Originally Posted by OhKay

I wish the effects of all the **** I took would keep rolling!!! I would take diarrhea over constipation any day!!!

I think the Linzess the on-call doctor prescribed has finally started working a little, so that should help…
Unfortunately, I can't afford to continue taking it, and only have enough for about 2 more weeks. I have a $250 deductible for tier 3 and 4 drugs and it's a tier 3. We can't afford to pay that. It's also got a high copay and the total drug cost would be high. It would put me in the medicare donut hole pretty fast, and I don't want to find myself in the same position I was in last year because of all those expensive psych meds. The alternative is Amitiza, which is also a tier 3 drug, so that's out of the question, too.
Today the NP is charged with coming up with a med plan (minus those two options) to deal with my constipation, which is no small task. I can access my drug formulary from my phone, so will know which meds are affordable, need prior authorization, etc. I will pull the drug search page up before I enter the exam room.

That mass on the lower left side of my abdomen is still there, and I'm really curious what it is. I hope to find that out today. It definitely does not feel like an ovarian cyst to me because of shape, size and location, so I figure it's either an impaction or diverticulitis. I hope the NP has magic fingers, and can tell the difference, so I can avoid having a CT scan (in addition to avoiding the ER and an inpatient hospital stay).
CT scan/no CT scan it should be easier to figure out what's going on now that I'm far less constipated.


A nurse from my PCP's office called me around 9:30 yesterday morning to let me know he wanted me to be seen (yesterday), and could I come in for an appointment with the NP? I let her know I had called and left a message for the triage nurse at 10am Friday morning and she never got back to me, but I was able to talk to my gastro and had an appointment in his office (today). I asked the nurse to let my PCP know when I called and to express my displeasure that the triage nurse never called me back Friday to let me know if I could be examined, should go to urgent care or the ER. I said I was sure the gastro would send the notes over.