As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health issues. I’m a year in and its taking a toll on me. Oh, you thought I was talking about the disease I have, oh no, ha, ha, I’m talking about the tests, medication, treatments, bills, and doctor’s visits. As far as my diagnosis, I feel nothing from it, and I’m feeling fine. I am not in pain from my “alleged” disease, but for everything else attached to it, that’s a different story. I’m sure there are 1-8 guys (the odds for getting what I have) out there that can vouch for what I am saying. Damn, should have placed a bet in Vegas 20 years ago. I would have won some real money…to help pay for this crap show.
It all started with some very invasive tests. I noticed an irregularity in my normal routine and thought it safe to schedule an appointment with my doctor, who referred me to a specialist, who referred me to a different specialist, who then connected me to another specialist. I think I have invested in a bunch of Mercedes. I wonder if I could get a ride in one of them one day.
That led to a string of different procedures. Needle pricks, blood tests, Cat scans, and a urologist getting very friendly with me. After all that, another test that involved getting stuck again, by a different tool. Kind of like sitting on a cactus. This led to my diagnosis and a year-long journey through the American medical system. Thank goodness for universal health care… wait… my wife says I’m confused. We don’t have universal health care here, like Canada, Ireland, Denmark, and most countries around the world. Holy s@#$, I have to pay for most of this? I hope they have a Walmart greeter vest in my size.
The first thing was the medications. I’ve never have to take pills daily, blood pressure meds, pills for cholesterol, regular pain medication, or any other pills have never been a regular part of my daily routine. For a guy who is a “little” overweight (my wife is snickering in the background again), I have never had to participate in the daily ritual of pill popping like many of my friends and family. That has changed drastically.
The first drug I was prescribed was chemo pills. The point of this medication was to control my disease, mess with my hormones, and, in general, wear me out more than my three sons did when they were young…really, anytime in their lives. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a pill to address exhaustion from caring for children? I just leaned on a cold pint of Guinness.
Yes, this medication does have some major side effects. The most prominent are the hot flashes (and yes, I do sympathize with all women going through menopause; I now have small battery-powered fans stuffed all over the place), at times, complete exhaustion and muscle cramps. My wife thinks I’m practicing dance moves in the middle of the night when I trying to shake off leg cramps. I also fall asleep just sitting on the couch watching television. My wife calls that any day of the week before I started taking these pills. Ok, I sleep more deeply while on these pills.
It took me a while to find the best time of day to take these pills so I could get some things accomplished every day, before my “daily nap.” The worst side effect of this particular drug is its cost. The first time I filled the prescription I had sticker shock. When on Medicare, fortunately, there is a cap on how much a patient has to dole out in co-pays for meds each year. I reached my maximum co-pay with one prescription.
Since then, I have been adding more and more medications, resulting in my buying those daily pill boxes to load them into. Since I reached my max, I have no more co-pays for medications for the rest of the year…unfortunately, that does not include “treatments” and “procedures.” Those have their own cap. With our current government, you never know.
I was told that several of the drugs would kill my appetite, but since I take handfuls of pills three times a day, I think I have gained weight due to the bulk of the medications.
As for treatments, they seemed harmless at first, but as time went on, they really did mess with my body…again, not the disease, the treatment. Even though I am still on the medications, the treatments are over for now. I can now go back to my normal level of tiredness, hot flashes, and hot flashes due to the medication. I guess that could be considered good news.
I know, I know, I’m preaching to the choir. My softball team leads the league in prostate issues, and most of us lead a normal life while dealing with this malady, but I’m frustrated. Do you know how annoying it is to doze off right before Bears’ QB, Caleb Williams, throws another miracle TD pass at the end of a game to beat the Packers? Damn, I’ve been waiting for years for that, and I have my head back and snoring on the couch.
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