The Local Seeker

"Kids! Hurry up and get dressed, the pills will be gone by the time we get there!"  That's right, it's the "Black Friday" of the pharmacy world.

I know most people take some type of prescription medicine, allergy medicine, heartburn medicine etc.  I take a lot of medicine as you can imagine.  It's a lot of medicine from a couple different doctors and it goes to a couple different pharmacies.  Sometimes I spend the better part of a day driving around picking up and dropping off prescriptions.  No one can say I don't know how to have a good time!

Let me tell you about my awesome Friday morning.  I got up this morning with a smile on my face.  This was supposed to be my "morning off."  My kids have been in a tennis tournament and helped with a pro tournament this week so we have spent approximately 20 hours at the courts in 3 days.  Anyway, I was all settled in my recliner with my favorite blanket ready to catch up on my favorite DVR'd reality shows (the Busby's went on a cruise this week and it was very important to me that I went too).  I had just hit play when my phone rang, "Mrs. Aldridge, the medicine you were supposed to pick up today is out of stock.  We have to order it and won't have it until Monday."  Ummm....nope, that won't work.  I just took my last pill 2 minutes ago thinking I would have this filled today.  So I began my monthly phone calls to all the pharmacies to see who could fill my prescription today.  Yes, that's correct, I am a "seeker" the "Local Seeker."

Luckily, after 3 calls I found a pharmacy with the ability to fill my prescription today.  This wasn't the first time I had done this and luckily this time I wasn't a day early trying to get the prescription.  It was exactly 30 days since the last time it was filled.  I will never make that mistake again.  Wow!  Talk about getting a look! I went to the pharmacy 1 day early once a while ago and I could still pick that pharmacist out of a line up (and I have 1 bad eye.)  The way he looked at me when he said, "we can't fill that until tomorrow," made me think he was secretly snapping my picture to send in some mass faxing system with a note that said, "DO NOT FILL PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THIS LADY, SHE IS A SUPER SEEKER!" I was quick to explain I wasn't out of the medicine yet but I was there for Tylenol and just thought I would get it filled.  I actually cried that day leaving the pharmacy, I was so ashamed.  Quite frankly, that's not fair and it is completely ridiculous to treat anyone like that!

Anyway, and most importantly I found the medicine today.  So, I loaded up the kids in my 2012 mini vanesque SUV, bluetoothed some Vanilla Ice and headed down the road.  You may be thinking, "what's the big deal, just transfer it to another pharmacy that has it and pick it up?"  Unfortunately, that's not how it works.  In order to get several of the prescriptions I need the actual "doctor signed" prescription in hand.  And, here's the kicker, this particular prescription was, as you know, at another pharmacy.  Not just another pharmacy, but another pharmacy on the opposite side of town.  So, as I am sure you are aware, time is of the essence.  I hate this shuffle, the "run all over town to find my pills" shuffle.  It is Friday and several local pharmacies aren't open on the weekend.  Plus, we had lost at least 10 minutes for Barrett to create the perfect messy bun.  It's a "messy" bun, why does that take more than 10 seconds?  We had to go!  There was absolutely no time for beauty,  I don't think she understood I was about to get ugly if I missed my window of opportunity.

Apparently the music inspired me because I made it to the pharmacy in good time.  I was excited until I had to wait for a car to move so I could get to the drive thru window.  I was sure that searching for a place to park and walking in and walking back out again was a complete waste of time.  The drive thru was the only way to go.  I finally got to the window and got my prescription and back on the road we went.  I was nervous.  I just knew it was going to be gone before we got there.  I promise it has happened before.

So for anyone who doesn't know I live in the "Opioid Capital of the World" that might be a little off but close enough.  I should probably tell you that to my knowledge no one has ever abused this particular medicine.  I'm not sure why they would either, or any pill for that matter.  I hate that feeling.  But, I am a light weight, I can practically sniff a beer and I have a buzz these days (I'm not going to lie, I do miss college sometimes five dollar pitchers and a good time was had by all.)  However; somewhere, somehow, someone has abused it.  Unfortunately, days like today I pay the price.

Before someone shouts, "quit picking on addicts!  It's an illness!" I assure you I am not picking on anyone and I am ill as well.  You know what else?  This medicine actually helps me.  Unlike someone who has become addicted, I can't go to a clinic for help.  As a matter of fact the disease this medication helps me with is trigeminal neuralgia (something that was a 'bonus prize' to my NMO).  Trigeminal neuralgia hurts some people so much that they commit suicide.  Some actually call this disease the "suicide disease."  I am so fortunate to have never experienced it to that extent.  But not fortunate enough that it doesn't hurt or I could just ignore it.

This super fun (yes that is sarcastic) game of "find the pills" I have had to do one too many times.  My favorite is calling around to find my medicine.  I have been told, "Ma'am we can't tell you that over the phone." Or, "no we don't" before I even tell them the dosage.  However, my all time favorite and most fun response so far has been, "We can't release that information over the phone, people have threatened to shoot us over medicine before."  Yep, that's me, "Shoot 'em up Julie," known to bust a cap in you for a pill.

As my kids and I barreled down the interstate (at a safe but steady speed) to the opposite end of town all I could think was that my medicine was surely gone by now and we are going to end up chasing pills all day.  Not only does that stink for me but for my kids as well.  Then the worst scenario of all hit me...I would be in the car all day with the kids!  I had promised them a pool day with their friends and it was beautiful outside.  Oh the horror!

Thanks to lots of praying I made it!  As I approached the counter to drop off the prescription I reminded myself to smile and put away my RBF.  I told the lady at the counter I had called earlier and needed to have this prescription filled.  She looked at the prescription, nervously smiled and said, "I think we may be out of that but let me check first."  Wait! What? Sh**!

Guess what? She was wrong they had just enough to fill it today.  I looked around for a camera.  I just knew I was being punked.  She told me 20 minutes and it would be ready.  I kid you not, 22 minutes later it was done and off to the pool we went.  I felt as good as I did on the Black Friday when I paid the lady in the front of the line at Toys R Us to get Jack an Xbox 360 (thanks Mary Beth, you are genius.)

Moral of the story:  it should not be this hard for a person with an illness to get medicine.  It's not fair.  It's not right.  I was embarrassed and I was ashamed because I really feel like pharmacists and the pharmacy staff members truly think I am "seeking." I'm not.  I'm not even taking this medicine to be cured.  I can't be cured, I have accepted that.  I took a major step forward when I accepted this as my new "best."  But days like today push me back a step.  I know I couldn't be the only who feels like this or who goes through all this nonsense just to maintain their "best."  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it's only going to get worse.  I may end up being the "Regional Seeker" soon enough.