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ProfessorTomoe

Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

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3:37 p.m. CDT 20170615. Frustration continues, albeit in different forms. Mrs. Prof and I spent at least an hour on the phone with a Blue Cross Case Management specialist. Most of that time was taken up by me giving her my medical history. We explained what we've gone through with STT and UT Southwestern. I explained that I don't want to stay on hydrocodone—I just want to be fixed. She didn't have much in the way of suggestions. However, she approved of another plan—going to see a pain specialist that treated the husband of one of Mrs. Prof's friends. So, I'm going back to my PCP on Monday to get a referral to him (could be problematic, since he's out of their network (but in Blue Cross's network)).

In the meanwhile, there have been some weird things going on with UT Southwestern. I called them after the Case Management call to let them know that I would be going to my PCP before making any decision about the "pain rehabilitation" program. They put a note on my record and said thanks. Less than an hour later, I got a call back from UT Southwestern. They said their neurosurgeon finally got a copy of my MRI from the imaging place, and that he wanted me to go and see the Pain Clinic doctor that I'd already seen on Tuesday! I asked why, but they wouldn't tell me what the new reason was. I gave them the same answer—I told them I wanted to see my PCP first. Again, they put a note on my record and said thanks.

WTF is going on with UT Southwestern? Put simply, I doubt I'm ever going back there. It's too screwed up.

Anyway, I'm joining the toe parade tomorrow with another podiatrist appointment. After I'm done with him, I'm going to the imaging place to get another copy of the MRI to take to the third pain specialist. I'm hoping with all my might that he has his head on straight and can fix my back problems.

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I doubt if that's their policy, but if the app makes it possible I'd mention such bulky stuff as walkers, wheelchairs, multiple suitcases...

(I've seen two basic designs of walker. One of them folds very flat - all wheels and long horizontal pieces end up parallel in a package about 3-4 inches thick. The other ends up about ten inches thick because the handles and two of the wheels remain at a right angle to the main body. It's a real pain to get into a car, whether it goes in the back seat or in the trunk. Guess which one is most common.)

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3 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

I doubt if that's their policy, but if the app makes it possible I'd mention such bulky stuff as walkers, wheelchairs, multiple suitcases...

(I've seen two basic designs of walker. One of them folds very flat - all wheels and long horizontal pieces end up parallel in a package about 3-4 inches thick. The other ends up about ten inches thick because the handles and two of the wheels remain at a right angle to the main body. It's a real pain to get into a car, whether it goes in the back seat or in the trunk. Guess which one is most common.)

I've got the folding-flat-type walker. With a cup holder add-on. :)  Out of curiosity, I got on Lyft's site and checked their policies. They had none about walkers, but they did about wheelchairs. Basically, it read, "Do what you can to accommodate lightweight, foldable wheelchairs or be prepared to explain yourself." I think a walker would be easier to accommodate than a wheelchair, because I could put it in the back seat with me.

Lyft's online estimate for a ride to my primary care doctor (tip not included) would be anywhere from $16–$24, not counting any prime time charges.

(You'll notice I'm not quoting Uber here. I don't care for what's been reported as their corporate culture, so I'm leaving them for last.)

Anyway, it's all still moot unless I can get an Android phone. Mrs. Prof did turn off her phone mic during the Blue Cross conference call and say, "We can get you an Android phone." I don't know if she was talking current generation or not, but I sure hope so. It might be nice to have a reason to take my phone with me when I leave the house. I'm not holding my breath, though.

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3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Anyway, it's all still moot unless I can get an Android phone. Mrs. Prof did turn off her phone mic during the Blue Cross conference call and say, "We can get you an Android phone." I don't know if she was talking current generation or not, but I sure hope so. It might be nice to have a reason to take my phone with me when I leave the house. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Beware of the Curse of the Smartphone. I had an old-style cell phone back from when Nokia was all the rage (and got a stupid Sony because I loathed Nokia and their design passionately.) I owned it for seven years, using it only intermittently and for rare emergencies. Then one day I was finally tempted into buying a smartphone.

The damned thing all but took over my life on the spot. It was endlessly practical, SO much easier to use, and I kept finding functions I wondered how I had ever managed to live without. As an example, I once sat waiting in an office bored out of my mind. Then I saw it had a Kindle app. A minute later I had downloaded a book from my existing collection I hadn't read yet and sat happily reading. These days I never leave home without my phone. In the old days I would often forget or even deliberately leave behind my dumbass-phone.

And it does have its darker sides. Someone with hacking ability could in theory track you everywhere you go with it. Or you could plain just get too dependent on the damned thing. This last may already have happened to me... :/

4 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I've got the folding-flat-type walker. With a cup holder add-on. :)  Out of curiosity, I got on Lyft's site and checked their policies. They had none about walkers, but they did about wheelchairs. Basically, it read, "Do what you can to accommodate lightweight, foldable wheelchairs or be prepared to explain yourself." I think a walker would be easier to accommodate than a wheelchair, because I could put it in the back seat with me.

Lyft's online estimate for a ride to my primary care doctor (tip not included) would be anywhere from $16–$24, not counting any prime time charges.

Dost thou even lyft?

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6:29 a.m. CDT 20170616. There are many levels of pain involved with my maladies. One that does not get nearly enough coverage is Opioid Induced Constipation, just like the recent commercial finally mentions. It is all too real. I had to resort to a stool softener to get anything to come out.

 

Once something did, it was the size of a golf ball. That was yesterday afternoon. Then came last night, just after 4am.

I swear, I passed three billiard balls. My toilet is now non-functional as a result. I'm still too weak to go and get the snake to clear out the pipes.

Moral of the story: don't neglect your own pipes. They will backfire on you.

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7 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

6:29 a.m. CDT 20170616. There are many levels of pain involved with my maladies. One that does not get nearly enough coverage is Opioid Induced Constipation, just like the recent commercial finally mentions. It is all too real. I had to resort to a stool softener to get anything to come out.

  Reveal hidden contents

Moral of the story: don't neglect your own pipes. They will backfire on you.

Due to well, a lot of things, I have to check my toilet after each and every use.   I've gotten to where I can tell I'll need to snake the damn thing before I even wipe.

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3 hours ago, mlooney said:

Due to well, a lot of things, I have to check my toilet after each and every use.   I've gotten to where I can tell I'll need to snake the damn thing before I even wipe.

I had this problem some times but I wasn't on diploids.  I found that if I kept myself better hydrated, it helped keep stuff in a more malleable state.  Drungs could change how effective this is.

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7 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

Isn't that what the stool softener was for? :)

/me, haul out the list. I think someone wants to be included.

4 hours ago, mlooney said:

I've gotten to where I can tell I'll need to snake the damn thing before I even wipe.

I'm getting there with every hydrocodone that I take.

58 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

I had this problem some times but I wasn't on diploids.

Oh, I am so tempted to go after this, but tOH would pound me into the beach.

58 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

Drungs could change how effective this is.

tOH! Please, let me say something here! Please?

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1 hour ago, Vorlonagent said:

I found that if I kept myself better hydrated, it helped keep stuff in a more malleable state.  Drungs could change how effective this is.

Oh, it's the drugs.  And if any one cares 1  I just had to use the snake.

1And really no one should.

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4 minutes ago, mlooney said:

Oh, it's the drugs.  And if any one cares 1  I just had to use the snake.

1And really no one should.

I don't.  :)

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6:29 p.m. CDT 20170616. Oh, dear God, at the rollercoaster day I've had. Twelve hours after the hidden contents above, I'm still surviving. Somehow.

Things started going downhill when I was getting ready to go to the podiatrist. I went on a downward slope and just barely made it out of the shower, where we noticed that my edema has come back. Wonderful. Mrs. Prof got me to the office, where I almost passed out in the waiting room. I did get my act together and make it into the exam room. Things got a little better by the time the doctor came in.

First thing the podiatrist noticed was that my broken toe was infected again. He shocked the hell out of me by pulling out one of the K-wires that was protruding from my bone through my skin. I thought it would hurt like hell when he did that, but I was just as shocked when I didn't feel a thing! Same thing for the other K-wire. I now have no more wires in my toe, mainly because he thought that they were responsible for the infection. He wrote me a 14-day prescription for Augmentin—that'll take care of the damned constipation, but in an overreacting way. Sheesh.

While we were there, I asked him to look at my edema. He could push his finger into my ankle and leave a dent. Said I have mild venous stasis, which may also have been causing the unexplained bruising on my shin. He wrote up another prescription for a compression stocking, which I'm wearing now. Feels weird as hell. I'll have to wear it for at least two weeks, which is when my next appointment is scheduled (and when my X-ray has been pushed back to). I'll be showing this to my PCP on Monday, when I go in to talk to him about the alternate pain management referral.

Other ping-ponging through the eastern suburbs of the Metroplex included:

  • A trip to the imaging center that did my back MRI for another copy of the CD for the next pain management doctor.
  • A trip to a medical supply company for the compression stockings.
  • A trip to get a hamburger with a fried egg on it (nom).
  • A trip to drop off my antibiotic prescription at the pharmacy before going home.

Thankfully, I have some leftover Augmentin from the last prescription (don't ask), because Mrs. Prof has planted herself and is not driving anywhere else tonight. I'm on a brief upward slope, so I'm doing some documenting while I've got the energy in me.

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27 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Thankfully, I have some leftover Augmentin from the last prescription (don't ask), because Mrs. Prof has planted herself and is not driving anywhere else tonight. I'm on a brief upward slope, so I'm doing some documenting while I've got the energy in me.

The best part of that sounded like the hamburger. At least the podiatrist sounds like he still has his head screwed on straight.

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1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

The best part of that sounded like the hamburger. At least the podiatrist sounds like he still has his head screwed on straight.

The hamburger was excellent, although a bit large. I could only eat half of it. I just finished eating half of the remaining half. The last quarter will be demolished in the morning, probably. BTW, I have never had a hamburger with a fried egg on it before. I pictured an egg fried over medium at most, with yolk dripping when I took a bite. Not so. The egg was fried over hard, yet not rubbery. A tasty burger, especially when paired with the peppery bacon that came with it.

The place we went is called Heff's Burgers. We visited the Garland store. They're mainly in Texas, with one location in Lawton, Oklahoma. If anyone reading this goes anywhere nearby, I recommend the Heff's Eggcellent burger. Good for what ails ya. :)

13 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

May Prof's weekend continue the upwardness.

I thank you for the kind words. Much obliged.

BTW, Mrs. Prof has just removed my compression sock for the night, to be replaced tomorrow morning as part of a daily/nightly ritual. Now my foot and leg really feel weird. I hope she remembers how to put it back on tomorrow morning.

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Oh, FYI: I tried to take a load off of Mrs. Prof's transportation duties today. Keep in mind that I have a Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows 8.1 phone. I got on the Windows Store and looked for Uber. Found it. Problem: you've got to have Windows 10 for it to work. Strike one.

Next try: look for Lyft in the Windows Store. Not even there. Strike two.

Reminded Mrs. Prof that, if I get an Android phone for Uber or Lyft, I'm only going to need it for a relatively short period of time that may not justify the large purchase price. Strike three.

I think she's stuck driving me around for now, sad to say. :(  (Man, we really need the emojis back.)

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1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

The hamburger was excellent, although a bit large. I could only eat half of it. I just finished eating half of the remaining half. The last quarter will be demolished in the morning, probably.

Screw that. It's going down now.

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5:57 a.m. CDT 20170617. I'm up early, thanks to the cat. He woke me up around 4am, but then I wound up falling asleep sitting up on the sofa until around 5:30. Mrs. Prof is nowhere near awake yet, so I have no compression stocking on my right foot yet. I've eaten and taken my pills already—that may have been part of my problem yesterday (forgetting to take my morning pills), but I have no way of being sure. Can't use it as an excuse today.

Not sure if I want to stay awake or not. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is today (starts in 90 minutes), but I can feel breakfast and a stomach full of pills pulling down hard on me. I think a nap is in order, regardless of whether Carlton is beating Gold Coast Suns or not.

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8:46 a.m. CDT 20170617. Well, everyone in the house is awake now, although my drugs have me on another sine wave cycle. I'm at the top of one, about to head downward.

Mrs. Prof indignantly reminded me that she had to wear compression stockings while she was pregnant (30 years ago), so of course she knows how to put them on me. Even though I'm not pregnant. Sheesh.

I think my intestines are calming down, transitioning from one mode to another, or something. They feel off, but at least they're not doing what was described in the earlier spoiler, thank goodness. No toilet snake today. They're probably contributing to the downward slope of the sine wave.

I'm going to lie down again. Man, the sine amplitude isn't as bad today as is the frequency.

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18 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I think she's stuck driving me around for now, sad to say. :(  (Man, we really need the emojis back

Testing: ;)

Edit: okay, blocks actual Unicode emoji characters (yes I know I just said "picture character(s) characters", shaddup) including in alt text, but allows embedding Twemoji images from MaxCDN.  Good to know.

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45 minutes ago, HarJIT said:

Testing: ;)

Edit: okay, blocks actual Unicode emoji characters (yes I know I just said "picture character(s) characters", shaddup) including in alt text, but allows embedding Twemoji images from MaxCDN.  Good to know.

Is this Greasemonkey or overall?

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Just now, ProfessorTomoe said:

Is this Greasemonkey or overall?

Overall, but literally all I tested was the extent of the ability to embed Emoji images from an external CDN.  No straightforward way of doing this yet.

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