Lamictal (AKA Lamotrigine) is the anti-seizure drug that I've been prescribed. I've been taking it for some time now and it would appear to be effective most of the time. As I said in my previous post, I still have the occasional seizure but they seem to be less intense and I tend to recover quicker. But - and this is the important point - I worry (and, more importantly, so does my wife) that if I miss a dose, then another seizure will kick in. This is not entirely imaginary; when I missed one dose I had a fit the following morning.
So now I take them religiously twice a day. I carry spares in my wallet just in case. If I'm out for the evening I have to phone my wife at around 7pm (the time when I'm supposed to take the evening dose) just to let her know that I've taken them.
But I've now got a problem. For whatever reason, my doctor seems to prescribe them piecemeal. In other words I get, say, 4 weeks worth of the drug. Why can't they give me a shitload? As far as I can tell, I'm going to have to take it for the rest of my life.
I could rant a lot more, but I can't be bothered. Suffice to say that I've written to my medical practice to complain about their attitude, which no doubt makes me sound sad, but I think it's necessary.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Minis and songs
I have had one or two what I would call 'mini-seizures'. These are ones that are presaged by one or two clues, or auras as they're known in the trade, and then - well, I don't know what actually happens during the fit itself, but whatever it is I don't seem to suffer so much afterwards so I can only assume that I don't go into heavy spasm, nor do I wet myself or bite my tongue - which is nice. All that happens is that I feel very drained afterwards. Oh and I puke or just retch - a lot. Luckily this has not happened outside home although I did get the early signs at work the other day but managed to get home in time.
I also had another MRI scan 2 weeks ago and I was pleased to hear that the tumour/glioma hadn't grown. The neurosurgeon's PC seemed to be playing up which meant that he wasn't able to see the images properly and I ended up doing a bit of PC support but because he didn't have the proper viewer on his machine he had to look at thumbnails which looked too small to me to be of any use, but he seemed to think they were. The appointment also seemed to be very short. I told this to my neurologist when I had my next meeting with him and he said that this was good. If there was any bad news I would have been there a lot longer.
My neurologist is a little worried that I'm having these mini-seizures as the drug I'm taking (Lamotrigine or Lamictal) should have stopped them entirely. So he's sent me for a blood test to find out what level of the drug is in my bloodstream. He thinks I may have to double the current dose of 250mg twice a day. Unfortunately I've lost the form for the blood test so I'm going to have to ask for another one.
Now - the bit about the songs. When you go for an MRI scan you are told that it's a good idea to bring a music CD with you - preferably something loud because the MRI machine is so noisy. My previous scans were in a local private hospital, but this one was in the Cromwell, in London. In the previous machine, as you lay down they put a pair of headphones on you. In the Cromwell they don't. And that was the problem. Because I had decided to bring an album called "Fitness to Practice" by a group called "Amateur Transplants". The songs, which mainly have a medical orientation to them, are not in the best of taste and are quite sweary. They were made (in)famous by "The London Underground Song" - well, famous to anyone who uses the London Tube. Go here (http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground/) to hear it.
Anyway, other songs cover things like menstruation, Downs Syndrome, drugs and other such things. So, as the speakers blare out all this stuff - and the radiologists are all female - I can't do a thing because my head's strapped to the bed that slides in and out of the MRI scanner, cringing inwardly.
Towards the end of the sequence of scans they bring you out of the machine so that they can inject dye into your arm for some more shots to get a contrast. So - out I come and I quickly catch a glimpse of the radiologist who's going to give me the jab and then quickly shut my eyes again (I always keep my eyes shut - it's the claustrophobia thing again). And then I apologise profusely and explain that I didn't know it would be on speakers otherwise I would have chosen something different. She says not to worry.
Anyway, the scans eventually finish and I'm released from the machine. Once again I apologise to all and sundry. Especially about the periods song. They laugh and say that they thought the album was really funny - that they haven't had so much fun doing a scan before and that at least one of them was going to order a copy. "I loved the one about periods," said one of them, "I'm going to play it to my husband!" So all was okay in the end. I have my next scan in 3 months so I'll see if I get the same people. I don't know what I'll bring then...
I told the neurologist about this when I saw him. He told me that that was what radiologists were like...
I also had another MRI scan 2 weeks ago and I was pleased to hear that the tumour/glioma hadn't grown. The neurosurgeon's PC seemed to be playing up which meant that he wasn't able to see the images properly and I ended up doing a bit of PC support but because he didn't have the proper viewer on his machine he had to look at thumbnails which looked too small to me to be of any use, but he seemed to think they were. The appointment also seemed to be very short. I told this to my neurologist when I had my next meeting with him and he said that this was good. If there was any bad news I would have been there a lot longer.
My neurologist is a little worried that I'm having these mini-seizures as the drug I'm taking (Lamotrigine or Lamictal) should have stopped them entirely. So he's sent me for a blood test to find out what level of the drug is in my bloodstream. He thinks I may have to double the current dose of 250mg twice a day. Unfortunately I've lost the form for the blood test so I'm going to have to ask for another one.
Now - the bit about the songs. When you go for an MRI scan you are told that it's a good idea to bring a music CD with you - preferably something loud because the MRI machine is so noisy. My previous scans were in a local private hospital, but this one was in the Cromwell, in London. In the previous machine, as you lay down they put a pair of headphones on you. In the Cromwell they don't. And that was the problem. Because I had decided to bring an album called "Fitness to Practice" by a group called "Amateur Transplants". The songs, which mainly have a medical orientation to them, are not in the best of taste and are quite sweary. They were made (in)famous by "The London Underground Song" - well, famous to anyone who uses the London Tube. Go here (http://www.backingblair.co.uk/london_underground/) to hear it.
Anyway, other songs cover things like menstruation, Downs Syndrome, drugs and other such things. So, as the speakers blare out all this stuff - and the radiologists are all female - I can't do a thing because my head's strapped to the bed that slides in and out of the MRI scanner, cringing inwardly.
Towards the end of the sequence of scans they bring you out of the machine so that they can inject dye into your arm for some more shots to get a contrast. So - out I come and I quickly catch a glimpse of the radiologist who's going to give me the jab and then quickly shut my eyes again (I always keep my eyes shut - it's the claustrophobia thing again). And then I apologise profusely and explain that I didn't know it would be on speakers otherwise I would have chosen something different. She says not to worry.
Anyway, the scans eventually finish and I'm released from the machine. Once again I apologise to all and sundry. Especially about the periods song. They laugh and say that they thought the album was really funny - that they haven't had so much fun doing a scan before and that at least one of them was going to order a copy. "I loved the one about periods," said one of them, "I'm going to play it to my husband!" So all was okay in the end. I have my next scan in 3 months so I'll see if I get the same people. I don't know what I'll bring then...
I told the neurologist about this when I saw him. He told me that that was what radiologists were like...
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