Friday July 15 2022

Proof positive that my left ear's hearing is PPFFTT! ....I had my alarm set for nine AM, and At 9:15 AM my husband came into my room and said : "Stars, your alarm clock has been going off for 15 minutes!" Good Grief! ?

Gotta get dressed and go to the doc's appt to get the Xanax prescription which they said I couldn't have until my appointment. But get this: The pharmacy just left me a message that my Xanax is ready to be picked up.?

What a world, what a world. 

I'll come back by later on-------------

I had a good Dr's appt. He typed in his notes that when I needed a refill authorized in the future I was to tell the service that takes care of the messages to look at his entry for today's date, and have the request filled, period!  He said he gets so pissed that since the service was picked up by the "Umbrella" for the hospital and all the docs affiliated w/ that hospital, that he does not get his messages from them in a timely manner: "If my patients need to get a hold of me, I want them to be able to either talk with me or send me a direct message, and not have to go through some prejudiced (against drugs) phone operator who knows nothing about the patient or me. It is not their job to make any judgement about my patients requests. They are supposed to take the message and relay it to ME!" And he told me, "Furthermore, if you try and don't get a satisfactory answer, you come right in the front door of my office here and I will make sure it is taken care of right then." (His office is about 10 miles away, if that.) 

He also told me that "they" (hubby and Nannie) are really lucky to have me there, and he hopes they know that! Also said I was a fine, interesting, lovely and compassionate person, and he really likes to see me when I go there. (I am purring...?)

I too, had a decent Dr. visit. He agreed to discontinue the thyroid replacement that my old PCP had started, even though my labs were normal. She thought it would help my slow heart rate (it didn't) and now that I have a pacer, its a moot point. I had been reading that it may be overprescribed for "subclinical hypothyroidism". And its sort of a pain to take an hour before eating, and no dairy or coffee for several hours after. I stopped it back in October. And I made an appointment for a DEXA scan. Met eldest ds for lunch, we had gyros. Nummy! The phone store was super busy so we'll try next week. I met youngest ds at Costco and stocked up on the usual there: fish oil caps, co-Q10, and tp. It was quite busy, likely many Canadian shoppers. 

Stars, I think it unwise to stop benzos suddenly, ? risk of seizures, maybe? , if they are taken on a regular basis. I know xanax isn't that strong, but why take a chance? Dh's doc has been absorbed by a bigger group and it is a PITA to get through. He got a message that he needs to be seen to renew his insulin, and hasn't been able to talk to a person in a week. And he never got around to accessing his patient portal. 

Dianah, that is lovely that you baked pies! We don't have air-conditioning, so I hesitate to bake in the Summer. I will look up that pie! 

Joe, hope you find some balance. 

Dianah, the pie will be appreciated.  Enjoy the day.

J22, glad you had a good visit with the doctor.

Stars, glad you had a good visit. 

Benzo withdrawal apparently is a witch.  The rule here is docs can only prescribe a 90 day supply and must see the patient in person for renewal.  Mine last usually over six months so I see him twice a year.  I text him when I want my script renewed because when I request from my pharmacy or call is office it doesn't happen in a timely fashion. 

Work was okay for a change.  Lot a lot of admissions and a nurse that called in sick Tuesday picked up today so started 5:1 instead of the usual six.

dianah, that pie sounds good. Pie crust is always hit or miss for me. Probably would be more consistent if I did it more often. Hubs always tells how he used to eat rhubarb straight from his grandparents' garden. Ugh. Afraid I'd have to sweeten it first.

Stars, I remember a patient who had stopped taking benzos after having taken them regularly for some time. It was not pretty, as he had some severe PTSD anyway. My doctor's office has the rule about being seen before they'll authorize refills, too, and some time ago the PA had switched my antidepressant to an extended-release paxil. But then my insurance company balked and no matter what I tried I couldn't get it. The office insisted they were on top of the preauthorization for insurance. The insurance company insisted they had nothing. Meanwhile, I had no paxil. That is an uncomfortable withdrawal. I made an appointment, asked to go back to my old standby prozac, and complained about the difficulty. The PA told me to use the web portal and message her about things rather than calling the desk. Duly noted.

NJ22 I hope you can get the ICD in time to best work with insurance and copays. 

So here I sit with 2 aides (one is orienting) and 3 patients who don't require a lot, although 2 get nebulizer treatments, one of them every four hours. I might do some more training modules!