Well today seems to be going good so far. I can say that I am not tired that's for sure. I caught some 48hr bug and seriously slept 45 of those hours.
So if you've been following my blog or my Facebook page, you will know that I've been having some medical issues lately. One of them being me trying to get put on the name brand drug for my seizures. Since I moved to Wisconsin six years ago I have been prescribed Phenytoin rather than the Dilantin I had been on.
We moved back to Minnesota and I tried to get to see my old Neurologist but it seems he's quite the busy guy with teaching and hospital work and the wait was gonna be a long one, and I needed my meds. so I saw one of his whatcha callem's co-worker thingies. Colleague, that's the word. I saw one of his colleagues. Hmm, not such a good pair we were not. Here's the low down on that one
So anyhow, back to the story. I finally get to see my original Neurologist and the first thing he asks me is, "how is the depression?" Whoa Frickin Nelly! Hold the boat for a moment. So I explain that the "depression" thing is a load of crap, and something else is going on. I tell him my thoughts on what might be happening. Ya know the whole generic drug thing. I ask him what is it going to hurt if for a couple of months we switch over to the Dilantin, and see if this could be part of my health problems? He's like, "what the hell let's give it a go." Yes my doctor totally said, what the hell. I love him.
So it's been a couple of months later and I had an appointment with him today. First thing he says is, " well you don't look depressed." WTH? I'm gonna hurt that other doctor for putting that in my file. He must have wrote it in bold red colors or something. Now I do in fact suffer from depression, but it's not something that I have to battle every day. I am aware of the times when I am unable to control it and I can't get myself outta a funk, and I need happy pills to help me. Right now though? I'm Good to go. Actually there is a valid reason he keeps asking me this. Apparently Dilantin can cause depression. It also can, get this, cause seizures. Not even going there. Nope. Not at all.
Oh yeah, back to the story. So I tell him about the dizziness and vertigo stuff that's been going on and I tell him it's been going on for awhile, but in the last month has gotten super duper bad. He tells me to get my levels checked, and he wants an MRI since neither of us can remember when I last had one. Ya know, just to make sure things are still normal in the noggin, or at least as normal as I seem to get.
I felt pretty good about the appointment. Holy crap, I just got all medical lingual on myself...totally deleted it all as I'm sure you all could care less unless of course you have a seizure disorder. Here's the dealio ...Everyone says that Phenytoin and Dilantin are the same thing. They are not!
I was on 300mg twice a day of phenytoin that barely kept me in the lower normal levels. When I switched over to Dilantin my doctor kept me at the same dosage. This is after all an experiment...sort of. The doctor called me back about 30 minutes after I got home. Ok, did you catch that? The doctor called. Not his assistant, or his nurse, it was him. He called to inform me that my levels were through the roof. Remember I'm on the same dosage as I was of the generic version. Ten to sixteen is the normal range. When I was on Phenytoin I was at a consistent 10.2 my Dilantin labs from today showed I was a toxic 44, and that was after throwing up a dose this weekend. He told me to cut 200mg out and told me to not take my dosage tonight, and to get back in on Monday to have my levels re-checked.
Hmm why do they keep insisting that these two drugs are the same and interchangeable? I'm sitting here barely functioning because first off, someone refuses to put me on the right drug, and then the right drug just about puts me in the hospital. Holy Hell's Bells! Why does this stuff always happen to me? On a more positive note. I stupidly made the MRI appointment for tomorrow morning, which is ok, except my nose is newly pierced and I don't want to take it out. It will hurt like the dickens! I guess it wouldn't be so bad except the other day while trying to get buggers out very carefully with a Kleenex.(yes I do have buggers, and yes I have to get them out somehow, and no it apparently wasn't carefully enough)I popped the fricken post out of my nose. Picture this...me in bathroom, me going, "oh shit", me yelling, "Princess come here!" Princess showing up asking, "what", me and her looking at each other like a couple dorks, Princess giving me a pat on the back and telling me good luck and walking away. Me grinding my teeth as I try to put the stupid thing back in. You can after all only really fit one set of hands on a nose you know. It now hurts like hell...again.
Pre-Publish Update: I called radiology and they said titanium was ok to leave in during an MRI. Thank you good Lord Jesus, and thank you super metal sensitive body for making me buy the expensive nose post!
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