Category: In Which We Mock Our Illness

  • Medical week: bladder botox report

    Since I’m on the three-month schedule, I’ve had theee doses of the bladder botox now. The last one was two weeks ago. Dose 1 Pain: Hurt like someone poking needles in your bladder. Concurrent Chit-chat: Bad Diagnostic tests. Results: Heaven. 80% improvement. Still triggered by some things; still had rage pees if Gary provoked me.…

  • Surprise clinical trial

    I was really surprised to get a letter from the Mayo Clinic, and even more surprised to see it contained a note thanking me for participating in their clinical trial. “Well, good for me,” I thought. “When did I do that?” I didn’t take a dozen tests for the Mayo Clinic like I did for…

  • Wastewater report (here we go again)

    Good lord. Missouri has high Covid wastewater activity. I wanted to leave the house and go see a movie, damnit. What defines “high” though? Higher than ever seen? Or high compared to others, which might be relatively low?

  • Another Round of PT

    I have hurt my right rotator cuff three times. I was in the driver’s seat and tried to pick up a heavy bag from the rear passenger side. The doctor prescribed rest and it was soon resolved. I did the same dumb move, rested as before, kept resting, until my shoulder froze, and then I…

  • Bladder Botox update: opinion improved

    I got two UTI tests in as many weeks. Both test came back clear, which made me wonder if I am some kind of UTI hyper-specific hypochondriac. Now I have decided I just wasn’t drinking enough water, which also contributed to my belief that the recent bladder botox was ineffective. It was effective, I just…

  • Teri Garr

    Actress Teri Garr has died of MS. She was diagnosed around the same time I was. I vaguely remember the TV guide article in which (I believe) she said she wanted people to know that it was okay, that you can have a mild case of MS. She did have an aneurysm a few years…

  • Bladder Botox: update

    Well, I don’t know, but it certainly seems like the botox did not have as much of an effect on my bladder this time. The lack of urgency is still as good, and I am not waking up in the middle of the night, but the force and frequency seem to be back to one…

  • Bladder botox: start the clock

    Bladder Botox Part Two I got some more botox last Wednesday, because what I got three months ago was effective but short term. At the end of the three month minimum I was back to my usually spotty self. Three things of note from this visit: Ow. It hurt a bit more this time, not…

  • Botox Update with Bonus Bullet

    I got the bladder Botox on or around June 28th, and in a month the check-up doctor said, “So, our schedule is busy, so if you start to see evidence that the effects are wearing off, call immediately so we can schedule the next series of shots well in advance.” Last week, I noticed effects…

  • Trial update 2024

    All I have left of my SUPERNOVA clinical trial is just one phone call in November. I began to wonder if that meant I could see some early results. Just as with my last trial, the drug has passed through a progression of names: code name to trial name to brand name. Just as FTy720…