Back on February 27, I saw Dr. Verson, my neurologist, to discuss my Ocrevus experience. The doctor had all the details of my visit, a week earlier, to the John B. Amos Cancer Center for my first infusion of the first drug approved for the treatment of primary-progressive MS. I didn't get fully infused. About the time half of the Ocrevus had found its way into my veins, I got itchy and my blood pressure dropped. The nurses at the Amos Center called Dr. Verson, who told them to shut off the Ocrevus and keep an eye on me for an hour. Once the Ocrevus was stopped, I quickly got back to normal,
Before I left the Amos Center, a nurse told me Dr. Verson wanted me to call his office the following day. I did and made the appointment for the 27th. The doctor asked if I wanted to continue with the Ocrevus treatment. I did and made an appointment for Tuesday, March 6. In the back of my mind, such as it is, there lurked the thought that an infection might be lurking in my urinary tract. And as the sixth drew closer, the urine got cloudier.
When I saw Dr. Miller, my primary care guy, in the fall, he put a specimen jar in a sealed plastic bag so I could bring my urine with me when I go for blood work. On Monday, the fifth, I called his office, told them of my concerns, and asked if I peed into the cup at home Tuesday morning, could Russ then rush the sample to the lab. That was fine. Then I called the Amos Center and canceled the appointment for the sixth.
On Thursday, Dr. Miller's office called to tell me, yes, I had a UTI, and the doctor would send a prescription to the Publix Pharmacy in the Milgen Plaza. Friday morning, I got a call from a recorded voice, "Hello, this is your Publix Pharmacy in the Milgen Plaza. A member of your family has one prescription ready for pick up." Saturday morning, a member of my family - Russ - picked it up.
The instructions on the bottle read, "Take one pill twice a day." I considered asking Russ, once I've taken that one pill, how do I retrieve it in order to take it a second time? But he would have rolled his eyes, shaken his head, and said,"Oh, Dad," in a disgusted tone of voice. Instead, I took a pill and started doing the math. There were fourteen pills in the bottle, at two a day, that was a seven day supply. Ergo: the pills would last through the following Friday.
They did; right through Friday and the weekend and into this week. Now, I know I forget to do things once in a while, and I expected to find a pill or two left in the bottle after I took what should have been the last one Friday evening. After taking the "last pill," I looked in the bottle and counted six untaken pills. "That can't be," I said to myself. "Obviously, somebody at the Publix Pharmacy in the Milgen Plaza can't count." Monday evening, I went to get the last pill. I got the pill, but it wasn't the last one. After I took it, there were still three pills in the bottle. "Damn things must be reproducing," I thought.
Wednesday morning, I took what should have been the last one for the third time. Strangely enough, it was the last one. So, now the pills are gone, and, from what I can tell, so is the UTI. Monday, I'll call the Amos Center and get an appointment to finish what was started all those weeks ago.
