Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

[mlooney 3,417]

3 hours ago, mlooney said:

I woke up this morning feeling like I had been beaten by sticks and a mild migraine.  Drugs sort of working.  

Bleh.

 

The pain issues has resolved.  I have a freaking kidney stone, right kidney, feels big.  I am not a happy camper.   I'm also not on the device where :my_cup_of_joy_overflows: would work, but yeah...

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

12 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Was it Little John thrashing you with a quarterstaff?

Actually, it was a buck-and-a-quarter quarterstaff, but no one said anything to him about it.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

9 hours ago, mlooney said:

I have a freaking kidney stone, right kidney, feels big.

EEEEEEEeeeeggggh! You can tell which kidney they're in?

Well, I guess that makes sense. It's just scary as hell to think about it.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

11:10 p.m. CDT 20170625. I had some energy today, which is almost worse than having none at all. You see, I didn't get to choose when I had energy. I had a bit during the Formula 1 race that mostly carried over into the IndyCar race (they were back to back), then a brief spike towards the end of Twin Peaks: The Return, but in between I had nothing at all. I almost missed the beginning of Twin Peaks and would have, had Mrs. Prof not woke me up and had me order lo mein and sushi from the local Chinese delivery place.

Hell, even my cat has no energy at the moment. Mrs. Prof woke me up to pull off my compression stocking—that's when I saw him sitting by me on a pillow. He didn't move while I took my nightly pills. I had to pet him to see if he was okay (he is).

Incidentally, the compression stocking is doing bupkes, other than making Mrs. Prof's day hell. My edema isn't going anywhere. I may have to go back on the Lasix after all.

I still don't know when I'm going to be able to get the GERD test run. That's up to Mrs. Prof's schedule, as is the drop-off of the prescription at the compounding pharmacy, and her schedule is so screwed up it looks like a jumbo pretzel. I'm just waiting for the ENT to start bugging me about it.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

7 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

11:10 p.m. CDT 20170625. I had some energy today, which is almost worse than having none at all. You see, I didn't get to choose when I had energy. I had a bit during the Formula 1 race that mostly carried over into the IndyCar race (they were back to back), then a brief spike towards the end of Twin Peaks: The Return, but in between I had nothing at all. I almost missed the beginning of Twin Peaks and would have, had Mrs. Prof not woke me up and had me order lo mein and sushi from the local Chinese delivery place.

Hell, even my cat has no energy at the moment. Mrs. Prof woke me up to pull off my compression stocking—that's when I saw him sitting by me on a pillow. He didn't move while I took my nightly pills. I had to pet him to see if he was okay (he is).

Incidentally, the compression stocking is doing bupkes, other than making Mrs. Prof's day hell. My edema isn't going anywhere. I may have to go back on the Lasix after all.

I still don't know when I'm going to be able to get the GERD test run. That's up to Mrs. Prof's schedule, as is the drop-off of the prescription at the compounding pharmacy, and her schedule is so screwed up it looks like a jumbo pretzel. I'm just waiting for the ENT to start bugging me about it.

At least there is precedence for cats saying "Bugger all this for a lark, I am taking myself a nap and I ain't moving." Your cat is probably fine. And I am still glad to hear that you had some energy regardless of timing.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

At least there is precedence for cats saying "Bugger all this for a lark, I am taking myself a nap and I ain't moving." Your cat is probably fine.

Yes, upon further review, he seems fine.

1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

And I am still glad to hear that you had some energy regardless of timing.

Had some about 90 minutes ago, too. Finally started backing up my music machine in anticipation of all of the upgrades it's going to have to go through before the end of the month. I finally had the hardware to do it (a working Uninterruptible Power Supply and an 8 TB external HD (to hold multiple backups of a 6 TB system)) and a copy of Clonezilla in hand to get the backup rolling. It's verifying the first disk now. Three more disks and 5 TB to go. Unfortunately, I'm getting a stress headache and my energy is dropping off quickly. I'm drinking cup of coffee #2 and am about to raid Mrs. Prof's ibuprofen once she gets off the phone. Wish me stamina ... and luck.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

1 hour ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Yes, upon further review, he seems fine.

Had some about 90 minutes ago, too. Finally started backing up my music machine in anticipation of all of the upgrades it's going to have to go through before the end of the month. I finally had the hardware to do it (a working Uninterruptible Power Supply and an 8 TB external HD (to hold multiple backups of a 6 TB system)) and a copy of Clonezilla in hand to get the backup rolling. It's verifying the first disk now. Three more disks and 5 TB to go. Unfortunately, I'm getting a stress headache and my energy is dropping off quickly. I'm drinking cup of coffee #2 and am about to raid Mrs. Prof's ibuprofen once she gets off the phone. Wish me stamina ... and luck.

I wish you both, old friend. And I hope the feline will share good naps with you when you are done.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

10 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

I wish you both, old friend. And I hope the feline will share good naps with you when you are done.

Thank you, although the cat has buggered off for now and is sleeping somewhere else. One of the outdoor ferals (who's really trying to be an indoor cat, we think) is yowling non-stop outside our front door. Mrs. Prof has gone outside to do her daily (sometimes multi-daily) dealings with him. I think I'll take this chance to raid her ibuprofen.

On disk #2 now, verifying 2 TB. Only 3 TB left to go (Only! Ha!).

[Vorlonagent 442]

On 6/25/2017 at 8:09 AM, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Was it Little John thrashing you with a quarterstaff?

Actually it was a buck-and-a-quarter quarterstaff but he didn't say so.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

12:04 a.m. CDT 20170627. Monday's energy managed to hang around long enough to get the music system backed up. I just hope I get sufficient energy and mental clarity to take care of the remaining music system tasks Tuesday, as there are plenty and not much time left to do them.

I finally made it over to Quest Diagnostics for the GERD testing. They make you blow into a bag, then they give you some fizzy concoction to drink all of. Uh oh. Shades of my painful colonoscopy purge at first. I thought I was going to lose my lunch in the waiting room. Lots and lots and lots of gas. I asked a nurse if it was supposed to be making me sick. She said no, then warned me that if I did barf the test would be invalid. She reassured me that I only had a few more minutes left before the final part of the test. That kept me hanging in there. I had plenty of gas, but no barfage. The second half of the test was just like the first: blow in a bag. I guess they do a before/after comparison, for whatever good it'll do.

Next stop was the compounding pharmacy. It wasn't much fun, since I forgot to bring my wallet. Had to write everything down before they'd mix up the prescription. Left that in their hands and moved on.

Mrs. Prof decided that the next stop should involve Mexican food. I went along with it, although I did so carefully since my stomach wasn't 100% recovered yet. Still, I can highly recommend the Tacos al Carbon at Norma's TexMex in Garland. Mrs. Prof had tamales and an enchilada, but she wound up going for my leftover beans when we got home—you could tell that they'd been cooking all day long. Not quite as good as Cooper's Barbecue in Llano, TX, but a close second.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Glad to see I'm not the only one.

Some people know about my intestinal problems (Gaul Bladder removed, unpredictable loose stool / diarrhea) and they can't understand why I enjoy beans, dairy, and spicy so much.

Well, I tried the bland diets and it made almost no difference.  So I learned to live with the problem and enjoy the foods I like.

That reminds me, it's Tuesday.  Dos Grande Tacos for $5.99 at the restaurant that hooked me on Datil Pepper Sauce.  The place where Ceiling Cat watches you masticate.

On Thursday, it's the Burrito special.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

40 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Gaul Bladder removed

So tempted to mention France right now ... please, tOH? Please???

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

11:16 a.m. CDT 20170627. Yesterday's energy has ebbed away for the most part. The music computer is in dire need of attention, and I don't have what it takes to deal with it at the moment. Honestly, I don't know if it's a lack of energy, anxiety over what's going to happen, or both. All I do know is that I can't physically handle it right now.

The pitting edema is staying put on my right foot. I'm guessing a part of that may be due to my foot slipping off of the pillow I'm using to elevate my legs at night (yes, I still have to elevate my formerly-broken-now-hopefully-healing left big toe). I looked up some elevation pillows on ACG Medical Supply's website, but the one that looked like it might work wasn't recommended for side-sleepers like me. Mrs. Prof and I are going to go by their store on Friday after my podiatrist appointment to see if they've got anything else. (BTW, we had a bit of a look at my big toe last night—it still looks rather inflamed. I don't know if the Augmentin is doing its job or not.)

The "magic mouthwash" compound prescription from the ENT doctor is ready and waiting for me at the specialty pharmacy. Mrs. Prof is going to make the rounds after work (I assume) and hit there and CVS for everything waiting for me. I should hear something from the doctor about the GERD test soon.

I'm also still waiting on the referral to the new pain management specialist at Baylor Scott & White downtown. No word since last week, but it's only Tuesday.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

I don't think anyone in my family has taken a compounded prescription from a retail pharmacy since the 1970s.  No telling what they might be doing in the hospital pharmacies.

Today I need to wait overnight for my prescriptions while they ship them from the warehouse.  Back then I waited for prescriptions overnight because it often took that long for the (usually) women in the back of the drug store to make all the prescription orders they received each day.

I just want to ask if your condition is really that rare, or if this is typical for the prescribing physician?

[mlooney 3,417]

I went for a walk.  Must have jarred something loose.  My left side feels like I'm about to pass a stone.  And it feels big enough that I'm going to filter my piss so I can see what I passed.  I am not gruntled about this at all.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

I just want to ask if your condition is really that rare, or if this is typical for the prescribing physician?

I think it's just him. I've seen him for two situations—once for re-hypertrophied turbinates (on which he operated), and now this. He gave me a compounded nasal antibiotic back then. However, when it didn't work, he hauled out the regular non-compounded antibiotic pills.

BTW, he also helped me find out that I was allergic to Singulair. A few doses of that stuff and I was wheezing and coughing so bad I didn't think I'd make it.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

I went for a walk.  Must have jarred something loose.  My left side feels like I'm about to pass a stone.  And it feels big enough that I'm going to filter my piss so I can see what I passed.  I am not gruntled about this at all.

Wasn't it on the right yesterday? Or do you have two now (oww oww oww)?

[The Old Hack 2,448]

7 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

So tempted to mention France right now ... please, tOH? Please???

You will have to wait until National Gaul Bladder day.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

8 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

So tempted to mention France right now ... please, tOH? Please???

You will have to wait until National Gaul Bladder day.

But ... but ... I don't have one. They had to remove it in 1998 due to pigment stones, although some of the fragments went back up into my liver and had to be flushed out. My liver never forgave me, because it kept slamming my bile duct shut. Doctors had to put in a stent for a few weeks to keep it open.

I guess my liver was like Henry V, since it loved my Gaul Bladder "so well that I will not part with a village of it," or in this case a sphincter of it.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

10:44 p.m. CDT 20170627. Had to deal with some medical bureaucracy after working hours today. I'd put in a call to my primary care doctor to find out about the referral to the new pain management doctor, at Mrs. Prof's request. His nurse called back with details: said additional details had been requested by the new doctor, which had just been faxed on Monday. In short, I should hear from the new pain management specialist within the next few days.

More annoying, I got a call from a medical verification company hooked up with Blue Cross called "Equian Integrated Payment Integrity Solutions" tonight. Of course, they didn't show a good caller ID, so I didn't answer the call. It took me three tries going through the voice mail message before I could get down their phone number and case number. You see, they'd sent a letter last week because I'd had a back procedure (the lumbar injection), and they wanted to know if it was anyone's fault that they could sue, basically. Cold blooded bastards. I answered the letter online and gave them the bad news that it was just a spontaneous illness.

Well, tonight they wanted to know about procedures around that same date. Those were for my toe, when I fell. I could hear the agent licking her lips when I used the word "fall" in my description. Sorry, lady—this was in my own house, and it was treatment for something that was my own damned fault. So was the operation later in the week after my back procedure. She thanked me and said that was all they needed to know.

Rat bastards. Let me suffer in peace, please.

[mlooney 3,417]

All stones, a total of four in the last 24 hours have passed.  Biggest one of about 1.5 mms and two were so small all I really got was a blood clot in the strainer.

 

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

31 minutes ago, mlooney said:

All stones, a total of four in the last 24 hours have passed.  Biggest one of about 1.5 mms and two were so small all I really got was a blood clot in the strainer.

Amazing how something that small can cause so much pain, eh?

The "grit" from my pigment stones that got out of my gall (not French) bladder and went up into my liver back in 1998 put me back in the hospital a week after having the gall bladder itself removed. The stuff was no bigger than sand, but it hurt like the world was going to end.

I know what a 10 feels like on the 1–10 scale from several different parts of my body.

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

8 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

and they wanted to know if it was anyone's fault that they could sue, basically. Cold blooded bastards.

Eh, to be fair, sometimes it really is due to someone else's negligence or malfeasance, like ignoring safety rules at work or letting sidewalks fall into a complete mess that could trip up a healthy person, let alone someone with poor balance or a cane or such.  Threat of being sued over it is the only thing that keeps some people doing the right thing and taking simple measures that can save huge amounts of pain and hassle in others.

As long as she was polite, and accepted your answers without fuss, I can't blame the company for at least checking whether someone else should be paying for this stuff.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

25 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

Eh, to be fair, sometimes it really is due to someone else's negligence or malfeasance, like ignoring safety rules at work or letting sidewalks fall into a complete mess that could trip up a healthy person, let alone someone with poor balance or a cane or such.  Threat of being sued over it is the only thing that keeps some people doing the right thing and taking simple measures that can save huge amounts of pain and hassle in others.

As long as she was polite, and accepted your answers without fuss, I can't blame the company for at least checking whether someone else should be paying for this stuff.

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.

[mlooney 3,417]

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.