A New Frontier

Today, I sent a prescription written in the emergency room to an online pharmacy group in Canada. 

It is going to take 14-28 days to receive the medicine. 

The cost of the mediation was less than 20% of the best cost here btw CVS, Publix, Walgreens & Walmart. 

Medicine by mail from Canada. Crazy. 

Remicade Day

Every 8 weeks, I get this tx. It is administered at the Boreland Groover Clinic as treatment for Crohn's Disease. 

It also treats PsA and the P. 

1 miss and within 4 weeks (12 weeks since the prev tx) I start losing my skin. Not as in P. It is called Erythrodermic Psoriasis (PsE). 

I am happy to be here. The long range outlook for continuation of treatment is bad. This year I took an HMO (Humana) to limit my OOP. As of this treatment I have no co-pay. That's good, since the bill for 8 weeks ago was $2,018. The current balance I am carrying is $10,700. 

They have informed me that come January, this model is not going to work. They are no longer willing to accept payment in the $100s while the balance is increasing by $1,000s. 

Then there is the foot. 

Osteomyelitis. At least at the 5th metatarsal. It is expected that this will be chronic (diabetes). Just another Chronic illness. 

But today, at least right now, I am happy. 

I'm scared

Nothing really scares me. Not pain, not loss. My life has been to embued with both for either to impact me too greatly. 

Excitement turns to boredom. 

Pain is a major part of the Human Condition. 

At the end of last July, I worked with a guy doing garbage collection in an upscale apartment complex south-east of town. 

10 units, 2 sets of staircases per unit. 20 times, up an down. I was to help him a fortnight, 4 times each week. 

After the 6th time, I took off my shoes the night of the Savannah 48Hour Film Project. There was a quarter-sized blood stain on my sock. 

I tried treating it with Neosporin & bandaids for a few weeks. Finally I called a podiatrist. He initially gave me a 4-6 week time table, which would be concluded with a skin graft. 

By December, he was telling me about a research study he had starting early the following year. I was enrolled and went through 18 of the 26 weeks of the study. At that 3 to last visit (2 remain, a month apart each), he gave me an order for x-rays. They revealed infection damage to my 5th metatarsal, at the very least. 

Infection in the bone. I am scared.