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sugarwhale
MemberDear Tonda,
I believe my mom got CAREMARK through Blue Cross-Blue Shield. She has the Federal Employees Program of BC-BS. I would really hesitate to give up BC-BS. I think they can help, and I think it is BC-BS who works with Caremark. Good luck to you, Tonda!
~~~ JanetMemberDear Patti,
I think I can even reassure you a bit more about “heart failure.” My father died of it; they diagnosed it and told him it would kill him. It did. BUT, Patti, he lived 48 years after that diagnosis! My mom also has heart failure. The cardiologist said that virtually everyone my mom’s age has it to SOME degree. My mom takes a very mild diuretic and potassium. Her B.P. is excellent, and the cardiologist says she’s doing just great. I asked the cardiologist if my mom’s “heart condition” was something to worry about. She (the doc) said it was absolutely NOTHING to worry about. I think your mom needs treatment, but she’ll be just fine. Left side heart problems are worse than right side, or so I understand. My mom’s is right side. The mild diuretic and potassium is easy to take and causes no ghastly symptoms. My mom will be 89 next time. Her major problem is MDS, not B.P. or heart. She reads, sews, drives, shops, does yard work, etc. Best wishes to your mom and to her daughter.
~~~ JanetMemberDear Patti,
Yesterday, just for the heck of it, I asked a doctor (at the clinic where my mom goes) about an adult with B.P. of 167/60. He waved his hands in front of his face as if to say, “Forget it!” B.P. causes problems in two ways: By being TERRIBLY high and by being high over a long period of time, i.e. years. A reading of 167/60 shows an elevated top number, but it isn’t TERRIBLY high. Lots of things can make a person’s B.P. high: a late hour, coffee, stress, strenuous exercise, etc. All of these things are NORMAL. The B.P. goes down when the situation changes. Everyone will have a temporary rise in B.P. if they scale a flight of steps!
True high B.P. can be easily treated. In fact, there’s something your mom (MIL?) can do for herself, without any doctor: reduce sodium intake!
I just wanted you to know that I asked a doctor about that exact B.P. figure; he says it’s no problem!
~~~ JanetMemberDear Tonda,
Go to the person in your doctor’s office in charge of obtaining revlimid from the doctor’s prescriptions. He/she will need an authorization number (provided by the doctor). Then tell them to contact someone at CAREMARK. My mom gets the revlimid this way. It costs her $35 per month. She has the exact same health benefits that you do. I hope this helps you! We were panicked at first too, but there IS a way! Good luck, Tonda!
~~~ JanetMemberDear Patti,
I don’t know if I can be of any help, but I’ll sure try. A lot of people take diuretics to get the B.P. down. When prescribed correctly (usually along with potassium) and monitored, this will do the trick. However, even though a person’s B.P. is high at 167/60, I don’t think it’s CRITICAL. Also, the normal person’s B.P. is higher at night. Also, stress and activity can make it higher. My advice (which, I’m sorry to say, is worthless!) is to go to a doctor who will ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS! This is something that is easily fixed. My mom had the same problem, due to a leaky heart valve.
I can also tell you that a friend of mine had a mini-stroke a few years ago due to high, undetected B.P. But, Patti, her B.P. was well over 300! Also, this had been going on for DECADES.
You need to have a doctor care enough to explain things. I hope I was able somehow to help.
~~~ JanetMemberDear Rackon–and the rest of y’all!
You asked about other side effects of starting revlimid. They have been very minimal for my mom. She HAS had muscle cramps and she DID have itching. However, after the first couple of weeks, these symptoms faded into oblivion. The big bad symptom was that her red blood count went catapulting downward!
The good news is that today, for the very first time, my mom FELT BETTER and had MORE ENERGY!! Yippee! As I write this, she has driven to Walmart to SHOP! I am cautiously optimistic; at very least, I can tell you that she’s certainly no worse! I’ll keep everyone posted!
~~~ JanetMemberHello, Don!
Welcome to our Forum! You’re one of us now! Actually you and I are neighbors! See my hometown below!
My mom started 5 mg of Revlimid 3 weeks ago. Our doctor says she is doing fine and will increase the dosage to 10 mg next week. She has really had a hard time with her RBC plunging though! Other than that the other symptoms (e.g. itching) have gone away. Our doctor says that Revlimid takes THREE MONTHS to work. Now, hopefully, things will get better before then. We just don’t know.
I put a question here a few days ago; you might read the 4 replies I received. Your wife and my mom are in the same boat. I’ll keep my eyes on the Forum, and I’ll let you know of any change in my mom.
~~~ JanetMemberDear Laura, Carl, Cathy and Naomi,
I shared your experiences with my mom, and I want all of you to know that you made her feel much better. We’re hoping that what she went through this week might be the worst of the side effects. To our doctor’s credit, he is monitoring her carefully; we feel…secure.
Thank you so much for the reassuring things you told us.
~~~ JanetMemberDear Dee,
My mom took thalidomide for a while, but it worked only for a very short time. She too had side effects. However, the side effects she had were nothing like yours. I wonder if perhaps it’s the iron overload causing your problems. It’s only a question, not an answer. I wish I had a good answer for you. I wish I had a good answer for all of us. You’re in my thoughts, Dee.
~~~ JanetMemberDear GL,
My mom has been taking Esiak Caps (Essiac Tea) since Dec. 5. She takes 3 per day. They have really helped her. They are also recommended by our fine doctor. Good luck to you!
~~~ JanetMemberDear Esme,
Please accept my deepest sympathy on your loss of Hans. I am so sorry. I wish I could say the words that might make you feel better, but I don’t know what those words are. You said you’ll never get over it. That’s true. You won’t. But, over time, Life’s joys might dull the pain a bit. At least you know that poor Hans isn’t suffering now, and that should be worth a great deal.
Your friend,
JanetMemberDear Esme,
This is a very unorthodox idea, but it can’t hurt a thing! This is the time of year when one can suffer from S.A.D.: Seasonal Affective Disorder. Briefly put, this is where a person feels lousy and down-in-the-dumps because they haven’t had enough DAYLIGHT! Solution: Take Hans out into the daylight for 20 minutes each day.
Ok, I really think it’s the medicines which have some side effects. However, the sunshine cure can’t hurt! Now, in Ontario you don’t get as much sun as we do here. But that’s good. Just get out into the daylight!
‘Hope this somehow helps! It can’t hurt! It also might just give Hans something nice to look forward to!
Best of wishes!
~~~ JanetMemberDear Mildred and Suzanne,
Dr. List is at Moffitt Institute in Tampa, Florida. He’s the best (except for our wonderful doctor here in Albuquerque! Ha!).
~~~ JanetMemberDear Dee,
My mom’s Esiak Caps say nothing about going off of them for a week. However, we saw another brand in a health food store that DID say that. We’re not about to skip them–not only because they’re working–but also because our fine doctor TOLD us to take them as we have been. My understanding is that Esiak Caps have a kind of “cumulative” effect. By this, I mean that they work better after having taken them for one year than after, say, 2 months. I even found one Web site that said that they take at least 2 YEARS to work completely. Don’t even ASK what “completely” means!
Yes, diarrhea or soft stools indicates that the Esiak Caps ARE working; this is the detoxifying effect. So, this is good. This will leave after a few days, too. One can hasten the return to normalcy by drinking lots of water and by always taking Esiak on an empty stomach.
Even tonight my mom nearly forgot the Esiak before we sat down to dinner. “@$%&,” she said, “I forgot the $#$% Esiak.” She took it and sat in front of her dinner for 30 minutes until she could finally eat it! I forbade her from taking so much as one bite until after 30 minutes had elapsed!
Yes, I’m strict with her! It’s called…loving.
~~~ JanetMemberDear Dee,
I think it’s MY mom who takes Esiak Caps. She takes 3 caps a day and has done this since Dec. 5. They have resulted in a big improvement, and our doctor urges her to continue taking them. You can avoid diarrhea and any sort of tummy ache by: 1/ drinking lots and lots of pure water and 2/ always taking the caps on an empty stomach.
Best of luck!
~~~ Janet -
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