Health and Well Being

Monday is when I usually do a blog post about current events, politics, the interminable bullshit from Donald Trump.  

To quote Canada and most of Europe, Trump can fuck off.

Today's post is ME time! 

As I wrote here on February 20th, I visited my doctor to address issues surrounding my health and well-being.

As in my health was bad and my being was not well.

Of particular concern was my blood pressure which was too high. As I noted in the prior post, "I’m not sure exactly how blood pressure works but I’ve seen enough medical shows on TV to know that both numbers are not supposed to be triple digits."

I had a follow up visit with the doctor last week to check on my progress on the blood pressure medication I was on.

It seems my blood pressure was now too low? Which is bad? Damn, the medical profession can be so picky.  

So my blood pressure meds got adjusted to a lower dose. But there was still the pesky matter that I have the body weight of two full grown adults.  

I did lose weight between doctor visits: one pound.

"I say, captain! I just did a quick scan and I estimate the iceberg the Titanic just hit has 1 cubic foot of ice less than I previously thought. That's smashing news, isn't it? Oh, the captain just drowned."  

And the persistent problem of the pernicious pain when I attempt to do things.  Like walk.

I've been doing exercises to promote joint health for my hips, lower back and knees. 

Saturday night I went out for a walk and made it about 3 yards from my house before my hip bones sent out a mayday that we weren't going to make it any further with this equipment.   

Which brings me to the lastest efforts to use big pharma to aid me in my lack of health and diminished well being.  

As I mentioned before, my doctor's previous efforts to give me a medicinal leg up on my weight loss with a prescription for a generic version of Ozempic was hindered by my insurance not wanting to pay for it because I’m not actually diabetic yet.

He did another blood work up on my last visit and determined that I am in "the diabetic range". 

Whatever that is.

"Home, home on the diabetic range! 

Where the A1C rates are too high! 

And now I have heard 

this discouraging word 

that it cause to me to curl up and die!"

Well, Yippie ki-yay, motherfucker.

So....

Let's go on a journey of just how much god damn pharamaceutical companies charge for drugs! 

• Mounjaro costs approximately $1200 for 4 pens.
• My insurance agreed to cover this except for $360.
• A manufacturer's coupon from Eli Lilly drops my out of pocket to $160.   

Time for a joke.

My wife says things could be worse. I could be stuck in deep dark hole filled with water.

I know she means "well"...

<rim shot>

Where was I? Of yes, drugs.  

These drugs for diabetes and weight loss are injectable. 

I've got to stick a needle in my body.

I've never stuck a need in anyone's body let alone mine.

I might need help.

My wife Andrea says she feels dizzy and thinks she might faint.

So I gotta do this on my own.

After agonizing for several minutes, I was ultimately "oh fuck this" and did the damn injection. 

I was supposed to insert the needle and count to ten. 

I used Mississippi for my countdown. 

What kind of barbarian counts to ten Mississippilessly? 

The drug did it's job and over the weekend I had to adjust to a new normal of not quite feeling as hungry as I usually do.  I get this weird gnawing feeling that sort of suggests I might be hungry and I don't need to eat much to satisfy that feeling. 

One thing the pharmacist was most adamant about telling me was to NOT take another dose less than 1 week after the first one. I could only take the next dose only 1 week (and NO sooner) after the first dose.

I could barely wrap my head around doing this once a week let alone wanting to do take an injection more often. But a few days after the first injection, I begin to feel like the intensity of my suppressed appetite was beginning to diminish.  

I understand the temptation now to do these injections more frequently. But I will absolutely adhere to the schedule and wait exactly one week before the next injection. 

Also I'm trying to do my part above and beyond the medicinal help. Such as by cutting out or curtailing my consumption of my beloved sweetened iced tea. Saturday night I indulged in iced tea from McAllisters but I got it half and half, sweet and non-sweet and it was perfectly fine. Otherwise, I am opting for water or lemonade.

Everyone's got some dang fool idea about keeping me alive.  

It's costing me money, pain and sacrifice but there may yet be hope for my health and well being. 

So I can stay alive in a world with Donald Trump's bullshit?

This whole health and well being stuff, do I need to think that over?