Health Problems

Twilight Sparkle_sl said:

oh god i have ass cancer

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Try fibers first. Talk to Kuriin.

Jx3_sl said:

Blood in my poops, having to shit randomly, never feeling like i was ever done shitting. I would go, do what i needed to do and yet still feel like i had to go.

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These were theexactsame symptoms I had with an internal hemorrhoid and diverticulitis. Freaked me out so much that I paid out of pocket for a Cologuard test and when that was negative a colonoscopy.

Met with an entire panel of doctors yesterday just to go over my case. Apparently it's really odd. Kind of like house without the smart assesness.

Basically they came to the concslusion that I have had MS for 15+ years. It's rare and I forgot what they called it, you get lesions in the brain without any external symptoms until I had the one big episode brought on by stress and it was a really stressful period. They agreed I have a very minor case now and will give a deal that's not something that supresses the immmune system. Most people have an episode/relapse and they give them mass steroids when they have 2-3 lesions. I had 34 at the time and haven't had any development now in almost 3 years. Their conclusion was to stay away from stress and take the shots 3 times a week. They said because of the type of MS it's unlikely I get disabled and my age.

The stuff they want me to take balances your immune system somehow to inhibit the attacks and at the same time can (we'll see) actually heal some of the previous damage which is unique to this stuff for MS. I was concerend they would want to give me stuff that would impact my immune system since I'm have all the other issues. They said nope and that would be a bad idea and no need for it right now. It's a self injection so that's nice.

I didn't fail any neurological test they give you and they said if we didn't have the MRI and spinal tap we wouldn't suspect MS at all.

Every symptom that I currently have that's impacting my life they agreed is because of some other issue, they agreed something went wrong with the corticosteroids and set me up and appointment with a specialist.

Not great news, but better than it could have been. They all seemed to think the MS is very mild and if I hadn't had that one episode when I was extremely stressed out both mentally and physically they still wouldn't be going over it now.

If they find out what the corticosteroids screwed up I feel like I'll be in pretty good shape.

They really stressed the point of avoiding stress (lol). I told them I can't anything being more stressful than the shit I've been going thru not knowing what the probolem is. I told them the only more stressful situation I can imagine is if someone was shooting at me. Then I corrected myself and said, no I know what to do if someone is shooting at me. Got some odd looks. They said that's a good sign I had no lesion development and some actually resolved since the episode 2-1/2 years ago.

Port put in, sadly I don't get to be the new Archer. Its under the skin, kinda neat actually, except for the random aches.



I go Wednesday to the cancer center across from the hospital for a meeting and I guess the start of my treatments. Hopefully I get done with this shit sooner rather than later.

Fasting sugar at low 90s now. Have to monitor it even more now. Medicine working too good I guess. Plus I've lost like 10 Pounds eating correctly

After a while you'll start to notice when it's low/high. Try to guess where you think it is before you check it and then compare the two. With practice you'll get to be pretty spot on. I'm normally within 5 or 10, which is within the accuracy of the machine. Can use super inexpensive blood strips/machines from wal-mart compared to the really expensive stuff. All you're looking for mostly is it's either high, low, or somewhere in between. Being off 5 or 10 won't make a difference and is not worth the extra cost.

As if I didn't have enough problems. Now large chunks of my skin are coming off.

Keep getting really low sugar. Might need to call the doc. Everyday this week I've needed to eat a candy bar because I got dangerously low and my fasting sugar has been in the 80s and dropping everydsy. Not sure if it's something that I'll adjust to or something to be nervous about.

Not sure about type 2, but type 1 that's where you want to be before you eat. Also drinking something will raise your blood sugar quicker and not stick with you longer if that makes sense. Will raise it and get it out of your system unlike some stuff you eat and it goes up and stays with you all day.

This new medicine I'm starting takes an act of congress to get apparently. Start with doctor who has to contact the pharmacy, it's the only one in the US you can get it from, then the rep company for the maker of the stuff, then back to the doctor, then the pharmacy again, and then the rep company contracts with a nurse to show you how to take it (not like I haven't given 2 shots a day for the last 40 years), then the pharmacy will overnight it after the rep company says OK. Lot of shit just to get a package to you.

Copaxone. Here's the real kicker. They got the patended rights to do it 3 times a week at 40mg or whatever dosage. They sell a generic that is the same exact thing made by the same exact people, but it's 7 days a week 20mg (half the dosage). The company doesn't have an enforcable patent on the actual medicine, they got one on taking it 3 days a week somehow.

It's really odd. I asked the dumbest, you must never ask question. So if your insurance pays for the generic and you get 7 deals to take every day at half the dosage of the 3 days a week. Why not take them 3 days a week and just take double the dosage. You MUST never ask that question to the doctor or their rep deal. Whole company just to answer stupid fucking questions and deal with the pharmacy wholey owned by the drug maker. Tells you all you really need to know.

Apparently the stuff works and I read a few cases of people taking it 15 years without progressing any. Just nobody knows why it works and's not an interferon like drug that comprimises your immune system, which is good cause I got other issues going on with that right now.

There is a similar scheme going with Sildenafil for Pulmonary Hypertension (sold as a generic iirc) and Viagra which is just a different dose :eye roll:. As far as I remember they purposely never did trials with the same doses so they could never technically be "approved" to treat the same conditions and keep charging way more for Viagra.

Edit: I may have had that backwards and Viagra is the cheap while Pulmonary HTN is the super expensive, that would make more sense.

Cancer center in Charleston is pretty nice. Radiation is on the ball, should be starting treatments soon. Oncology, haven't heard from them yet, I assume that will start soon as well.

Jx3 said:

Cancer center in Charleston is pretty nice. Radiation is on the ball, should be starting treatments soon. Oncology, haven't heard from them yet, I assume that will start soon as well.

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We had to move my father in-law to MA for his treatment due to how fucking racist the Doctor's were in the Deep South (i.e. South of Connecticut. NYC nearly falls into my definition). Guess people in that region hate anyone who isn't pure white.

Goodluck. It's a shitty process.