One of the therapists brought donuts today. And, against my better judgement, I had one for breakfast. Then my tummy was mad at me for most of the day. For dinner I had pasta. Then I wanted Muddy Buddies (aka puppy chow, aka trash), so I made some. I'm probably going to regret that too, but whatever. I like to get some joy out of food every now and then.
My drugs came in the mail today. Here's how it goes:
Entocort (immunosuppressant) Retail: $1,419.90 I paid: $10
Ambien (sleeping pill) Retail: $9.80 I paid: $9.80
Asacol (gut drugs) Retail: $1,148.25 I paid: $35
"Your drug plan saved you $2523.15". Yeesh. Thank God for insurance. Seriously, I include that in my prayers a lot.
Speaking of drugs, my shrink prescribed me Ritalin due to my perpetual sleepiness. I want to say: I've never done any illegal drugs. I've never even been drunk (just tipsy once at a Passover Seder). I have to say, Ritalin is the best thing ever. I'm on a low dose, but it really makes me feel great, like I have a lot of focused energy. I'm thinking of asking the shrink to wean me off of the Prozac and just stick with Ritalin (especially since it has fewer side effects).
Aaron and I have been watching Dog Town on Netflix. It's a show about Best Friends animal shelter in Kanab, Utah. I was looking through their website at adoptable pets. They still have a lot of the Michael Vick dogs. I was looking through the cats, and saw a cat named Diamond Jim. And I got the feeling he needed to be part of our family. (I know most people won't understand this, as we're already inundated with animals. But this guy is 10, and he's never had a home). I got the ok from Aaron. So I sent in the application on Monday. And they're doing a Christmas special, where they'll fly the animals for free. (Since he's in Utah, normally we'd either have to go get him, or ship him for $150-200). I got a call from a Best Friends rep today. She was telling me about Diamond Jim. He's FIV+ (which we already knew). He's a sweet boy, who loves people and ignores other cats. He has no teeth, but can still eat regular hard food. He had a little kidney issue, so he's currently on subcutaneous fluids (Aaron had to do this with our previous cat, Phantom before). The rep said he's one of her favourite cats, and she was happy someone wants to take him home. Normally they'd do a home visit, but she said she may be able to waive it, since we have a lot of experience with cats and we always adopt through shelter/rescue, so we'll see. Also, he'll have a physical tomorrow, and he needs to do a dog test, to make sure he'll get along ok with them. (Both the dogs love cats). So she's going to contact me again tomorrow or Friday, and we'll see what happens. If he doesn't do well with dogs, maybe there's a different, old FIV+ cat. Or maybe we'll wait.
The cost of your meds is incredible! Insurance really is a blessing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the Ritalin is making you feel good. It seems like your body just can't regulate your sleep/awake patterns--either you're awake all night or sleepy all the time. I'm glad that you're able to find meds that finally help!
I love Best Friends. They are the best. We visited there and spent the night at one of their "cottages" on the home from your place in Utah once. It was an amazing place, and all the staff were friendly and happy, and all the animals were so calm and happy and well-cared for and loved. It was their behaviorists that convinced the USDA not to just euthanize all the Vick dogs, and helped arrange for rescues for almost all of them. They are seriously the best animal welfare organization there is. I hope things work out for your possible new kitty! With a name like "Diamond Jim," we have to assume it was meant to be!