Flippy - I Rant, You Read
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Moooo-oooom, I Don’t Want To Go To The Urologist Tomorrow
Yes indeed, I have an appointment with the urologist early in the morning. I’d originally had an appointment for February 13th, but I just can’t afford to see an out of network doctor, even if he’s supposed to be one of the best in the city. The guy I chose used to be in an office with the “best in the city” guy, until BITC guy moved across town, so maybe that’s a good sign. He’s in a nice new office, in the same building where I got my MRI for my back. He’s nearby. Those are good things. I went to pick up my paperwork, so I wouldn’t have to arrive 30 minutes early, because 9:50am is plenty early enough for me. The office looked like, how do I say this nicely? It looked like it was 2 for 1 Old Guy Day. I know one of the doctors specilalizes in prostate stuff, so that could’ve been the reason it was full of men.
Last week, when I saw Leigh-Ann’s pain management doctor, and he was the second doctor in two weeks to not want to write me a one month prescription for Enablex (their website has a print-out for a one month free trial) without seeing a urologist, I decided it was time to finally give in. I can’t stand this bladder thing anymore and it’s preventing me from doing a lot of things - fun things *and* not being able to work from anywhere but home. I’m hoping the Enablex is all I need to make me better, but unfortunately I’m going to have to suffer the indignity of an exam to find out. Blech. It’s like going to the gynecologist, but worse. Okay, maybe not worse. The last time I went to the urologist, he was pretty fast. I’m just afraid I’m going to have to have some icky tests, like ones that measure how much my bladder holds and tests like that.
Enough about the urologist, back to the pain management doctor. He was nice, but he wasn’t as cheerful as when Leigh-Ann went to see him. Still, he knows what he’s doing, I guess. I’m now on 20mg of Oxycontin every eight hours (don’t believe what you read about Oxycontin, it’s not the slightest bit fun - no high whatsoever), and one 300mg Neurontin before bed to help with sleep. I feel a little better, but the reflux from the pain meds is nasty. I got a prescription for Aciphex, but only got a week’s worth to see if works. I’m not that impressed, and my insurance doesn’t pay for it, so I’m not going to continue taking a pill that costs almost $7 a day. I wish I could find something that would take away the reflux for good. Unfortunately, the pain meds make it bad and like my bladder, stress makes it worse. That doesn’t seem like it’s going to abate any time soon, so I’ll have to keep researching meds. So far, Prilosec, Zantac, Nexium, and Aciphex don’t work.
Oh yeah, and the pain management doc is sending me for blood tests. If I feel okay after the urology appointment tomorrow, I’ll get the blood test on the way home. He’s looking to see if I have MS or Rheumatoid Arthritis. I’m almost positive that it couldn’t be RA. I would think that I’d feel worse. Also, written on the blood test prescription is Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia - I don’t know if he’s ordering tests to see if that’s what I have or to rule out other stuff and confirm that’s what I have, but I guess I’ll see at my next appointment in a month. I am always sore and tired, so I guess Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia would be a reasonable diagnosis. I wish I could just occasionally have some caffeine for pep, but I can’t do it unless I want to not be able to sit without having to pee, because caffeine makes my bladder much worse. You know, I’m not having much fun being me these days. My forties have kind of sucked so far. My teens and pre-teens, those were some fine years. Anyone have a time machine? I’ll take Leigh-Ann back with me.
My apologies for my blog entries these days. Ugh, they’re boring. They bore me even to write them, but I’ve discovered that writing this stuff down is helpful when I’m trying to remember things.
Next entry: The Little Engine That Couldn't Previous entry: I Feel So Cheated
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I think it’s a very good idea to document stuff, and this isn’t a bad place. Those of us who care about you . . . care, and then you’ll get people searching who have the same problem. I hope the appointment isn’t too bad.
Nancy on 01/15 at 06:01 AM -
I have a couple hundred 6oomg Neurontin lying around if you can think of a way for me to send them to you that wouldn’t get us arrested. (It’s also used as a mood stabilizer, but I don’t take it anymore)
Jack's Raging Mommy on 01/15 at 08:46 AM -
JRM - Oh no, I would never be interested in something like that. Nuh uh. (I’ll send you an email
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on 01/18 at 01:55 AM
