On Monday I went to my 3rd appointment in DC. I was going to ask when they expected I would start IV meds. Before I had a chance to ask they told me that they wanted me to get either a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) or a port so I could start IV treatment in the next 4-6 weeks. This was totally expected from the beginning, but I thought it was going to be more toward the end of the year. |
When I read the copy of what they charted, this is what I saw...
"Deanna has not made the expected progress since beginning the oral medications. The degree of neurological involvement Deanna has is so significant combined with the fact that she can no longer walk without assistance she will need to begin IV therapy."
When they saw me walking with a cane they said I had suffered enough. Most of my symptoms are neurological. For insurance purposes, they had to show that I failed on oral meds, which I did. Hopefully, insurance will cover it. It would be nice if they covered the entire treatment because this is going to be pretty intensive and lengthy.
The IV meds are...
Clindamycin 900 mg every 12 hours
Diflucan 200mg once a day
Merrem 1 gram every 12 hours
Ringer's Lactate 500 ml once a day
So, that's where I am now. The oral meds I've been taking will continue concurrently with the IV meds except the Diflucan will probably be sufficient since it's the same dose IV as what I'm taking orally now.
When the date comes to drop the line or place the port I'll let everyone know.