Mouth sores and other medical adventures

I never really had a problem with mouth sores. Until chemo that is. For those of you who are uninitiated, think canker sores.Ouch

During chemo, I was lucky enough to end up with mouth sores fairly frequently for the first few months, until my protocol changed to Taxol. My oncologist prescribed what is known as ''Magic Mouthwash" which his mixed by the pharmacist. Until that point, I never realized that the pharmacist at Walgreens or CVS would mix things to order in this day and age. I was under the mis-assumption that everything came out of a prepared bottle and was just resorted and relabeled.

But I digress. During chemo, I enjoyed Magic Mouthwash to solve my mouth sore issues. So why is she blogging today about life six and 1/2 years ago you ask? Because I am now on Methotrexate for my RA and it causes mouth sores. I have two on the tip of my tongue. Ouch.

So Wednesday afternoon I went to see my rheumatologist. She prescribed Magic Mouthwash for my then one mouth sore. I asked what is in it and found out they usually prescribe a combination which contains Benadryl, lidocaine (pain), Maalox (coating properties), and an anti-fungal. I said I am allergic to Benadryl. She had to find a combination without Benadryl.

She said she would have it, and another new prescription, called into the hospital pharmacy so she could communicate directly with the pharmacist. I had another test and then stood in line at the pharmacy to find out that my prescriptions had not even made it to the pharmacy yet, never mind be filled. They called the doctor's office and found out that the nurses had a question on her notes and had to wait until she was done with her next patient. I said fine, please have them sent to m y local pharmacy and I'll pick them up later.

Two hours later, I called the pharmacy and they did not have the prescription yet, only another one which I decided to pick up in the morning. But it was too late to call my rheumatologist back to find out about the missing 'magic'. And my mouth sore still hurt.

Yesterday morning I was back on the phone with the doctor's office. It was a computer glitch the prescription was in the system but the doctor hadn't signed off on it for some reason so it could be sent to the pharmacy. A second mouth sore started to emerge as well.

At 2pm I called the pharmacy to see if the magic was ready. No it wasn't. I called the doctor back and the secretary said it had been sent to the pharmacy but my insurance company wouldn't cover it because it contained Maalox which is available over the counter so it had been punted back over to my doctor for another revision and signature.

At 4pm I called the pharmacy again and found out they had just received the prescription and wanted an HOUR to fill it as they had to mix it. I went home and got comfy because my feet hurt and my tongue hurt, with its second mouth sore. They called 30 minutes later to say it was ready. Grr.

I got back in my outdoor clothes to go back to the pharmacy and picked it up. The second I walked in the door, I grabbed a spoon and swished it around my mouth. Relief finally!

After a lot of red tape, my tongue stopped hurting... That was just one day in my life as a patient. And my tongue still hurts when I eat anything.

The Overly Hyped News

We all hear the news - the endless hype on Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Libya, Japan, and everything else. The media puts out an endless stream of updates from live camera shots, press releases and conferences, and announcements from PR agencies. We get so much "non-news" and there is such an effort to fill the hundreds or thousands of television channels and radio stations with more news, that sometimes news sneaks out before its ready.

Companies offer endless streams of announcements and press releases. And sometimes they talk about what a product is supposed to do before they know it will work. This raises expectations on the part of the reader who doesn't always hear that it is expected to work but that it will work.

The pharmaceutical industry is not immune to this. Amgen and Takeda Pharmaceuticals just announced that a highly anticipated lung cancer drug did not meet expectations. I bet it was only so highly anticipated because they promoted it. A classic example of overly hyped news.

So if you had lung cancer and heard about this new drug that looked very promising and then found out that it didn't work as expected. How would you feel? Like one of your last hopes just collapsed? Maybe the marketing for the new drug that was supposed to help boost sales let the cat out of the bag a bit too early.

Prescription madness

A day of prescription madness. First stop at the meds therapist for a check on my sanity level and prescription analysis. She put directly into the computer two prescriptions for me. I did explain to her the last time I saw her the prescription wasn't there when I went to pick it up - but it was New Year's Eve, my husband and brother were waiting for me, there was a huge line at the pharmacy (and I had just fallen in the parking lot but I didn't tell her that). I figured it was a computer glitch or insurance being cranky or something and figured I would call her if I ran out before I saw her again. Well last night I went to pick up my new prescriptions, and only one was there. I explained my story to the pharmacy, they said the other prescription was actually in there but the second prescription from yesterday was not.

Then my back pain doctor called in a new prescription for me. I was all excited thinking I am getting off Lyrica - which I don't really like. But apparently when I picked it up, it was another anti-inflammatory. I need to call and find out if this is in addition to or instead of my other anti-inflammatory and refill my Lyrica prescription. I am so confused.

But I have had three doctors follow their scripts recently: my radiation oncologist says she doesn't want to seem me for six months and I look like I am doing well; my meds therapist thinks I am doing okay and I don't have to see her for two months; and my endocrinologist sent me a letter saying all my blood work came back fine. I still have an ultrasound coming up and I think I go back in six months.

Today I will call the pharmacy and two doctors to see if I can straighten out my prescriptions. But first, we need to take the fasting cat to the vet. I can't wait. He is soooo annoying and wants food. And he's begging. And he's pleading. And he's generally annoying. He hasn't had food since 7pm last night when we took it all away. I am sure I will be good and aggravated after dealing with the cat in the car before I get to spend time on the phone.