Mail bag!

My prescriptions eventually came.

Mail Order Pharmacies: Buckets of Fun
I didn't have a flare up, but I did run out before new pills arrived. Troubled, I emailed my MOP and asked them what the hell was up. Here are some excerpts from my MOP's response:

To Member, Thank you for your online inquiry. I understand your concern regarding the status of your order and I will be glad to look into that for you. The order you inquired about was mailed on XX/XX/XXXX and the UPS tracking number is Notgonnagetthereintime.

Depending on how your order was received, please allow: 7-11 calendar days for mailed new prescriptions 5-8 calendar days for faxed in prescriptions by the physician 6-9 calendar days for mailed in refill slips 3-5 calendar days for phoned in refills or online orders ** This excludes Sundays and holidays.

I like this reminder. I also think my prescription was sitting in someone's inbox, as my gastro emails their scripps.

An easy way to keep track of the status of your orders is to be notified via e-mail. If you did not select this option during registration and would like to be notified about your prescription status via e-mail, simply update your profile

Yay, form leters! I have this option selected, yes. I also think that the fact I emailed them from the online pharmacy site? Probably should tip them off that I know my way around it. Right, form letter, shh, whatever.

If you have any questions about the use of a medication or the effects of missing doses of your medication, please call Member Services at [number] and request to speak with one of our registered pharmacists.

Heh. I know what happens. It's exciting! Lots of ER or Urgent Care or gastro copay bills.

To receive medication before your order arrives, please contact your physician for a prescription for a short term 14 day supply. This prescription may be filled at your local retail pharmacy.

This also cracks me up, because normally this MOP is all about the Mail Order, because that's their big thing. You get a huge discount if you order a three-month supply of your drugs through the mail order; it's something like three months for the price of one retail-pharmacy fill. I get solicitations from these guys all the time telling me, "Fill your scripps with our MOP! It's cheaper!" No shit, guys. I already do that. Because. It's. Cheaper. So yeah, that last bit kind of cracks me up.

I'm making fun of a dead (mixed metaphor) horse here, because I got the pills, my colon is still quiet, and my MOP didn't sneak in some bogus UPS/expediting charge or anything. And I can eat chili every day if I want to! Really, my life is pretty stellar.


Annie-biotics
I forgot to take them this morning. Jack would be so disappointed in me. Apart than that, I'm pretty recovered from my cold. Go-go, shitty immune system!


Beware of those Online Quizzes purporting to love you

Seriously, beware. I took one at the end of December, and look at the consequences:

_{(Please ignore squeaky toy, it was not part of the packages.)}

Thos are all packets about the magic of Remicade. I'm expecting another glossy packet sometime this week, that's how often they come. Also, the "treatment" this group recommends seems to be heavily one-sided in favor of Remicade, something I specified on the quiz that I did NOT take and did NOT NEED to take for my UC, as according to my quiz answers, my UC is manageable right now. So I looked at the quiz creator/sponsor/hoster/whateverer, and guess who it was? Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc. Creators o' Remicade. Smarts, I do not know them.*

Anyway. Honestly? I only took the thing because they used a picture of that guy from Dawson's Creek as a lure. Why DC, you ask? In case you haven't heard, James Van Der Beek is taking secrecy out of ulcerative colitis. NO MORE SILENCE.

_{(C'mon, you knew it was coming.)}

JVDB's mom was diagnosed with the scary bloody shit disease, so he's taking to the road to raise awareness. Yay! My favorite part of the article is, of course, this:

"She was a gymnastics teacher, so she had to find ways where she could leave class in a hurry," Van Der Beek said. "For instance, she had to hire an assistant."

Dude, I love that. It's so true. When I first got diagnosed, I got an assistant, too; it was so awesome to have someone on hand with my doctor appointment planner, my extra pants and undies and the Sani-wipes. Of course, they discovered I had no money (due to having ulcerative colitis) and quit the following week, but that's the way it goes! It's a hard knock life having U.C.!



^{* But you? :)}