Anyway, I think the interview with the television station went well. They think it might be aired on Sunday evening. We basically talked about Pulmonary Hypertension, what it is, how I was diagnosed and then we talked about the medications. I'm on three medications for Pulmonary Hypertension (actually I'm on over a dozen different medications, but three of them are strictly for PH). One is coumadin, a very inexpensive medicine that is a blood thinner. People with PH are prone to developing blood clots, so it's necessary to always take a blood thinner.
The second drug is Flolan. That is the IV medicine that is pumped into my system through a central line. It runs 24/7.
This medicine is runs around $10,000.00 a month. Rod's insurance does NOT cover Flolan. But, my insurance with school does. So, I was very relieved when we found out that I could continue getting my insurance even after I had to quit teaching.
The third medicine I take for PH, and the one that was really the focus of the television story is Revatio.
As I mentioned last night (in my drug-induced state), Revatio is a vaso-dialator. It relaxes the blood vessels so that the blood can run through your system with less resistance. When you have PH the cells in the pulmonary artery duplicate and grow in strange ways (similar to cancer cells) that cause the pulmonary artery to thicken and stiffen. Medicines like Revatio relax that artery, along with the other arteries in the body. That's why Revatio, in it's other form as Viagra, does it's job for men with ED.
The main difference between Revatio and Viagra is the color and the amount of medicine in each pill. Viagra comes in 25 mg doses and Revatio comes in 20 mg doses. According to my local pharmacist, Viagra runs around $20.00 a pill. Revatio costs $10.00 a pill. I take 3 Revatio pills a day. I can't get my insurance company or Rod's insurance company to pay for the Revatio. If I was a man and had ED, both insurance companies would pay for it. In fact, if I was on Medicare and/or Medicaid, I've been told that the Viagra would also be covered. I was on a study for double blind study for Revatio that then went into a two year long-term study where I was provided Revatio for free for a period of time. We discovered that the insurance companies wouldn't cover the Revatio when the study ended. My doctor's office worked very hard to get me on a different study that is providing Revatio to me at no cost for a full year. Hopefully by the end of that year, one of our insurance companies will have come to their senses.
OK, that's a lot of writing I did tonight!! I really need to get some things done. I'm hoping to get back into being a better poster. I've got lots of things to share, including going to the Capitol in Lincoln and meeting with the Governor regarding Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness month.
But, for now, I've got two little blond-headed, four-legged wild men jumping on the back door.
Have a great evening and thanks for checking in.
Thanks for reading.
Annette
4 comments to I should never try to write a blog post after I've...:
I hope we can see you on TV Sunday!
I am glad that you are back to blogging. It is very interesting and educational. I was worried about you. I hope I can see you on TV. I am sure that you will do a great job for the cause. Take care of yourself.
LaDonna
Have you asked your doc if he'll prescribe Viagra instead of Revatio?
My doc did, and the insurance discovered they would save $29,000 a year by doing so and having me split the pills.
They might cover it...
I'm on three medications for Pulmonary Hypertension (actually I'm on over a dozen different medications, but three of them are strictly for PH). One is coumadin, a very inexpensive medicine that is a blood thinner.
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