If Anyone Is Interested, Here's My Final Report On The TIA

[tex]

Hi All,

Well, I finally finished the tests, and completed the followups with my neuro doc, and my PCP, concerning the alleged TIA that I had on July 19th, so I suppose it's time to post a report, and "put that puppy to bed".

Apparently, my circulatory system is in a lot better condition than I had assumed it was. I was almost certain that the brain scans would show something serious, and I fully expected my carotids to be full of plaque, and I kind of expected some major defect in my heart to show up, but I was wrong on all counts. I apparently I did have a TIA, but no one can see a reason for it. :shocked: The whole thing kind of reminds me of when I was so sick, (with all the D, etc.), and after all the tests, the GI doc told me there was nothing wrong with me.

Anyway, my gray matter, (the cerbral cortex), is shrinking a little, (atrophy), but that's entirely normal, and happens to many/most people, as they get older, (I probably don't use my brain enough these days, or at least, not as much as I used to). There are no masses, (or mass effects), no hemorrhaging, or anything else of significance, in the MRI brain scans.

My carotids are clear, (no significant plaque accumulations), and blood flow is entirely normal. That was kind of a shocker, considering my generally unhealthy diet, and my cholesterol history, (usually around 35 to 40 points over the recommended range, low HDL, (around 36 to 38), and high LDL, (usually around 170 - way over the normal range). My doc recommended taking a statin, a time or two, but I always managed to change the subject, in time to avoid a confrontation.

My heart shows no enlargement, and everything seems to be working properly. Sooooooo, I reckon I'll continue to take an 81mg enteric-coated aspirin each day, (just in case), and consider the case closed. IOW, I reckon I'm back to business as usual, (except for the little matter of Parkinson's disease, of course). I'm taking Azilect for the Parkinson's, and hopefully it will delay the progression of symptoms, for a long time. I'm also taking Metanyx, (which is a prescription mix of megadoses of B-12, B-9, and B-6), to improve memory, cognitive function, etc.

I've been taking free samples of the Azilect, that my neuro doc gave me to try, and so I had a little sticker shock when I went to fill the Azilect prescription this morning - the pharmacist mentioned that it was $938, and my insurance doesn't cover it. Since I have no desire to just let the Parkinson's symptoms progress, though, I reckon I don't have much choice but to pay it.

Incidentally, I noticed by the sign on the door of my doctor's office, that the flu shots are available here now, (the regular ones, not the H1N1 variety). My doc also mentioned that they were available, but he remembered that I usually don't get one of those shots, so he expected me to pass on it, and he was right on target. Anyway, if you usually get the flu vaccine, you might want to see if your doc has them available. If they aren't there yet, surely they will be very soon.

Tex

[mbeezie]

Tex,

That's good news about your arteries, but so strange about the TIA. It's so frustrating to know something is wrong but not know what it is.

Have you thought about contacting your insurance company about the drug? I have to work with insurance some in my business and sometimes making a call can help - if you get the right person. Also, don't be shy about asking for more samples. How on earth do drug companies expect people to pay such ridiculous prices for needed drugs?

BTW, I find it hard to believe you are not using your brain enough!

Mary Beth

[Gas Bag]

It's great news they examined your head and didn't find anything.

And good lord, I concur, you seem to use your brain a whole lot more than most people I know.

And do take heart deary, my mom had a TIA quite a few years ago and ran the whole gambit of tests and they couldn't find anything, any reason either, ain't modern medicine a miracle.

Run they other way if anybody ever mentions you taking a stain drug. (you think you got troubles now)

That is truly the pits about that drug costing so much maybe you can row over to Cuba and get it for $2.98.

I am glad you had so much checked out it will put your mind at ease a bit.

Also a good call on not getting a flu shot...they are bad news too.

There's nothing wrong with being a bit recalcitrant when it comes to deciding what to take or not to take.

Deb

[starfire]

Holy Cow, the price of that prescription is certainly......
Must be because it isn't a common prescription, but what do I know.... (just found that smiley..... really cute and how I feel lots of times)

Anyway, I hope you can find a way to lessen the cost of that prescription!!!

I agree with the others about your brain shrinking because of less use........ In that case mine should be gone entirely!! It must be just an age thing.

So glad they didn't find anything too serious but I understand how you feel...... that there MUST be SOMETHING!!!! I don't understand it either.

The time I ended up in ER due to extreme vomiting, D & dehydration (before MC diagnosis) they did a CT scan and said I'd had a stroke at some time. I never knew it. It was somewhere in the back of the head in the area that affects balance. I may have had another now because I know I feel pretty unsteady on my feet at times. HaHa Anyway, nobody ever made a big deal out of it so I just pretty much ignored it. I have no idea if that is also considered a TIA or not.

Could they tell the location of your TIA?

Love, Shirley

[kscolorado]

Glad to hear that over all you are in pretty darn good shape Tex!

[barbaranoela]

Galahad------there was no REASON when Lou Xperienced his TIA----they gave him a complete *over-haul* and everything was fine---artery's were as clear as a bell---and so forth---
So very happy that U have had a final diagnosis as to what happened to U~~Interesting about the B's--am going to ask about that!!!

Brain fog-- --well along with Shirley and U---I am tagging along---lately *I seem to be *forgetting* where I relocated items----
If U remember I had seen a doctor in 07--and it was his opinion that my forgetting wasnt that drastic----after all I did remember 2 of the 3 words that he gave me to remember---
1. brown paper bag
2. Unbrella----3rd one I could never remember---
Every so often--during our chat he would say---*ok--name me the 3 items I gave to U!!! Then he did other neuro testing and I got an A+

To get to the point---daughter Debbie thought I kept repeating myself--FREQUENTLY while on vacation---so she took it upon herself to *call* the neuro about her concern for *mommy* but of course she is not a designated person whom to call if necessary--Lou is--soooooo I got a call to come in for another *overhall* and put Deb's name as one to call--hope she doesnt FORGET my phone number~~~~
Tis very nice to have ya family to worry about *us* but -by golly--half the time I think they all get me confused

Yessssss---one of the *goodies* that pops up as one ages gracefully---either that or BOREDOM~~~~~~including the WORRY over the kids ---and on and on~~~

Take care---as I know U always do----

Luve-----Barbara and Columbo~~~

I still can count $$$$$---find the stores---locate the computer--know where my comfy bed is

PS. the first TIA Lou had was in his eye---which they said lucky it didnt stroll to the brain--cus then big issues
Second Tia----a year later another blockage in the other eye!!! ER again--testing again but nothing to indicate *the why's*

[tex]

Thanks everyone,

I did a little research last night, and found that the manufacturer of Azilect offers patient support in paying for their drugs. Apparently, for qualifying users, they will pay the entire cost of the drug. Here's the catch, though - you can't have any insurance. If I drop my insurance, then I'm vulnerable on any other meds I might need. It's hard to win. I also found that they offer a discount coupon online, (that I could print), which supposedly carries discounts of up to 75%, depending on the drug being considered. I'll give that a try, while I'm mulling my other options. The pharmacy didn't have the drug in stock, and it will be Monday before they have it available, so that will give me an opportunity to try the coupon, on the first batch, at least.


Mary Beth,

I've asked my insurance company, (which is the hospital where I went to the ER), to make an exception on a drug not covered, in the past, and while they did allow it, the copay was still pretty stiff - way more than it should be. I'm talking about Plan D, here, anyway, which is a can of worms to begin with. Someone needs to set up a website, which incorporates a feature that allows people to enter the medications they use, and possibly their location, and when they click on the "Submit" button, they should be able to see a table listing all the providers, and what their total out-of-pocket cost would be each year, using each plan, starting from the lowest cost, and going up to the highest cost provider. I'm not sure how much work would be involved in setting up such a program - probably a lot, since all plans make a lot of changes, each year, but I'm almost tempted to try to tackle it, myself, because with the current arrangement, it's strictly a trial and error effort, to try to find the "best" plan. I thought I had selected the "best" plan, initially, but now it appears to be the "worst" plan.

At any rate, come November, (the enrollment period), you can bet that I'll be changing to another provider, that does cover the drug.

It's great news they examined your head and didn't find anything.

Well, actually, my skull wasn't completely empty - they did find a few remaining fragments of gray matter, here and there, among the cobwebs.


Shirley,

Basically, a stroke leaves permanent damage, a TIA does not. The neuro blames my balance problem on the Parkinson's. If he could see anything remarkable in the scan images, I couldn't get him to admit it.

I assume that you're taking a low-dose aspirin, daily. If not, I highly recommend the 81mg enteric-coated aspirin offered by Bayer. They totally eliminate the stomach issues associated with aspirin, since they are not activated, until they enter the small intestine, (due to the enteric-coating, which I assume is dependent on the pH level).


Kathy,

I'm not sure that I'm in particularly good condition - I'm just not nearly as badly deteriorated as I expected to be. It was a pleasant surprise, though.


Barbara,

Hmmmmmm. Was Lou taking aspirin daily, when he had the second TIA?

You know, I find it interesting that the "B" vitamins are the ones most severely affected by malabsorption due to gluten damage. I really believe that my peripheral neuropathy issues are due to too many years of malabsorption, before I got all the gluten out of my system. For all I know, it may have had something to do with the onset of Parkinson's, also.

Incidentally, when I asked my PCP about a prescription for the Metanyx, (the megadoses of B vitamins), he said, "sure", he takes it himself, to help with cognizance, and memory.

Luve,
Galahad

[barbaranoela]

Galahad---Lou and I have been taking baby aspirin for YEARS!!!!!!
This was asked of him--at that time---so what caused the TIA's??????never really got an answer cus they had NO answer!!!


Stay well--
Barbara

[Rosie]

I'm talking about Plan D, here, anyway, which is a can of worms to begin with. Someone needs to set up a website, which incorporates a feature that allows people to enter the medications they use, and possibly their location, and when they click on the "Submit" button, they should be able to see a table listing all the providers, and what their total out-of-pocket cost would be each year, using each plan, starting from the lowest cost, and going up to the highest cost provider.

Tex, I'm a volunteer with SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) and counsel seniors who are having difficulties sorting through their Medicare Health Insurance issues. Obviously the Federal Government hasn't done a very good job publicizing their Medicare web site that provides exactly the information you are looking for. You can put in your ZIP code and your list of drugs and the site will pull up all the Part D plans available in your area, as well as the Medicare advantage plans that provide Pard D coverage incorporated into their plans. The plans are sorted according to how well they cover your personal list of drugs. Much of what I do in my voluntter role is go to the Medicare web site and retrieve this information for clients. I think that it's a well-done site, especially considering all the details involved. Of course I've been working with it for over a year now, so I've gotten familiar with it.

Here is how to get started:

http://www.medicare.gov

On the home page in the middle click on "Medicare Prescription Drug Plans - 2009 Data"

Click on "Find and Compare Plans"

Click on either Personalized Plan Search or General Plan Search, it really doesn't matter.

On this page is where you enter your ZIP Code and other information. Just follow the prompts and eventually you will pull up all the plans available in your ZIP code.

I hope this helps! Of course I've discovered that with the real expensive drugs it's hard to find a plan that provides much coverage. The real zinger is the donut hole, because it doesn't matter how little your co-pay is, the important number is the "full cost" of the drug for that drug plan. As soon as that "full cost" reaches about $2700, you then have to pay full cost until your "out-of-pocket" costs reach about $4300 for that year.

Rosie

[barbaranoela]

OMG!!!!!! sorry Galahada I had to have passed out when I read the cost of the meds.
I dont what to say to make it sound like a drop in the bucket=====or is their anything one could say about a *fee* like that~~~


Columbo

[tex]

Hi Rosie,

Yes, that routine does seem to work much better than the way I was going about it. I managed to get one comparison printed out, before it locked up my computer, and I had to force a shutdown. Now, when I try to get a comparison of plans, it won't give me one. It just transfers to a page with a button to "Print This Page", but if I print it, there's no comparison of plans, there, of course. I've had that happen with their site before, though - probably, when it locks up someone's computer, their cookie becomes corrupted, so when I get more time, I'll clear the cookie cache on my browser, and start over.

Changing plans will save me about a thousand bucks per year, but it's still gonna be an expensive proposition. I may have to give some serious thought to just canceling my insurance, and working the "patient assistance" angle. One of the big problems with Plan D, is that drugs for which no generic is available, get you to the "doughnut hole" pretty quickly, and the copay is very expensive for some drugs, (as you are well aware, I'm sure).

Thanks,
Tex

[MaggieRedwings]

Morning Tex,

Glad to hear that you got a pretty clean bill of health but it still is a mystery why the TIA and of course, the answer that they can't find anything. Kind of sticks in one's craw.

Sticker shock on all prescriptions anymore but that one is a real shocker.

Love, Maggie

[Liz]

Hi Wayne,

This getting older is not the best, is it? There seems to be something new crop up every day to make our lives a bit messier.

The cost of your medication is off the planet. I hope that you can come to some sort of agreement to have it reduced.

I have had a couple of TIA's but I do have blockages in my carotid arteries. I new thing that I am experiencing at the moment apart from the zig zag flashes & stuff is really odd. When I close my eyes or even blink I get a funny flash as though a camera has gone off close to my face. Have't told the doc yet. Maybe it has something to do with the Hydrocephalus. Just wait & see if it keeps up.

I am getting around like a little old lady still. think I need a lower body transplant. Probably do with a top one too.



Love

Liz

[tex]

Hi Liz,

It's good to hear from you again. You're right, of course, and once something crops up, it seems that about all the doctors can do is to "watch" it, along with all the other things that are wrong, (and that they are already "watching"), to see what happens. As you say, life keeps getting a little messier, each time we add some other little defect to the existing collection.

I'm sorry to hear about your problems, too. You know, I've also had some of those "flashes" that you mentioned - that remind you of a camera, or a strobe light, flashing close to your face. I haven't had any in several weeks, now, but I believe that mine occurred when I blinked, also.

Maybe the doctors will surprise us one of these days, and actually correct some of these things. That would be nice, wouldn't it - I'm not holding my breath, though.

Love,
Wayne

[angy]

Glad to hear that everything is kind of under control tex!!! Also that you got some relief with tests from thinking that is was a lot worse...Its kind of got me wondering when you spoke about the head pain and lights in an earlier post i read...a while back..That issue with medication is unbelievable...maybe we could all chip in...i would anyway..

I get a lot of bizarre head pain on the left...i feel my head pulsating especially before a migraine with aura attack. I also experience like a kind of seizure where my eyes cant move for around 30 secs. i can see in front of me, but i have no control over my eyes they kind of lock together......Recently i have been experiencing lots of migraine with lights (have had for 20 yrs) but a new thing is happening now..my left fingers are starting to tingle....I have also been having tight pains in my chest...im assuming thats cos i smoke though...but now im not so sure...I have had a few episodes where i have been extremely dizzy and had to lie down...with high temperatures..

Now the reason im saying this because i was reading up about TIA..

thought this site was interesting...

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Transie ... TIA%29.htm