I have noticed a great deal of hits on this blog for Procrit Injections....so I thought I would write a post on my personal experience with this drug. Procrit or Arnasep is a man-made drug that comes from human plasma. This is why it can be costly.
Epoetin (eh-POH-ee-tin) is a man-made version of human erythropoietin (EPO). EPO is produced naturally in the body, mostly by the kidneys. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. If the body does not produce enough EPO, severe anemia can occur. This often occurs in people whose kidneys are not working properly. Epoetin is used to treat severe anemia in these people.
I use it for the obvious end stage renal disease I am going through. I know many cancer patients on chemotherapy take it as well. I will list the pros and cons that I personally have come across.
PROS
1) I feel like a new person.
2) Procrit lets me play with my kids.
3) I can hold a normal 40 hour job still that I love.
4) It makes me feel like a super hero at times.
5) ENERGY BOOSTER
*** As you can see all these relate to a better quality of lifestyle.
CONS
1) Procrit is costly. Having good health insurance is essential.
2) It took about 5 injections (5 weeks) before I started feeling great.
3) Procrit stings when entering the body, BUT if you warm it to room temp just before injecting it...it is not bad at all.
4) I vomited twice initially when I got the first few injections, but now I have no problems.
5) It is an injection with a needle just under the skin and I HATE needles. I will say that honestly as scared as I am about needles it really isn't bad. In fact, most of the time I don't even feel the needle going into my lower belly, it is the procrit I feel.
Despite the cons, my overall assumption is that Procrit is my life line and it is an unbelievable drug that has given me my life back. If you are getting ready to start procrit injections educate yourself and take a deep breath. In a few short weeks you will feel much better.
Showing posts with label Arnasep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arnasep. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Countdown to MUSC...
I will be traveling tomorrow to MUSC with hopes of good news in the treatment of my CKD related to Sjogrens. My kidneys are operating at 16% right now. They may not have any news for me, but at least I will know where I definitely stand. I will keep you all posted when I return. It probably will not be until Monday, August 4th. My Birthday!
I had another round of procrit last night. Funny thing is....I think by Monday I feel my energy level go down a bit....it's probably in my head or maybe just Monday's in general! I do love the energy it provides for me. We may switch to Arnasep. I have heard that you only need to take that once a month. It is the newer of the 2 drugs. I also have a question about my pain relief drug called Ultram......I love the stuff, but when Hubs and I looked at it's warning online it claimed to not use if you have severe kidney impairment. SO....I haven't taken but 3 pills the past 5 weeks and that was when I felt so bad I could barely move.
Talk to you soon!
***Update***
Ohhhhh I hate dealing with insurance and billing/coding specialists!! I was called a couple of hours ago by a lady in the MUSC nephrology dept. and she said that I was NOT able to have my appointment because I wasn't referred by a primary physician???? I told her my nephrologist referred me. She got a little snappy. You currently don't have a primary physician? (NO LADY! I SEE SO MANY SPECIALISTS AND ALL OF THEM ARE INTERNAL MEDICINE DOCTORS.....I WORK FOR A HOSPITAL THAT GIVES FREE MEDICAL VISITS AND WRITES PRESCRIPTIONS FOR URGENT-LIKE CARE VISITS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES....WHO CAN AFFORD MORE DOCTOR BILLS???)She said that I needed to call my insurance company and get it pre-authorized. (meaning that my insurance will pay) I call my insurance company and they said under "special circumstances" a nephrologist can refer another nephrologist. I had to get my nephrologist to call and get it pre-authorized. I am waiting on a phone call. I think the girls at my regular nephrologist office can make all this happen. They are GREAT! They really help me out and was very understanding when I started my procrit injections. If they can't.....I think we'll just bite the bullet and pay for the visit out of pocket.
Everything is a go for tomorrow now. The girls at my office said that they called my insurance company and NO precert was needed. They called MUSC too. Everything is straightened out....I hope it stays that way tomorrow! :)
I had another round of procrit last night. Funny thing is....I think by Monday I feel my energy level go down a bit....it's probably in my head or maybe just Monday's in general! I do love the energy it provides for me. We may switch to Arnasep. I have heard that you only need to take that once a month. It is the newer of the 2 drugs. I also have a question about my pain relief drug called Ultram......I love the stuff, but when Hubs and I looked at it's warning online it claimed to not use if you have severe kidney impairment. SO....I haven't taken but 3 pills the past 5 weeks and that was when I felt so bad I could barely move.
Talk to you soon!
***Update***
Ohhhhh I hate dealing with insurance and billing/coding specialists!! I was called a couple of hours ago by a lady in the MUSC nephrology dept. and she said that I was NOT able to have my appointment because I wasn't referred by a primary physician???? I told her my nephrologist referred me. She got a little snappy. You currently don't have a primary physician? (NO LADY! I SEE SO MANY SPECIALISTS AND ALL OF THEM ARE INTERNAL MEDICINE DOCTORS.....I WORK FOR A HOSPITAL THAT GIVES FREE MEDICAL VISITS AND WRITES PRESCRIPTIONS FOR URGENT-LIKE CARE VISITS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES....WHO CAN AFFORD MORE DOCTOR BILLS???)She said that I needed to call my insurance company and get it pre-authorized. (meaning that my insurance will pay) I call my insurance company and they said under "special circumstances" a nephrologist can refer another nephrologist. I had to get my nephrologist to call and get it pre-authorized. I am waiting on a phone call. I think the girls at my regular nephrologist office can make all this happen. They are GREAT! They really help me out and was very understanding when I started my procrit injections. If they can't.....I think we'll just bite the bullet and pay for the visit out of pocket.
Everything is a go for tomorrow now. The girls at my office said that they called my insurance company and NO precert was needed. They called MUSC too. Everything is straightened out....I hope it stays that way tomorrow! :)
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