ppp 04-28-08

Quote of the day: Challenges are what make life interesting;

overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

- Joshua J. Marine

Owning a home has its distinct benefits. Privacy, a place of your own, freedom to change anything from room color to floor layout or the landscaping. There is nothing quite like turning the key on YOUR house after signing your next 30 years of “disposable income” away. Home becomes a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of work and the outside world. We make memories while raising our families. We make friends with others who are invested in the neighborhood and community.

One such friend, Jeff McGuiggan, stopped to introduce himself even before the furniture was delivered to our first home. Actually, he need help moving something in his house and felt I looked capable of helping. It was the first of many mutual projects between our two homes. Even though I didn’t normally have beer in the house, I always kept at least 2 bottles in the refrigerator while he lived next door. Jeff developed a system for grading home projects. HOMEOWNERS 1 was any simple project that could be done in less than half a day. Simple yard work such as mowing didn’t reach this level but a new garden border or adding an electrical outlet would qualify for a "1". The ranking was less about the amount of work and more about the aggivatio/irritation involved. HOMEOWNERS 3 was as high as the ranking ever climbed (sort of like DEFCON 5). Anything having to do with plumbing usually made HOMEOWNERS 3. We reroofed homes, replaced windows, moved walls and did our share of plumbing. The bigger the challenges the more we shook our heads…and the more we laughed. We celebrated our successes and covered the rest with duct tape.

After about 15 years, Jeff found another home. I think that he needed more challenge because he had fixed everything that was broken or about to be broken on the house next to me. We kept in touch until 1991. I had just taken a job in Indianapolis and was preparing to move amid all of the stresses and strains of such a big decision. He had just been diagnosed with cancer. He helped put some trying times in perspective, “Sure you have to go to Indianapolis but I have cancer!”. He could have lived with the cancer for about 5 years using conventional therapy or go for a cure (which included a bone marrow transplant). He opted for the “cure” because he wanted the chance to see his wife and children for many more years than 5. He was doing fine with his choice until the anti-rejection drugs suddenly wiped out his kidney and liver function. He died the day before we left town.

Now whenever I encounter challenges in homeownership, or just life in general, I think of Jeff and how he would have rated the experience on his aggravation scale. His words echo still; “Sure you have __________ but I have cancer!” As bad as things seem sometimes, try to remember Jeff, the aggravation scale and the perspective he brought to life… it could be worse but you can find the strength to meet the challenge and carry on. Gosh he had a great laugh…

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Fan-tabulous!"

Looks like a veto-proof majority of the Senate want to wait until AFTER the presidential election to tackle the tough questions of Medicaid funding. House will likely follow suit. Most facing re-election want something to point to (even if it is only wrecking somebody else’s plans).

The drug, 5FU, is linked to memory problems. Mechanism has yet to be discovered but about 50% of patients are experiencing cognitive problems 8 weeks after the end of therapy with problems progressing through 6 months. At least that’s the way I remember it.

With the bill passed in the US Senate the words above could never be legally spoken. Senate hopes to ban the use of genetic testing as a basis for denial of health insurance or employment. After 13 years in the making I will say, “It’s about time!”. Now we need the House.

Patient who get constipation from narcotics now have a new way to become regular again. FDA approved Relistor (methylnaltrexone bromide), a new methylated form of an old narcotic antagonist given by injection, to reverse the constipating effects of narcotics on the bowel. Most narcotics induce a sort of fibrillation of the GI tract which hinders the peristaltic movements which produce “movements”. While Reistar is injectable it may indeed reverse just what the doctor ordered.

Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) was approved by the FDA to treat Crohn’s disease. Another injection but a welcome addition to the drug arsenal for those who have tried everything else in their quest for reasonable bowel function.

While DTC ad review seems like something that drugs companies would want to avoid, it does make sense in this litigious society. Drug companies would stand against claims that they were hyping the drugs instead of educating. The FDA would need extra funding to do this and the AZ is pressing for that too.

Single treatment with azithromycin (aka the antibiotic Zithromax) wiped out the leading cause of blindness in third world countries. The statistics are impressive. Just think how hard it would be to eek out a subsistence living in these countries and then imagine it again blind!

Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2008 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------