No, that's not Mr Roboto. Darn - I'd happily sit for him to do my injections three times a week. Ha! My apologies in advance if my entry is a little disjointed. I just can't stop replaying OGG dancing to Jack White's Shakin. This song has been stuck in my head for weeks - can't wait for the CD to arrive. Whenever it's played on the radio while we're driving, the family is temporarily vaporized while I disappear into the music. Of course the family returns along with reality as soon as the song ends. Hee-hee!!
Anyhow, I digress...
Yesterday's mail delivery to the office included a nice big box containing my new robot! Like an excited child, I brought the box into my office to disembowel in privacy. The box was jam packed with all sorts of goodies: the RebiSmart auto injection unit, impact-resistant carrying case, 2 travel bags, instruction booklet, packages of needles, alcohol wipes, a "sharps" disposal container, and the all important robot battery.
Okay, now I need the medication. I've been procrastinating with calling the pharmacy to make sure that the Rebif is in the correct format. Cartridge, not pre-filled syringe. My heart was actually pounding as the pharmacist checked in the fridge. Had to keep saying to myself: I will feel better in a minute, I can deal with this, the wait will be over any moment now. My scribble paper looked like a war zone by the time the pharmacist returned to the phone. She confirmed that they had a package of four cartridges waiting for me. Excellent. I felt much better. What's wrong with me? Why on earth did I get so stressed out about the medication? Honestly, I had a very difficult time dealing with it and actually felt nauseous while I was waiting. I feel like I'm becoming, or have already become, quite a head case.
When the pharmacist said "that'll be $385" I replied that I thought my benefits card should be covering most of it. "They already did. They paid $1585"
$15.85?
No, one thousand five hundred eighty five dollars.
Oh.
Now that my cartridges of liquid platinum are safely stowed in the fridge, I'm ready. Ready to take on a second job, that is.
Time to call the nurse to set up an appointment. Leaving messages on voice mail is not my forte. I'm actually quite terrible at it. Often I have a rough script written out on my scribble paper before I make a call. However, I made the call to the Multiple Support Nurse Program cold. Cold is bad, very bad. My train of though derailed at least twice while I tried to navigate my way through leaving the message. I should call back and say that I wasn't sure if I had included my phone number in yesterday's message. This time I'll prepare. Here we go: I've got my paper in front of me, a pen to scribble with and some notes to help me with the conversation.
In the meantime I've made a list of questions to ask:
How long is it expected that I stay on this medication?
What are the various injection sites I can use?
Do I need to take the sharps disposal container with me when I travel?
Am I able to get a prescription for the supplies like the needles and wipes?
What time of day do I take it?
Will I be able to get flu/shingles vaccinations?
Are there any medication conflicts I should keep in mind?
Can I have a drink or two?
Will I get some of my cognitive function back? Energy?
Do I really have to store Mr Roboto upright? In my fridge? In its case?
Look at how thick the booklet is! Yowsa... I think I'll have some really good nights of sleep in the near future, with this as my reading material.
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