A Brief Recap of the Past Few Days

I'm ill and annoyed. The endocrinologist has no clue how to correctly prescribe medication taken to block production of Estradiol (Estrogen). In accordance with his orders, I've been taking 1 mg of Arimidex for the past two weeks. What I was not informed is that I instead need to be taking half the prescribed dosage half as often. In my case it means I need to take .5 mg of Arimidex every other day. But for now, I am going to need to wait three or four days and let the levels lower on their own. That's really the only thing I can do.

I've been quite sick the past four or five days. I wasn't aware of how sick until yesterday. While I was four hours away from home, I was actively contemplating whether or not I needed to to go the ER. I'm fortunate in that I have a friend who also deals with chronic health issues of her own, and she was able to keep me calm over the phone. And I was also fortunate in that the nearest hospital was a two minute walk away. Bodily systems are related, so when my physical health gets worse, so too does my emotional/mental health. Bipolar is a disorder of the brain and the brain is a very large organ in charge of regulating lots of important things. A mild depression is very often the result when my physical health suffers.

But, in time, my physical health problems should lessen. Today mostly I just feel drugged and weak. Nausea and a non-existent appetite until late in the afternoon has also been an issue. My eyes stayed dilated from the instant I woke up until I drifted off to sleep. I found myself having no energy and having to rest frequently. One of my intentions was to take lots of pictures over the holiday, but I was unable to attain the the stamina to do so. Even now I still feel some of these same symptoms.

Out-of-pocket cost to me was also a factor in deciding not to go to the hospital. While as part of disability I do have Medicare, which will cover expenses everywhere on U.S. soil, it will not cover everything. While in DC, I have Medicaid, which will pick up almost everything Medicare will not. Medicaid, however, is not portable from state to state, territory to territory, or region to region. Though I would have gone if my condition had worsened, I would have also had at least a few hundred dollars to pay. Exact cost always depends upon how many tests they run when you're there.

I expect to be feeling better tomorrow. Part of what's wrong with me today is having to wake up super early to get the rental car back by the noon deadline.