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----- Original Message -----
From: Heather &
Pieter
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 11:54 AM
Subject: Re: [TMIC] Spill Hi Deb
I was at the physiatrist on Tuesday. I have
had TM since Sept 6/03. I am one of the walking
wounded.
At my visit I asked him a lot of questions.
About Lyrica - he said that there are too many side
effects and that he would like me to stay with the Gabapentin. He said
that Lyrica goes by a different name here in Canada. There is not a generic
brand and that it would not be covered by our Medical plan. Unless I
had private insurance it is very expensive.
About Calcium - I asked if I should still be taking
Calcium and the Vitamin D. He said yes, that I should still be on 1,000 mg
of Calcium per day and I already knew that the Vitamin D helped with the
absorption of the Calcium. He did ask though if I had had a bone density
test. I told him never. So he is going to ask that my GP do one of
those once a year. Since our bodies lose Calcium and strength very quickly
and especially when I was in hospital the 2 months and in recovery mode for much
longer it is a good idea to do this. At least that is how I perceived it.
I wonder if that is why some break bones so often when having TM. I have
not broken any bones but I have fallen several times. I seem to trip over
the littlest things or non-things (I wonder who puts those little pieces of
fluff in our way on the floor :>) )
I asked about how I would go about cutting back on
pain meds if I can tolerate it. I would like to try and limit the
fogginess and forgetfulness that seems to be part of the medications. He
said that I should try and stretch the time between doses if I find that I can
tolerate it rather than cut down on the amount of Gabapentin each time. He
said that some of his patients go 4 hours, some 5 hours and some longer.
Personally I take 600 mg every 5 hours while I am awake and am trying out taking
it 6 hours to start now. As for the Baclofen he told me to cut that back
very very slowly. I now take 20 mg every 5 hours as well. Since my
spasms are mostly in the morning when I wake and at night when my body is tired
after the day he suggested reducing by 10 mg at my mid-day dosage. See how
that goes for a while.
Should I expect more improvement in my
symptoms? He indicated that where I am now at just over the 2 year mark is
possibly where I will be from now on. There could be 'some' improvement
however the most and fastest improvement is usually shown in the first 6 months
to a year. In my case this is what I have already seen.
Will I have anymore MRI's? He said no.
The scarring is there as shown on the last MRI done in Jan of this year
2005. There had been no change from the previous one to that and there
have been no new symptoms. It would not be necessary.
Should I be taking Vitamin B12 shots? He
looked at my file. He indicated that 'normal' was around 100 (at
least that is what I think he said) - that fogginess again. Mine was at
500 so I was well above 'normal' and need not worry about those shots.
How often should I be coming back for
appointments? Since I am still regulating my medications he would like to
see me again in 6 months. I can always call and make an appointment to see
him sooner if I have any further questions or concerns.
Thought someone out there may be interested in
hearing about my visit.
Heather in Calgary
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- Fw: [TMIC] Spill Heather & Pieter
- RE: Fw: [TMIC] Spill Deb Casey
- Re: Fw: [TMIC] Spill FHargr3092
