Category: Random Thoughts

So let’s see… I came back after that glorious week in the heat and sun and had no choice but to deal with sh** (I gave up cussing for lent – every time I let something slip, I hadda give up 25c – I’ve improved but I’m poorer than when i first started).  I started making all the calls…I won’t bore u with details, but things actually moved along very smoothly in spite of my doctor’s nurse’s insisting that they didn’t have the results of my eye test!  Ugh!! I guess the MSCA is so big, that there are different fax numbers? So the eye place was using the wrong fax number. I wasn’t stressing. As far as I was concerned they could do whatever the heck they wanted until 2/25 when I was going into the MSCA and dr. Gilbert needed to okay me for Gilly.

• The first thing that happened? The nurse called to reschedule. She’d been sitting on the highway parking lot for 2hrs. 
• Then I spoke to G; she too was sitting in traffic and ended up taking 4hrs to get here. I kissed that $39 goodbye because I knew that there was no way I’d get the results. Wednesday is supposed to be less cold but I know that the roads will still b a mess so I won’t b out there…I HATE fcuking winter!
• (btw…today is Wednesday – some people still stuck on the roads in accidents and all kinda shit (now reaching home since midday yesterday) – steups…EVERY year, atlanta goes thru this crap – the officials doh learn?????)

So I had to call back dr. Gilbert’s nurse Monday and leave another message that I just needed to know how/where to get all the tests needed to start Gilly (Gilenya – G2 coined that term). I crossed my fingers and hoped that by the time I spoke to her, she’d tell me that I could go anywhere and that I wouldn’t have to trek back into the MSCA. Going there would mean that I’d have to take time off and pay to park and…and…and.  I already knew that I wasn’t in the mood. 

She called back…there was good news.  I pretty much can go anywhere to get both tests done. I have an appointment at Sears optical on Saturday (made Monday) for the eye test and confirmed with a Walgreens clinic that I can just walk in any day for the TB test to be done. I just started a new job so I don’t want to start taking off already. I done hadda take a sick day for my first dose. 

Today is Friday so, of course I got the call to confirm for tomorrow. So, once again, I told Meena very clearly that I had to have the ME test done so I needed to b sure that it could actually be done there (I would be MOST PISSED if I get there and I’m told no).  Meena said to me, “I don’t think dr ray can do that. U normally need to go to a specialist to do that.”  I sighed inwardly – I KNEW IT!!!

 But then she said,”let me find out for sure and call u back.” She called back…we were good to go.

15 minutes later, my phone rang again from the same number hmmmmm. I answered…it was Dr. Ray. She called because she wanted to explain why they were asking so many questions (I’d eventually had to tell somebody exactly why I needed the test). Anyhoo, turns out her best friend has MS too and is on Gilly so she had to do the same thing. Now, truth be told, she was kinda confusing me lil bit (she kept flipping between she needed to give me a referral and she could do the first exam) so I eventually asked, “ok. So u’ll be able to do whatever tests needed to get the baseline and get me started on it?”   She answered with a resounding “YES”.  I’m going in Saturday at 4…wish me luck!

Stax (dunno what happened to my signature)

Problems:

• Whenever the parents are here, poor things, at least one of them has to fold up herself to get in the back seat. If G and I are in the car then they BOTH have to squeeze up dem ole 😉 bones to climb in the back – not cool. 

Ugh! Stax4 was supposed to b a deep red g35 coupe but that dream is no more. I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’ll probably need a bigger vehicle (that’s so NOT my style AND i don’t like anything big) so that I can potentially drive the scooter in and b on my way. It’s in my “to do” list for 2014.   I’ll probably need to practise driving before I get on the road; Stax3 can get into so many little spaces.  

MS – 1, Stacey – 0 

Julie confirmed all the necessary shit to make sure she was talking to me and then asked what I’d gotten done and when. I told her that as far as I knew I was only waiting for the blood results and that was it.

• Right? WRONG! 

All the peering the doctor did into my eye blinding me temporarily Friday? That wasn’t the eye test that I had to get done. Found out I actually have to go get a Macular Edema test…woulda been nice if someone had told me that. Geez!! She said that I could call my regular eye doctor to see if they’ll do it. Good. That’ll save me some heartache…well. Turns out they don’t do it so I have to find somewhere that it can be done. Steups!

The next bomb she dropped on me? The MSCA requires a TB test before I get started. Wait…the MSCA? The place I was just in??? Did anyone tell me that??? Nope! So now do I have to go back there to get that done??? FCUK!! The thing bout the TB test is that they inject something under ur skin then u have to GO BACK in for them to look at it to determine if u have it. I can read the damn thing myself. Steups! Well I left a msg for my doctor’s nurse to call me back so I can find out if they need me to come in or can i go somewhere else for that TB test. nothing is ever easy/smooth sailing

I asked her about the waiting period between the 2 drugs and interestingly enuf she wasn’t aware of any but she was going to find out and call me back on Thursday.

…it’s now Friday

the nurse at the MSCA has NOT called me back…I just hung up from Julie.  turns out the waiting period between the 2 drugs is 2-4 weeks.  i stopped tecfidera last week wednesday…so, just have to get the 2 tests done and i’ll be on my way.