Thursday, January 24, 2019

Is this really happening?


Over a year of feeling awful. Over a year spent mostly in bed unable to move or think. Over a year of checking out of my life and avoiding things I love. Drs appts, tests and knowing something was wrong.
Something was wrong. Is wrong. It's called POTS.
My diagnosis did come with positive news. The medication they prescribed called Midodrine actually did begin to give me good days. Once I got to my full dose I began to have days where I started to feel cautiously human. Yes, I needed to hydrate, take my pills on time, eat more and rest more, but it was working. I just came off of 7 good days in a row. SEVEN. That's the first time in over a year I have gone seven days out of bed and able to function. Maybe my payment will be three days in a flare in bed, but it was becoming manageable and I saw a glimmer of a light at the end of that long tunnel.
I should know better by now. I really should.
They stopped manufacturing the medication. Of the three companies that make it two of them stopped and the other has limited supplies. For the whole country. I was only able to get four days worth from my pharmacy and was then abruptly told that was it, the manufacturer wasn't making it and he couldn't find any more in their pharmacy system. In checking my online pharmacy to see updates my Dr prescribed a new totally different medication and discontinued my midodrine Rx. So apparently I'm going to try that and just see what happens. No she didn't tell me.
Oh yes I'm serious. You really can't make this stuff up.
The new medication is meant to raise blood pressure like the midodrine does, but by a completely different mechanism. This mechanism (increasing the volume of fluid in your circulatory system) carries with it risks that were enough for my cardiologist to say he doesn't prescribe it and doesn't recommend it. Well, now that's all there is so he, and I, have no choice -risks or not.
It also carries with it a whole new set of lifestyle rules and changes to be made. Just as I was really getting a routine that, though a pain in the ass, really seemed to work.
Over a year in misery and finally some help only to have it abruptly taken away again.
I'm beginning to think they should change the name Murphy's law to the law of Kim's health.
I'm in shock and devestated. If that seems like an overreaction to anyone I want you to go climb into bed and not get up for a year. I'll talk to you then.

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