Back to Convenient Care on Tuesday, with my hive-y rash. It was not as busy this time, my third visit there in 28 days. Farmer H dropped me off at the door, and didn't go in. I was feeling fine this time, just itchy and concerned. I checked in and sat down under the TV. Only two other people in the waiting room, and they were together. A woman on a sit-on walker, and her male companion. She was called in a couple minutes after I got there. I was next, about two minutes later.
The gal checking my vitals was a bit ditzy, but friendly. She took my history, but I don't know how much of it got to the Nurse Practitioner, since she was writing on a Post-It note. You'll never guess who I got as my NP. Yes you will!
The NP whom I was not so fond of, who gave me the Z-Pack that did nothing for my fever the first time I was there on Jan 24, in the midst of my Pony sickness. Not that it's Birdy's fault. An antibiotic does nothing for a VIRUS. I just wasn't thrilled with her chairside manner.
Birdy was a bit more friendly this time, though I still suspect she might have a case of Oppositional-Defiant Disorder. I explained the Lovenox injections during my Unfortunate HospitVALzation. And the hospital follow-up nurse's belief that it was from the preservative in a generic form of Lovenox. I told her the timing of the end of steroids, and the start of these at-first small red spots that expanded into larger-than-tennis-ball bright pink flat hives.
Birdy even looked at those hive-y things herself. Felt them for heat. Poked them for texture. Yet at the end of the appointment, she was in denial as to the causation.
"I don't know if it's from the Lovenox. It might be cellulitis. Does it hurt when I press on them?"
"No. They don't hurt at all. And it's funny that they appeared one at a time, around each injection hole I had from the Lovenox. I could tell the order the shots were given by the timing of the spots' appearance."
Seriously. If I'm going to have cellulitis, it will be in my legs. Not six spots on my belly-fat after six injections.
Birdy wanted to give me a steroid to reduce the hive-y-ness. And an antibiotic in case of infection, since a couple of the hive-y spots were getting little red scabby things on them. Probably from my wayward scratching, even though I thought I controlled myself fairly well for the past 10 days since the first one appeared.
Birdy was Not-Heaven-bent on prescribing me Bactrim.
"I know you're allergic to the penicillins and the cephalosporins. But how about the sulfa drugs? Can you take them? Have you had Bactrim?"
"I don't know if I've ever had it. Surely I would have made a note to list it as an allergy if I broke out from it."
"Well, I'm going to prescribe it for you, and some prednisone for the itching and redness. Don't take them and go to sleep! In case you might have an allergic reaction. Take them during the day. And you also might get some liquid benadryl for the itching, and in case you have an allergic reaction."
"Benadryl makes me go to sleep. So I'm not sure that would be a good thing to take..."
"Oh. Well. Then just have some on hand in case you have an allergic reaction."
I suppose so I can put myself to sleep...
Anyhoo, I must have mentioned doxycycline about 37 times while I was there. How I know I'm not allergic to that, because I just had it to get rid of ear infections in December.
"I don't know if it works for skin issues like this. But I know I've taken it without any problems."
It was almost as if Birdy didn't want to give it to me BECAUSE I brought it up!
Anyhoo... I left there with her calling in my prednisone and Bactrim. Farmer H took me to Country Mart and the Gas Station Chicken Store for scratchers. While I was in Country Mart, money in the lottery machine, and a couple scratchers in the tray, my phone rang.
"Hello. HM? This is Birdy, from Convenient Care. According to the medication list, Bactrim will interact with your blood pressure prescription. So instead of Bactrim, I'm giving you doxycycline. I knew that would be okay with you. You're probably more comfortable with it anyway. So I'm just letting you know that I changed it, and the pharmacy is getting it ready."
"Okay. Thank you."
Heh, heh. One way or another, Mrs. HM gets her way.
Of course she did not mention that it wasn't her idea, it was your idea--37 times.
ReplyDeleteSioux,
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to be proactive in my medical treatment! To Birdy, I was just another flabby belly with giant bright pink spots. Funny she didn't even mention a Z-Pack, after she prescribed it before. This was definitely a bacterial infection she was concerned with, and it might have worked. So she knew I could tolerate a Z-Pack. She was DEAD-set on giving me something new (to me)..
I hate it when the NP refuses to listen to me! I have a medical background, and nobody knows my body better than me!! Gee, might be a reason that you know which antibiotic works for you!
ReplyDeleteIf she is giving you prednisone you probably won't need the Benadryl, but it's a good thing to have on hand. Good thing she changed the Bactrim though. Here in Aus, the doctors don't call in prescriptions for new stuff to the chemist, they print the form right there and we take it to the chemist ourselves. If we just need repeat prescriptions, then we phone the doctor who then phones it through.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteThis NP seems like she wants to make sure I know that she's in charge. The other two worked with me more like we were a team in figuring out what was best.
***
River,
The prednisone runs out two days before the doxycycline. We'll see what develops! I think it should be fine, since I've had it before.
I think they actually send it by computer these days, instead of calling. It's been a long time since I got a paper prescription form to take in. For refills, we call the pharmacy (they have an automated line to punch in your prescription number), then the pharmacy deals with the doctor if something is amiss. I have to go in every six months for an exam to get the next six months of prescriptions sent to the pharmacy.