I find myself in an incredible catch 22 right now. To continue my infusion treatment with Radicava, in Wisconsin, I have been told I have to get a doctors order from a physician in Wisconsin so Radicava can send a nurse over to place the port. Even though a nurse has come over once to place the port, Radicava is saying that I have to go to a doctor in Wisconsin before they can send the nurse out again. They suggested a general care physician. Then, this is what I got from my ALS doctor in Texas about how to get a doctor in Wisconsin. "Unfortunately, a doctor cannot write orders for a patient they have not personally evaluated. You might contact one of the ALSA affiliated clinics in Wisconsin (sites will be listed on ALSA website)." So the way I read this is that I have to go to an ALS doctor in Wisconsin, have them diagnose me with ALS again before I can get the order. And it took me three months to get an appointment in Texas when I moved there. So I called my nurse at Radicava and told them what was going on and that I was willing place the needle myself as I had been trained to do that before. (Yes, I left out the fact I failed and it was harder than I thought, but I think I have a better idea now and without a nurse hovering over my shoulder constantly giving me feedback while I attempt this procedure was not helpful.) Of course this was beyond her level of authority to approve but in the only good news, she is going to kick it upstairs to Keith who is the guy was that okay with me doing it by myself. So, stay tuned, I should hear from Keith on Monday. And if the answer is no, I will hope I can persuade them to ship the next round of treatment and do it myself as the shipment includes two sets of needles and i have one leftover from the last cycle.
Russ
