September Out..

September is going out the door.  For that I'm thankful.  My birth month is usually pretty awful for me.  As usual, it was full of stressful crap.  Unfortunately, thanks to the missing doctor issue, some of it's rolling over into October.  I still have no fix for that matter, but I have some ideas that may work.  

Anyway, good riddance to September.  I'd say be better next year, but you never are.

Take care.

Cya...

Last Friday Nerves...

This is the last Friday of September.  It's the last time we'll go shopping this month.  I really need October to be better than September.  I'm not sure how much more of this I can handle.  I'm not trying to be dramatic, but with all the crap happening this month, my nerves are shot & I'm spent.

The doctor situation is still on going.  There are so many steps to getting a new primary care.  The problem is right now I can't even seem to get past the beginning of it.  I'm still waiting on a yay or nay from the 1st person I contacted.  Until then I'm stuck.  If I haven't heard by Monday, I'll call.  If there's still no answer, I'll assume it's a "no".  

Even after that, there's all the initial stuff of dealing with a new provider.  There's the background & history, the current issues, insurers, etc...  This is a lengthy process & I'm not even out of the gate.  I'm so tired of being nervous.

Cya...

High & Low Point Uggh...

 

I have an article & some crappy news.  I'll start with the article.  GlaxoSmithKline & ViiV Healthcare are have released a long acting injection of of Cabotegravir, sold as Cabenuva.  This news has been out for a bit.  It's a bimonthly injection given at the doctor's office for treating HIV.  They're currently working to extend the time between doses.  However, the news is that they're trying to have this medication be something that is self administered at home every 3 months.  They'd like to see that by the end of the decade.   This is doable.  The base meds are there.  With a little improvement & using current at home injection pens, this could happen.

On to the crap news.  At this moment, I no longer have a primary care physician.  I called to confirm my upcoming Monday appointment (it was the Wednesday before) & was told he had taken medical leave, retired & was not coming back into the office.  Now, I'm scrambling to find a new doctor.  It will probably be a nurse practitioner since there are very few actual doctors left in my area.  I have some ideas, but I'm not sure at this time.  I didn't need this stress.

That's my life at the moment.  More stress & another long term relationship ending without so much as a good bye.  

Hope things are better for everyone else.

Cya...

National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day...

Today is National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.   Here are 2 posts on the matter, the CDC's &  HIV.Gov.  Both have information on how HIV affects Gay men  the issues surrounding the point.  Both sites are good sources of info on these & other matters.  

Today's the last trash day of the month.   Just a few other errands for us today.  

Take care.

Cya...

  

Maybe Nothing...

 

Unless something changes there may nothing for us to do today.  That means no car drama, bill paying, shopping, appointments, etc...  People need days like this occasionally.  There's no need to fill every moment.  A lot of people need to learn that.  

Next week will be hurried & rushed, but it'll be the 1st of the month with appointments as well.  That's all for now.  Take care.

Cya...

Last Week...

 

September's winding down & that leaves 3 months in 2023.  I don't expect of the remainder of the year to be better.  It'd be nice if it didn't get any worse.  I think all we have to do this week is our typical stuff.  That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

STI's Soar, Condoms Ignored...

 

This article & others have detailed the constant push PrEP & treatment over condom usage.   In the early 2000s, Syphilis was nearly eradicated.  The transmission of it & many other STIs wear declining.  That's no longer the case.  Many are roaring back & some are becoming drug resistant.   Now they're push a post application to prevent these STIs.  It's an antibiotic called doxycycline, also referred to as Doxy-PEP.  

So instead of pushing condoms, they opt for expensive medications before & after.  Who's benefiting here?  That's easy, the drug companies are raking in the cash & many health professionals are getting incentives to promote PrEP & PEP over condoms.  They've turned this into medical fashion & condoms are so passé.  

More cash is spent on meds.  More diseases occur needing more meds.  Therefore more is spent on meds.   Only the pharma companies gain.   Condoms are relatively cheap & work against STIs, not just HIV.  They're also birth control. 

Doxycycline isn't expensive, but it is does need a prescription.  There's a doctor's visit.  Also another drug in your system.  This med is a Tetracycline antibiotic.  It's old school.  How long before it's ineffective against these STIs?  Certain people shouldn't take Tetracycline, younger & pregnant.  It has a host of interactions & reactions for some people.  I tolerated it fine, but some don't. 

Between PrEP, Doxy-PEP, doctor visits & lab work; you could easily spend between $25K - 40K annually depending on your med needs, residence & insurance/assistance.  Whereas condoms sold in quantity are under a buck a piece.  There are places that will provide free condoms.  So if you're a F'Bunny & needed like 3 a day everyday, that'd be like just under 1,100 condoms.  Amazon & other online suppliers sell packs of 1K condoms for $150 - $200.  So a little over that is still just a fraction of PrEP cost without doctors or drug issues.

Choosing PrEP over condoms or choosing treatment as prevention are incredibly stupid options.  They don't work better than condoms & cost a fortune.  But by all mean buy that pharma CEO his next gold toilet & ivory back scratcher. 

Cya...