OCD Pays Off, Eventually, Sort of... Part 1

As I have mention many time I have neck and back issues.  I had injections last year, but still use muscle relaxants, arthritis medication daily and pain meds occasionally.  We were filling our prescriptions across the street at the large national chain we will call WalBlue. 

So Bud went and picked up my refills that I had called in, when he got home I opened the muscle relaxant immediately, and noticed that the pills were not the same as usual. They looked similar, so I dumped out the bottle and realized there were two types of pills in the bottle, one that was what I was familiar with, and one that was a bit larger and had different markings.  So like any reasonable person, I consulted google.  And google told me it was a diabetes medication, not a muscle relaxant.  Bud immediately went back to the pharmacist and showed her the problem.  She poked around on the computer, looked in a few bottles, and on a few shelves then told Bud it was a new generic that they were changing to.   I kept feeling skeptical, but if it is new, maybe it just isn't online yet?  I mean who do you trust, the pharmacist who went to school forever or a website possibly updated by crazy Uncle Joe?

At first I avoided the new pills, but my insurance won't pay for more until a month has gone by, and more than half are the new pills.  So I finally took a few, I can take up to 4 a day, but usually just take 2.  Then I came down with a bug, of the intestinal sort.  I don't have the kind of job where I can just run to the bathroom whenever I want.  I was also woozy, light-headed and nauseous and shaky.  I eventually set up lessons for a sub, figuring I caught a bug from my students.

Anyway, this went on for a few days, I was ready to take a sick day when WalBlue calls and asks us to bring in the bottle of medication.   They wanted to replace it with all the same pill.  Bud kept asking if they gave me the wrong meds and they just said it was the wrong dosage.  We took it back (first I took pictures and kept a few of the wrong pill) and got the prescription fixed.  Bud spoke to a different pharmacist, explained the situation and she responded with "these things happen all the time, we are doing our best".  (and there is only one dosage for my prescription and one generic, there is no new generic)

So to me, yes mistakes happen HOWEVER

1) we noticed and brought it back ASAP, and the pharmacy manager didn't know it was wrong.
2) giving the wrong meds could cause a reaction with the other crap I am taking.
3)  the diabetes stuff was extended release 1 every 24 hours I was taking 2 each day and by doctors directions could have been quadrupling the dosage.
4)  My dad has bad eyesight and would never have noticed the difference.  My mom may have noticed but would have assumed everything was fine.  How many people don't match the description on the bottle with the pill in the bottle.  I am super obsessive about that, drug interactions scare the bejesus out of me.

Oh, and the side effects of the wrong medicine they gave me?  Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, light-headedness I wasn't sick, I was having side effects of a medicine I shouldn't have been taking.  As soon as I stopped taking it I felt better. 

So how do you proceed from here?  Do we let it go?

To be continued...

So I am paying you to insult me?

I had an appointment today with my pain doctor for my neck.  I like him and feel he listens and blah blah.  However, he is super chatty, he will talk your ear off.  So today he started talking about the education system and how messed up it is and what should be done.  Which, he knows I am a teacher, and proceeds to tell me that once teachers have tenure, they don't feel the need to work anymore.  Ummmmm, so you're telling me I don't do anything anymore?  That seems like a poor choice.  I have been teaching for 13 years and bust my butt, as do 99% of the teachers I know.  I am the first to admit there are some crappy teachers, and a few changes should be made but telling a patient that they are bad because they have been at the job too long?

I felt like I couldn't really get to upset because he will be giving me neck injections at some point.  And quite honestly, I don't feel like having to defend my profession everywhere I go.  I don't to his office and tell him what is wrong with health care.  These would have been better topics:

My neck and current pain levels
Plans to treat above
Weather
Local sports team
New movie releases
What I am eating for dinner
When was the last time I scrubbed the toilets at home


I don't truly think he meant to offend, and he seems like a nice guy, just maybe politics should not be discussed with clients or patients.

Really?!?

Since the end of March, Maddie has had two ear infections, strep, and now scarlet fever*.  Ellie has also had two ear infections, some other viral thing, Owen had some sort of virus with a fever and red eyes. 

Honestly, I can't take it anymore.  At one point Maddie's fever went up to 105, I felt like I was running around the house with one of those thought bubbles that said " oh shit, do we go to the ER?" going around in my head.  I could hear of speak to anyone I was freaking out so much.  We did not go, we were able to get the fever down with Tylenol.  She had missed her last dose, because, ironically (I think this is actual irony, feel free to correct me) we were at the doctors office because she was sick.  Oh universe, you are so funny.   



*Scarlet fever is strep but with a rash... who knew?

Well....

What an awfully long pause.  No point doing the whole "why I haven't posted in decade" thing.  Everyone one knows, everyone is busy.  I have been reading and commenting when I can think of any think to say. 

Like everyone else, we have suffered with the unholy plague of 2011.  We have been to the new pharmacy* 3 frillion times in the last 6 weeks.  On the first saturday of spring break Maddie woke up with blood shot eyes.  We figured pink-eye and took her and Ellie to the doctor ASAP.  She had been coughing for a week or so, and had a low grade fever.  It was not pink eye, she had coughed so hard she had broken blood vessels in her EYES.  That was disturbing.  Both also had ear infections and some giant tonsils.

Owen is currently on his second day home, with a fever.  Usually my kids are pretty healthy. [Which I am totally taking credit for, when they are 60 with a heart like a 20 year old I will say "It's because I nursed you for a year damn it.  Be grateful.]  So this 6 weeks or so of crap is killing us, and using up tons of sick days.  On a better note only 7 more weeks until summer vacation.


* Story for another day this week.

Sick Day!

Ellie has been sick with a fever for the last two days, so I am home with her today.

First a visual aid:


Saddest baby evah!

4:15 am -4:30am Neighbor's barking dog wakes me up.

5:20         Ellie wakes up, luckily I am still awake from the dog.

7:00         Bud leaves with the kids

7:02         Ellie hits her head  on the counter and cries

7:03         Yo Gabba Gabba  (apparently you shouldn't hit your friends, are they advocating hitting                 non-  f riends?  must check into this)

7:10          Ellie hits her head on the table and cries

9:00          Ellie falls asleep on me and I realize I have not yet eaten.

9:30         Try laying Ellie on couch, she starts screaming before her eyes open

10:30       Find poop on my sweatpants.  99% sure it is Ellie's, wash laundry

12:00       Lay her down for nap.  Eat lunch of tater tots (dipped in butter, they are potatoes, don't judge)

12:11      Yay Ellie's awake

12:15      Ellie hits her head on the fridge and cries.  It her head bigger than it was yesterday?  What is the problem?

And the rest of the day was a blur of over tired toddler smacking her head into every object in our house, wiping snot on me, and me trying to cook dinner.

However, she did give me a kiss completely on her own.  And she got a diaper and layed down on the floor and said "poooop".  Clearly she is a genius, at least before she whacked her head 75 more times.

You only think they aren't listening

Owen brought a ton of stuff home in his backpack this week, we found this amongst the pile.  

Easier to read if you double click

double click to gahhh you already know

Obviously I need to stop using that as a threat.  I can't imagine the look on his teacher's face.  This one is a keeper.  I can't tell you how many times we have read this and laughed our asses off.  Which is good considering the amount of caramel corn I am eating.

Why do YOU have cats????

When you think of all the reasons a person might have cats you think maybe:

cute
companionship
funny personality
low time commitment
mostly self sufficient
apartment sized

Or if you are more practical:

less smelly than dogs
eat bugs
keep feet warm at night
scares away mice
eats mice to stupid to be scared


We have two cats. Two (2) (dos) (deux)

The water is there all day, I don't know why they both get thirsty at the same time

So imagine my surprise a year ago when we had ........ an effing mouse living in our house.  I lost my shit.  Bud was doing a lot of trap setting, not a lot of mouse catching.  I suggested putting the cat food away, eventually they would get hungry enough to DO. THEIR. JOB.  For some reason Bud didn't like my suggestion ( I still think it's good).  It took a week or so before he finally caught it.  Whew.

Then a week and a half ago I went to the kitchen to make lunch and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement.  I never really SAW anything, but I was pretty sure it was another mouse.  I pretty much stood in one spot crying for ten minutes.  So again Bud put out the traps, I glared at the cats and nothing happened.  Then one day I saw the bastard run across the counter.  Bud hurried an moved things off the counter while I stood on a chair screaming "There, there, there it is, there, there on the counter" in an endless loop.  He finally trapped it in a bowl and took it outside, he meant to release it over the back wall, but it got out in our yard.  Awesome.

Two days later Rigby (gray cat)  struts into the house with live mothafrackin mouse, and lets it GO.  In. my. house.  Luckily Bud saw it grabbed it by the tail, ran out and threw it way over the wall into the street.  (He is my hero, also he scrubbed his hands really good).  What kind of cat does that?  Srsly

Three days after that?  Chloe (orange cat) does the same damn thing during dinner.  I first ran screaming, but figured I better help catch it if we didn't want it in the house.  I grabbed a broom, Bud got a diaper and we chased it back and forth til Bud caught it.  It was d-e-a-d but Bud told Owen it was just playing dead, like a possum.  It would totally come back to life out on the street.

I hate my cats.  Obviously we need to keep the screen door locked because they can open it.  However, the children are not overly conscientious about keeping it closed.  Every time one of the cats comes in I check it's mouth before I open the door. 

Anybody want an extra cat or two?