My appointment on Tuesday (6/19) with Dr. Aziz was a follow-up. I didn't realize it had already been six weeks since I had first seen him. He said things are going well and he didn't put any restrictions on what I can/cannot do. I will see him in six months for another checkup.
He wrote a note for me that I will have with me my vacation to CA in a week. Anything to help make the airport security check-through go smoothly.
Oh, and the specialty pharmacy mix-up that happend a few weeks ago has been cleared up. That makes me very happy. I will be getting my second months worth of syrings on 6/26 - the day after my birthday, oh what a nice gift :P Then I will be all set for vactaion.
Well, this was a pretty calm posting this time, which is just fine with me :)
*MILESTONE* As of today, I have been on Copaxone for 3 weeks!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
6/18
On my 6/7 posting, I said I would not be seeing Dr. Aziz (my neurologist) until 6/20, but I am actually going tomorrow at 7:45 am. There was a cancellation, which is great because I had been told I didn't have a definite time slot on the 20th, as my appointment time would be determined by call in cancellations.
I believe this is a follow-up visit to see how things are going - I haven't seen Dr. Aziz since my initial visit on 5/12. I have to remember to get a medication travel note (for the trip to CA in 12 days..) so everyone is aware of the fact that I am actually on medication and that I am not a drug dealer :)
Anyway, things are going fine. I will post again after the visit tomorrow....
I believe this is a follow-up visit to see how things are going - I haven't seen Dr. Aziz since my initial visit on 5/12. I have to remember to get a medication travel note (for the trip to CA in 12 days..) so everyone is aware of the fact that I am actually on medication and that I am not a drug dealer :)
Anyway, things are going fine. I will post again after the visit tomorrow....
Thursday, June 14, 2007
How COPAXONE (my medicine), is to help...
I am not sure how much research anyone who is reading my bog has done, if any at all, :) but I thought it would be a good idea to try and explain what COPAXONE's role is for multiple sclerosis.
COPAXONE,is thought to work both outside and inside the central nervous system (CNS) to fight damage to the nervous system. It is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
COPAXONE is believed to change the way the immune system reacts to your multiple sclerosis by preventing harmful cells from developing and by stimulating beneficial cells in your body. These “good” COPAXONE-activated cells then enter the CNS and help reduce damage at the site of lesions.
It’s important to be realistic and to understand just what multiple sclerosis therapy can (and cannot) do. If left untreated, MS often worsens over time. The goal of MS therapy is to decrease the frequency of relapses and to help reduce new damage to the nervous system. Unfortunately, old damage may not be repaired by MS therapy. And while therapy isn’t a cure, it may help to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible -- ok, so, shouldn't everyone be living this way anyway? :) It may also allow one to add more predictability to their life by helping control the relapses that can deprive one of their independence.
MS treatment is a long-term commitment to the treatment's success and tolerability.
COPAXONE,is thought to work both outside and inside the central nervous system (CNS) to fight damage to the nervous system. It is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
COPAXONE is believed to change the way the immune system reacts to your multiple sclerosis by preventing harmful cells from developing and by stimulating beneficial cells in your body. These “good” COPAXONE-activated cells then enter the CNS and help reduce damage at the site of lesions.
It’s important to be realistic and to understand just what multiple sclerosis therapy can (and cannot) do. If left untreated, MS often worsens over time. The goal of MS therapy is to decrease the frequency of relapses and to help reduce new damage to the nervous system. Unfortunately, old damage may not be repaired by MS therapy. And while therapy isn’t a cure, it may help to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible -- ok, so, shouldn't everyone be living this way anyway? :) It may also allow one to add more predictability to their life by helping control the relapses that can deprive one of their independence.
MS treatment is a long-term commitment to the treatment's success and tolerability.
Sources:
Thursday, June 7, 2007
I have made it so far
Well, it is hard for me to believe, but it has been a week today that I have been on my medication. It is going rather well, which is great.
I have found out what injection site areas I prefer, but I cannot use just one. There are 7 possible injection areas on the body to pick from each day: lower stomach area (abdomen - 2" from the naval), thighs, hips and arms. It is important not to inject in the same area more than once a week to help reduce any risks of injection site reactions, which can include swelling, pain itching and lumps.
I found two things out yesterday about my prescription:
I have found out what injection site areas I prefer, but I cannot use just one. There are 7 possible injection areas on the body to pick from each day: lower stomach area (abdomen - 2" from the naval), thighs, hips and arms. It is important not to inject in the same area more than once a week to help reduce any risks of injection site reactions, which can include swelling, pain itching and lumps.
I found two things out yesterday about my prescription:
- Specialty pharmacy mix up - PharmaCare, the specialty pharmacy where I got my first supply of COPAXONE from is not the correct company that I should have been set up with. Isn't that just wonderful information. Someone messed up somewhere. It is too bad that I will no longer be using PharmaCare-they were always real nice and helpful when I called in. Hopefully the new company, CuraScript (Express Scripts' specialty pharmacy), will be just as easy to work with. All in all, I am now starting over with getting the prescription issue back in working order.
- Copay - I had thought I would be able to get COPAXONEfor a 90-day supply. This would be very nice and much cheaper because it would only cost me $25 copay every 3 months. Yep, that was too good to be true for this prescription as I can only receive a 30-day supply per month per $25 copay. Something to plan in the budget :)
Well, that is all for now. I am not due back to see Dr. Aziz (my neurologist) until 6/20. It is such a nice relief to have a break from all of the frequent doctor visits.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
5/23 Lab and MRI results
In my previous posting, I stated I would post what the MRI results were once I acquired translation into layman's terms :)
**Thank you to Casey for his assistance with the translation.**
- Lab Work:
More blood work was completed to test for the following: lupus, syphilis, lyme disease, vasculitis’ (autoimmune inflammation of the blood vessels), vitamin B-12, folate and thyroid problems. The results came back normal. - MRI Cervical Spine (C-Spine) and Thoracic Spine (T-Spine) w/and without gadolinium: *Cervical=neck; Thoracic=upper back; Gadolinium= contrast agent that helps different between active and old lesions--more at the end of 5/14's post explaining gadolinum, if necessary*
Results found diffuse (spread out) lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis. The contrast agent did not enhance many lesions suggesting the multiple sclerosis is not new. These images cannot tell how long these lesions have been there. - MRI Brain w/and without gadolinium (the contrast agent):
The brain consists of gray and white matter. Gray matter is neurons that normally do not have myelin and the while matter is white due to being covered by myelin, which is the insulator that is attacked in MS.
Results found white matter lesions in the periventricular areas. Periventricular areas are the areas of white matter surrounding cerebral spinal fluid filled areas in the brain. The cerebral spinal fluid contains the inflammatory substances that are believed to cause MS. This pattern of lesions is consistent with MS.
The contrast-enhanced images did show a few active/new lesions in the corona radiata, which is a connection between sensory and motor neurons in the cerebrum (top of brain) and the body's nerves.
The remaining findings from this MRI are similar to the findings from the C-Spine MRI mentioned above in that the results found diffuse (spread out) lesions consistent with multiple sclerosis.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
5/31 Started COPAXONE today!!
Yup, it is glass syringes pre-filled with COPAXONE every day from now until.... well, who knows.
I had my appointment this morning on how to administer COPAXONE (medication that helps to manage an individual's relapsing-remitting MS by reducing the frequency of relapses).
I know this will be a surprise to read, but I was more anxious about just administering the stuff correctly...not that there was a needle involved - seriously. I imagine, considering what this last month's (4/07-5/07) doctor visits and testing consisted of, I was getting use to needles as long as I didn't look at the needles. I never thought I would say/admit that!
Anyway, the needle is injected subcutaneously (just below the skin), so it doesn't go in very far. It helps that the syringe is 'hidden' in the injector gun and that the needle is very thin. I really did not feel the needle go in, so after I did it I said, "oh, I can do this." What a relief! I noticed an odd feeling after the medication was injected, but not too different than when you get a vaccination or what not (i.e. the area of injection feels warm to the touch, redness and sore). That odd feeling is a common short-term reaction patients report right after injecting COPAXONE. Symptoms generally appear within minutes of an injection, last about 15 minutes, and go away by themselves without further problems.
I have the results from the MRIs that were done on 5/23 but I need to look at them and get some assistance at translating the results :) I will post them once they make sense to me. The nurse who taught me how to inject the Copaxone noticed the the EEG results were in my folder, but after looking through the copies I got, those results were not included.
I had my appointment this morning on how to administer COPAXONE (medication that helps to manage an individual's relapsing-remitting MS by reducing the frequency of relapses).
I know this will be a surprise to read, but I was more anxious about just administering the stuff correctly...not that there was a needle involved - seriously. I imagine, considering what this last month's (4/07-5/07) doctor visits and testing consisted of, I was getting use to needles as long as I didn't look at the needles. I never thought I would say/admit that!
Anyway, the needle is injected subcutaneously (just below the skin), so it doesn't go in very far. It helps that the syringe is 'hidden' in the injector gun and that the needle is very thin. I really did not feel the needle go in, so after I did it I said, "oh, I can do this." What a relief! I noticed an odd feeling after the medication was injected, but not too different than when you get a vaccination or what not (i.e. the area of injection feels warm to the touch, redness and sore). That odd feeling is a common short-term reaction patients report right after injecting COPAXONE. Symptoms generally appear within minutes of an injection, last about 15 minutes, and go away by themselves without further problems.
I have the results from the MRIs that were done on 5/23 but I need to look at them and get some assistance at translating the results :) I will post them once they make sense to me. The nurse who taught me how to inject the Copaxone noticed the the EEG results were in my folder, but after looking through the copies I got, those results were not included.
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