Know what that is?
A mega-dose of steroids over a short period of time.
Yesterday morning I figured I was getting worse, quickly, and not better. My foot was starting to drag and the numb area which is usually just the top of my foot and part of my shin was creeping upward, expanding up my leg. This means that inflammation in my spine is causing bulging of the herniated disc, and it is impinging on my sciatic nerve. Yesterday morning I called my doctor’s clinic and left a message for his nurse to call me. At 430 last night I got a call from another nurse, not his, to tell me he was gone for the day. I discussed my condition with her, and she became alarmed. She wanted me to come in to the ER, because I may have a herniated disc and I needed a MRI.
<sigh> I have a real issue with the state of our medical system. My biggest issue is with the fact that modern dictates do not want us to have our own doctors. Having persons other than my GP trying to figure out what I need at moments in time has caused, to say minimally, issues. Not knowing my full history, and trying to deal with issues off the cuff, has caused additional physically detrimental issues. Some of them apparently permanent in nature. I KNOW I have a herniated disc. It herniated 2 weeks after surgery for my last herniation, two and a half years ago. Going through surgery and the recovery time involved for this type of surgery, and the costs involved , are simply not something that is affordable, reasonable, or cost effective. I wanted a metro-dose-pack of steroids to try to get the inflammation down to where it is not interfering with my use of my leg, and cut down pain issues in my back.
So I declined going into the ER, and asked the nurse calling me to contact my doctor in the morning. I gave the name of another doctor at the clinic I trust (my wife’s GP) if he was not available as a worst case scenario consultant.
This morning, at 8 am, I got a call from my GP’s nurse. Not a problem. Hope I feel better soon. What pharmacy should they fax the script to? I had them send it to the local pharmacy, and now I am one dose into the next 5 days of steroid treatments. Within 48 hours there should be a real difference in how I physically feel in regards to pain, and also real physical sensation in my foot.
Kind of funny. The only real charge I have for this is the cost of the script at the local pharmacy. What I was encouraged to do by persons not associated with my own GP would have cost in excess of $1400. Cost of the script I already knew I needed is $15.
Not that I am going to get a break on my insurance costs per month for this. It is about $5000 per year for me to be grouped up with whatever sheeple are in my group, following blindly whatever call center is answering their phone calls, and my deductible is over $4000 on top of that.
Oh well. Hopefully by the end of another wasted weekend my body is feeling back to par.
