Listening to the Voices in my Head

Seems Dr N's course of treatment is working

I have been on Ozempic for almost 6 weeks. Turns out I am a 'textbook example' of insulin resistance. With the exception of slight nausea when I followed the protocol of increasing dose to .50 from .25mg, I have had no other reactions.  Dr N does want blood tests to see how my liver is handling it. He's not worried, it's just standard procedure.

So far, I have lost 6kgs (13lbs 4oz) in 6 weeks.  My appetite, which has never been all that great, has reduced a bit, but I am still pretty much staying with the same things I have been doing. Dr told me not to change what I have been doing, because I have been doing everything right.

I'm angry, and this time, anger is the right reaction

I saw Dr N this morning.  I showed him the prescriptions I have aka The Chemical Experiment That Is My Life. Had discussion regarding my not really improving even though I am busting my ass trying to get my left leg useful.

Dr N looked at my M.R.I. and said that at the very least, I should have gotten a kneecap replacement. The excuse Dr R gave me, lose some weight, is really a brush off. HE'S worried about a bad outcome. Dr R completely disregarded the fact that I had an above average, excellent outcome with my right knee replacement, and shunted me off to a pain doctor.  Why? because he thought I would fuck up his surgical record of successes.

So, their remedies are to pile more drugs on me, or tell me I'm not exercising enough.  I have sweat and chafe rashes in place I won't mention because of exercising.

Dr N said from my records, I'm doing all the right things to shed weight healthily, and something else needs to be done. Instead of plying me with more pain killers, we could start with directly injected into the joint medications. Either platelets or SynVisc.

Wish me luck.

Saw Dr L today

But this time, I had hubby wait somewhere. 

I'd felt last time that D L had a chip on his should regarding my husband calling and nagging him to push my appointment up. And that it was reflected in how talked at me, instead of to me.  All fixed.

He says that concerning my knee problem, I have 'realistic expectations’.  I'm not looking for my knee to magically feel all better. What I want is the pain level of 5 to 7 on a daily basis to lurk around three.  I'm functional at that pain level.  And I need a good night's sleep.  Dr L has given me a prescription that I am to have filled one month after taking 60mgs of Duloxetine a day, a low dose of something (forgot the name) to take around 7pm, in hopes it makes sleeping easier.

Also told me no need to split the Dulox 30mg caps to one in the morning and one at night, but to take the full 60 in the morning.
I told Dr L I was beginning to feel like a pharmaceutical experiment. He said basically, that's true. We are trying to find the right combination to get the nerve pain under control

Tick tock tick tock tick tock

Time and days keep moving forward, but I feel stuck in loop.

I've had three different doctors, specialist, etc etc, look at my knee and I will sum up their findings:

My knee is borked enough to make my life rather miserable, keeping me mostly housebound, or on just short trips, with a healthy dose of neuropathy, but not bad enough to have remedial surgery/measure.

I'm trying to stay upbeat, but I'm tired. Tired of plastering a smile on my face, putting up cheery conversation, when all I really want to do is put my head under a pillow and cry.

I am on medications galore, and one of them makes me queasy, dizzy, dry mouthed,  and drowsy. Two others make me drowsy, another will give me horrible acid reflux unless enough 'with food' is eaten. And two of them give me another problem, but I'm going to give that description a miss.

I've been told that the symptoms from the first one I described 'should' go away after a few weeks.  Anyone else ever want to ask the doctors  "Define 'a few weeks', please."?

I will muddle through, leg propped on foot stool, Loki snugged up next to me, and hope for the best.

It takes a specialist

To see a specialist?

For 19 years I have been asking 4 different GPs to please get my records from Dr R, an endocrinologist in Florida regarding my hypothyroidism, and how it was being successfully treated in the U.S.   4 different GPs, and all I got was hemming and hawing, and my weight going up and up and up, no matter what I did.

I kept food diary for a month. 

It wasn't believed. 

I wore a pedometer for a month. 30k steps per day on average.  But still, I could get no where with my GPs to prescribe me the medication that Dr R did, or even contact Dr R for my records (I had signed a release form, so that couldn't have been the problem)

Today, after a consult with my osteo surgeon, Mr S.,  regarding bariatric surgery. I told him that I had been under the knife for the past 4 years in one way or another.  I want a gap year.  There is also the fact that I have FND, and surgery could start triggering it again.  Also, I have a history of anorexia. Turning me into an instant anorexic by get gastric sleeving done isn't a great idea.

So, I told him about Dr R, the endocrinologist in Florida.  I told Mr S the above history with my GPs, and he said again, this just won't do!  I get to fast, and get a Thyroid function test, not just testing to see if I have the Thyroxine in me.  Will also get a BGL test, too.  Once those results are in, I will be FINALLY seeing an endocrinologist!

Halli-fucking-luiah!

Had a good conversation with my GP today

We discussed the blurry vision when trying to focus on something (like reading books) and it is a normal side effect of Lyrica. It *should* settle itself after a while.
 
Discussed the Lorazepam. I told him I was taking half of what he proscribed. I had tried with the two tabs, three times a day, but I was just too wonked out. I told him I discovered that a sharp, loud, sudden sound would start to trigger a seizure. Even watching a car accident on TV would make my leg and arm start twitching.  Discovering one seizure trigger is a good thing. 

Got my flu shot, and my arm is already sore, but it was something I expected.  Ordered vaccination for shingles, which is currently in my fridge, as I have to wait a few weeks between vaccinations.

Oh, yes, forgot, told him about doing 30 minutes a day on my stationary bike, and how it makes the tendons in my leg feel very stiff and sore. He suggested I get an elliptical trainer. It will be discussed with Wing, and I will try one out first. If my leg can't handle the elliptical treadmill/trainer, I can still keep using the stationary bike.