Like Cyclone, I have just finished my 8th year since starting treatments. (RP was 12/27/2012) I have a short story for entertainment purposes....
I am on the same protocol as Mattam - Eligard and Xtandi. The Xtandi comes from a specialty pharmacy via FedEx. It comes in a bright yellow plastic bag that has a big black "C" at the top with a bio-hazard symbol in the middle and under that is "WARNING-CHEMOTHERAPY DRUG!" and a statement along the lines of 'don't even think about
touching this stuff'. Pretty scary the first time you see it. The bag is in a regular FedEx shipping box that I have to sign for. I got a grant that covered the co-pay until Dec 31, when it expired.
Last Friday I ordered January's script
so the copay would be covered.
The pharmacy set it to ship this past Monday for delivery Tuesday. Monday, the hospital called and told me I had to be there Tuesday to set up my next radiation series and get some more sexy tattoos. (ORIOLE type spot + pelvic lymph node salvage) I called the pharmacy and had the shipment re-routed to a local pharmacy where I went in to pick it up Wednesday - an alternative offered by the pharmacy and FedEx.
While I watched myself on the cashiers window video waiting to be cashed out, I looked around. The pharmacy area was an
open space about
20' by 30', there were 3 pharmacists on duty. Right in the middle of that
open area was a small cardboard box with a paper on top sitting on a stool. The workers avoided it like the plague as they moved around the room. When 1 came to the window, I told her I was there to pick up a script
that had come FedEx. Her eyes got big and she looked at that box. Another worker called out "He has to sign that paper." She walked over to the box and gingerly picked up the paper between finger and thumb, walked it over to me and had me sign it. She then went back and picked up the box with a finger and thumb on 2 opposite corners of the box as though the box was full of used kitty litter or something along those lines. She walked back to the counter and hurriedly pushed the box through the window to me as the other pharmacists nervously watched with bulging eyes. I noted that they had
opened the box, which explained the stress levels and the solitary stool sitting in the
open central area, as they had no doubt taken 1 look at that bright yellow bag and decided nobody wanted to touch it or even get close to it.
I had pulled out my drivers license, so I asked her if she wanted to make sure I was me. She gave it a very brief cursory glance and wished me a nice day and bye-bye. She stopped and said she was so sorry that I was in such a bad place that I had to take this drug. I told her thanks, but it was OK as it had put the brakes on my cancer so it was worth it.
I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief behind me as I walked away. They may get used to having the Xtandi around as that was very convenient and I have another year of Xtandi script
to go still.
Just another entertaining aspect of PCa treatment.....or working in a pharmacy.
