Before I begin, a quick shout out to my 6 month old nephew Liam - he's officially crawling! Woot! Go Liam!
I've included in today's post a picture of the prescribed and over-the-counter medications I take. Those on the right are my daily medications and supplements. Moving to the left are those I take occasionally (I have digestive issues, so Tums and Gas-X are my buddies; lately, Mucinex has been my best friend) or rarely (like the nebulizer inhaled steroids and Albuterol for asthma flare ups).
With the help of my pharmacy (they do try - but they call with reminders to pick up before I get paid. Still, they are awesome and know me by voice lol) and a lot of my own legwork, I some how keep mostly everything managed and "organized" (meaning, I have a weekly pill organizer). I keep my specialists in touch with other specialist (i.e. I keep track of lab and test results and communicate those to the other specialists. Otherwise, it'd be like trying to get a Trekkie and a Star Wars fan to communicate with one another. I'm just the Klingon Translator.). I can barely keep up with it and thus don't expect others to (they should - but docs are people, too).
The medical care field is filled with potholes and loopholes and it's easy to slip through the cracks. You have to just sometimes become stubborn and do something, or you're going to be dinning with dust bunnies. Be aware and don't be afraid to ask the pertinent questions. For example, "What is my risk of my Mitral Valve Prolapse worsening if I don't get a yearly echocardiogram? If something should go wrong, will the test catch it in time?" This is actually a real question I will ask my cardiologist on Friday . My health insurance company is evil and now has a $750 out of pocket deductible before they'll cover any tests, including blood work, MRIs, or even echocardiograms. I have to be extra cautious and call ahead to make sure the insurance company isn't going to make things screwy (and then call back twice more to confirm).
I highly recommend visiting AHRQ and their "For Patients & Consumers" section. Lots of awesome, informative material on how to be a proactive patient (and no, I didn't get paid to write that. I firmly believe in their mission and jest at the death panel peeps).
I am falling asleep and need to finish dinner, check in with my asthma doc, and then make up my mind on whether I'm going into work or pulling the sick card. Until next time, guinea out!
As a bonus, a pic of the boys hanging out!
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| From left right to right, clockwise: liquid pain medication, CVS dye-free allergy antihistamine, a bottle of Tums, a foil package of Albuterol for my nebulizer, CVS Sinus and Allergy PE, a bottle of glucose meter testing strips, Asmanex, a bottle of naproxen sodium on top of three packs of two individual use alcohol pads each, a foil package of inhaled steroids for my nebulizer, a nasal decongestant, insulin needles for my insulin pens, Advil decongestant, a foil package of Gas-X tablets, my glucose meter, a small pile of the daily medications and stupuliments I take (fish oil, Strattera, metaformin, Calcium Plus, iron, B12, a prescribed allergy pill, Klonopin, and an anxiety medication), my lancet used to draw blood for the glucose meter, and my insulin pens, Lantus SoloStar, and Novalog. |
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| A pile of laundry (mostly sweaters and sweatshirts) has been dumped on my couch, waiting to be folded. |
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| A week's worth of dishes, piled up in the sink and ready to be put into the empty dishwasher machine (lower right hand corner). Also on the counter can be seen (from left to right) are American and Irish flags in a vase, paper towel holder, KitchenAid mixer, coffee pot, and popcorn popper. |
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| Zeke is in his igloo with Benny looking at Zeke. Both are in their play area, and Benny's ball is seen in front of him. |
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