Friday, April 8, 2011

Sigh of Relief

I went to the doctor yesterday.  I think I have mentioned that he is a football player sized guy, with a soft voice.  He is very unusual for a doctor, at least in my opinion, because he is never rushed and takes time to listen to what you have to say.  In most of my dealings with doctors, this has not been the case.
We discussed the different symptoms that I have been having recently and he asked if I had made a decision on treatment.  I hesitated.  He told me that it was important to start some type of treatment to try and slow the progress of the disease.  Otherwise, it could run rampant and I would be in big trouble.
I asked him which treatment he would chose if it was up to him.  He smiled and said that he was a wimp when it came to shots and would choose the pill.  Needless to say, I was elated with that statement! 
Gilenya is the only oral treatment for MS.  If you look it up on the internet, you can see how much it costs.  Not that it is any higher in cost than the other treatments because they are all outrageous cost wise.  My doctor agreed that it should be a sin to charge such fees for something that is so important in people’s lives.
His office will send off the paperwork and we will wait to see if we are approved for this treatment.  It is up to the insurance company to see if they will cover it, and, if not, I will have to make another choice.  As I said, the only other choices involve shots.  I am really praying this will be approved.
One of the worst things with having MS is that any amount of stress can trigger another symptom.  I was really stressed about going to the doctor yesterday and had been experiencing a variety of different symptoms, from burning down my spine to being almost unable to move my neck.  I am hoping that this will ease now that there is a chance of getting out of taking shots each day.
Now if I could only get out of some of my other causes of stress…..but that is asking for a miracle………. J

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