Two pretty good news.....

[Buckrub]

Not GREAT news, like winning the lottery or getting a new heart...or new stomach....or new back........or new heel.......or new C6/C7 nerve.........or having my hair colored....but....

First, Mother came home today. She is a lot better, but Lordy she looks like she was run over by a train. She will be months healing. She has NO skin on her forearm on right arm from knuckles to above elbow. Stitches in many places. Hemotoma's galore. But......she's alert and can make it to bathroom and says she is "ok"......getting her to not try and be 'normal' instantly is going to be the problem. But it's better today.

Second, went to my annual cardiologist. It's been over 8 1/2 years since the heart attack. An L.A.D. M.I. is not your normal heart attack, but I had no bypass surgeries, and the two stents must be working. The good news is that he said I could stop the Beta Blocker (Bystolic) altogether.......since my B.P. is actually a bit low (106/80 today), and in fact have had some syncope in the last year. That led to reducing the Bystolic, but Cardio guy said to just eliminate it. He also said that recent studies show that Plavix is really of no real benefit at this distance from the Event, and to stop taking that also. So I'm down now to daily doses of Crestor 20 and Lisinopril 10....for my heart........(and Pantaprazole for my stomach, plus inhalers for asthma and other 'as needed').........so I just lost 2 expensive medicines.

Also, I've not felt 'normal' for some time, and just feel 'blah'.........and in the dumps..........and upset all the time.......and he said "Well, you're overmedicated. Try this"..........and so we cut out those two. Hope it works.

I still take the drug that makes me deranged though. Oh, and the one that turned me into a 'conservative apologist'...(which I take by elective pharmaceutically).

[Thumper]

Well, congrats and thanks for reminding me of something I've been wanting to ask about .... but keep forgetting. I take a frigging handful of pills every day ... but honestly, most of them are simply "supplements". Vitamins, Fish Oil (Omega3), baby aspirine ... that sort of thing. Looks like we take the same Rx stuff ... or at least take pills for the same problems. I also take Lisinopril 10 for the BP. I take Simvastatin for cholesterol ... it's dirt cheap but works like a charm for me. That Crestor is EXPENSIVE ... nothing else works? I also take "stomach pills" ... Omeprazol ... it's better than eating a jar of Tums every four days! What your post reminded me of though ... when I was in the hospital suffering from everything under the sun ... my heart rate suddenly jumped up to 190 bpm. That's when they kept "killing me" ... they'd give me an injection to stop my heart ... then zap me back to life. They said it's only safe to do that a couple times, but since I was so "young and strong", they continued "killing" me! (No, I never saw "the light" ) After 5 times of that, they finally put me into a drug induced coma for a couple weeks. It's a GREAT sleep ... but coming out of a coma is something like a personal Hitchcock movie ... NOT something I want to experience again! EVER!!!

Now, for my concern, after that episode (no idea why it happened) they put me on Metroprolol Tartrate to control my heart rate. I've been on it ever since (almost 3 1/2 years) now. To me ... the heart rate episode was probably a fluke. Heck, I'd already been in ICU for over a month when it happened and I was going through everything a person can possibly go through medically speaking. I'm just wondering if I REALLY need to take this stuff any longer? BUT ... I keep forgetting to ask about it. I'd sure like to eliminate at least ONE pill if I can. Thanks for the reminder ... now all I have to do is remember to ask during my next appointment!

[Niner]

As Arty Johnson used to say on Laugh In......vedddddy intedestink.
It seems ONE of the many different chemo's they gave me in the hosptal in TX has the unplesant side effect of inducing Atrial Fibrolation (afib...howeverit is spelled). So, they put me on Metoprolol as well.....even WELL AFTER I was off of that brand of chemo..lo until today.

I went to a chardio guy here in town before Christmas. Mainly because I figgered I needed a LOCAL chardio guy. I asked him about the Metoprlol, and he said I could prolly stop it, but to come off of it slowly. He advised to start taking 1/2 of a tablet morning and night instead of a whole one for a few weeks, then just a 1/2 tab once a day for a few weeks and then quit taking them.

Well I'm still taking the 1/2 pill twice a day. Gonna talk to the chardio guy about it again next time I see him.

[Buckrub]

WELL!!!
While we be's on this subject..........let me elucidate.

Toprol (the brand name of Metroprolol) gave me extreme nightmares. SO they put me on Altenolol. Well, that gave me PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions). They told me PVC's were not life threatening, and not to worry about them. But GEEPERS they drove me nutsoid! Yikes! So, the P.A. (who is better at all this than the Cardio M.D., and the daughter of a friend to boot, and graduated H.S. with my son) said to leave all those and go to Bystolic. Bystolic is a new Beta Blocker that is supposed to be WELL received by everyone and doesn't cause nightmares OR PVC's. (My cousin can NOT take it, though, so go figure). Yes, do NOT stop Beta Blockers altogether, but that's exactly what I am about to do, starting in the morning. I may go crazy, who knows. (who could tell?)

And yes, Jimbo, I'm on Crestor because it is the "Heavy Hitter", the true Major Leaguer of Statins. My insurance wants me on Simvastatin too, of course, because it's cheap. But Crestor is going generic in a year, so hang on. I have started with Simvastatin, then Zetia, Zocor, then Lipitor (up to 80) and all worked, but not well enough.............thus, the Crestor. It works. I'm only on 20mg and I could go up, but for now it's good.

Want a list of all I take including OTC's? Ready?

Daily:
Crestor 20mg
Lisinopril 10mg
(I am stopping Bystolic Beta Blocker and Plavix today, POOF)
Pantraprozole (generic for Protonix), twice a day (though I cheat and take it only once a day unless reflux begins to kill me)

Daily, OTC:
81 mg aspirin
4 Metamucil pills
Probiotic pill
One a Day vitamin
Two Caltrates
one Fish Oil (this supposedly does every bit as much good as the expensive Crestor for helping cholesterol, per my Cardiologist)

AND, on an "as needed" basis:
Proair Inhaler
Asmanex inhaler
Budesonide (Generic for Intracort) for my stomach, up to four daily for a few days.....the only medicine to ever help my Microscopic Colitis in any way.
Several antibiotics that I carry just in case my Diverticulitis flares up.....antibiotics are the only fix.
Ranitidine (the generic for prescription strength Zantac), as needed as an "after the fact" reflux medicine.

Several prescription skin medicines and shampoos for the tinea versicular that flares up, plus some sulfur topical stuff for it.

Of course, I have about five leftover bottles of Vicodin generic (hydrocodone) from the shoulder surgery, some Nucynta pain medicine from that.......

And I bet I could find a few more in the cabinet.

Daily heart medicine, stomach medicine, and asthma/COPD..........

I have a doctor for every part of me but hair. My hair is just fantastic.

[Thumper]

Yep, we take the same OTC stuff ... other than the Metamucil and Probiotic pill. I also have Ranitidine in case the Omeprazol fails me. (I also cheat on the Omeprazol ... I'm supposed to take two/day, but only take one)

Then, of course, there's the Morphine, Vicodin and Percocet just to get me through the day ... but I don't take them if all I'm doing is sitting at home staring at the walls. I use them as "weekenders" or "vacation helpers" ... otherwise I simply lie down for a while until the pain is bearable again. Ship me those left-over Vicodins ... you have my address!

I was on an inhaler when I got out of the hospital. I can't even remember why. Along with elebenty-bazillion other problems I developed in the hospital (that I never had before) was some sort of breathing problem. I don't even remember what it was ... I'd crush up a little pill and inhale the powder. I've thrown all that away.

[Thumper]

Man-o-man, do we sound like a couple of OLD men or what? Hey, you want to see the neat scar I have from my throat to my belly-button? How 'bout the big round scar on my throat from the tracheostomy!!?? The scars covering my legs from mining skin for grafts? I won't even show you my back ... you sound like you may have a weak stomach!

Sheeesh! I was hoping getting old would be easier than this.

[Thumper]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Niner. Let me know how it goes Mr. Crow9. I have a sneaking suspicion I really don't need to be taking this stuff any longer.

[Buckrub]

Jimbo, the leftover bottles might have one or two each in 'em. I probably don't have 9 total pills. They give me constipation bad, I hate 'em. But I keep 'em in case this shoulder/nerve gets so bad I can't stand it.

This morning is first one without my Beta Blocker since June, 2004. I might be crazy by noon.

Heck, I might be crazy anyway.

[Chicken Dinner]

Damn, y'all sound like a bunch of geezers sitting around McDonald's in the morning drinking $.35 coffee.

[Thumper]

So true CD .. so true. Sad ain't it?

[Thumper]

BTW Buckster ... if I'm taking pain pills ... I take "stool softeners" with them. Otherwise you'll strain a gut and pop a few 'roids trying to crap out that concrete block. (I learned that the hard way .. no pun intended!)

[Buckrub]

Well..........read again. I take 4 metamucil pills every single day. I still get it. I hate those things, but I also hate pain.

And......ok, wait. WAIT. McDonald's has .35 coffee? Really?