Waking up from a 2 day DAZE

Well its Tuesday, and like I was supposed to, I took my Methotrexate shot on Sunday. As always, it knocked me out for a good day and a half. I've been upstairs asleep in various positions all over the bed alongside various felines and finally rejoined the world of the living this morning. I think sometime during the daze my friend Beverly called and said she is moving to Pittsburg.

I've been ducking the MTX shots for over a month now with my Doctor's permission due to various other complications, but it was finally time to face the music (again). I'm supposed to inject myself with the wretched stuff every Sunday, which means until sometime early every Tuesday I'm either asleep or nauseated. What a thrill. At least the stuff is cheap; hey I've got to find a silver lining somewhere.

So today I was finally awake, and even saw two of my family members before they were off to school and work for the day. I still felt rotten, but determined to drive myself to the Y and have a swim. I didn't feel really steady enough to drive, nor did I feel like swimming, but I HAD TO DO SOMETHING TO FEEL ALIVE. Then I saw another problem which prompted a visit to the doctor instead of the Y, and after he did the lab tests he confirmed that yes, of course, I have another infection. And yes, of course, TOMORROW is my Remicade day.

The doctors conferred and agreed that it is too risky for me to have my treatment tomorrow. That means a delay of at least 2 weeks before another Remicade treatment. It seems every time I'm ready for a treatment, something comes up and it has to be delayed. I've heard so many success stories from other patients similar to me that combine Remicade and MTX, but we've been trying since last May and I can't honestly say that we've had a long enough stretch of treatments to tell if it is going to work for me or not. I keep getting these complications, these interruptions. It's very frustrating, and downright depressing some days.

The Costochondritis is finally winding down, I think. It was pretty nasty this time, but I didn't go to the doctor for it. All they do is make you take incredible high doses of Prednisone, then you have to taper off the stuff. The pain is excrutiating, but I chose the pain over the 'cure', at least this time. My chest is still very sore, especially when I move, but it's getting better a little every day. It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore at least.

I'm seeing a new Pulmonologist on 1/23 (actually I saw him once when I was hospitalized for Pneumonia); I guess I'll tell him about this round of Costochondritis and see what he has to say about it. But honestly, I've pretty much given up on the Pulmo. docs. I know I have to go see them; they have to do the PFTs and stuff, but as far as my pain and quality of life and DISABILITY, not a single one of them has ever UNDERSTOOD. It's amazing. It's like when they go to medical school in the Pulmonology department they must remove the 'bedside manner' and 'caring' and 'empathy' genes from these folks. My Rheumitologist gets it. Thank God for her.

I keep getting collections calls about a $360 bill for Crawford Long from Jan 05 but I thought I had paid them everything from back then. So I called the hospital and found out that I still do owe them some money. So I'm paying them this week. I'm dealing straight with the hospital though. I refuse to talk to those collections vultures, they are so rude and nasty on the phone and in their letters. I don't mind paying the hospital a legitimate debt but as far as collectors go I think they are bottom feeders; kinda like ambulance chasers.

I got another 'stupid' letter back from the Insurance Commissioner. I asked them to investigate alleged fraud on the part of my insurer and what did they do? They forwarded my letter to my insurance company for them to respond to. What? Do these folks actually read what is sent to them? Or do they just sit there on auto pilot collecting a state salary, forwarding things back and forth between complaintants and insurance companies. Amazing. I am simply dumbfounded. I really don't know what to say or how to answer them at this point, and I am really to sick and weak to deal with it all anyway. Maybe some one might read this and might care enough about the whole mess to deal with it for me. I doubt it.