Decisions, decisions…The Curmudgeon must decide.
Spent our afternoon sitting in the neurologist’s office. It looks as though they are finally going to change The Curmudgeon from Avonex to something else. The Avonex has prevented any further damage but his body’s reaction to it is getting worse as time goes on.
He will give himself his injection on a Monday night. Then for the next four days he’s in rotten shape, having trouble walking, and in general his quality of life sucks big time. This wasn’t working for us.
He has three choices, one of which is a pill taken twice a day. “Tecfidera™ is an oral therapy contained in capsules taken two times per
day. Tecfidera, formerly known as BG-12, is dimethyl fumarate, a
formulation that was developed specifically for use by people with multiple sclerosis.” He is hoping this is what he gets. Only problem is, the main side effect which lasts for about six months is the runs. Oh, fun…NOT. However, if it eventually improves his quality of life he’s willing to suffer through it.
Another choice is Tysabri it is given once every four weeks by intravenous infusion. And the third choice, one I doubt he’ll ever use, is Copaxone, it has a higher chance of side effects, is injected every day, and daily injections are something he refuses to do. Hell, he hates a once a week injection.
You all have a good one.
English: Copaxone Injection Site Reaction – Upper Left Arm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Posted on June 25, 2013, in MS related and tagged Author, Caregiver, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Love, Multiple Sclerosis, Quality of life, Writer. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Doggonedmysteries 
I can’t take the usual drugs because I react badly however I am taking Naltrexone which is a liquid and has no side effects. It keeps my energy pretty even throughout the day. Ask your doctor about it. And good luck.
Reblogged this on meandmyrrms and commented:
Good luck with whatever decision. May it work for you both.
Thank you, but do ask for permission to reblog my post next time…this is copy written material.
It is an interesting question, for I know many of us say that if certain conditions were to occur, we would not want to live. We have medical directives that deal with ventilators and CPR, but we never address the issues of severe physical or mental disability. After over 35 years of taking care of people with severe disabilities, I can say that once faced with the disability they do want to live and want the highest quality life possible.