Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

[mlooney 3,417]

At the shrink now, not sure if this is going to be a change in drugs or not.

[mlooney 3,417]

No change in primary meds, but added a sleep aid, because my sleep hours are for crap and he wants that taken care of.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

The sleep aid worked.  Ironically it was my alarm I set to remind me to go to sleep now that woke me up tonight.  Said alarm has been deleted.  However this is not my happy face as I'm not quite sure what to do now to return to sleep.  About half of my brain is saying take another, but the other half is saying overdosing on strong sleep aids, even by one pill, is historically been a bad idea for a lot of people.  I think I going to have a glass of milk and read something boring for a while and see what that does.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

5 hours ago, mlooney said:

The sleep aid worked.  Ironically it was my alarm I set to remind me to go to sleep now that woke me up tonight.  Said alarm has been deleted.  However this is not my happy face as I'm not quite sure what to do now to return to sleep.  About half of my brain is saying take another, but the other half is saying overdosing on strong sleep aids, even by one pill, is historically been a bad idea for a lot of people.  I think I going to have a glass of milk and read something boring for a while and see what that does.

Benadryl and milk.

[mlooney 3,417]

18 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Benadryl and milk.

Actually not getting up and doing anything seemed to have worked.

[mlooney 3,417]

Sleep aid seems to be working as designed.  I may have to adjust what time I take my drugs however, as taking them at 20:00 results in the 8-9 hours of sleep ending around 5:00, which is just a tad bit early for me.  I'm thinking 23:00 would be a good time.  That gives me until 7:00 to 8:00 roughly. Also think I need to adjust all my computer/phone based alarms to reflect this new schedule.

[PSadlon 88]

I just checked my dental coverage for reasons. Apparently i's half decent. No braces but I don't know anything that covers that.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

I sit here, wide awake, just past 2:30 a.m., with sinuses that are simultaneously clogged and dripping down my throat. It's my right sinus that's giving me the most grief—the one that I had an operation on last year. I don't know what the hell that doctor did, but he's made my problems while trying to sleep worse. My snoring wakes me up at times. At others, it keeps me from falling asleep, especially when I get into "singing uvula" mode (it really does sound like I'm singing at times).

I've taken Sudafed and Benadryl and am contemplating another dose of hydroxyzine to make the post-nasal drip stop. This is on top of the twice-daily dose of Afrin 12-hour nose spray that I can only take for three days in a row before having to take a day off of it (a.k.a. "a Sudafed day"). I've also been using a saline spray to try and clear things out, but whatever's clogging my left sinus won't blow out. Gargling doesn't help either.

Update: extra hydroxyzine dose taken.

I'm seriously considering going back to the ENT doctor and asking him what the fork he did to me. I'll probably need a new referral from my primary doctor first, so I'm going to have to put up with a delay while that gets processed. I might even have to have a sleep study done—had one before, hated it, itched from having my chest dry-shaved for more than a week.

Has anyone here tried that Navage thingy they keep advertising on TV? It looks like a messy, silly scam, but I'm getting desperate and don't want to go to a neti pot or whatever that spray sinus cleaner is (tried 'em, couldn't stick with 'em).

Now my thoat is getting sore. Man, I can't win for losing tonight.

[Don Edwards 548]

Prof: Cardiologist wants my mate to take a sleep test - of a variety where she'd pick up a device from his office, wear it on one wrist overnight, and return it the next day.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

On 7/9/2016 at 11:09 AM, Don Edwards said:

Prof: Cardiologist wants my mate to take a sleep test - of a variety where she'd pick up a device from his office, wear it on one wrist overnight, and return it the next day.

Wish I could get away with that. I don't know what the fork they use around these parts.

Woke up with a sore throat again last night. Tried Irish Breakfast tea with Manuka honey and lemon juice. Seemed to work a bit better, but now I'm out of Manuka honey and Mrs. Prof would shoot me if I spent $25 on a smallish bottle of the stuff again. As I tweeted last night, maybe I should go back to my great-grandmother's cure: honey, lemon juice, and whiskey. It might not work as well, but I wouldn't give a damn afterwards (assuming I survived the drug interactions).

Today is a Sudafed day. Sinuses definitely not happy.

Also, had a med check with the psychiatrist on Tuesday. Asked him again why I'm constantly tired, told him my depression is trying to take hold again. He suggested trying a doubling of my Trintellix dose. Can't afford to spend $190 a month on something that might not solve the problem, sorry.

[PSadlon 88]

So I finally got an appointment for an optometrist at 1 PM on August  12. I need it; I've been far too long without glasses. I'm sick of the eyestrain and fatigue. Even though it's been a year and a half since I could wear them, I miss the feel of them on my face (as in it feels like they should be there but are just not there if you know what I mean). But mostly, I just wish I had my near vision again.

[banneret 45]

I picked up new glasses eight months ago, with a major jump from my last pair. As of last month, I've been having a lot of eyestrain again. I hope that it is simply that the glasses aren't adjusted correctly, because the alternative - that my eyes are degenerating rapidly - would be very hard to stomach on top of everything else.
 

[The Old Hack 2,448]

2 hours ago, banneret said:

I picked up new glasses eight months ago, with a major jump from my last pair. As of last month, I've been having a lot of eyestrain again. I hope that it is simply that the glasses aren't adjusted correctly, because the alternative - that my eyes are degenerating rapidly - would be very hard to stomach on top of everything else.
 

Hm. I think a visit to the opthalmologist may be in order, just in case. Hopefully it won't be bad, but if there is a real problem, the sooner it is caught the better.

I hope it will turn out to be manageable!

[PSadlon 88]

The new dosage of cymbalta really seems to help keep the depression under control but damn I am out on my feet.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

1 hour ago, PSadlon said:

The new dosage of cymbalta really seems to help keep the depression under control but damn I am out on my feet.

Hopefully you will adjust to that. It is so important to keep the depression at bay, though.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

13 hours ago, PSadlon said:

The new dosage of cymbalta really seems to help keep the depression under control but damn I am out on my feet.

Glad to hear it. Watch out for "the cliff," though. I was on the maximum dose of Cymbalta for a couple of years before its effectiveness fell off, but when it did fall off, it did so rather rapidly. Stay vigilant.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Glad to hear it. Watch out for "the cliff," though. I was on the maximum dose of Cymbalta for a couple of years before its effectiveness fell off, but when it did fall off, it did so rather rapidly. Stay vigilant.

I must have been extraordinarily fortunate. I've been on an intermediate dose of Effexor for more than a decade now but still haven't experienced 'the cliff.' Mind you, I am not complaining.

[mlooney 3,417]

1) Old Hack, I'm glad I'm not you.  Effexor and I have issues.

2) There is something deeply unfair about being on drugs that will not let you drink a good cider, but as a side effect, you some times wake up feeling like you are hung over.  Like today.  I would say "this morning, but it's 15:00 right now.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

12 hours ago, mlooney said:

There is something deeply unfair about being on drugs that will not let you drink a good cider, but as a side effect, you some times wake up feeling like you are hung over.

Prescription hangover. Not fair indeed. I've just said "screw it" at times and had the cider anyway, as long as I was far enough in between doses. Results vary.

[mlooney 3,417]

I have about 50 Restorils, a prescription sleep aid.  Taking just one last night was one of harder things I have done in a while.  I've lost so much over the last 8 years and Ashley was the last living thing from that life.  What stopped me?  Someone bought a copy of my first RPGNOW product, a 6 year old bêta test of a project that was the for runner of Edge of Imperial Space, aka project X.  Knowing that at least one total stranger was interested in what I was doing made me stop and think about myself.

So I just took my normal drugs and will finish EoIS for both Keenii and  Ashley, my cats and for  Donald McKinney, my first editor who really wanted a product like mine to exist.  Don died of a heart attack about a year ago.  I have 20 or so Adderall left and my shrink told me he would write a script for more info felt I needed it. I strongly suspect my sleeping habits for the next week or two are going to be my old time Army schedule, 24 on, 24 off, 8 hour day.  I know I can do that for years at a time.  Or a past me could, and he did it on just Dr. Pepper and tea.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

My sympathies, in full.

[PSadlon 88]

To quote, Mr Looney's oft used catchphrase, ;"This is not my happy face." I am just about to try to remove the latest obstacle in my quest to get glasses. While my variety of double vision is a vision issue correctable by glasses, it is also, apparently, considered a medical issue. Since they have the world dumbest voice mail system all vision issues, even the medical ones, are immediately directed to the vision associate which does NOT handle medical issues, not even medical vision.

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

On August 14, 2016 at 3:39 AM, mlooney said:

I have about 50 Restorils, a prescription sleep aid.  Taking just one last night was one of harder things I have done in a while.  I've lost so much over the last 8 years and Ashley was the last living thing from that life.  What stopped me?  Someone bought a copy of my first RPGNOW product, a 6 year old bêta test of a project that was the for runner of Edge of Imperial Space, aka project X.  Knowing that at least one total stranger was interested in what I was doing made me stop and think about myself.

*hugs* Don't forget about all of us here!  I want to see this project of yours, and the next one after that, too!  More than that, I love seeing your comments and sharing the enjoyment of EGS with you.  Remember the mantra of Callahan's Place, "Shared pain is reduced, shared joy is multiplied!"  Come here and unload if you need to, we'll be here.

Quote

I have 20 or so Adderall left and my shrink told me he would write a script for more info felt I needed it. I strongly suspect my sleeping habits for the next week or two are going to be my old time Army schedule, 24 on, 24 off, 8 hour day.  I know I can do that for years at a time.  Or a past me could, and he did it on just Dr. Pepper and tea.

Seems like I have times when my body/brain just doesn't want to stick to a normal sleep-seven-to-eight-hours-every-twenty-four schedule.  But, I've read a lot of the research that says that's the healthiest schedule for a lot of different reasons, so I try not to get too far from it for too long.

They just had another study come out about the benefits of regular exercise for mental health.  A walk, a swim, a jog, whatever you can manage.  Get up and do jumping jacks or squats every hour when you're working at your desk, maybe?  You're welcome to mentally borrow my little papillon and picture him running around sniffing everything and playing with leaves while you're walking. :-)

However you can do it, please take care of yourself!  We don't want to lose you.

[ProfessorTomoe 1,308]

Saw regular doctor today for a Vitamin D level test (I have to take prescription-strength supplements). No results from the test yet, but found out I have a nasty upper respiratory infection (which I thought was just my allergies going wacko). Got a shot in the arse of cortisone and a prescription for Augmentin.

Also talked to the doctor about breakthrough pain I've been having in the old outer break zone of my left ankle. He upped my monthly allotment of Tramadol from 120 pills to 180 and said anything more would require what we both consider to be the Hell of Pain Management Doctors. I've been through that once—I have no intention of going through it again if I can help it.

[PSadlon 88]

This is not my happy face; this is my tell me why I should not raze your corporate main office to ground level and craft your CEO's skull into a drinking vessel face.

I'm kinda completely fed up with doctors' office staffs, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and insurance providers giving me the run around.