Anyway, after the test that feeling came back on me, as well as a very sick stomach. In addition, the stress of it all caused my asthma to kick in. The stort stay nurse called my doctor and he prescribed an IV of Zofran. It is the medicine that I have received in ER for a sick stomach. For whatever reason, my 45 minute IV turned into almost four hours in short stay.
The hydration IV was a large one, so it took a while. The reason for the hydration IV was to give my body a boost towards pushing the iodine dye and contrast through my system quicker. The Barium Sulfate Suspension contrast that I had to drink before the test, and the iodine dye during the test,do not filter well through my kidneys. That was the purpose of my taking the NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) the day before and day of the test.
With that said, I need to clarify something. In my excitement and haste to post this information regarding NAC, I did not finish reading and find the following warning. NAC appears to be a great supplement, for a number of reasons, but not for everyone! I, for instance, should not take this on a regular basis. Drats! It seemed like a good thing for me. But, since I have a sulfa allergy, am a diabetic (blocks insulin), promotes antioxidants (not good when on chemo), fights chemo brain (the boost is not allowed during treatment), dairy intolerance, etc. I cannot take this. Okay, another warning... drink your water while taking NAC! If you don't drink plenty of water, kidney stones may develop. I still feel that "if" you can take it, NAC looks like a good supplement. Please read up on it, discuss it with your doctor, before making this a regular supplement.
A couple of tidbits... On 11/12/10 I posted about insurance. I guess I didn't read as well as I thought or ask all of the questions that should have been asked. It seems like there are changes that I was not aware of. Most recently, some medications are not covered. Fortunately, the actual cost was not much. I find in discussing this with another chemo patient, there is a loop hole. If you ask your doctor to schedule an injection of the medication, it is covered under Medicare B (does not have a donut hole). Check to see if this is the case with your insurance. Injection form, yes; pill form is a no. My diabetic testing supplies are no longer covered under the B program. I have to get them from the pharmacy, which will cause me to reach this year's donut hole faster! I guess since my insurance is contracted with Medicare, when Medicare makes a change the insurance company goes along with it. This is my understanding, from what I have been told. Hope my chemo brain hasn't distorted the information.
Have you been to a thrift store lately? Wow! The economy has hit there too. Went into one and found that blouses were as high as $9.99-$12.99. My sister and I found jeans average price $6.99-$12.99. I even found a purse for $89.00, and jeans for $49.00! Buying a used book is not as cheap as it once was. We also noticed that the amount of inventory was "down" in the thrift store(s). Yet, when you have a yard sale people still want the blouse for a quarter, jeans under one dollar, etc. To replace what you have sold at a yard sale is going to be expensive during this economy, whether or not you buy new or used. Suggestion: Locate a used book store that will take a book purchased there as a trade-in. You will pay less for the initial purchase, and get money towards your next purchase with the trade-in.
Never take a person for granted. Hold every person close to your heart cause you might wake up one day and realize that you've lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones.
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