Monday, December 23, 2019
Today was Neulasta shot day for me. I am not going to rant about how the list price for a single shot is $17,910 on my Medicare statement, but $6,231 on the drug company’s website. Medicare does not pay either of those prices for my shot; they pay approximately $2,540, which leaves a $648 copay. I am pretty sure the maker inflates their list price so they can tell the government they have given them a 75 percent discount. Liars! Oops, I am not going to rant… about this topic
I have low blood pressure, really low blood pressure. I am a skinny, laid-back woman who sits in a wheelchair all day. My blood pressure has been low since I had my automobile accident that left me paralyzed. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. My blood pressure only gets that high if I am lying in a hospital bed being pumped full of fluids or something is hurting me badly. Low blood pressure is less than 90/60. Once in a great while I will reach that high without external triggers.
My “normal” blood pressure is around 80/50. I am completely conscious and talking to you at 60/30 and lower. I am not sure how low my blood pressure needs to drop before I pass out (it has happened) but I am guessing it is too low to track. I have warning signs before my blood pressure gets low enough to cause me to pass out, and now that I have a power wheelchair that lays back, my blood pressure rarely drops so quickly I actually pass out.
I started occasionally passing out when I was pregnant with my seven-year-old, Mika. I thought it was the baby hitting some nerve while moving around in my womb. Each time I was sitting up, and I would feel my imaginary feet, and then my vision would go white. A minute or two later, I could hear someone talk to me, but it would take several seconds before I was able to talk back. I passed out approximately five times while pregnant with Mika.
I made it about a year after Mika was born before I passed out again. Combing my hair is a trigger point for very quickly passing out. The very first time I passed out after my accident was during my first shower after my halo was removed. The aide was combing my hair with conditioner in it when the comb snagged a tangle. I woke up with my face by my feet (I was very flexible when I had my accident) and I did not know my name. That was the only time passing out required me remembering details of my life.
Every few months I would get lightheaded while we combed my hair; sometimes I would pass out, most times I stopped the hair combing before I lost consciousness. Many times, I could not talk or brush my teeth immediately when I got up because your blood pressure drops when you sit up. Occasionally a change in seating surfaces could cause me to pass out. One time my significant other, Donald, and I went to a park with Mika that was not wheelchair accessible. Donald lifted me out of the truck seat, placed me in my manual wheelchair, pushed me to the edge of the playground, and took Mika to play.
A few minutes later I heard Donald asking me if we needed to leave. When I could speak again, I told him I would be fine now since I had already passed out. I did get my usual warning signs before I passed out, but Donald and Mika were too far away for me to call to. Donald had seen my head bobbing across the playground and come to check on me.
Now that I have a power wheelchair that lays back, I rarely pass out. As soon as I feel the tingle in my imaginary feet; I stop what I am doing, place my wheelchair in a spot I can lay back, and lay back my chair. Once in a great while my blood pressure drops too fast for me to see (my vision goes white) the correct buttons to lay back my chair and I pass out.
What does all that have to do with my Neulasta shot? This morning my blood pressure was 62/38. Low, but perfectly normal for me. After taking my blood pressure twice with the machine, the nurse took my blood pressure manually and it was 74/50. That is my “normal” range. The nurse told me they need to call the doctor to get permission to give the shot if a person’s blood pressure is below 90/60. That would mean hanging around waiting for a return call from the doctor’s office.
I explained to the nurse that I have had several Neulasta shots and chances were very good I did not have a blood pressure as high as 90/60 for any of them and we had never needed to call the doctor. I was obviously easily chatting with her and not in any danger of passing out. My nurse went to the charge nurse and got the shot approved (without calling the doctor) because the charge nurse looked at my history to see what a normal blood pressure for ME was.
My piece of advice to you is not to let arbitrary numbers limit you. I insisted the 90/60 rule did not apply to me and made my nurse talk to the charge nurse. I think the nurse must have been new because this was the first time I have heard about the 90/60 rule.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Today was Neulasta shot day for me. I am not going to rant about how the list price for a single shot is $17,910 on my Medicare statement, but $6,231 on the drug company’s website. Medicare does not pay either of those prices for my shot; they pay approximately $2,540, which leaves a $648 copay. I am pretty sure the maker inflates their list price so they can tell the government they have given them a 75 percent discount. Liars! Oops, I am not going to rant… about this topic
I have low blood pressure, really low blood pressure. I am a skinny, laid-back woman who sits in a wheelchair all day. My blood pressure has been low since I had my automobile accident that left me paralyzed. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. My blood pressure only gets that high if I am lying in a hospital bed being pumped full of fluids or something is hurting me badly. Low blood pressure is less than 90/60. Once in a great while I will reach that high without external triggers.
My “normal” blood pressure is around 80/50. I am completely conscious and talking to you at 60/30 and lower. I am not sure how low my blood pressure needs to drop before I pass out (it has happened) but I am guessing it is too low to track. I have warning signs before my blood pressure gets low enough to cause me to pass out, and now that I have a power wheelchair that lays back, my blood pressure rarely drops so quickly I actually pass out.
I started occasionally passing out when I was pregnant with my seven-year-old, Mika. I thought it was the baby hitting some nerve while moving around in my womb. Each time I was sitting up, and I would feel my imaginary feet, and then my vision would go white. A minute or two later, I could hear someone talk to me, but it would take several seconds before I was able to talk back. I passed out approximately five times while pregnant with Mika.
I made it about a year after Mika was born before I passed out again. Combing my hair is a trigger point for very quickly passing out. The very first time I passed out after my accident was during my first shower after my halo was removed. The aide was combing my hair with conditioner in it when the comb snagged a tangle. I woke up with my face by my feet (I was very flexible when I had my accident) and I did not know my name. That was the only time passing out required me remembering details of my life.
Every few months I would get lightheaded while we combed my hair; sometimes I would pass out, most times I stopped the hair combing before I lost consciousness. Many times, I could not talk or brush my teeth immediately when I got up because your blood pressure drops when you sit up. Occasionally a change in seating surfaces could cause me to pass out. One time my significant other, Donald, and I went to a park with Mika that was not wheelchair accessible. Donald lifted me out of the truck seat, placed me in my manual wheelchair, pushed me to the edge of the playground, and took Mika to play.
A few minutes later I heard Donald asking me if we needed to leave. When I could speak again, I told him I would be fine now since I had already passed out. I did get my usual warning signs before I passed out, but Donald and Mika were too far away for me to call to. Donald had seen my head bobbing across the playground and come to check on me.
Now that I have a power wheelchair that lays back, I rarely pass out. As soon as I feel the tingle in my imaginary feet; I stop what I am doing, place my wheelchair in a spot I can lay back, and lay back my chair. Once in a great while my blood pressure drops too fast for me to see (my vision goes white) the correct buttons to lay back my chair and I pass out.
What does all that have to do with my Neulasta shot? This morning my blood pressure was 62/38. Low, but perfectly normal for me. After taking my blood pressure twice with the machine, the nurse took my blood pressure manually and it was 74/50. That is my “normal” range. The nurse told me they need to call the doctor to get permission to give the shot if a person’s blood pressure is below 90/60. That would mean hanging around waiting for a return call from the doctor’s office.
I explained to the nurse that I have had several Neulasta shots and chances were very good I did not have a blood pressure as high as 90/60 for any of them and we had never needed to call the doctor. I was obviously easily chatting with her and not in any danger of passing out. My nurse went to the charge nurse and got the shot approved (without calling the doctor) because the charge nurse looked at my history to see what a normal blood pressure for ME was.
My piece of advice to you is not to let arbitrary numbers limit you. I insisted the 90/60 rule did not apply to me and made my nurse talk to the charge nurse. I think the nurse must have been new because this was the first time I have heard about the 90/60 rule.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.