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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 13:23:39
Without having to check yourself into the hospital, how do you get help right now? Every doctor I've called has a six week waiting list. I don't want to go back into the hospital because other than a "vacation" away from my family they did nothing else for me! I don't know what to do. My pdoc has taken me off of everything he has put me on except 50mg of Seroquel and that does nothing other than knock me out and make me feel like crap the next day. He says there's nothing more that we can do right now since the ADs that I took didn't do any good. He stopped the Lamictal that I'd been on for a month because I started a rash after taking Bactrim for a kidney infection and stopped the Zoloft because of the side effects of that and the Seroquel. I have nothing now and I feel very bad. I suffer from major depression, anxiety and panic attacks, compulsive overeating and bipolar 2 with rapid cycling. I told him today how bad I feel and he just dismissed it. I feel so angry to the point of breaking things or hurting someone or myself and I'm wanting to eat everything in the house. The anxiety and depression are more than I can stand and all he could tell me was that he'd make me an appointment for next week to see what we could discuss trying. He said that the stopping of the Lamictal would not be causing these symptoms and since nothing else has worked(all I've tried are ADs.) he didn't know what else we could do. He told me to talk to my psychologist tomorrow when I go for my appointment about the anger and eating. He said there was not a medicine that could help with this! I guess he thinks the thoughts of suicide are bs and that waiting until tomorrow for a 45 minute therapy session is going to fix this. Must be nice to sit behind his desk and say,"Oh well." I'm not him and I guess I'm not his problem so who cares if I live or not? What do you do for help right away?
Posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 15:15:56
In reply to How do you get help NOW?, posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 13:23:39
You mean besides having fantasies of duct taping him to a chair and introducing him to reality?
I'm sorry, but I am absolutely outraged by that doctor, and I strongly encourage you to write a report about this to your state medical board. They probably won't do anything about it, but if someone else reports him within a year, they've got some more to investigate. That's just rotten behavior on his part. You deserve better. Heck, EVERYONE deserves better.
What to do right now, though, for you? Fire that doctor, which will give you a momentary feeling of strength and wellbeing. (Trust me on this one...) Then I'd call my GP and explain that my now-former pdoc stopped everything, that I'm feeling like doo-doo, and can't find anyone to see me within the next six weeks. Explain that that's too long, that you need something to tide you over, and ask if he/she knows another pdoc to recommend and can pull any strings to get you in faster. Or ask what the GP suggests, because you don't feel as though you need to be hospitalized, but you still can't make it through.
If that doesn't help, call your local Urgent Care center, and ask if you can get help there.
If none of that works, head to the ER. Tell them the truth: you don't need to be hospitalized, but stopping all the meds has sent you into a very bad state and you can't find a doctor who can see you within six weeks -- and you CANNOT wait that long. They can probably goose someone into making a bit of space, although maybe not the ideal pdoc for you. (If you end up going to the ER, remember to mention the part about stopping multiple drugs at one time, and doing it cold turkey.)
I'm very sorry you're dealing with this, and I'm outraged on behalf of anyone who has to see that pdoc. That just shouldn't happen.
And CEK? This is a story about a bad pdoc, not about you being bad. 'K?
Posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 15:17:00
In reply to How do you get help NOW?, posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 13:23:39
This is the same doctor who stopped your Topomax, even though it was working, right?
That's just outrageous, truly.
And I hope you feel better.
Posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 15:49:21
In reply to Re: How do you get help NOW?, posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 15:15:56
Racer, I just love you. Thank you for the responce. He is just horrible! It makes me want to drive the 100 miles to Memphis and cause a big scene in the middle of the waiting room! How he can say that he's treated patients for 35 years and then tell me medicines won't help my problems and basically slam the door in my face just sounds nuts to me. It makes me wonder what kind of problems his other patients have that he's been treating. What does he treat people for if he can't treat any of my problems? He has offered no help for depression, anxiety, panic attacks, anger, compulsive eating, nothing! Oh yeah, no help with the rapid cycling either. Evidently the Lamictal was doing something even though I had only been on it for a month, because since not taking it since Saturday, I feel worse. My mother thinks I should be fine without the meds because there is nothing going on bad in my life anymore. The doctors took me off of work because I can't function anymore and I am drawing my disability that I had through my work and my husband has been absolutely wonderful since my breakdown in January and other than that nothing else is bad. I tried to tell her that's the problem, I feel terrible even if there isn't anything necessarily to feel bad about. I told her that's part of my sickness. I told her I am sick, but she refuses to believe it. She thinks it all has to do with outside stressors, but they're not there anymore! My GP use to be wonderful about helping me with problems like my depression. She was the one that started me on ADs 6 years ago and when I had my breakdown she was the one that got me into the treatment center for a week. Since then it's like she's scared of me. She almost completely avoids my phone calls and I can't even get in to see her. I use to be able to call and either she'd squeeze me in with in a day of call me in something. Now that I have gotten this bad, she treats me like I'm out of her leage and she doesn't want to fool with me. She thinks I need to see someone else for my problems. I called her office last week and left her a message about if she could refer me to another pdoc (since this one is such a bite in the butt) and that everyone I called had a six week waiting list and I needed to see someone sooner. Her girl that makes the referred appointments called me back later that day to tell me she was only able to get me in to one doctor and that would be 6 weeks from then. I thought I would have more luck with a doctor referring me, but I didn't. It is so hard when it feels like the medical field has completely abandoned you. Even worse when the doctor that you have been seeing for 10 years brushes you off. I'm going to try the emergency room. I just hope that they don't try to commit me. I'm going to make sure that I don't mention the suicidal thoughts or they'll lock me up for sure. Done that before. I know it's only 3:00 but I took 25mg of Seroquel to see if it would put me to sleep. At least asleep I have some sort of escape. Thank you so much Racer.
Posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 16:22:37
In reply to PS » CEK, posted by Racer on April 4, 2006, at 15:17:00
Yup. Same doctor. He likes to stop things that seem to work and start ones that don't and then tell me that I'm broken and unfixable.
Posted by blueberry on April 4, 2006, at 19:55:55
In reply to How do you get help NOW?, posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 13:23:39
That doctor isn't going to do you any good. Any doctor that takes you off multiple meds so fast, tells you there is nothing that can be done, and shows no sense of urgency or compassion, is a disgrace. How people like that end up taking care of very ill people I have no idea. There are probably nurse practitioners that have a better handle on what to do than he does.
In any case, the only bandaid fix I can think of is the ER. Like Racer said, be honest with them how badly you've been handled. It might be a good idea to have an idea before you walk in as to what you want and specify why. For example, at least if you could calm down the anxiety and panic for a few weeks, you could survive long enough to see the next doctor...xanax for example, with its touch of antidepressant properties might be a half decent bandaid.
If the seroquel makes you feel bad, cut it in half for a night or two, then just a quarter for a night or two, and feel it out from there. Let how you feel be the guide.
The doctor is an idiot. I mean, maybe all you needed a swap to zyprexa from seroquel. Or a swap to lexapro from zoloft. Or depakote instead of seroquel. Or whatever. Even the most uneducated doctors know that if one doesn't work out, another probably will. Other choices are actually pretty simple and straight forward. No mention of a TCA instead of a AD+AP combo? No mention of another ssri? Remeron? Xanax? Depakote?(pretty good for anxiety and panic, with stunning antidepressant properties often the first day with some people). What an idiot doctor. So many choices, many more than the few I just thought of quickly, and he thinks there aren't any.
Posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 22:34:47
In reply to Re: How do you get help NOW? » CEK, posted by blueberry on April 4, 2006, at 19:55:55
I agree completely. Psycho-babble had opened me up to all of the possibilites out there. I didn't know there were so many. I just want to tell him to look here if he doesn't know. He'd choke my eye balls out. I've tried Effexor, Celexa, Paxil, Lexapro, Welbutrin, Cymbalta and Zoloft. Effexor was the only one that calmed the beast within at all. The depression was still there but then the rapid cycling started also. I wouldn't mind doing it again just to get rid of the anger and irritability. Since these ADs didn't work, he treats me like I'm hopeless. My sister has been pushing for the benzos since she takes them. I wish I could take her with me and let her get in his face. She has a low tolerance for bs and can be very assertive when it comes to me. ( I guess that's what big sisters are for.) I took Klonopin when I was in the hospital for my breakdown but didn't like it because all it did was make me sleepy. The anxiety was still raging. She said that was just that one, and maybe something else would work. I'm not in the situation to refuse any option. At first I said no, I'm not taking something that's known to cause weight gain or cause this side effect or that. Now, I'm like I don't care. Dope me out of my mind if you want. Just make all of this stop!
Posted by krystee on April 5, 2006, at 0:02:51
In reply to How do you get help NOW?, posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 13:23:39
There is no help for now besides the ER...if TN is anything like GA (where I am, btw) then they will definitely commit you if you even breathe a word regarding suicidal thoughts. The best I've ever gotten from the ER is a shot of ativan and one time they actually gave me a script to ativan for 3 days worth of it. Basically they ain't gonna give you more than a few days of anything though. I dunno what to tell you other than I am in exactly the same situation almost and I get to see someone on May 3rd. It sucks, but that's how it is.
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 5, 2006, at 13:02:10
In reply to Re: How do you get help NOW? » blueberry, posted by CEK on April 4, 2006, at 22:34:47
two possible ideas...
1. Ask your psychologist if s/he could refer you to someone. AND ask if s/he might call ahead for you to see if the pdoc would take you on. Now this requires a good relationship w/ your T, and if you don't have that it might not work. However, pdocs and t's often know each other and often owe each other favors ("If you can squeeze my patient in ASAP, I can do the same for your patient.") And T's often know which pdocs are really bad and should be avoided...
2. Call up GP's office again and make another plea. "I know you said that I could get in w/ someone in 6 weeks, but I'm nearly in crisis. I really need to get in sooner. Is there anything you can do?" If the scheduler girl can't do it, perhaps you could ask to have GP call you back and explain the situation to her directly. "Do you have any colleagues that might do you a favor to get me in?" At the very least, she might opt to rx some ativan so that you can make it to the pdoc appt.
Best,
EE
Posted by Caedmon on April 7, 2006, at 15:53:09
In reply to Re: How do you get help NOW?, posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 5, 2006, at 13:02:10
Your doctor is a complete idiot.
The ER is one option.
Go to a new doctor. Any GP. Tell the receptionist you need to see someone TODAY and feel free to make a scene.
CEK you need to at least be on a good mood stabilizer. Whatever that is. Depakote, Trileptal, Lamictal, Lithium, whatever. You have to stop the cycling first. Depakote is my recommendation, as it works very very fast (you can switch to something else if you find the side effects intolerable).
Risperdal or Valium have always been my emergency drugs of choice. Best of luck.
- C
This is the end of the thread.
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