as good as it gets

[cynthiaG]

I know this question is hard to answer. How do you know that whatever meds you are currently on are probably going to make you feel "as good as it gets"? I feel pretty o.k.....some thumps in my throat occasionally , maybe feel more premature beats. Seems as though when I go to sleep and lay on my back, it starts. When I manage to fall asleep on my RIGHT side, during the night I can roll over on my stomach or back and it seems to have settled down. Sometimes it feels like it beats more forcefully. It is SO hard to describe these things to the doctor...how do they know what to do? Change a med...change the dose??

[Burton Borrok]

Re: as good as it gets

Hi Cynthia,
Finding the right dosage of the right medication, or group of medications, for a particular patient is guesswork. Educated guesswork I’ll grant you, but guesswork, or trial and error, or anything you care to call it.

They start with what drugs are designed for which conditions, and what the normal dose is, and the range of effective doses. Also, which drugs work well together and which don’t. Of course they also know the signs of adverse reactions, and they start from there. Usually they start with the minimum effective dose to make sure that person can tolerate it, and then they work up from there, to reach the optimum dose of the optimum drugs for this individual person.

At least that’s the way it is supposed to work. Actually they prescribe the medication from the lab that gives them the biggest perks – free trips, nights on the town, or other benefits. So if you want a particular drug, ask the manufacturer to send there rep to your doctor with lots and lots of free perks. They’ll more then make up for it in there pricing of their medication.
Burt

[cynthiaG]

Re: as good as it gets

thanks, Burt. How are YOU feeling??

[Burton Borrok]

Re: as good as it gets

I am feeling with all my tactile surfaces – and a number of internal organs.

Actually, not all that bad. My legs are almost back to normal and my cough, SOB, tight chest, headaches, etc, are no worse then they were before I went into the hospital. My tolerance for doing things that need being done is getting better, and I hope to get my three hours of bill paying done sometime today. I’ll probably be ferrying Shirley around a bit too. If I don’t take her out she is imprisoned in the house. It’s too hot to walk outside.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, All’s swell that ends swell.
Thanks for asking,
Burt