Friday 7 March 2014

Week 78

Did you have any pancakes on Tuesday? I did. I had five. Lemon and sugar. No messing around. I love Pancake(s) Day!

In other news, I FINALLY got to see my Doctor this week and I was told that I need to have a blood test to see if I am deficient in vitamin B12. I already knew that. It feels like the whole world has told me that recently. All seven billion of you!

I had my blood test today and expect to hear the results confirming my B12 levels are completely normal in a week or so. 

Where does that leave me? Well, to be honest with you, I probably won't approach my Consultant and ask for more drugs. My fatigue definitely feels like it is on the wane. I said a little while ago that it's either improved, or I've just got used to it? Can you get used to living with fatigue? Probably not. So assuming my B12 levels are normal, I'm not going to ask for medication either. So it's all been a waste of everyone's time? Well, yeah, but, no, but...

Whilst I was there, I asked to swop the  Anticholinergic
medication I was taking (Oxybutynin) for one of the newer ones that don't have an impact on the cognitive issues that are associated with the older ones as suggested by my Consultant. 

Anticholinergic medication is used to  stop the spasms and calm down the muscles in an over active bladder. In other words, you don't have that massive urgent urge to run (ha!!) to the toilet every 20 minutes. You can take my word as an expert on this subject, when I say bladder incontinence most certainly is NOT an invisible symptom!!

Doctor 'Doolittle' (No he doesn't talk to animals, he doesn't do much for his patients) told me that he hasn't ever heard of what I told him and that oxybutynin is his antichloergenic of choice. I repeated my neuro's advice - a Professor of Neurology, no less - and he reaffirmed his view and said that if I could get my Neurologist to put this in a letter, he would then (reluctantly) swop my oxybutynin for a newer antichloergenic. 

He did, however, write me out a prescription for a drug called Loperamide. This is just like Imodium. It hardens the stools, so it gives more feeling when your bowels need emptying. With that you would expect more warning too. Let's hope so, eh? So my visit to my GP wasn't a waste of time then. 

Do something frivolous this weekend. That's an order. 

Dan

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