I went back to the specialist in the city this past week. The news wasn't great. While I am finished my round of steroids, it did not put me into remission as they had hoped. (for colitis, remission means there are no active flare ups, blood, etc) Doesn't mean the disease goes away, just is sleeping. Dormant seems a better term for me.
The everyday meds are not sufficient to keep the inflammation down so we are up to step 2, which is a drug with all kinds of scary side effects and potential medical problems. One of the potential problems is a decrease in my white blood cell count, so I have to go for blood work once a week for two months and then if all is well, once a month for the rest of my life.
While I am glad to be off the steroids and all their nasty side effects, the ones with these new drugs aren't great either. The worst is the joint pain. My knees ache so badly right now I can barely move or get up/sit down. This is supposed to fade as my body adjusts to the meds. I sure hope so. Right now, this sucks.
Step 2 of drugs was supposed to cost $200 a month. I am very happy to have medical coverage. I filled my prescription with trepidation. The bill came to $5. Thank goodness.
If step 2 does not work, step 3 is the final step of meds currently available. They are about $30 000 a year and I am told medical insurance does not cover them. I hope it does not come to that.
I need to get my butt to the school for a bit and get some work done. I need to get groceries too. and clean.
On the bright note, I get to use my clothes line for the first time since last fall. That makes me very very happy :-)
Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunday-health-musings.html
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