First things first -- my insurance did give me pre-approval for the Savella! For an entire year! And for whatever dosage I was prescribed! There was rejoicing the day that letter arrived, let me tell ya!
I had another appointment with Dr. Arrogant last week -- he wants his patients to see him every 4 weeks. My pain level at that point was averaging 4 1/2 to 6 on my personal scale, with occasional forays into the 7 range -- better, but not as good as I want.
So, he came into the exam room, sat down at the desk and proceeded to talk to me without ever really looking at me. Asked about my pain level, made mumbled noises that I think were supposed to be encouraging, and was very obviously going to leave the room without asking me how I felt about the improvement and if I thought it was enough. So I said 'There has been an improvement, but I'd like to see more. Could we try a higher dosage of Savella?' Now, understand, I had done my research, and I knew that the drug could be prescribed up to a dose of 100 mg twice a day. I wanted to try 150 mg and see if that was enough. His reply? 'Well, the recommended dose is 50 mg twice a day,' -- the dose I was already taking. So I told him that I'd done some research and that it could be prescribed at a higher dose. He told me he'd have to check the information! Now, what doctor prescribes a med without knowing that it's offered at higher doses? The upshot of it all is that I left the office with a script for 100 mg twice a day. I'd be looking for a different pain specialist, but the pre-approval is only for him, and chances are that I wouldn't get pre-approved again if I changed doctors.I've been on the higher dose for 3 days now, and I think I'm seeing an improvement. It's been hard to tell because we went to a ferret show last weekend, and it always takes several days for me to completely recover from one of them. But in the past, it's taken at least a week, and I did some laundry today and lifted some heavy things, and I don't feel like my body wants revenge for it, so I think things may be looking up.
And in other news, my Threes Triangular Shawl is now listed at Ravelry! People seem to like it -- lots of nice compliments, and over 20 people have marked it as a favorite!
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4 comments:
Don't you just love arrogant doctors?
Ah well, atleast he actually DID give you the higher prescription and yay for the insurance being nice!
Don't you just love arrogant doctors?
Do I have to answer that? :)
Ah well, atleast he actually DID give you the higher prescription and yay for the insurance being nice!
Yep, at least he did prescribe it once he checked the available doses. And I was thrilled with the insurance!
Just reading your blog for the first time today but am I correct in thinking you have fibromyalgia? I do too and it is a literal "pain". I've had it for 20plus years now and tried just about everything. My newest thing is classical homeopathy. It's worked amazingly well for my dog but since his homeopathic vet won't treat me I'm awaiting an appt. with a people version of same. The Mayo clinic has a great DVD "Yoga for Fibromyalgia" which is a wonderful series of easy stretches that I find helps a lot on tough days. All the best with the new meds.
"Just reading your blog for the first time today but am I correct in thinking you have fibromyalgia?"
Yes, and I can't recommend Savella highly enough. I hope the homeopathy works for you, but if it doesn't, consider the med. Thanks for the suggestion about the yoga DVD -- I may have to check that out.
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