Since I switched to lower dosage advair (down to 250/50 from the 500/50), I've still needed to use my albuterol inhaler 6-7 times a week. So I called and they had an opening late so I took it, cause my allergy/asthma doc had said that I should probably consider getting the allergy shots (immunotherapy) if this happened.
So I went in today and saw one of the Physician Assistants (PAs). She was really good. Learned several things today.
1)I've lost 4lbs since my last visit on Jan 6th. Neat huh?
2)I don't need to count the times I use my inhaler before/during exercise only at other times. I didn't know this. So really, if I take out the times I've used my inhaler for exercise, it's more like 4 times/week which isn't bad really. Also, my peak flow numbers were consistent with my last visit and were really good (90% and higher). She actually showed me the numbers and explained some of them. No one had done this before and it was cool, helped my peace of mind.
She said I should check with my health ins to make sure the shots are covered and then call the office. They have a daily schedule where you just show up, sign-in, and get your shots. You also have to wait there at least 20min after the shot in case you get a really bad allergic reaction.
She thinks that I'll probably have to get 4 shots. Each time. At least a few of them are combined (like the pollens are together and the dust mites are together). Since I'm allergic to everything they tested me for practically, I'm looking at probably 6-9mths of weekly shots, then biweekly. Fun huh? The nurse who took my height/blood pressure/temp/etc. was looking at my chart - she goes - you're allergic to...almost everything, well...you can get a dog or cat or cockroach but you have major reactions to everything else, at this she laughed(at her own wit I guess) EEWWWWW! A cockroach, the most disgusting insect ever. Who "gets" a cockraoch intentionally? Seriously?
Another reason I love PAs is that they seem to be the only ones listening to me. When I needed antibiotics cause I had way-more-than-just-a-cold last year, it was a PA who finally prescibed the antibiotics/chest x-ray. I felt like no one else was taking me seriously. Again today, I've been complaining about the flonase that I currently have to take cause I've been having nosebleeds, which are annoying as well as inconvenient. So I havent' been taking the flonase regularly. Now, the nasal drip is back and I had the worst stomachache last night b/c of it. Flonase is what usu gets rid of the nasal drip. Anyhoo, she gave a sample of rhinocort and also wrote Rx for it for me. It's doesn't irritate as much as flonase does and also less of it is absorbed that most of the others.
Another good thing, she asked me how I wanted the Rx written up. My health ins has a mail-in service where I can get 3 mths supply for the price of two on any medicines i need as long as the Rx says so. Usually I foget to ask them to do this, so it was great that she offered. I even asked her to redo a Rx I already have to dispense 3 so that I could also get the savings with it. To get an idea of the kind of money I spend on meds, last year I put $300 in my flex spend health account in March. By Oct, I'd used it all already. Most of my Rx are brand name with no generic equivalent which means $20-$40 a pop.
Gotta love PAs.
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