How often do you call your doctor?

[tainabell]

Hi all,

This is a sort of weird subject, but its relevant for me.  I feel like I'm new to this medical maze stuff, and I am still reluctant to put in a call to my doctor unless I'm crippled and unable to walk or in some similar dire straits. 

Like I've explained on here, I've been experiencing nausea quite often (coupled with inexplicable burping) and I'm not sure its my meds/etc.  I want to call my doctor and ask her what's going on with me and see if she can fix it but I am scared of being a bother.  Is that crazy?  Am I too much a people pleaser? 

The thing is, I would just schedule an appointment, but my insurance doesn't cover visits to her, so every time I go in there it costs me a couple hundred bucks and it is recession time! 😯

So I was just kind of hoping to get a general sort of census here on how often peopleon the board call their doctors to see if I'm normal.  Once a week?  Once a month? Only when they are bleeding/dying?  Now that I have a chronic illness do I have to be more aggressive and take more advantage of the “free” phone call?   

Thanks!

[Trudi]

I've not spoken with my LLMD outside of my visits.  However, I do call the office and speak with his nurses if I have a question.  If they need to discuss it with the doctor, they call me back.

Trudi

Lyme/RA; AP 4/2008 off and on to 3/2010; past use of quinolones may be the cause of my current problems, (including wheelchair use); all supplements (which can aggravate the condition) were discontinued on 10/14/2012. Am now treating for the homozygous MTHFR 1298 mutation. Off of all pain meds since Spring '14 (was on them for years--doctor is amazed--me too). Back on pain med 1/2017. Reinfected? Frozen shoulder?

[JeffN]

Fortunately I am in a stable mode right now, not too much “excitement” if you catch my drift. I take my meds and things are improving. I see my Rheumy once a year and try to go see my GP every three or four months with my list of questions. BUT if I were having something going on that I didn't understand or had a question about I would not hesitate to call the either office and ask. Better safe than sorry and if some particular med is not doing what it is supposed to be doing why waste time waiting for the next visit? Go ahead and call.

[Kim]

As Trudi said, if I have a concern I will call and talk to the nurse.  The nurse will ask if she's answered my questions, or do I need a consult with the doctor? There would be an additional charge to talk to the doctor.  The beginning is such a roller-coaster — it's like your body can't decide if it wants to be well or be sick, but after a while things even out and symptoms are more predictable.

[tainabell]

So far it seems like pretty much what I expected.  People call when they have problems, which is a good rule of thumb. 

I've called my doctor one time before when I was freaking out over the new swelling I had in my finger and she called me back a couple days later, which was really nice. So I know she doesn't mind and that she's not going to charge me for a consult, I guess I just don't want to push my luck. 

I'm going to just hope the nausea passes.  Even though I said it wasn't, I think its possible that the nausea/burping thing is some kind of herx as its been particularly acute the past couple days for no apparent reason. 

 

[Patti D]

Hi Tainabell,
I see you are on doxycycline. I too got very nauseated from doxy. My daughter is being treated for bacterial pneumonia right now and was prescribed doxy as well. Same thing.She is extremely nauseated. Just a thought but have you considered switching to minocycline? I would ask. I have absolutely no problem with mino . I lost 12 pounds during my lyme treatment because the doxy was so hard on my stomach. The mino is a breeze.
Happy days!
Patti

[patchoulee]

 I am likely no the best person to ask as I am just starting AP this week I have emailed him three times and called once.. :blush: Good thing he is such a nice guy…

Angela

[Jo]

[user=854]tainabell[/user] wrote:

 I'm not sure its my meds/etc. 

Why not ?  It's listed as a side effect of all three of your major supplements.

 

http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/zinc-side-effects.html
 
The danger of taking zinc supplements can be summarized in two words: zinc overdose. A zinc dose of 40 milligrams is approved safe to use by FDA and a zinc dosage more than this can pose certain risks. In terms of zinc toxicity, there is no other way to put it: excess zinc is dangerous! This is primarily true because too much zinc will likely interfere with the metabolism and absorption of other essential minerals in your body, most especially iron, magnesium and copper. Zinc side effects can become potentially serious if you take doses from 150 to 450 mg a day. Taking this much can decrease your copper, iron and magnesium levels, reduce your body's immune function, and reduce your HDL (good cholesterol) level.

 
Oral zinc sulfate supplements can also cause side effects such as stomach upset, heartburn and nausea. Rare side effects have also been reported and these include fever, sore throat, mouth sores, weakness and fatigue. Zinc is a very important mineral but you only need to take just enough.
 
 
Plaquenil
 
http://www.rxlist.com/plaquenil-drug.htm

SIDE EFFECTS: Nausea, stomach cramps, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, or headache may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: arm/leg/back pain, fast heartbeat, hair loss/color change, mental/mood changes (e.g., anxiety, depression, hallucinations), ringing in the ears/hearing loss, worsening of skin conditions (e.g., psoriasis).
This medication may infrequently cause serious (sometimes permanent) eye problems or muscle damage, especially if you take it for a long time. Seek immediate medical attention if any of these unlikely but very serious side effects occur: sensitivity to light, vision changes (e.g., blurred vision, seeing light flashes/streaks/halos, missing/blacked-out areas of vision), muscle weakness.
Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur: severe stomach/abdominal pain, severe nausea/vomiting, easy bleeding/bruising, signs of infection (e.g., fever, persistent sore throat), seizures, shortness of breath, swelling ankles/feet, extreme tiredness, dark urine, yellowing eyes/skin.
A very serious allergic reaction is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing.
This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

 

NAC

N Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC) is sulfur-containing (sulfhydryl) amino acid which is present in many proteins, and is in the same class as the amino acid methionine. NAC is a naturally occurring amino sugar and is a form of cysteine which has been demonstrated to facilitate the SHORT TERM cellular detoxification of alcohol, tobacco smoke, acetaminophen poisoning and environmental pollutants in several in vitro studies. When Cystine is heated, molecular bonds are cleaved and it becomes Cysteine. Cysteine is beneficial if it is produced INSIDE the cell, but is mildly toxic if it is produced outside the cell. NAC does not travel well in the blood stream, and doesn't reach the cells (to be used to synthesize glutathione and Glutamic acid).

NAC supplementation over long periods has been associated with modest increases in serum glutathione, but has not proven particularly useful in the treatment of chronic, long-term intracellular glutathione deficiencies. Furthermore, therapeutic levels of NAC are relatively toxic and have been associated with significant side effects. At therapeutic doses, oral NAC supplementation has been associated with cerebral symptoms, nausea, and vomiting.

[patchoulee]

I guess it's too hard to say as I take all three of the above listed items daily and have for three years never ever had a single problem or side affect.  And for every one negative thing you read on the internet you could find another 20 positive things. I think if you are concerned you should call. It dosn't hurt to ask and if your Dr is to busy the nurse will likely talk to you. It could be something simple like you are low on digestive enzymes.

[tainabell]

Yes.  I'm almost sure the nausea is in relation somehow to the plaquenil as I almost always get it after I take it.  Its weird though, cause I've been taking plaq. since May I think and just now starting getting the nausea.  Oh well. 

Thanks for all the responses!

[m.]

[user=287]Patti D[/user] wrote:

Hi Tainabell,
I see you are on doxycycline. I too got very nauseated from doxy. My daughter is being treated for bacterial pneumonia right now and was prescribed doxy as well. Same thing.She is extremely nauseated. Just a thought but have you considered switching to minocycline? I would ask. I have absolutely no problem with mino . I lost 12 pounds during my lyme treatment because the doxy was so hard on my stomach. The mino is a breeze.
Happy days!
Patti

I'm on Doxy, and I take it with a little food. But yes, it did make me feel nauseous in the beginning when I took it on an empty stomach.

[JOJO19551]

I fax my Doctor my concern or request, making it easier for him to call me at his leisure.  I would rather have him read what I am saying than having the nurse fconvey my message, which often gets down played.    JoAnn

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