This blog will more than likely be brief for reasons you, the reader, will quickly understand. So, I'm sitting in the chair next to my hospital bed, right at midnight, and here is a list of the wonderful pharmaceuticals I am currently on: Oxycontin, (potent pain killer), Phenergan, (narcotic-like anti-nausea pill), Benadryl, and Ambien, (lovely extended release sleeping pill). I love my doctors and nurses...but I have a love/hate relationship with the pharmaceutical companies. I think the price gouging in the industry, (especially for meds typically prescribed to seniors on fixed incomes) is nothing short of a travesty. However, and this is a ginormous however, man do they make some good shit!
"Why are you on all these drugs?", you the astute reader may ask. Let's start with the most potent first...the oxycontin. With the high-dose chemo that was used to wipe out my immune system, inevitably you develop what's called oral mucositis. Chemo kills all rapidly growing cells in the body, a category to which the cells lining your mouth and throat belong as well as the cancer cells, and the hair follicles. So, you get burn-like sores in your mouth and throat. As powerful as oxycontin is, it does not even begin to touch the pain caused by this. I still ask for it, though, because it makes me feel good, (side note, when I just typed that I got the image of Charleze Theron moaning that into Billy Bob Thornton's ear, and I am now scarred). Because of the mucositis, I am currently on a liquid diet, and mom went out today and bought a bunch of yogurt tubes, snackpacks, (butterscotch and chocolate...fuck yeah), and Ensure plus nutritional drinks. Good news though...the Doc says this typically only last around 2 WEEKS!! Moving on...
...Phenergan, some of you may know this one for it's fairly common, and used for nausea. One of the side effects of the chemo is nausea, so I'm on like three different anti-nausea meds. But this one makes you sleepy. Next...
...Benadryl, if you've never heard of this or its side effects, please go back under your rock, and where did you learn how to use a computer...I'm impressed. I'm on it because, we think, one of the antibiotics I'm on has caused me to break out in a lovely rash. Are you wishing you were me yet? And finally...
...Ambien, I'm sure you've seen the commercials for this one with the lamps flying around peoples room and they can't catch them. I like it. If any of you have tried to sleep in a hospital, it's a formidable task. just like New York never sleeps, apparently nurses don't either and they punish you for it. So, every night I get my two Ambien, pop in some ear plugs, and throw on my gay eye mask that reads "Pamper Me" on the front of it. Yes, I know it's a gay thing to wear, but I like it so fuck you! :) So, with that said, I'm about to go do those three things right now. I'll talk to you later!
"Why are you on all these drugs?", you the astute reader may ask. Let's start with the most potent first...the oxycontin. With the high-dose chemo that was used to wipe out my immune system, inevitably you develop what's called oral mucositis. Chemo kills all rapidly growing cells in the body, a category to which the cells lining your mouth and throat belong as well as the cancer cells, and the hair follicles. So, you get burn-like sores in your mouth and throat. As powerful as oxycontin is, it does not even begin to touch the pain caused by this. I still ask for it, though, because it makes me feel good, (side note, when I just typed that I got the image of Charleze Theron moaning that into Billy Bob Thornton's ear, and I am now scarred). Because of the mucositis, I am currently on a liquid diet, and mom went out today and bought a bunch of yogurt tubes, snackpacks, (butterscotch and chocolate...fuck yeah), and Ensure plus nutritional drinks. Good news though...the Doc says this typically only last around 2 WEEKS!! Moving on...
...Phenergan, some of you may know this one for it's fairly common, and used for nausea. One of the side effects of the chemo is nausea, so I'm on like three different anti-nausea meds. But this one makes you sleepy. Next...
...Benadryl, if you've never heard of this or its side effects, please go back under your rock, and where did you learn how to use a computer...I'm impressed. I'm on it because, we think, one of the antibiotics I'm on has caused me to break out in a lovely rash. Are you wishing you were me yet? And finally...
...Ambien, I'm sure you've seen the commercials for this one with the lamps flying around peoples room and they can't catch them. I like it. If any of you have tried to sleep in a hospital, it's a formidable task. just like New York never sleeps, apparently nurses don't either and they punish you for it. So, every night I get my two Ambien, pop in some ear plugs, and throw on my gay eye mask that reads "Pamper Me" on the front of it. Yes, I know it's a gay thing to wear, but I like it so fuck you! :) So, with that said, I'm about to go do those three things right now. I'll talk to you later!
