• Announcements

    • Robin

      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!
ProfessorTomoe

Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

Recommended Posts

4 minutes ago, mlooney said:

I very rarely rate pain at above 5.  When asked about this I tell them I have been hit by lighting, been nearly killed by a 25kg volt line behind turned on while I had it in my hands and I've been the subject of a rabid dog attack.

I know pain.  A migraine that put me in a hospital bed for 4 days I never rated over 7.  I do make sure that who is asked knows my history.

I don't know how to compare. Some of the stuff I went through with my gall bladder and liver had me biting on a seat belt strap on the way to the hospital to keep from yelling out. Similar for the back pain on the Day of the Nightmare Lumbar Caudal Injection, although I only had a bedsheet to bite on. With that one, neither 2x fentanyl before nor 2x dilaudid after did anything to alleviate my pain. I wouldn't know where to place these on your scale, since the kinds of trauma are completely different.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

6:23 p.m. CDT 20170628. Low energy day. Spent much of it dragged down by the constant fight against what my hydrocodone does to my guts. Some progress there, but I won't dare go into detail on it. :o

Spent most of the day knocked out. When I haven't been out, I've been on the laptop. Haven't trusted myself to be anywhere near my music computer—it needs more brainpower and concentration than I have right now. Most of the distraction has been due to pain coming from the sesamoid bone that broke in my left foot. I have no idea what kind of shape it's in, and I won't until my podiatrist appointment on Friday, where X-rays will supposedly be taken. I may be stuck in the moon boot longer than I'd hoped if it hasn't healed or at least made some sort of progress toward healing.

I called my PCP and let him know about my hydrocodone count, as instructed. After today, I've got 12 days of pills left. This is vital because I still haven't heard from the new pain management doctor's office, and my back pain isn't getting any better.

Mrs. Prof has until 7:00 p.m. CDT to pick up my ENT doctor's "magic mouthwash" from the compounding pharmacy, since that's when they close. Speaking of the ENT, I haven't heard back from him about the GERD test. I seem to be on hold with a lot of doctors nowadays. Story of my life.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

4:55 a.m. CDT 20170629. Here I am, awake before 5am again. It's been a painful sleep, mainly for my back. It didn't want to get into a comfortable position. Pain medicine has been taken. We'll see about how it responds to that, yes we will.

Mrs. Prof finally brought home the "magic mouthwash" last night, and I'll be damned if I can tell what's in it. It tastes like a medicine-y melted orange creamcicle, but not like anything you'd want to swallow. It gives me a strange warm sensation after using it. I'd wonder if it was related to my painful sleep if I knew what was in it. I think I'll be calling the ENT doctor to find out later today, since I've got to use the stuff after every meal and at bedtime and I can't have it interfering with any of my other medications.

God, I hope I get some energy and stamina today. I've got to finish certain tasks on my music computer by tomorrow, and I can't do that if I'm zonked out on medicines like I was all day yesterday. I know that coffee (cofveve? Lord, I don't need a cofveve day) alone won't do it for me. Mrs. Prof bought groceries as well as the "magic mouthwash" last night, although she threw in a wild card by going to a different store than what I'd written the grocery list for (where, of course, they have different stuff). I'll try to make prudent use of what she bought to help me get through the day. I just don't know when the day should start—should I go back to bed, or just say [redacted] it and get moving?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

 I just don't know when the day should start—should I go back to bed, or just say [redacted] it and get moving?

The problem is, if you say [redacted] it, you may shock our younger forumgoers. :icon_eek:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

The problem is, if you say [redacted] it, you may shock our younger forumgoers. :icon_eek:

Well, I may have said that already anyway. I had some of your Parmesan sausage for breakfast, this time on Club crackers (nom), and chased it with my morning pills and a cup of coffee with two SToK depth charges. All of this got followed by a dose of ibuprofen to stave off a developing headache. Once the headache clears, I'll reassess the situation.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 6/28/2017 at 8:15 AM, ProfessorTomoe said:

I can see this, but it doesn't help my anxiety level over the whole situation(s). Makes me worry that Blue Cross might come back and say, "We're not going to pay for your medical expenses." I can't handle even the thought of that right now, regardless of my anti-anxiety meds. I really am on edge here, and Mrs. Prof is doing whatever she can to help keep me from tipping one way or the other.

My impression from past experience is that the insurance company would have a hand in going after someone they felt was liable for an injury.  I know that's not a hard and fast rule, but when my car was sideswiped by one with four teenagers trying to merge into an already-occupied left turn lane, the insurance companies sorted it out among themselves, and when my mom's leg was broken at the dog park she carefully didn't find out whose dogs it was that ran into her, but the impression the insurance company gave was that they would have been the ones to get payment if she had known.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

12:55 p.m. CDT 20170629. Microsoft is having its way with my music computer. Yes, I managed to find some strength after a post-coffee nap which has allowed me to begin the long process of performing six months of updates to my music system. All of this is geared toward purchasing an upgrade of one vital piece of software to its latest version, but I've got to get by G.DATA, Malwarebytes, NVIDIA's drivers, a couple of Stardock utilities, several audio plug-in packages, my audio composition software, and of course Microsoft's horrendous upgrades. I just hope that it doesn't decide to throw the Creators Update at me in the middle of all of this.

I found out what is in the "magic mouthwash" Mrs. Prof picked up from the compounding pharmacy, and I'm a tad bit concerned about one of the ingredients. It contains:

  • Banophen (a.k.a. Benadryl)
  • Prednisolone (a steroid)
  • Nystatin (an antifungal)
  • Minocycline HCl (a Tetracycline derivative)
  • Salt

What worries me is the Prednisolone. I've had bad reactions to oral steroids before, to the point of having atrial fibrillations. However, I can handle injected steroids, and I'm not ingesting this stuff—only swishing and swallowing. Does that put me at the same risk as oral steroids, or does that make it as safe as injected steroids? I'm not sure which way to go here.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
21 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I'm not sure which way to go here.

Prednisolone is used primarily to treat MS and arthritis and a prescription is required.  So how that made it into a mouthwash is beyond me.

Quote

Things to avoid while using the steroid:

  • NSAIDs
  • aspirin
  • ketoconazoles
  • alcohol

Things to be concerned about if you notice them (moderate-severe side effects of the steroid):

  • signs of an allergic reaction (hives, itching, swelling of face, tongue, or hands, etc.)
  • skin color changes
  • eye pain
  • uneven or irregular heartbeat
  • stomach pain

The most common side effects of Prednisolone are increased appetite, weight gain, and a change in the salt/potassium level of your body.

That said, you shouldn't notice any of these if you're not ingesting it (it's an oral steroid as you noted).  I would look for the signs of an allergic reaction and/or skin color changes as the only bad things it could cause you based on how you're using it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, Yzjdriel said:

Prednisolone is used primarily to treat MS and arthritis and a prescription is required.  So how that made it into a mouthwash is beyond me.

It's a prescription mouthwash from my ENT doctor. That's how, basically.

3 hours ago, Yzjdriel said:

That said, you shouldn't notice any of these if you're not ingesting it (it's an oral steroid as you noted).  I would look for the signs of an allergic reaction and/or skin color changes as the only bad things it could cause you based on how you're using it.

None noted yet. Just some odd warmth for a short period after use.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

5:13 p.m. CDT 20170629. Microsoft has already offered to start installing the Creators Update on my music system. It wasted no time in getting to it. I put it on snooze–not enough energy to deal with all of the updates and the purchase of a major music software upgrade (the goal of all of this panic in the first place). I'm downloading the upgrade on the music machine as I type this on the laptop.

I got in touch with my ENT doctor's nurse about the prednisolone issue. She checked with him, and he mirrored the above remarks: unless it's something that I swallow (it isn't), I should be fine. Just watch out for odd side effects.

I think I've run through most of my available energy after dealing with all of the upgrades. A bit of food is called for, since I'm not 100% done with the music software upgrade yet. Gotta keep some of my wits about me.

Wish me luck for tomorrow, please, BTW. It's podiatrist appointment and X-ray day. I want the broken sesamoid bone to be in good enough shape for me to be able to walk without the moon boot. I'm tired of this damned thing. (At least I'm only wearing one, and not two like I was when I broke both my ankles back in 2009).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you "swish and swallow" you're swallowing the active ingredients.  If you swish and spit out, then you're at the least exposed to a whole lot less of them.  We do occasionally see a little steroid get absorbed through the skin or mucous membranes, enough so that they don't recommend doing any steroid-related or altered-by-steroids tests while using, say, a steroid ear medicine on inflamed ear infections.  We don't routinely see steroid side effects when using them topically (eg drinking and peeing a lot), so most pets don't absorb a clinically significant amount.  YMMV with that one weird species, I can't say anything about those....

So, yeah, don't stress if you're not swallowing it, but keep it in mind if you do see any ill effects developing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, CritterKeeper said:

YMMV with that one weird species, I can't say anything about those....

 

41 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

Which one is that? Did people start to keep ankylosauri as pets?

Nah, it'd be perfectly legal for me to diagnose and treat them.  Might do better to get an Avian Practitioner, though, they're the only ones who have significant experience treating dinosaurs, although they might find a T-rex more familiar.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

9:43 p.m. CDT 20170629. Zofran emergency. While taking my nightly pills, no less. Here's the sequence of events:

  1. Finish dinner.
  2. Swish & spit with "magic mouthwash."
  3. Let things settle.
  4. Drink some Crystal Light lemon tea while scratching Mrs. Prof's back. (Semi-nightly ritual, the scratching, not the tea—that's nightly.)
  5. Move back to my side of the sofa and start taking my shoebox full of pills (I'm going to post that poem, BTW).
  6. Start feeling overfull toward the end of pill taking.
  7. Take the last pills.
  8. Feel like barfing—reach for the Zofran and start praying.

Crisis averted. I think I developed a gas bubble in my relatively small (from the gastric bypass) stomach, but when something's gotta come out, anything on top of it's gotta come out first. The Zofran kept that from happening.

I have no idea if the "magic mouthwash" influenced this in any way. It would be rather dumb if it did, IMHO, especially since it's got the equivalent of Benadryl in it. Besides, I've still got gas. It's still coming out (the top end, thankyouverymuch), but without the emergency that I had earlier.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I mentioned that I wrote a poem about the shoebox of pills I have to take one day after going through a rather depressing and frustrating series of medical appointments. I posted it to Scribophile and got good reviews, so I figure I'd share it here, concerning the medical frustration I've been going through lately. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you ...


THE SHOEBOX
by D. Lee Jackson


I really ought to replace it.

It's a bit lighter than usual today. Some of the medicines I used to keep in it are on the coffee table behind my laptop, ready for my midday dose. Others are still on the bookshelf, waiting until my doctor clears me to take them again. Mainly herbal supplements.

When did I start using it, anyway? I wonder if a date's printed on it somewhere.

There's also another bottle missing. A bottle of pills that were supposed to help me with my allergies, help me to breathe so I could go outside and enjoy nature at its fullest.

Suggested Retail $75.00—Our Low Price $64.99. No date. Just bars and codes.

One that would help me get out of the house so that I could take care of some “much-needed exercise,” as several doctors have told me, without having to worry about explosions of pollen from nearby trees. Exercise I needed before they would help me with my other problems.

“Made in Indonesia.” Damn. Had to turn it upside down to read that. Jumbled the insides now.

Exercise that would help me lose enough weight before they'd work on my knees, my back, my ankles. “Lose thirty pounds and call me in the morning.” Right.

The lid fold is getting seriously warped. I wonder how long it'll stay connected.

Self-serving bastards. They'll give out expensive medicines to help me “deal with the situation,” but won't do an operation to fix the cause. Of course, that means other meds for the resulting depression, the anxiety, the heart problems, sleep problems, illness-of-the-week problems, and so on.

I've put too many stickers on it, I think. Who needs to know about a Houston radio station in Dallas? About which university I went to? At least they cover the goofy company logo.

But there was a sinus problem which absolutely required an expensive operation by doctor number … hell, I've lost count. Couldn't fix the other problems without it.

It could just barely hold all the pills I took before the sinus surgery.

And then, post-op, the one allergy medication that was supposed to help me breathe so I could finally exercise. The one that almost made me suffocate instead. How the hell do you survive a dream where your lungs are collapsing? Another few minutes asleep and I would have stayed that way forever. All thanks to a bottle of pills that was supposed to help me “deal with the situation.”

I know at least my feet would fit inside it. I mean, it's a shoebox, right? Shoot, it'll probably out-live me.

What's my motivation? Well, doctor? How do I get out of this vicious cycle?

I wonder if my ashes will fit inside it one day.


©2015, 2017 D. Lee Jackson. All Rights Reserved,

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My sister's pills live in a small blue backpack.  The anti-rejection drugs have to stay in their blister packs until she's about to take them, so that makes things a bit more bulky.  She has two different week-long AM/PM pill organizers for everything else, plus a couple of different gummy vitamins (a format I've adopted too now).  When she flies, the backpack is always her "personal item" instead of a purse.  If she's going to be away from home for more than a week, she has to bring the various bottles so she can refill the pill organizers, making the backpack a lot fuller.  Some meds are heat-sensitive, so if we're driving and stop for a meal, she has to remember to bring the backpack with her if it's at all warm or sunny.

But, that backpack holds what keeps her alive and relatively healthy, keeps her with us, so I love her blue backpack.  :-)

*Gives Prof's shoebox a nice pat*

Thank you, shoebox, for keeping our Prof with us.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Most days, my meds fit in a "daily AM/PM" drugs for a week.   I've taken another one of those and loaded it with my pain med "ladder", which does it's job in giving me my migraine meds in order.  Of course I have to mentally think "OK, I started the ladder at 04:00, It's 08:00 now, so I take Monday morning now..."

I just took 2 of the last 4 of the bottom end of the ladder, which, fortunately is one that I have all the components of  one hand, just I have to make tea and/or coffee to take the pills with.

Monday's shopping run is going to be epic.  I'm either out of or real low on most of my day to day stuff. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

*Gives Prof's shoebox a nice pat*

Thank you, shoebox, for keeping our Prof with us.

Thank you. I hope it was a good read, also. I'm a music composer and a wanna-be novelist. Poetry is at the bottom of my creative tree, but it's something I do on rare occasions when I get stuck on something or get a serious muse pushing me in that direction. It's not my best talent, but I hope the end result is at least readable. :eusa_shifty:

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

Most days, my meds fit in a "daily AM/PM" drugs for a week.

My pills did, too, for a week, although the bottles still required the shoebox. At the time of the poem, I'd outgrown any AM/PM dispenser on the market. I recently found one that holds my morning and nightly pills, but the way it's put together confuses me (the lids are connected at the middle, the AM is at the top, and I keep getting it confused with PM) to the point where I can only use it to keep track of my hydrocodone doses.

Oh, just got a phone call. Update in next message.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

10:18 a.m. CDT 20170630. I just heard back from the ENT specialist. My H. pylori test was negative, so I don't have GERD causing my cough and voice changes. Recommendation: use the "magic mouthwash" for a month and see if it helps. If not, call them back, probably for an appointment.

Today is podiatrist/X-ray day. I hope I'll be able to get out of the moon boot, as I've said, but I also hope that I'll be able to stop using a walker (something I've had to use since I broke my toe). I'd like to go back to a cane for outside walking, which is something I can't do as long as I've got the moon boot on my left leg. The X-ray will be the judge of that, I guess.

I think we're also going back to ACG Medical Supply for a more reliable foot elevation pillow. Again, that'll depend on the X-ray results. Do I still need to elevate both feet, or just my right one (the one with edema / venous stasis)? We'll take the answer to that question to ACG and let them figure out the appropriate pillow.

My pills have settled now, so I'm off to do the "magic mouthwash" routine. I then get to figure out how to fit it into my spreadsheet of medications. That'll be (no) fun.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

9:42 p.m. CDT 20170630. No more moon boot! Also, most of my Frankenstein's Toenail is gone now! The podiatrist took X-rays of my foot and determined that the big toe is healing nicely. It's still not 100% healed, so I have to wear an orthopedic shoe (more of a sandal with Velcro holding it on) for the next three weeks. I might be able to stop using a walker to get around outside, which will be a godsend. Furthermore, I no longer have to have it bandaged! In fact, the doctor said I should start putting some vitamin E and/or aloe vera gel on it (found something called Bio-Oil for it) to help get rid of the dry skin and the scar from the surgery.

As for Frankenstein's Toenail, for anyone who clicked on that picture, he did some serious trimming and grinding on it. It's almost completely gone. He said he still might remove the nail, but not until the toe heals. He went on to deal with the rest of my toes and found fungus on the big toe of my right foot. I've got Kerasal for that now. Overall, I don't have to go back to see him for three weeks, as mentioned above.

Some not-so-good news from the podiatrist: he recommended that I go back to my primary doctor for my edema/venous stasis. The compression stocking isn't doing any good, so I need something medical rather than mechanical, most likely. In other words, I'm probably going to have to go back on the Lasix.

A bit of good news to balance that out from the ENT side: I think the "magic mouthwash" might be helping. I could be hallucinating, but I think I'm getting some of my vocal range back, mainly in the low falsetto. I'm still working on it. Also, no Zofran emergency tonight. I think we've got the pills timed out right.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

6:22 a.m. CDT 20170701. That. Was. WEIRD. After months of sleeping with a moon boot, my body rejected sleeping straight through the night without one. It kept waking up every two hours, wanting to check the internet, regardless of whether my eyes could focus or not. One time I woke up with horrible heartburn and had to take a Zantac. I guess the "magic mouthwash" doesn't do anything for that.

I've finally decided to give up for now and let things straighten themselves out–with the help of a cup of coffee.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

7:49 a.m. 20170702. The weirdness continues. I can't sleep for more than two hours at a time at night. At least no heartburn last night. I did take a Benadryl around 4am to help me sleep, but it didn't do much good.

Forgot to mention that I had a nasty crash-and-burn after the podiatrist's appointment on Friday. Everything was going well through the appointment, through a late lunch, and through a trip into CVS to get the anti-fungal for my toenail and the oil for my surgical scar. We picked up prescriptions, checked out, turned to leave, and the bottom fell out of my world. I barely made it back to the Ridgeline and almost didn't make it back into the Ridgeline (those mothers stand tall). Mrs. Prof drove home and helped me in, then headed out for some cat work. I didn't remain awake for more than a minute or two after that.

Move forward to today. The right-side back/leg/foot pain is reasserting itself again, as is my left ankle pain, now that my left big toe isn't hurting as much. The sesamoid bone area is still sore—couldn't tell if the bone was still snapped from the X-rays—so I'm still being very careful not to walk on it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Note to Self:

Do NOT oversleep your pain medicine by an hour and a half and then expect to function normally for long.

 - Self

Oh freaking good god no.   Of course with migraines you really don't get to "oversleep your pain drugs."  Smaller kidney stones?  Been there, done that, put the tee shirt away.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now