The cost of Zonisamide would have been extremely expensive if we were to have it filled at a regular pharmacy and run about $200 a month for Brady's prescription but thank God once again that Dr. Katherman directed us to Costco to have the prescription filled. The cost there was only $25.00!!! How wonderful!
How can the other pharmacies get away with charging such a ludicrous amount?!
One would expect it to probably be higher at an ordinary pharmacy, but almost 10 times higher? That's pure highway robbery!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
December 15th, the day we get in to see the neurologist
As I wrote in the previous post after Brady's seizure at 10:27pm on December 14th, we tried to get some sleep so we would be somewhat fresh for our visit with Dr. Katherman. At 3:15am we were awaken by Brady have another grand mal seizure, this made 5 within a 20 hour period! I gave him a valium suppository once it was over but before he got on his feet. At this point both Jeff and I were a complete nervous wreck! Brady came out of the seizure fairly quickly as usual and seemed to be okay, but we were terrified that another one would start up.
Knowing that the neurologist's office was connected to the Emergency Vet, we decided to get ready and leave to make our trip to Yorktown. Our thoughts were that if another seizure did come on and it ended up being an emergency then at least we would be in route or have already arrived. We pulled out of our driveway at 4:20am and arrived in Yorktown a little after 6:00am.
Thank God Brady didn't have any more seizures and we didn't need to go to the Emergency Vet.
But at least we were there if the need arose. Our appointment wasn't until 11:00am, but once the office opened I went in to let the staff know what had been going on with Brady. The receptionist said that the Doctor would be in shortly and would be seeing us soon. It was about 9:30 am when we met with the Dr. Katherman. We were very pleased and impressed with both her and her staff. They were all very informative, helpful and compassionate. After talking with us at length about idiopathic epilepsy and the various methods and drugs of treatment, Dr. Katherman told us that her plan for Brady was to leave him on his current medications and to bring another AED (add-on epileptic drug) on board by the name of Zonisamide. It is a human anti-epileptic drug that has recently been used with great success in some dogs. We were cautioned that every epileptic dog is different and what may work for one may not work for another. Brady started on Zonisamide that very day. We left Dr. Katherman's office on what started out as a somber, dreary day with a new ray of hope!
Knowing that the neurologist's office was connected to the Emergency Vet, we decided to get ready and leave to make our trip to Yorktown. Our thoughts were that if another seizure did come on and it ended up being an emergency then at least we would be in route or have already arrived. We pulled out of our driveway at 4:20am and arrived in Yorktown a little after 6:00am.
Thank God Brady didn't have any more seizures and we didn't need to go to the Emergency Vet.
But at least we were there if the need arose. Our appointment wasn't until 11:00am, but once the office opened I went in to let the staff know what had been going on with Brady. The receptionist said that the Doctor would be in shortly and would be seeing us soon. It was about 9:30 am when we met with the Dr. Katherman. We were very pleased and impressed with both her and her staff. They were all very informative, helpful and compassionate. After talking with us at length about idiopathic epilepsy and the various methods and drugs of treatment, Dr. Katherman told us that her plan for Brady was to leave him on his current medications and to bring another AED (add-on epileptic drug) on board by the name of Zonisamide. It is a human anti-epileptic drug that has recently been used with great success in some dogs. We were cautioned that every epileptic dog is different and what may work for one may not work for another. Brady started on Zonisamide that very day. We left Dr. Katherman's office on what started out as a somber, dreary day with a new ray of hope!
The seizure clock resets on December 14, 2009
It had been 46 days without any seizures until 7:24am on the morning of December 14th when Brady had a grand mal. It lasted for 2 or 3 minutes and he came out of it fairly quickly. He seemed fine once it was over, ravenous, but otherwise fine. He is always ravenous afterward. I gave him 5mg of oral valium once it was over.
At 7:55am, 30 minutes after the first one, had another grand mal, which again lasted 2-3 minutes. This time I gave him a valium suppository (34.7mg) before he was up on his feet. At 8:10am, only 15 minutes from the second seizure, he had a third grand mal seizure which lasted 2-3 minutes. I gave him another valium suppository before he was up on his feet. After the third seizure he seemed much more uncoordinated than usual but within an hour's time he was okay.
At 8:40am we took him to Dr. Slayman; however; he stayed in the car with Jeff. She didn't feel the need to see him. And thank God he didn't have any further seizures. She directed me to increase the Potassium Bromide to 900mg from 600mg for 10 days and then to put him on a maintenance dose of 750mg once per day. We were instructed to leave the phenobarbital at 97.2 twice per day.
During my conversation with her that morning she asked me how I would feel about taking Brady to a neurologist and my answer was that I was definitely all for it!
I would have gone that day if possible. Her response was that I more than likely wouldn't be able to get in to see the specialist until after the first of the new
year. Once we were home I called the neurologist's office and she had a available appointment the very next day on December 15! Wow! I know that no one other than God had a hand in this! I am so thankful that we would be seeing a doctor who specializes in neurology, not to mention the fact that we were getting in right away. For the first time in quite a while, I felt very hopeful!
Brady did well throughout the rest of the day on December 14th, but unfortunately suffered another grand mal seizure that night at 10:27pm. This made 4 seizures that day! We were starting to get terribly worried by now. Once the seizure was over and before he was up on his feet I gave him a valium suppository and 2 phenobarbital pills (64.8mg). Finally, we were all able to settle down and went to bed to see if sleep would come.
At 7:55am, 30 minutes after the first one, had another grand mal, which again lasted 2-3 minutes. This time I gave him a valium suppository (34.7mg) before he was up on his feet. At 8:10am, only 15 minutes from the second seizure, he had a third grand mal seizure which lasted 2-3 minutes. I gave him another valium suppository before he was up on his feet. After the third seizure he seemed much more uncoordinated than usual but within an hour's time he was okay.
At 8:40am we took him to Dr. Slayman; however; he stayed in the car with Jeff. She didn't feel the need to see him. And thank God he didn't have any further seizures. She directed me to increase the Potassium Bromide to 900mg from 600mg for 10 days and then to put him on a maintenance dose of 750mg once per day. We were instructed to leave the phenobarbital at 97.2 twice per day.
During my conversation with her that morning she asked me how I would feel about taking Brady to a neurologist and my answer was that I was definitely all for it!
I would have gone that day if possible. Her response was that I more than likely wouldn't be able to get in to see the specialist until after the first of the new
year. Once we were home I called the neurologist's office and she had a available appointment the very next day on December 15! Wow! I know that no one other than God had a hand in this! I am so thankful that we would be seeing a doctor who specializes in neurology, not to mention the fact that we were getting in right away. For the first time in quite a while, I felt very hopeful!
Brady did well throughout the rest of the day on December 14th, but unfortunately suffered another grand mal seizure that night at 10:27pm. This made 4 seizures that day! We were starting to get terribly worried by now. Once the seizure was over and before he was up on his feet I gave him a valium suppository and 2 phenobarbital pills (64.8mg). Finally, we were all able to settle down and went to bed to see if sleep would come.
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