One Visit to Kaiser and Life Goes On...

I'm NOT a happy Kaiser Kamper after this last week. A rather simple incident of being low on a heart drug (Metoprolol) turned into a complete medical mess for me and several Kaiser staff at Kaiser Vacaville. I was low on Metoprolol 10 days ago, a rainy Tuesday as I recall. It had been decided that I would get my medicines from Kaiser and abandon the Wal-Mart low-cost $4.00/mo per drug refill as they (Wal-Mart's prescription department) had fallen into long-lines, lost prescriptions and terrible counter service. So I emailed my Kaiser physician's office ( who, as he is blameless in this event, will remain annonomous ) to request the prescription be filled at the local Kaiser facility in Fairfield. I waited two days and then on that Friday went to the pharmacy to obtain my Metoprolol. Once in line I waited patiently watching the little kids scream and mother's attempts at quieting them which ranged from near hysteria to complete lack of caring. Once called to the window the nice Pharmacy tech took my old pill bottle saying "this is out of date", I relied that I had notified Dr. ______'s office and the new refill should be here.
It wasn't. She gave the excuse that "sometimes it takes a while you know". I do know. So I asked "When then?", she replied "Probably Monday". So I watched the level of the pills deplete over the weekend and drove the Kaiser about 10am to seek my pills. Upon getting to the counter through a line of about a dozen people I was nicely informed that it STILL wasn't filled and that I should check back later in the afternoon. I said that I was out ( I now had but 1 pills left, enough for that day and but I wasn't taking any chances ) and could she give me a couple to carry me over to my appointment with my doctor on Thursday? She said "No...the prescription is out of date and she needed a new one". So I nodded in understanding and walked to my truck to drive home without my pills. Yesterday morning I drove to the Vacaville Kaiser to have my visit with my doctor, the time of the appointment was 10am. Upon enterring the office I was given a blood pressure test and the results came back as 166/91, NOT GOOD! I told the nurse about my not having my Metoprolol for the last 2 days ( Tuesday and Wednesday ), she retook my BP and this time it was worse! 156/101! Oh boy. So into the examination room I went and soon my wonderful Dr. came through the door with "What's going on?!". I told him of not having the drug and that I had not taken it for the last 2 days. He orderred an EKG and sent me to get it completed. It was "normal" and boring apparently and I made my way back to his office for a review AFTER having waiting in the Pharmacy for an hour and a half to get the new prescriptions and TAKE ONE Metoprolol 50mg. It seems that somehow the prescriptions had been sent to Fairfield instead of at the one 100 feet away...once that was straightened out I got the much needed drug-of-my-desires.
The good Dr. took my BP and it had dropped to 135/85 in about 20 minutes after the pill taking. Currently it is 152/85...not as good as it has been in the past but I suspect that there is a bit of drug "catch up" that has to get done before there is enough residual drug in my system to have the desired effect. We shall see.

Drugs, How Screwed Americans Are

So today we ran off to the local pharmacy with our little list of drug needs, we both are highly medicated in these our senior years. One of the drugs I take daily was just prescribed about two months ago after my run in with simvastatin side effects. It's name is Fenofibrate 160 mg tablets. In the US just before we flew into Paris I bought 90 tabets, cost? $142. Our Canadian supplier could not get them to us before we left thanks to my ineptitude at scheduling when I notice I'm once more in low supply. They would have been only $79. Today when C brought the tab box out from her many drawers chock full of modern drugs and thier equivelents she anounced the price for 30 each as $10.75 US. Thats $32.25 for 90 tablets 160mg each. Less than half the Canadian price and less than 1/4 the US price gouging. We are so screwed by these drug companies, it is infuriating to say the least.
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Home again I turned to my sourdough starters and had the requisite 2 cups of bubbly foamy "son" and proceeded to add flour, honey and finally water and salt and create a dough mass to await folding all afternoon long. The outcome was 2 loaves, one baked on a sheet pan, long and misshapened. The other in an iron pot with a lid as I've done before. Both came out beautifully, one went to D&W, the Scots and the other will be our sandwich loaf for the next few days.

Adventure in Medicaland

So where, you might ask, have I been these last 4 days? I had an Adventure in Medicaland. I was just fine last Tuesday when I woke up, but that bubble quickly burst when I discovered I was leaking blood periodically. Then...I waited to see if it continued which it did thru Tuesday and Wednesday...I decided to call the doc if it was still doing so on Thursday morn. It read my mind and stopped overnight. Thursday was all clear of such travails. Friday it began again when I woke up and continued through the day in the same periodic manner. Saturday went similarly but I was occupied by moving furniture to give much of a damn but Saturday night (best time) I decided we (there's a word) needed to call the Advice Nurse at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo and see what she thought WE should do. Thus my 4 day stay under the watchful eyes of doctors, nurses, orderlies, and other patients. What a bore.
I was poked, proded (YES!...There!) and generally not ever left alone to enjoy sleep or even a short nap. Blood tests every 4 hours, ouch! No food, no drink all day Sunday and Monday until the "Proceedure" was completed, then more poking and proding but at least there was a diagnosis...Ischemic Colitus. Cause? Unknown, maybe a cholestrerol drug's errant side effect or who knows. Anyway I was filled to the brim with 4 units of saline solution interveineously and now...home, I feel great! Even had a steak dinner with baked potatoe and green salad with blue cheese dressing.
Yes, Life is good! And being out of the place is Really Good! I have to say though I was treated extremely well and everyone was attentive and polite to a fault. Kudo's to Kiaser Permanente Hospital Vallejo!