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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Racer on April 26, 2004, at 21:59:06
Well, today we did talk about what happened last week, and it did turn out to be very much what I really hoped it had been -- miscommunication. It did center on that game of Telephone they play, where they talk about the clients amongst themselves -- in a structured way, of course -- and things get a little twisted in the process. I didn't ask directly, but said that I was torn between asking what happened, and not really wanting to know. The therapist volunteered the information I didn't quite want to ask for. So, I took it a step farther, and asked what she had told Dr EyeCandy about what was going on for me. She gave the talk about how everyone cares about me, and wants to help me, and said that she had told him I was worried about medications and it sounded as if he was frustrated by my cancelling appointments. While that last part doesn't help me any, since his frustration frightens me, it also eases some of my fears in a weird way.
The thing that worries me most right now, though, is that she was talking about Effexor today, as in, "...but would you be willing to take Effexor again?" Well, Effexor wasn't particularly effective for me when I was on it, it helped but didn't exactly control my depression. It came with some weird sensations that maybe I could handle if it worked better, it caused a semi-substantial weight gain (45+ pounds), and I had a LOT of breakthrough depression. I stopped it when the breakthrough depression became more frequent than the control of depression. Once I stopped it, without changing diet or exercise patterns, a fair amount of the weight came off. So, I'm in a real quandary: it sounds as if Dr EyeCandy wants to start Effexor again. Now, when we first started this, he wanted to start Effexor. I tried to tell him why I didn't want to do that, that it hadn't been very effective, that the breakthrough depression was a real problem, that the side effects were not a lot of fun, and that it finally just stopped working -- and then left me with an eight month withdrawal period. I guess that either didn't get through or didn't seem relevant to him. Still seems like a pretty compelling set of reasons to avoid it to me, but I'm willing to listen to reason. So, what do my reasonable people testers say? Is it time to give up on getting real relief and go for the Effexor, or do I dig in my heels and insist we try to find something that will actually work?
There are two psychological problems in this, by the way: one, it feels as if the therapist is urging me to take this drug, at the behest of Dr EyeCandy; and two, it worries me that this has come up AGAIN. This is the third time this has come up through the therapist, rather than the doctor, and that bothers me rather a lot. Any comments on that part of it? Oh, yeah, and it makes it harder for me to think of going in there and having to fight about Effexor again. I know that it might provide some temporary relief, which maybe I need, but I don't have any long term hope for it, and since we're talking about finding something that I'll probably be taking for the rest of my life, I want some hope that it'll work for a while. That really doesn't seem to be too much to ask, does it? And having to go through the withdrawal again when it stops working, and then start all over with all the other drugs? Why not just try to find something better now?
Oh, and no one has bothered to call back with the test results. Damn them. Rat bastards, it would take how long, exactly, to set my mind at ease? Or, of course, to worry me to death, but let's be positive, right?
Posted by Racer on April 27, 2004, at 9:23:55
In reply to Today's session..., posted by Racer on April 26, 2004, at 21:59:06
I did get a partial answer about something unrelated to the liver problem: I've been feeling very weak lately, and starting to have trouble with walking into walls, falling down, feeling wobbly, and so on. When they took my blood pressure before the scan yesterday, while I was very, very tense, it was 104/52. That's not exactly normal for me...
So, I'm guessing the top number might have been high because of the tension, but what can be done to bring that lower number up a bit? Anyone know?
And my husband and I went out to try to find a pair of shorts that fit me. No joy. We went to Nordstrom, where I tried on a bunch of shorts, but I swear they were mislabelled for size. Now my husband is convinced I'm totally insane, since I kept saying that I wasn't the size shown on the shorts -- that the size on the shorts was smaller than the shorts were, to convince people they were smaller than they really were. Argh!
{{sigh}} Gotta get out the sewing machine, which I don't want to do. When I take over the universe, I'm going to stock stores with well made clothes that fit real people well -- AND HAVE STANDARDIZED SIZING!!!
Posted by NikkiT2 on April 27, 2004, at 13:56:00
In reply to Oh, and... (calling dr shar), posted by Racer on April 27, 2004, at 9:23:55
Hey racer!
I suffered low blood pressure problems on holiday, and a yoga expert helped me out and he managed to get it up enough for me stopping being all wobbly and wierd.. I can't tell you what he did with me as I know nothing of Yoga, but maybe theres someone in your area that can help with it.
I really hope things strat improving for you much much more.. I do read here every day, and send lots of thoughts out to people.. I just find the words so hard to find
Nikki xx
Posted by Racer on April 27, 2004, at 18:54:07
In reply to Oh, and... (calling dr shar), posted by Racer on April 27, 2004, at 9:23:55
Shar, could you email me for a consultation? babbler39 at excite dot com I have a question about what something means, and I suspect I know, but I want some reassurance -- even if it's only, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, it really is that bad..." Could you do that?
Posted by shar on April 29, 2004, at 14:41:36
In reply to Dr Shar? Are you in?, posted by Racer on April 27, 2004, at 18:54:07
Racer,
I'm so sorry to be so late in replying. I haven't been looking in too frequently. I will indeed email you! And, I agree about mis-sized clothing; it's a fact, if you compare a size 8 pattern from 20 years ago and a size 8 pattern of today--they are different dimensions. So--at least on that count--you are perfectly sane!!!Shar
This is the end of the thread.
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