We have to be our own advocates even if it's experimental or reasonable common sense. look at pharma ads on tv I even commented to a dental hygienist that I was concerned about tooth polishing, that it would remove enamel at my age. Next times I came in, no more polishing with cleanings. Not sure if it is just me or they thought about it for everyone. My girlfriend who goes to doctors for everything mentions things I have told her about natural medicine. Her doctor now looks the stuff up on his computer and says Hmmmm... I guess we could try that. It makes me a little crazy because insurance pays for that. (medicare waste)
I've had a few folks in this practice tell me that you gotta fight for your own best interests. For this urological stuff, I've had to use the doctor as my gateway to tests and procedures and try to browbeat them into moving forward. The guy I have now is different, our prior encounter notwithstanding. (Right now I'm on the phone with them because Walmart did not receive the script they were supposed to have called in yesterday at 1PM.) I have never been one to rush off to my doctor. When I get a cold, I generally let it go 2 weeks to work out on its own unless it's obviously bad, like strep. That's another component in this urological thing getting me down...I do not overuse doctors, but I'm forever stuck with a dead bladder and its attendant issues.
I'm glad I called Walmart. They have no record of my script, so I got the nurse to follow up. Walmart cannot order the gentimicin so my script got removed from their system. She called CVS and they cannot order it. So now she's trying the "compounding pharmacies."
So the compounding pharmacies cannot order gentimicin. The nurse is gong to send a message to the doctor to figure out the next step. Medicineplus.gov says it can be administered at home. edit to add: I have to drive to Richmond to pick this up. No one out my way can fill this.
And yet, you asked about antibiotics for your cath and just for your bladder instead of full body antibiotics. Drs didn't think of them. too common sense. And you moved things forward when they didn't. Proud of you, boy.
I just ordered supplies for this antibiotic process (universal syringe, catheter tip, needle tip), and I need a script for the needles. It's interesting that of all the medical stuff I can order there, needles require a prescription. When I called the vendor, she asked if these were for hobby, medical or recreational use. I asked her if I could get them without a script by claiming hobby or recreational use...she had no idea. So they are going to request a script from my doctor. I hope it goes OK. Needles are in a minimum 50 pak.
I don't know the concentration off hand, but you can get gentamicin from online pharmacies. Hospital pharmacies routinely stock it, so if you can get access to one nearby. I would call the hospital pharmacy and see what the procedure would be to get it from them, then call the urology practice and see if they can comply with the instruction. It is not a controlled substance per se, so I don't see what the problem would be. Walgreens sometimes carries things other pharmacies don't, so you could also check there if one is nearby. Hospital pharmacies and infusion centers should be able to get it for you.
Actually, I need 18 gauge. They need to screw on to a Luer lock syringe. (Maybe the nurse grabbed what she had handy, since these are only piercing the plug in an antibiotic vial. A larger gauge would be more rigid.) There are some things in the world of medical supplies that are incredibly cheap, and others (like the catheter tips) that are surprisingly expensive. The 60ml Luer Lock syringe is 98¢ each in 25 paks. The 18ga needle glides that screw onto it are only 31¢ each, but you gotta buy a box of 50. Then the plastic catheter adapters that screw on to it are almost as expensive as the syringe (and 2.5x the cost of the needles) at 76¢ each in quantities of 1. These are all sterile. I don't know where I would be if I had not found this place. I've purchased needed supplies and "make this thing easier" stuff as well (sterile water, cath syringes, bags, straps, iodine, bandages). And that's just in the urological category. They sell a ton of other supplies and equipment. VitalityMedical.com
I'll remember this if I get a refill, Don. Since I get a cath swap every month, and this pharmacy is just up the road from the urologist, I might be able to manage the timing. I don't know how long-term this is gonna be. I got the impression the gentamicin might be to go scorched earth on the critters so the macrobid can get back into maintenance mode on its own, since macrobid worked fine for 10 weeks. I have no idea how many days script I'm gonna get. My long-term preference would be to use the gentamicin and punt the macrobid, since the direct-inject gentamicin is not metabolized so has no side effects (that being said, I got no idea what gentamicin is gonna cost me.) I was told that this pharmacy delivers, so perhaps if gentamicin ends up being long term, it can get mailed to me. The background noise in my rural life is that most "close places" are 25-35 minutes away because a chunk of the drive is in crowded Charlottesville, and this pharmacy is 40 minutes because it is just off the interstate. But next time I'll check with Walgreens and that ER I had been going to, since there is a Walgreens in town (8 miles away) and the ER is 20 miles just off the interstate. Of course, were I still in the DC region, a 5 mile drive would be an hour away, so these journeys are pretty much pleasure driving.
Generic gentimicin is an old drug, so I wouldn't think it would be expensive. That said, it is not often given as outpatient therapy, so that could add to the cost. If you can get a veterinarian to write a script....
I got a text from the pharmacy telling me the cost is $69. I have no idea how many doses that is (I'm supposed to use it every 3 days but I don't know for how long.) I don't know if my doctor gave them my prescription plan data, but there's lots that is not covered because of the Tier. Nitrofuratoin has been around since the 50s, and it cost over $40/month. When I got my first 90 day script, I went on the drug discount websites and could only find coupons for a 14 day supply of the 100mg dose (I'm taking 50mg.) When I got a refill last week, I found a coupon for 90 days of the 50mg for $40, so it saved me $80.
Aaaaarrrrggghhhhhh The only compounding pharmacy that can do this is 70 miles from me, not 40. This is the main location of the pharmacy near my urologist's office...this will have to be mixed there. I called my local Walgreens, and then a compounding pharmacy in Charlottesville. Neither knew of anyone nearby who could do this, which surprises me, since UVA Hospital is in Charlottesville. Apparently not many compounding pharmacies do injectables. Depending on when this is gonna be ready to pick up, I might just have them mail it to me if it can go out today. They are closed on the weekends, and I have a nephrologist appointment in Charlottesville this afternoon to discuss my calcium levels (the urologist still wants to put me on HCTZ, since the stones are 70% struvite/30% calcium.) A 2 hour round trip might not fit into my schedule unless I get a call real soon. At least they deliver. I looked at my Patient Portal, and have 4 refills on this, so refills can get mailed to me. I don't know how long each script will last...I don't have visibility to the actual script.