September 13, 2019 9/13/19 – Yay for generic Lyrica! Pregabalin is now available at Kaiser! I logged on to My Pharmacy on Sunday evening, September 8, 2019, to order my Lyrica refill, since I had received hard copies of the letter stating that my Medical Financial Assistance re-application has been approved! However, when I got…
Category: Lyrica
Last Office Visit with Dr. Kalra
Monday, April 1, 2019, 10:30 a.m. It was another “early” morning, meaning I set the alarm clock for 7:30 a.m. But I was awake from 6:08 a.m. on, and felt yukky with an allergy sore throat and itchy, weepy eyes. I need Allergra! But I got up, turned the coffee on, and got into the…
Hearing Aids and Other Things
Today is my fifth day with my new hearing aids, so I’m still getting used to putting them in and taking them out and discovering what I can hear that I couldn’t hear before. Last night I was hearing all kinds of strange “night noises” both inside the house and outside in the dark. Tonight…
Lyrica Request #3
November 18, 2018 Sunday night. I decided to submit a request online for Lyrica, in the hope that someone from the Pain Clinic would see it first thing Monday morning and send an authorization to the San Leandro Pharmacy. I got an automated message that my prescription would be ready for pickup after noon on…
Hearing Test
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 11:10 a.m. Today I had the scheduled hearing test. We got stuck in a traffic jam due to road construction, and were afraid we were going to be late. But we got there with just one minute to spare. The same friendly Filipina woman who had scheduled my appointment now checked…
Individual Acupuncture Therapy #6
October 4, 2018, 1:50 p.m. Acupuncture day. I so need this today! Acupuncture, combined with meditation and mindful breathing, is the height of relaxation and stress relief! When the assistant called for me, I followed her down the hall to Paul Simon’s acupuncture treatment room. She logged in at the workstation, as she usually did,…
Individual Acupuncture Therapy #5
September 10, 2018, 1:30 p.m. Today’s session is the halfway point of my allotted 10 sessions. I told Paul Simon that I’m taking Lyrica at a dose that is just under the amount to mitigate ALL pain, but just enough to allow me to be able to function in everyday life. “The greatest benefit,” I…
Interview with Medical Financial Assistance
August 23, 2018, 3:30 p.m. After my appointment with Dr. Prabaharan, it was only 3:11 p.m.; so I went back to the first floor to Member Services. I checked in and waited to be called. A short woman with a thick mane of curly red hair appeared and took me back to her office. As…
Appointment with New PCP
August 23, 2018, 2:45 p.m. I liked it that my appointment with my new PCP was only 2 miles away from home (instead of 10+ miles to Alameda). I did not like it that there is no wi-fi or cell phone coverage inside the Kaiser building. I checked in a half hour early, anticipating that…
The Lyrica Saga
By the end of June, I had successfully obtained all the medications I had calculated I would need for the month of July. The only change I made was to change the original order to take 2 capsules 3 times a day to taking 3 capsules 2 times a day. It’s just too hard to…