin D levels. He also said he'd work with me on solving Dr. [Redacted]'s stupidity about the hydrocodone prescription, but more on that to come.

Next stop was at a medical supply store to get a new orthopedic shoe that I can wear in the shower, wrapped in plastic. The one I have is at least 15 years old and accidentally got wet, so it has reached its end of life. This one's much sturdier.

Stop number three was at the podiatrist's office. He unwrapped my foot and gave it a good cleaning for Mrs. Prof's sake. While he was out of the room, I had her take photos of it. Now, due to some problems I've had with the nail on that toe (it went ingrown twice and is not a pretty sight), along with the nails on the other toes, I am not going to post these pictures in the open. If someone can show me how to post a picture using the Spoiler feature of the board, I'll post them then, but only then. Trust me, they're quite gnarly. Anyway, he re-bandaged the foot and told me to come back in a week. Said I'd probably have to have the "K-wires" in my toe for three or four more weeks.

The final medical matter happened once I got home, practically after I walked through the door. UT Southwestern Medical Center's Neurosurgery department called to set up an appointment for—get this—tomorrow! One day after I receive the call from the referral! Wow. The only bad thing is that Mrs. Prof is going to have to drive us through rush hour traffic from the far east side of Dallas through Downtown, up to the Medical District and the appropriate UT Southwestern tower (where they charge $5 for valet parking), and she'll have to get us there by 9:00 a.m. CDT. How she'll pull that off without a double dose of coffee I'll never know. In the meantime, I've filled out most of their online new patient surveys (I couldn't fill out their Neck Pain survey, since it asked questions that conflicted with the Back Pain survey), only to find 23 more pages of paperwork in my inbox that has to be filled out by tomorrow morning. Yeah, I think that'll happen after a bit of a nap. (I had a near collapsing bout near the medical supply store.)

This day has almost been too much to handle all at once, and I haven't even turned on the TV to find out what happened in Washington, D.C. today. Grant me strength to make it through the night.

There's nothing happening in DC that's worth your time at the moment.  The talking heads will be repeating any truly important goings-on well into the weekend so catch up later.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

52 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

This day has almost been too much to handle all at once, and I haven't even turned on the TV to find out what happened in Washington, D.C. today. Grant me strength to make it through the night.

A very busy day indeed! At least it seemed productive rather than frustrating. And I like that UT Southwestern are so quick off the mark -- somehow that seems to bode well to me.

24 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

There's nothing happening in DC that's worth your time at the moment.  The talking heads will be repeating any truly important goings-on well into the weekend so catch up later.

Agreed. In fact, I believe Vorlonagent may be too conservative in his estimate. I suspect they will be repeating not merely the important points but also the lesser ones well into next week.

[Vorlonagent 442]

gotta love the 24 hour news cycle.

Hmm.

On second thought...

[Don Edwards 548]

1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

In fact, I believe Vorlonagent may be too conservative in his estimate. I suspect they will be repeating not merely the important points but also the lesser ones well into next week.

Based on my observation, they'll be repeating the less-important points for at least a week, and the unsubstantiated rumors for at least a month, but never get around to mentioning the important points at all.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I am testing something.

Still testing.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

One final test.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Okay. I am going to link to the pictures of my big toe, taken today in my podiatrist's office.

WARNING

While my injury itself is not that gross, you might be grossed out by my toenails. I have had a chronic problem with them, especially with the one on the big toe. It has undergone ingrown toenail surgery twice and has wound up as the monstrosity that you will see if you click on any of the three links hidden in the spoiler tag. (At least, that's how I hope this will work.) You'll also notice that my other toenails have undergone similar growth problems. There's nothing I can do about them. I'm sorry.

So, with no further warning, I present what my post-op broken left big toe looks like, disgusting toenails and all.

http://www.lbjackson.com/images/bigtoe01a.jpg
http://www.lbjackson.com/images/bigtoe02a.jpg
http://www.lbjackson.com/images/bigtoe03a.jpg

You have been warned.

[Don Edwards 548]

I think my big toenails might look that bad if I had continued to go along with the podiatrist's recommendation to remove both sides of each one because of ingrown toenails... for the second time... (third time for one side of one nail)

But I had him just remove the entire toenails.

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Next stop was at a medical supply store to get a new orthopedic shoe that I can wear in the shower, wrapped in plastic. The one I have is at least 15 years old and accidentally got wet, so it has reached its end of life. This one's much sturdier.

Hooray!  I suspect it will be a small but marked improvement in your life beyond just making showers a bit easier.  Gear like that tends to evolve and improve over time.

Then again, Okabashi has never made a pair of sandals since that fit nearly as well as the first pair I got from them....

5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Said I'd probably have to have the "K-wires" in my toe for three or four more weeks.

K-wires!  Flashbacks to classes on orthopedic surgery there.  How to put back together a shattered wing or foreleg, not human toes, but most of the equipment is the same or similar.  :-)

5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

The final medical matter happened once I got home, practically after I walked through the door. UT Southwestern Medical Center's Neurosurgery department called to set up an appointment for—get this—tomorrow! One day after I receive the call from the referral! Wow.

Cool!  May this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, not to mention great pain control.

5 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

This day has almost been too much to handle all at once, and I haven't even turned on the TV to find out what happened in Washington, D.C. today. Grant me strength to make it through the night.

Do what all the kids are doing these days -- watch Colbert, he'll summarize for you and make you laugh doing it!

2 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

While my injury itself is not that gross, you might be grossed out by my toenails. I have had a chronic problem with them, especially with the one on the big toe. It has undergone ingrown toenail surgery twice and has wound up as the monstrosity that you will see if you click on any of the three links hidden in the spoiler tag. (At least, that's how I hope this will work.) You'll also notice that my other toenails have undergone similar growth problems. There's nothing I can do about them. I'm sorry.

Well, the spoiler tag and link buffers were doubtless a kindness for those sensitive to such things.  They do make me recall how my dad's many medical appointments included the trimming of his toenails.  They'd gotten thick, although his feet were wrapped up when I was visiting so I only know what my mom told me.  You should ask them about whether they can shorten that sucker safely.

1 hour ago, Don Edwards said:

But I had him just remove the entire toenails.

Okay, that gets me a little bit closer to squick than the images did.  I know in my head that it was likely for the best, but squick isn't always logical.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, CritterKeeper said:

You should ask them about whether they can shorten that sucker safely.

Mrs. Prof and I have already discussed this. We're going to ask him if there's anything he can do for my toes, especially my big one. I've got toenail problems on both feet.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

12:07 p.m. CDT 20170609. I've seen the neurosurgeon at UT Southwestern's Spine Clinic. He only had my CT myelogram to work with, but from it he could not find anything which could be fixed surgically. He asked me to get a copy of the MRI I had done back in March sent to him. That took a lot of finagling, but I finally managed to get the imaging place to accept a faxed request from the Spine Clinic. They'll be mailing a CD as soon as they can.

Meanwhile, the neurosurgeon said I would most likely be better treated by a pain management approach—possibly even injecting more blocks directly into the nerves, like the first procedure I had done. He had me get an appointment with—get this—Dr. Noe (cue the James Bond theme). However, for some unfathomable reason, everyone at UT Southwestern seems to start working when the rooster crows. My appointment with Dr. Noe is set for June 13th at 8:15 a.m. CDT. Good lord.

Also in the meanwhile, I got a voice mail while I was away this morning. From YET ANOTHER DOCTOR. My primary care doctor referred me to my ophthalmologist for a yearly diabetic retinopathy check. Dear lord, I don't have time for that right now! So, I called them back and asked them to postpone it to October. Besides, every single check I've had has been negative, so I think I can deal with the delay just this once.

[mlooney 3,417]

I just talked the EMSA crew out of taking me to the hospital.   I went out to check my mail, had a dizzy spell while walking down the concrete steps to the mail boxes, so I sat down.  Real fast and real hard.  Then I lowered me to be horizontal.  All this under control and without injury.  That's what I do if I think I'm about to fall.   95% of the time, or more, it prevents any bad things from happening.  As it happens, the postman saw me do this.  He called 911, and they were here within a few minutes.   Explained to the ambulance crew what was going on, had my blood pressure tested and lights flashed in my eyes, etc.  The didn't put up much of a fight when I "refused transport," because I suspect they didn't see anything really needing a trip to the ER.

Still doing better than Prof, not that it is a contest  :-)

[The Old Hack 2,448]

18 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Meanwhile, the neurosurgeon said I would most likely be better treated by a pain management approach—possibly even injecting more blocks directly into the nerves, like the first procedure I had done. He had me get an appointment with—get this—Dr. Noe (cue the James Bond theme). However, for some unfathomable reason, everyone at UT Southwestern seems to start working when the rooster crows. My appointment with Dr. Noe is set for June 13th at 8:15 a.m. CDT. Good lord.

Just keep an eye out for ninja and pools with sharks in them, and you'll be all right. Mind you, if someone passes you a stash of uncut diamonds it will be time for you to be careful. In that case, make sure that your sexy assistant and driver (Mrs. Prof) has the engine warm and ready for a fast escape.

[mlooney 3,417]

11 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

However, for some unfathomable reason, everyone at UT Southwestern seems to start working when the rooster crows. My appointment with Dr. Noe is set for June 13th at 8:15 a.m. CDT.

 

 

My local doctors have a bad case of that as well.  It's like pulling teeth to get an appointment after 10:00.   Last time, when offered a 08:00 slot, I said that was a bit early, got anything else.  The Nice Lady™ must not have understood me, because she gave me a counter offer of "well, 07:00 is as early as we have open".  After asking about the afternoon, I got "Oh, all those are open, how about 3:30 PM?"

[Yzjdriel 22]

39 minutes ago, mlooney said:

My local doctors have a bad case of that as well.  It's like pulling teeth to get an appointment after 10:00.   Last time, when offered a 08:00 slot, I said that was a bit early, got anything else.  The Nice Lady™ must not have understood me, because she gave me a counter offer of "well, 07:00 is as early as we have open".  After asking about the afternoon, I got "Oh, all those are open, how about 3:30 PM?"

I hate when that happens.  They'll try to tell me that there is only one time slot open every day for two months straight because the doctors want to get in at 6 and leave at noon.  I just smile at them and say, "No, it's not.  I can see your appointment book.  I am available from X:00 to Y:00 on Weekday afternoon.  Find me a spot then."  And then they can either do it or sputter an excuse as I leave and go to another care facility (my primary doctor works at three different places depending on the week).

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

2 hours ago, mlooney said:

I just talked the EMSA crew out of taking me to the hospital.

Good grief! You can't let those postal employees deliver you into the hands of the EMS techs, man! Be careful where you sit!

2 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

In that case, make sure that your sexy assistant and driver (Mrs. Prof) has the engine warm and ready for a fast escape.

I thought that was Mrs. Peel, Not Mrs. Prof.  

[mlooney 3,417]

Just now, ProfessorTomoe said:

Good grief! You can't let those postal employees deliver you into the hands of the EMS techs, man! Be careful where you sit!

 

Better to sit than face plant.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

7 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Better to sit than face plant.

This is true.

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

Better to sit than face plant.

If you plant a face, what does it grow?  Or do you plant face seeds and grow a face plant from them?

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

7 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

If you plant a face, what does it grow?

Nothing, unless your name is Joshua. Then it grows a tree and sues U2 for royalties for using its name as an album title.

BTW, I just realized something: my appointment with the UT Southwestern Pain Clinic is on June 13th. That's the same day that I'll run out of my hydrocodone prescription, and the day that Dr. [Redacted] from STT wrote that I could get my new 30-day 110-pill (i.e., non-4x-a-day) prescription filled. I do think I'll be sharing that little detail with the Pain Clinic, in hopes that they are not as stingy or downright mean as Dr. [Screen Bursts Into Flames] was.

I am thankful for the help of my primary care physician, though. He has given me permission to take three Tramadol each night. So, for the first ½ hydrocodone dose at 4pm, I supplement it with one Tramadol. I supplement the second ½ dose at 10pm with two Tramadol pills. Repeat until July 12th, after which I will see Dr. Noe (Dah-dat-DAH-DAAAAH-dah-Dah-DAAAAH) the following morning.

Complicated. I enjoy making fun of it, though.   

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

All the same, if Ursula Andress is waiting for Dr Noe ahead of you, get out.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

11:51 p.m. CDT 20170609. I've been on the sine wave roller coaster again today, with a DC offset well below y = 0. I'm blaming it on the residual effects of the Lasix, which my body did not seem to tolerate well at all. I also woke up with a case of Opioid-Induced Constipation—a bad one that demanded attention in coming out. Add in massive heartburn from the leftovers of some Panera sandwich Mrs. Prof brought home from a TNR fundraiser last night, and you've got me taking several OTC medicines just to get me to the doctor on time. I've spent most of the day either asleep, at the doctor's office, or on the phone with medical personnel. I'm getting in plenty of rest before shower time tomorrow prior to my son's arrival and drinking strategically-timed cups of coffee in the afternoon.

I do not look forward to my 4pm dose of ½ a hydrocodone + one Tramadol. It does not give me good spinal pain relief. It went up to a level 7 on my right side today and woke me up from a nap. BTW, do you know how hard it is to explain, "Where does it hurt, and how bad?" to a doctor when you're on hydrocodone? I tried to make it clear to the neurosurgeon that my present numbers were due to the pain control from the hydrocodone, but when I've been off of it completely it's been between a 9 and a 10. I don't know if he really listened to me, because he told me to forget about the hydrocodone at one point in the conversation. He was a difficult person to read, but I got the feeling he knew what he was doing. I didn't hear any complaints from Mrs. Prof, which is always a good sign.

Starting to get more itching along my right shin. I can't remember if I mentioned it, but my PCP said the itching, redness, and lumpiness was probably due to macrophage white blood cells entering the bruise on my shin to do "clean-up" duty. They normally take a long time to get their job done, but he figured that I had a rare flood that caused the itching and made the section of the bruising disappear.

Haven't received my CBC and Vitamin D blood test results yet. I figure I'll get a notice through the patient portal on Sunday or Monday. Not looking forward to more myelocytes in my blood—that'll mean getting my hematologist (another doctor) involved again. Poor Mrs. Prof. She barely has any time to work from home anymore, thanks to her having to shuttle me to my appointments.