Poke Me

[eggwards]

I got the first Christmas Card in the mail. It's not even December yet! I'm not too surprised because the guy is super fussy, but I'm surprised that he mailed it prior to Thanksgiving. I wonder when I might get mine done.


Somewhere in the middle of my drive home from a long, extended weekend with Chris, I realized that I had forgotten my medication at Chris' house. The reason for this is because it's in the refrigerator, and as much as I tried to tell myself earlier that I needed to get it out before I left, but as I got all of the other bags, and chris helped me out to the car, all that thinking was all for naught.

Miles later I started to think about the heat being on in the car, and that the medicine needed to stay cool. Then I remembered, it was cool, miles away from where I was.

The medicine is a pretty new one. my doctor seems to be a bit of a mad scientist, and loves to give me something new each time I'm at his office. I have medications for cholesterol, blood pressure, and to keep my blood sugar in control so I don't kick into full-blown diabetes. He also likes to promote this or that into curbing my appetite to help me lose weight. The results on that last one have been...mixed at best. Not totally successful might be a better review.

So, the new formula isn't a pill, for once, but instead is a pen shaped vial with 60 or so does of liquid, called Byetta. I now have to take the clear medicine twice a day, before breakfast or dinner. Over the last week, I took it before lunch, because we never seemed to get out of bed to actually make breakfast.

The big thing about this is that this medicine must be administered subdermally...in other words, I'm now stabbing myself a couple of times a day. each time I use it, I have to screw on this tiny little needle, inject myself, and take off the needle and store the "pen" back in the fridge.

I'll admit that I was surprised when my doctor spoke to me about the new medicine. I never thought I'd have to use needles, and in a way, if felt like I lost the fight with diabetes, sort of using "insulin lite". My doctor didn't actually dispel that notion, so I guess there's something to it. It's something I guess I need to take a little more seriously, even though my doctor still says that I'm just bruising with the full blow disease.

The other thing is that i have to think about this drug...it's not just a pill that I can take wherever, since it has to be refrigerated, I have to think about what to do when I want to eat out, and if I go out, after work, i have to think about going home before hand. In going to Dallas, I need to place it in a small cooler (in this case, my lunch kit I take to work), and off it goes in Chris' refrigerator, where it currently resides. I'm not sure if he knows it's still in there.

Still, I was able to go to Walgreens and get a new pen of the stuff, so I'm set for now. There's a couple of other pill bottles that I guess I'll wait to get back later. Still, this new medicine is a definite change, it's supposed to help me, and even help me lose weight and gain energy.

I think my doctor thinks this a wonder drug. I'll reserve judgment for later when I see some results. For now I have to just get stabbing myself a couple of times here and there, and to stop forgetting these things behind.

Still, I can't help feeling like someone's science project.

Comments

[jkusters]

I hear that Byetta is formulated based on some substance found in the saliva of Gila monster lizards. If you start needing to lay in the sun for hours to get moving and flick your tongue at everything to "sniff" it, I'd suggest cutting back the doesage.

:-)

JOhn.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Well, if it helps me start making food from photosythesis, I'll be able to save some money and be able to afford this medicine.

[joshualore.livejournal.com]

thanks for this post. gramma has diabetes but is dietary for now. shes on like three different pills for just the sugar intake alone and her doctor told her that if it gets any worse she may have to start going to the shots. im gonna tell her to ask about the pen first to see if she will have to go directly to the full shot instead. this might be something better for her. the pills shes on drain her energy and i hate seeing her worn out before 4pm.

[garebear.livejournal.com]

Since Byetta is a shot, it's no worse than insulin in a sense. They also make insulin in similar injection pens, so there's really no difference, except for the severity of the disease and difference in medication. Your gramma is too precious to let anything happen to!

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I'm not so sure how well it will do for her get up and go. Still, the pen is pretty easy to administer, and shouldn't be a problem for her to use. Much better than the regular needles. She should ask her doctor, this could be a good solution.

[garebear.livejournal.com]

It seems like everyone's going to Byetta. it's supposed to be superior to Metaformin/Glucophage... it's a protein in nature, so it can't be taken orally.

And if you don't take care of yourself, you'll end up taking insulin, pricking your finger for regular blood test and all of that bad diabetic stuff that happens... kinda like me!

It's better to be a science project that a guy with chronic health problems.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I've already done Glucophage, and that didn't seem to do much for me except give me stomach aches (and worse). I'll keep working on this, though.

[nilotec.livejournal.com]

My boy just started this after his insulin was not doing the trick. It has been working very well and his glucose levels haven't strayed much since he started it.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

that's good to hear. I'm glad it's working for him.

[zenblossom62.livejournal.com]

I need to mention this to my friend Marc. He's pre-diabetic also, but just found out. He and his doctor need to formulate the next course of action.

Diabetes is serious stuff, as you know. It runs in my family, but so far I've escaped it.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, it doesn't run in my family, that i know of. My dad has had high blood pressure problems in the past, and he was on a liquid diet for a while some 20 years ago. I really don't want to do something so drastic.

Definitely have your friend see a doctor though. It's best to stave it off now.

[brchase.livejournal.com]

*hug*
Didn't know you're at that stage that you need to poke yourself (and not in a good way)

I would imagine in a short period of time, there will be one out there that doesn't need refrigeration. That sucks when traveling. :-(

*hug*

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Yes, there's a little cooler pouch that I haven't received yet, but you still have to think about it, and when you eat since you're supposed to take it 30 minutes before you eat.

[f--k.livejournal.com]

I did find it last night in the refigerator and was wondering if I needed to get it to you quickly. I guess not.

Also, I may have left my smaller digital camera in the glove compartment of your snazzy new vehicle.

I have a cold. Pity me.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I have a camera to play with! Oh goody!

[cubziz.livejournal.com]

Sometime you should chat up Hunter. Your two doctors must talk to each other. Hunter is on like 12 different prescriptions. Some for his type-2 diabetes, some for weight loss, some for cholestrol, etc. He keeps switching prescriptions around on him too, so we have oodles of everything around. Really kind of annoying to me. :P

But he doesn't have anything that really needs refridgeration anymore (he did when he was doing antibiotics via his IV Pic line.)

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

The refrigeration is a bit of a problem, but the medication is easy to take with the little pen, I just have to try to take it 30 minutes prior to eating.

I agree with the annoyance, especially since the medicines are on the higher tier of medicines for my insurance...as compared to many generics and such. New medicines cost more out-of-pocket money.

[cubziz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Hunter's insurance went up by about 20% this year. He's not terribly happy. :(

[shawnsyms.livejournal.com]

I've seen those before, but only for birth control. One of our clients markets a product called the Puregon Pen that is used for that purpose.

I hope it doesn't hurt!