I Love My New Dermatologist!

So if you didn't know I have a disease called Hidradenitis Suppurativa or HS for short.  I'll do a post all about this disease later for those who are interested.

I had a wonder Dermatologist in Pennsylvania at Penn State Hershey.  When we moved to Louisiana I asked her for a recommendation but as you can see in the graphic below, there is not a single Dermatologist in this state that knows enough about or specializes HS.

The states in purple have at least one Dermatologist in the whole state that specializes in treating HS.  See all the purple surrounding Louisiana?  Anyone with HS needs to live in one of those purple states(and near a Dermatologist's location within that state)in order to receive effective treatment.

I tried here in Louisiana to find a Dermatologist who could treat me.  It was almost after living here a year(11 months)before I found what I thought was a Dermatologist who had a clue about this disease.  But once I had my first appointment with her, I found I was sadly mistaken.

So I reached out to 4 HS specialists-2 in Texas, 1 in Arkansas and 1 in Mississippi.  Only the one in MS returned our calls so we set up an appointment with her.  

Earlier this month Hubs drove me the 3.5 hours to her office(north of Jackson)and we hoped for the best.  We brought paperwork and information from my PA dermatologist so we could hit the ground running.

It turns out this doctor is friends with my old Dermatologist.  They go to medical conferences about HS and give talks there-my old Derm gives lectures about Adult HS and my new Derm handles Pediatric HS lectures.  

So we had our appointment and she needed to now write a prescription for the drug I am on presently for my HS condition, which is surprisingly still keeping me in remission.(Most HS sufferers need to change biologics or go on Remicade infusions after a few years, as the biologic drugs used lose their effectiveness over time.)

We had a funny moment when the doctor's nurse took us into the exam room and was setting us up to see the doctor.  She noticed that we had traveled quite a ways for this appointment and asked us where we had come from.  I told her and she said she and her husband live across the river from our town in the neighboring town.  I wondered why she took a job in Mississippi and then she asked me what Dermatologist I had seen in my town.  I told her the name and the name of the group practice and she got a knowing look on her face.

It seems this nurse had tried to get a job where she lived with a Dermatological practice that does "serious" or Medical Dermatology.  She had contacted this same practice I had tried to use and then they had tried recruiting her.  When they took her out to wine and dine her this nurse had asked point blank, "Does your office do Medical Dermatology?"  To which, the local to us Dermatologist has responded NO.(Funny how this office, when contacted by a potential patient with HS is told, "sure, we treat that!")  At that point the nurse had declined any job offer from this Dermatological office and went looking elsewhere for a "real" dermatologist and had landed at this U of Mississippi affiliated doctor's practice.  The nurse stays in the Jackson, MS area all week for work and travels the 3.5 hours home on weekends to be with her husband and then back again on Mondays.

Turns out I am not crazy when I got a bad vibe last August when I had an appointment with this dermatologist in Louisiana if this nurse also ran away from a job offer from her. lolz

New Dermatologist wants to see my back in 3 months.  This is a hardship traveling so far so frequently(a 7 hour drive total)but I am hoping such a frequent visit schedule is just because I am a new patient to her.  Perhaps I'll be able to see her 2 x a year like with my previous Dermatologist in PA, who we had to travel just under 2 hours to get to.  I'll ask if she does telehealth appointments the next visit(but sometimes Medicare and Supplement plans don't cover these types of visits so I'll have to get more information on costs is she allows them).

Anyway there have been issues with setting up my Rx for the medication I need because of going on Medicare with a Part D supplement and her office staff not willing to send my Rx to a different specialty pharmacy that MY Part D requires me to use and wanting to use the pharmacy that they have a relationship with.  It's all fine and good to use whom they regularly use but won't do me any good because my Part D plan requires me to use X and not Y.  That's been a small hassle so I am glad I stockpiled my medicine while still on private insurance, otherwise I'd have missed doses waiting for this to get straightened out.

I feel I am now in the right hands medically, for my HS, though the medicine I need will cost me $2,600+ to fill the first two times on Medicare Part D as there are no generics.  The first fill, along with all the other medications I am on, will put me in the dreaded Medicare "donut hole" but the second fill + other meds filled will get me out of the donut hole and put me into the "catastrophic phase" where I will get the medicine for free for the rest of the year.  It's still a large chunk of change to fork over for drugs but at least I won't have anxiety over this going forward. 8-)

Sluggy

Random Stuff That Makes You Go "Huh?"

Just some random stuff in Sluggy's World not worth a whole post but still a tidbit(or should that be a "Timbit"?)worth mentioning.
It's stuff that riles me up or catches my eye or gets my brain humming.
I cleaned off my desk(Don't faint now!?!)and cleaned out the photos in my camera/phone and unearthed some gems so let's get to it!

*  The number of solicitations in the mail is still going strong for folks who want to get their hands on "managing" our retirement monies.

This one which came in a couple of months ago was addressed to me personally(although Hubs' name only is on all the work accounts that were set up).  This clown must have bought a list with our personal bank account info on it.
I now refer to these unsolicited offers as "The Sharks"(or you could refer to them as Vultures)......there is blood(money)in the water and they are circling for the kill(take your money in fees).  Just keep saying, "They only want what is best for me......". *snort*

* Back in September my Daughter and her Finacé sent out wedding invitations.

The one for Ex-College Boy arrived on September 14th I believe so 2 days after being mailed.
Here is when they were mailed, including the invite for Hubs and I...........



So guess how long it took our invite from being mailed/postmarked to when it arrived from Louisiana?

2 WEEKS!!  We got our invitation in the mail just barely before September ended.
There is a reason I refer to that state as "Lousyana". lolz
The good times are always rolling there and it gets in the way of conducting business in a normal time frame for most of the rest of the country. *snort*
But "Drive-Thru Frozen Dauqiris"?  They are the best at that! lolz


*  When I was going to go on Humira for my HS the company has an "Ambassador"(a nurse who works for the company)come to your house to talk to you about the drugs and to instruct you on how to inject yourself.  Having had a DVT back in 2013 and being on Coumadin then I knew already how to inject a drug into myself.  I got semi monthly allergy shots as a child so I am not squeamish about needles, so I was an easy patient for my "Ambassador".
Part of the Humira program(besides the card that takes my co-pay from $50 to $5(yah!)they provide you with a sharps container to properly dispose of the needles too.

On the lid of that container was this according of paper...........

You gotta love them for trying!lolz
Wouldn't feeling better physically be enough of a reward for giving yourself a shot of their drug?
No, you can only feel good about using this medication if you go spend money on yourself?
I just don't get it......


* And here's another fine tchotchke from the fine folks at the Bradford Exchange........

I don't care what you think of this POTUS and FLOTUS do you really need to shell out $129.99 + shipping and sales tax to have this 11 inch figurine sitting on a shelf gathering dust?
But it's a limited edition of 4 bazillion!!  Get one before they run out! 8-P
That $129.99 + shipping and sales tax IMHO could be better spent on so many other things............


* When Hubs and I went to the movies last, I found this on the changing table in my bathroom stall when I had to go potty myself(if potty works for the dogs as a term, it works for me)...........

Was this planted there just for me by some heavenly force?

Inside was a checklist of 17 items which could be the best basis for reaching Heaven.
Four I don't do now, but most I did as a child(and no longer do out of a religious obligation...some I do because I want to be a good, moral person).

I suppose the jury is still out on whether I'll go to Heaven(if there is a heaven.....there I go, questioning authority again!)

*  I was browsing around Kohl's last month trying to figure out how to spend that $5 in free money there and took a couple of pictures of useless crap...........

Doesn't everyone need a desk sign like this?
Usually folks who have one it means yes, it IS your problem, right? lolz

And they had this ginormous stuffed Sloth sitting in a ginormous gift box thing.  This was the best shot I could get taking a selfie with it.
I guess 2018 was the Year of the Llama but 2019 is the Year of the Sloth?
I wonder what unfashionable animal will be the Sales Mascot for 2020.........

*  And while cleaning out closets when we changed out/redid rooms this past Summer I found these........

The copy of the hospital charges when I had my Eldest son in 1991.
He cost $814.95.

My charges were $2,125.05.
This isn't what we paid, just the charges before insurance kicked in.

By comparison, 5 years later, my last child(Ex-CB)cost over $1,200 and my hospital charges for his birth were in excess of $8,400!
But then again, I had a C-section with him and we both had a 5 night vacation(hahaha)at the hospital too.

I guess that's all I have to say for now.
I probably won't post on Thursday as we have to go to Hershey(the town and Medical Center, not the amusement park)tomorrow for my HS clinic appointment.  Fun, fun.
So I'll be back on Friday.

Have a good Thursday......save some money, do something frugal and have some fun!



Sluggy

A Half-Assed Post

The last couple of days have been trying.

First off I've been attempting to scoop up some deals so I have been out and about to lots of stores this week.
Hubs had his eye injection on Tuesday so I dropped him off and hit a nearby Aldi and then Maines Restaurant Supply store. 
Maines didn't have the two things I wanted the most--multicolor carrots in a 10 lb. bag and sweet potatoes.  Well they had the sweet potatoes but they were 99¢ a lb. and generally at this point in the year/season they are a lot cheaper there.  I ended up getting some bananas, fresh brussells sprouts and 10. lbs. of onions. $6.85 out the door.
At Aldi's I picked up 4.04 lbs. of chicken tenderloins for $6(discount sticker on the pack)so $1.49 per lb. plus a few odds and ends.....fresh mushrooms, hummus, pita chips, fancy pants cheese, half and half and a special Chocolate Cherry Chip Cake.  $25.70 total.
I also got a free quarter from a not corralled cart. ;-)

I hit Malacari's produce market on Wednesday(I think it was Wednesday?)for 2 types of lunch meat and 1 pack of sliced cheese, 10 lbs. of taters, marked down celery and cukes, a large head of cabbage, a watermelon, 2 roasted pepper cream cheese tubs, and 2 x 3 lb. packs of uncured bacon.

Remember these packs of bacon I got there for $5.99/3 lbs.?  Well evidently they still have a large amount to sell so now they are $3.99/3 lbs.  What an unbelievable price, right? $44.86 spent at Malacari's.

On Wednesday our hot water heater crapped out(after our microwave died while I was in OC).  There goes another $1100 we didn't expect to spend.   Thankfully we have $16+K in a Slush Fund still so that got paid for with cash.  ;-)

Wednesday Dixie went into heat too so we've been dealing with horny dogs. lolz  I'll be talking to the vet at Chester's appointment next week about getting him snipped soon.  Hubs is not feeling this breeding our doggies thing so I am throwing in that towel.

Now it's Thursday and Humira shot day today and now my joints are killing me.  They don't hurt as bad as the HS abscess in my breast though.  I think the stress of my OC trip brought on a flare(even good stress causes flares).  It's stopped draining and has now turned into an abscess.  An antibiotic will put that to rights once I get a hold of my doc.
The weather here keeps ping-ponging from cold to almost hot and my sinuses aren't feeling very well either(another side effect of Humira too).

So enough of my whining.  Just another sunny day in Sluggy's World.   Aren't you glad I shared this all?  *snort*

Sluggy

Random Stuff Lately

Here's a bunch of stuff, nothing substantial enough for it's own post............

*  About that "Eat for Free" Deal at OSJL, here is a pic of the signage I snapped............

I may have to go back for some of that grapeseed oil, salt and energy drinks for Ex-College Boy.


*  I know KIM will find this hard to believe but..............

I did NOT dip into this pond with lots of coins in it at the amusement park we took eldest and GF to last month.
Ok, so Hubs threatened me if I DARED to even think of reaching into that pond. lolz


*  This house down the street was sold and the folks who bought it totally reconfigured it, tripled the size of the garage and then re-sided it.

  It went from a washed out Ivory to this Blue.  I think Urspo would call this Prussian Blue?


*  I've been getting some interesting spam comments lately.  If they don't leave website links I have put a few through just for the amusement level.
Here are some I didn't put through because they go on the advertise a website, but some of this is comic gold I tell ya! lololz

"The author is known by common history of Patsy but large number of misspell the following.  Montana is her birth point.  Dispatching is just how I support my in addiction to it's something I really like.  Her husband doesn't like it the way she does but what she really likes doing is ballet and these days she has time in order to on issues......"

"Greetings. The authors name is Santiago Vos but he doesn't like people today use his full logo.   Colorado is her birth place but she can have to move one day or just one more.  He is really fond of body building and now he has time to battle new facts.  Meter reading is my employment now but soon I am on mine...."

"I want to have to introduce myself to you, I am Kristy Magdaleno.  To climb is the things I do obtain.  Indiana is where he as well as the wife live and his family loves it.  In her professional life is actually an interviewer......"

"Hello dear visitor.  I'm Valentin.  My wife. i choose to exist in New York and I've everything when I need at this juncture.  Auditing has been his employment for your time.  Acting is the hobby she is never going to stop doing..."

"Nice fulfill you, my name is Jaime and my wife doesn't take pleasure in at.  Montana is her birth place but could have to hold one day or another......"

Hubs finally got his room emptied enough that he could go order carpet for that room.  I told him to get something in stock so we weren't waiting a month+ for the rug to come in before we could get this scheduled to be installed.
Here's what he got...a nondescript brown/tan thing... and it's getting installed on Friday.
Now he is under a deadline to get the room painted and of course it's going to be the worst temps of the Summer here the next 4 days.  I hope he doesn't ask me to help him paint since he refuses to put an a/c in his room.  That will show him......lolz


*  I noticed something when we got those boxes of cereal on Thursday for .48¢ each.............

Box Tops for Education have gone bye bye!  Or rather, they have gone digital/electronic.
No more clipping box tops.  Now you scan the thing and you have an smartphone app account.
Bad news for those of us who clipped BTFE and sold them on eBay.  *sad face*

*  The garden is starting to produce frequently now...........

While the cauliflower is done and the broccoli is almost finished, the tomatoes are ramping up.
No yellow squash this year(the one squash that formed withered on the vine)and only a few cukes.
This colander weighed in at 61.8 ounces of yummy veggies.  A green tomato because a storm this week knocked it off the vine.

Maybe I'll hit the farm later this week(after the heat breaks)and get a load of tomatoes to can if the prices are reasonable.  I've got to dig out my quart canning jars to see how much I can put up without having to buy jars.


*  The morning glory vines have taken over the deck railing and the back garden..........

And the shot of the other end of the deck.

*  I finally had my appointment at the HS Clinic down at Hershey Medical.  It went well.  They classified me at Stage II right now(of course I stopped flaring the week before the appointment....isn't that how it always goes?  Your symptoms get better right before you see a doctor. lol

Anyway, I don't qualify for a clinical trial they have going now since I'm not Stage III(sigh)but the doc did put me on Humira.  Boy was THAT an ordeal getting my insurance to pay for it!  Much too long of a story but the Cliff notes are I was on the phone with insurance, prescription plan and their specialty pharmacy for TWO FREAKING HOURS, each one telling me to call the other to get answers.
I got approval and with the Humira card as well my $50 co-pay went down to $5 per month so that was a big win.  Once I am on Medicare at age 65 costs will be much higher, if I am still on this drug.  At present, depending on which Part D Rx plan you opt into(and pay for)Humira could run me $700 a month but that's a can better kicked down the road 4.5 years and we'll deal with it at that point in time.

*  Speaking of Hershey Medical.........this is what I spied leaving the building............

One of those nasty used dental picks in the flower bed(it's the green blurb in the photo).  Honestly, I see these things everywhere!!  At the nasty dirty Weis(PMITA)Markets parking lot at the store West of here, in the handicapped parking spot at my Rite-Aid.....just about every place I go.  Come on!, have a little class people!  If you insist on flossing in public at least throw your nasty ass pick in a garbage can.


*  From the annuals of  "how to waste your money", I got this great offer *cough* in the Sunday paper recently..............

A Disney themed duffle bag.  18"x12"x9" with officially licensed Disney art for the extra low price of $129.95 + sales tax adn $14.99 shipping.
I am no fan of Disney to begin with but you could just speed down the interstate and throw fist fulls of dollar bills out your car's window instead of paying that sort of money for that sort of item. 8-)

*  I need to sit down for a few hours and clean out my inbox.  I also need to sit down and start writing posts about my road trips.

 Good Gawd I just realized I am TWO years behind since I haven't posted about the trip out West two Summers ago.....Geez!

*  And to close here is a meme I got a chuckle out of and posted on Facebook last week.  I am an equal opportunity hater when it comes to politicians and their parties so don't go getting all pissy at me if you are Clinton lover.  . ;-)

And that's a wrap for Sunday.  I am off to organize my pantry/stockpile.
What are you up to today?


Sluggy










Sluggy