Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hi all, now that i have rested after my hemo session today, i feel pretty rejuvenated. Now on with the blog, as i dedicated my previous blog to the highs and lows of blood pressure, i would like to dedicate this blog to the medication regiment. I felt compelled to talk about the medication regiment, after my discussion today with a unit nurse. As you maybe aware of my recent hospitalization, i discovered the following day, after the pain meds had finally wore off, this nurse brought my medications to take for that morning, during that lousy display of a breakfast (lol), which consist of cereal, (with a tbsp of low fat milk, in which the dietitian pour in all by her lonesome, it was as though she didn't trust me to put a small amount of milk in the cereal myself, i was so insulted and offended by this, and then throwing the rest of the milk in the trash, right in front of me, she wasn't discreet whatsoever) and also those powder substance type scrambled eggs, and a small cup of no syrup fruit cocktails (which didn't taste like the fruit it looked like (lol). Well, on with the morning meds, this nurse, brought in six phosphorus binders for me to take, and i told her i don't take but three binders, with my breakfast, because i don't eat much for breakfast the majority of the time, and she replied with, but this amount is on your chart, and i said girl, i have been on dialysis for over two decades, and i should know what works for me, it seems you have a very outdated medication record for me, so she said you are not going to take all six, and i said, i surely am not, you can best believe that! So, she said i have already scan your hospital band for six, well i am sorry, you can scan all you want, i am not taking but the require 3 binders with my breakfast. She had to be one of those by the book type nurses, right! Well, she said what are you going to do with the other three, and i said scrasticially, (i hope i spelled that right, if not, you know what i was trying to say), i will take my three and just look at the rest, and she kinda showed a little humor in that sargent at arms deamnor of hers, and chuckled just a little, i can see it is going to be hard to break into her humor side, (lol). Then she preceded to give me the rest of my morning meds, which i am so keen with the knowledge of my medication regiment, i notice that one of the meds, didn't look like something i have ever taken before, so i ask her what is this pill for, and she said is to control your b/p, and i replied with, no it is not!, so i went on remarking with, what is the name of this particular pill, and she said norvasc, Norvasc! well i was wrong, because i had taken norvasc, previously during my ten year run on hemo, and that was way back in 1998, and i recalled, my neph immediately stop this med, because it would make me fatigue and nostaglic. So, i did apoligize to her, but i was still baffled as to why would they have me take this med again, what has it improved since the late 90's, what did they take out the drowsy affect, that it once had. i want to know, because i don't like to be surprised with a new med, or in this case, a previous med that i have taken. I said what b/p meds do you have in my records, and she said i have norvasc and coreg. Wait! Stop! Rewind! So she repeated it, and i replied with up until yesterday, i was taking cozaar and coreg. Who changed my b/p med regiment? And she said the MD in charge of you on this floor. Well, i took the med, but when my neph finally visited me, i promptly ask him, why was my cozaar changed to norvasc? So, he said per the cardiolgist that felt that norvasc and coreg, would work better to control your b/p. Well, i am all for change, if it is for the better, but what i don't understand is that the cozaar and coreg, was working fine in helping to control my b/p on PD, so what gives, is it that since my temp return to hemo, the cozaar doesn't work as well, tell me something, because Dr. Ahmad, i just refilled my cozaar, before this recent hospitalization. Now, back to the nurse at the unit, i told her, that through the diagnose, i had fluid around my lungs from the ct-scan, and pnemonia in the process, and that was why i was doing so much uncontrollable coughing on the regular. You would think that the dialysis unit must have had other pts. who experience what i experienced, and that they would take this into account, just in case they are presented with another pt. in the future with these issues, plus like i said in a previous post, these units should invest in a x-ray machine, because they can be truly on top of the possibility that a pt. could have fluid around their lungs, and maybe hospitalization wouldn't be necessary, that is only my opinion. Now, back to medication, it is so important for a pt. to become very keen about what their medication regiment is, at all times, when it is changed, or if a new med is prescribed. I have stated in both my books, throughout my many years of being on dialysis, i have had medication changed, substituted for another, temporary stopped, rotated to every other day, increased, decreased and restarted. So look just one of my meds was just recently changed in the hospital, without my knowledge, that is one reason why i pursued to find out when and why was one of my b/p meds changed. Just like i said, there is so much drama to face with this very unique life of dialysis. Well, that is about it for my blogging today, take care and all the best to my followers, and in closing, please dialysis pts. whether you be on hemo, PD and also HHD, get very acquainted with your meds, and try your best to stay as compliant with your medication regiment as best as you can. I know first hand, that medication isn't prefect, and as you can see, from my statement, about how my meds have been compromised with changes out the yen yen, medication is not perfect, but yes, through the years many of the meds that i have been on, have been very beneficial in helping me to triumph through all these obstacles that i have been faced with for so many years. let me end this blog, before i think of something else to start preaching about regarding my health. Please my followers, chime in and share any of your medication plights. Glo