Skip to main content

Shots

I'm not squeamish about shots, but getting two, often painful, blood thinner shots every day is not fun, nor is the bruising that follows. Now that I've been stable (out of the hospital) for over a year, my hematologist and I discussed switching to a different blood thinner. A pill, Eliquis, failed last year and sent me back to the hospital with more blood clots, so that's obviously not an option. Fondaparinux sodium (aka Arixtra - who comes up with these names?) requires one shot per day and costs $50 per month. My current blood thinner costs $180. Ironically, I will pay less for Arixtra because it's so expensive that it qualifies for a special program that caps the co-pay at $50.

Plus, I can pick up the meds at CVS instead of relying on the mail. One time the blood thinner package was marked as delivered even though it wasn't. I looked at the delivery photo and realized UPS delivered it to the wrong house, but I didn't know where. I don't remember how it got resolved, but when the UPS guy finally showed up at our house, I sternly told him this could never happen again because it's a lifesaving medication and I cannot miss a dose. Other times the package has been inexplicably delayed a day or two in the mail. If I'm running low on doses, these delays cause a lot of anxiety. 

Over the course of one year, I'll get 365 fewer shots, save $1560, and keep 12 cardboard boxes and accompanying packaging material out of the landfill. I will try my first dose within the next two weeks. 

daily doses of Arixtra (left) and Lovenox (right)




Comments

  1. Matt McAllisterNovember 2, 2023 at 9:31 AM

    Sounds like a win-win-win! Will keep my fingers crossed for you that the new drug works!

    ReplyDelete
  2. DoloresNovember 2, 2023 at 10:32 AM

    Yay! Less shots are a good thing :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnnyceNovember 2, 2023 at 11:36 AM

    Is this shot DIY, into a vein? Oh, my, Esther! I'm glad you have another option to try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther PrinsNovember 2, 2023 at 12:31 PM

      Oh goodness no! It's sub-cutaneous. Leland does it if he's around; if not, I do it.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousNovember 2, 2023 at 1:20 PM

    Esther, sending you so much love, and super positive vibes for the new treatment!!
    Praying that it will work! I'd love to bring over dinner for your family, sometime.
    The MealTrain got filled up quickly and I never got a chance to bring over dinner.
    You're AMAZING and so very BRAVE. FUERZA, GARRA CHARRUA!
    Un abrazote! BIG HUG! -Carmen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther PrinsNovember 3, 2023 at 8:23 AM

      Gracias! I will text you. Thanks for the offer.

      Delete
  5. LaraNovember 3, 2023 at 6:07 AM

    Sounds like a serious improvement! Good luck with the shift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther PrinsNovember 3, 2023 at 8:24 AM

      Thanks, Lara!

      Delete
    2. KristenNovember 3, 2023 at 11:34 AM

      So glad you have another option. I hope it will be yet another way to celebrate a year of no hospital stays!

      Delete
    3. Esther PrinsNovember 3, 2023 at 2:13 PM

      Yes, amen!

      Delete
  6. AnonymousNovember 4, 2023 at 2:46 AM

    As someone who is currently in the hospital from a car accident on Oct 23rd, I 100% feel your pain, and the unfortunate ugly bruising that goes with the Lovenox shots. They even give you choices. Your already bruised and sore right arm? Your bruised and sore left arm or your stomach? I'm so glad you found one that only requires 1 shot a day, Here's too much success with the Arixtra! ~ Janell S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther PrinsNovember 4, 2023 at 10:51 AM

      Wow, that sounds awful. I'm so sorry you're in the hospital. Yes, we alternate between left and ride stomach and arms. But I always have hard lumps and bruises in at least 2 locations at any given time, sometimes all of them!

      Delete
  7. AnonymousNovember 4, 2023 at 7:50 AM

    Awesome Esther! Praying it works well. What a system! Fewer shots sounds amazing. Hope to get to see you soon!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Healthcare costs and insurance woes and victories

Those of you who have read this blog from the beginning may recall my posts about how inexpensive healthcare is in Germany compared to the US. I now have additional proof. I've been receiving "explanation of benefits" statements from Aetna detailing the cost of my hospital stays and other healthcare services since the end of July. Close your eyes and guess how much these amount to. Higher. No, higher. Still higher. Well over $200,000. Of that, I have paid maybe $100 plus some $20-30 co-pays for doctor's visits. Add to that my cancer and blood thinner medications, which would cost about $16,000 per month without insurance. I have no idea what people in my situation do if they are uninsured or under-insured. My recent interaction with one of my German doctors illustrates another stark difference. Before leaving Germany, I had asked my doctor what to do if I received bills from the LungenClinic after we had moved and closed our Deutsche Bank account (all bills in Germany...
15 comments
Read more

Indolent nodules

We met with my oncologist (Dr. Villaruz) and radiation oncologist (Dr. McCall) at UPMC in Pittsburgh yesterday en route from visiting family in Grand Rapids, MI. The main nodule we were watching grew by another millimeter or so. Dr. Villaruz described it as “indolent.” I asked what that meant and as she started to say “growing very slowly,” I recognized the word and blurted out “lazy!” I remarked I’d never heard indolent used in a medical context, and Dr. Villaruz said she’d never heard of it outside of medicine. So we both learned something. She and Dr. McCall said that there is no urgency, but that within the next 9-12 months, they would want to radiate the more clearly defined nodule and another one close to it. A third one looks like “ground glass,” a term for something that is hazy and not quite solid, but you can’t radiate something that is ill-defined and can’t be clearly imaged. It will be much easier to do radiation in the summer than during a busy semester or the winter b...
23 comments
Read more

Four years

Sunday, June 14 marked 4 years since I was diagnosed with lung cancer while living in Hamburg. Those of you who have followed my journey from the start know that my family and I went to hell and back several times during those first six months. Here I am before, during, and after. The photo below was the last taken before my life unraveled. I went on a photography outing with the American Women's Club of Hamburg. When my doctor said my x-ray showed "infiltration" and I should get a CT scan, I put it off for a day so I wouldn't miss this event. That's how unconcerned I was. The possibility of cancer never crossed my mind, despite my severe shortness of breath. This was my hospital room at the LungenClinic, where I learned my shocking diagnosis. I was sitting at the little table with the doctors and Leland was on Zoom. Leland had to travel to the hospital by train (an hour-plus trip) before we could process the news together, shellshocked. This photo shows me in the...
22 comments
Read more