I’m Outsleeping The Cat!
Guest Post by Dennis Miller at Miller On The MoneyHoward and I have been friends for 75 years. We’re just two old guys enjoying old times – much of our discussions center around aches and pains and medical issues. He called to “check in” after my visit to the cancer center. He was happy to hear the test results showed no cancer, over two years cancer free!
We reminisced about how things have changed since our youth when “Old Doc Stark” was the town doctor. His office was above the local tavern and he did it all – school physicals, flu, pneumonia to performing surgery, removing part of my step-father’s lung.
Today it seems like most of our driving is constant trips to doctors. The family doctor is the gatekeeper, routing us to specialists, dealing with everything between the nose to the toes.
Each trip to the cancer center, the doctor always asks how I am feeling. I’ve told him for the last several months I’ve been dragging; naps, foggy and fatigue are constant. With a grin, I exclaimed, “I’m outsleeping the cat!” We all chuckled.
He explained fatigue is a side effect of my immunotherapy treatment – a trade-off between a nap and cancer free is a win. He politely added, it’s part of aging. We scheduled our next visit. In a shrugging your shoulders tone of voice, Howard commented, “Taking a nap isn’t all bad, what else do you have to do?” True, but we both agreed, having some energy and feeling like we have options would be nice.
Later that afternoon, I heard the printer whizzing and my wife Jo walked into my office. She said, “I think I may have discovered part of your problem.”
In 2019 I underwent heavy-duty treatment for tongue cancer. Sleep was very difficult and the doctor prescribed Trazodone, a blessing at the time. Jo began reading the long-term side effects. I was astounded! It listed my symptoms exactly; wake up foggy, generally wears off in the early afternoon, etc. The more we researched, the more we realized we need to rethink our medications.
I recently wrote an article, “Why did it take me so long to finally get it?” This is another “voilà” moment at an age where I didn’t expect it. A reader sent me a quote from the great philosopher, – unknown, “Wisdom is gained by keeping an open mind while living a long time so life’s experience has a chance of soaking in.” I guess some things take longer to soak in than others….
A wakeup call in many ways…
Jo reminded me that before the cancer treatment I never had problems sleeping. Since then, it was just easier to pop a pill every night and blast off to dreamland. My reaction, “OK then I’ll stop taking it and see what happens.” “Not so fast,” she replied, and kept reading. While Trazodone is not addictive, patients are better off spending a few weeks weaning off the drug. Quitting cold-turkey can cause some uncomfortable, not fun consequences we want to avoid.
Jo didn’t stop there. I also take a thyroid pill; something regularly prescribed for patients on Keytruda. She showed me the bottle. I had to use a magnifying glass to read the small print. “Take this medication on an empty stomach.” For years I’ve been crushing the pill, mixing it with yogurt each morning, enjoying my breakfast. If it is not taken on an empty stomach, or with dairy products, it can decrease the effectiveness.
Jo kept rolling, explaining it should not be taken within four hours of another pill I take each morning. It listed an entire page of possible side effects, and you guessed it – fatigue!
We contacted our family doctor for advice and rearranged the schedule, cutting the Trazodone dosage in half for a couple weeks, then tapering from there.
The Real Lesson
Jo and I recently watched a rerun of “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” A pioneer lady doctor in the late 1800’s trying to make her way in the wild west. In the particular episode, the town grump, opposed to any woman doctor, had a hernia and was about to die. The doctor diagnosed the situation and the patient refused her help. The doctor had only done one similar surgery in medical school several years ago. Knowing what might happen, she quietly practiced on a cadaver.
The pain got worse, situation chaotic, until permission for surgery was granted. The scene was eye-opening. The patient was on a table; a chloroform rag pressed to his face. The doctor, wearing a dress, with her young daughter assisting began the process. The daughter held the book open, like a recipe book while handing her mother instruments. They followed the steps and, like most soap operas, saved the day! The town grump became a warm fuzzy human and the curtain closed.
Thankfully, medical treatment has come a long way in the last couple of centuries. Howard and I discussed the education and treatment may be far better – but – since the government started trending toward socialized medicine, we have dozens of doctors that look at our chart, give us 12 minutes, and move on.
Another “voilà” moment, wondering why it took me so long. For years I’ve preached to never abdicate the responsibility for managing your life savings to a financial professional – educate yourself and work together.
I’m adding to that list – Never abdicate your medical care to others! Don’t just try to read the small print on the pill bottle, educate yourself and work together.
I’m lucky Jo has a nursing degree and understands things about which I have no clue. When friends have come to her for advice, she hops on the computer and is soon sending links for them to read.
She and I concluded that for every prescribed medicine, we have to do more than just read the stuff crammed in the bag, or small print on the bottle. Talk to the pharmacist, not the high school girl handing you the stapled bag. She went online and researched every medication we take; understanding the potential side effects.
Jo suggested going one step further. She began researching, “Can you take medicine A with medicine B?” That led to some raised eyebrows, followed by “oh my!”
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[ H/T The Burning Platform ]
