Now here's the story... Last Thursday I went to my pulmonologist's to get taught how to use a new medication. It has just been approved by the FDA and I was his first patient to be on it. I was excited because it was going to open up my pulmonary veins which would help me breath better and give me more energy. Sounds great huh?! I thought so too. But I was also a little nervous because it was new and I didn't know what to expect. (This was the first medicine that wasn't in pill form for me) So I got taught the ins and outs about this contraption.
I'm suppose to take it 4x a day (evenly spread out). I have to make sure I have an outlet around or the portable battery to plug it in. I take in 3 breaths each time. It takes more time to set the thing up, than to actually take the medicine. Quite funny.
They had me try it for the first time there at the office so they could watch me to see how I responded to it. My blood pressure went down a little bit and I got light headed, but they said that was normal... it would go away. I felt like I couldn't breath as deeply than before, but the lady (who was from the medicine company) said oh that will go away too... so I believed her. My oxygen hadn't gone up or down, which it should have gone up if the medicine was helping. After half an hour she said I looked good so I could go. To be honest, I didn't want to leave. I didn't like leaving so soon with this in me and having a 45 minute drive home. So I sat in the waiting room for probably 10-15 minutes before I left. By the time I got to the parking garage, in a handicap spot right in front mind you, I was out of breath, purple, and needing oxygen. Ya, normally I would have been tired, but not so tired that I was panicking to get my o2 turned on. Anyways, I get home and continue to take it diligently 4 times a day, even the same hours. You ask why do you take it 4 times a day?! Answer: who knows!
By the very next day I'm feeling more tired and still every time I take the medicine I feel worse, but I keep saying to myself it'll get better. Needless to say by the time Sunday hit (3 days later) I had no energy, weak, dizzy, and oxygen was way worse. I went to church and needed oxygen just walking down the hall; pretty pathetic. My friend looked up the symptoms of when to stop taking it and everything I had was on there. So I called the doc right when they opened Monday and they said to just stop taking it. I've never had a medicine that not only just didn't work, but made me worse. Since then, little by little, my energy has come back, o2 a little better, but still get the weak feeling. I try to eat something before I get to that point because I hate it. The best part to this story is that my doctor said he might want me to try it again in a few weeks and to that I say HECK NO!!!
4 comments:
Dang Gina! I really hope you start to feel better. I think the puffer we give Katherine every day doesn't work either. I hope the doctor can figure out what to do with the medicine and that other people don't have the same reaction. Yikes... take care and have fun in San Antonio. I wish you were coming to Houston too. :)
Gosh!! Sometimes it bugs me how doctors think they know everything. "Oh, you'll be fine." or "we'll try it again." Whatever!! Like you don't know how you were feeling. Sheesh! Hang in there!
Wow that stinks! Who knew those meds would do that to you. I am glad you're ok!
Megs!!! I am sooo sorry that happened to you. You are the most AMAZING, fabulous, sweetest girl! I do hope that you are feeling better, and that you are able to breathe better now. My thoughts and love and prayers are with you ;)
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