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ProfessorTomoe

Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

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41 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:
14 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

Still didn't hear from my psychiatrist today. For his sake, I hope he's stuck in Houston. I'm not a camper of the happy type.

You'd think they'd at least have the receptionists tell people if that were the case.

Mine apparently did today, calling the situation "unacceptable."

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10:23 p.m. CDT 20170901. My psychiatrist finally called several hours ago. Fat lot of help he was. He wanted to put me back on older antidepressants which I switched away from because they no longer worked. He was also surprised at the amount of anti-anxiety medication that I was on, despite the fact that I've been on it for at least ten years. I asked him if there was any advice he could give me. He said I should try and find a support group. He referred to my problem as just an issue with losing "granny." I told him it was more than that—it was losing a very big chunk of my life. I then got very curt with him and ended the phone call.

The only good thing to come from today is that Mrs. Prof brought home a chocolate shake, and even then I had to take a Zofran as a preventative measure. I'm still goofy from it, but I could give an [expletive deleted] at the moment.

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4 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

10:23 p.m. CDT 20170901. My psychiatrist finally called several hours ago. Fat lot of help he was. He wanted to put me back on older antidepressants which I switched away from because they no longer worked. He was also surprised at the amount of anti-anxiety medication that I was on, despite the fact that I've been on it for at least ten years. I asked him if there was any advice he could give me. He said I should try and find a support group. He referred to my problem as just an issue with losing "granny." I told him it was more than that—it was losing a very big chunk of my life. I then got very curt with him and ended the phone call.

The only good thing to come from today is that Mrs. Prof brought home a chocolate shake, and even then I had to take a Zofran as a preventative measure. I'm still goofy from it, but I could give an [expletive deleted] at the moment.

The problem with psychiatrists is that a significant proportion of them go 'quack quack quack' and fly south for the winter. :mad:

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On 9/3/2017 at 0:33 AM, CritterKeeper said:

Here, now you can give two!

I'll take it. Thanks.

9:42 a.m. CDT 20170904. It's been a few days since I tried my protein coffee. I gave it another shot this morning. I think that's the last shot I'll be giving it. It's given me an upset stomach. I hadn't eaten anything, but that usually doesn't make a difference with coffee, protein or not. And, stubborn-assed me, I'm not going to give it the courtesy of a Zofran or a Phenergan. It can sit down there and grumble all it wants—I'm not giving in. All you're getting is a simethicone gel-cap, jerk.

Can you tell my mood is less than optimal? I don't know why. Could be the proximity to my grandmother's funeral. Could also be the footnote that my sister added to the funeral announcement that I saw after sending flowers (and after making pleas here) about, "In lieu of flowers, send donations to ...." Well, by God, she's my grandmother, and if I can't be at her funeral, then there's going to be some sort of physical presence from me (and @The Old Hack and anyone else who sent something—thank you!) there for her service!

But I digress.

Mrs. Prof has been trying to treat my depression with varying forms of chocolate. A shake, pudding, and most recently, brownies from Pizza Hut. I'm going to let her have the last brownie, just for her being nice. Gotta say it's perked me up a little bit, as long as I don't invoke a Zofran emergency. Earlier, I would have just brooded about the above two paragraph topics. With some theobromine in my system, I'm able to properly vent in the right directions.

I think I'm going to go and get a regular cup of coffee now and see how my stomach handles it.

EDIT: Regular coffee helped tremendously. Going back to toss the protein mix in the trash.

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On 9/2/2017 at 2:27 AM, The Old Hack said:

The problem with psychiatrists is that a significant proportion of them go 'quack quack quack' and fly south for the winter. :mad:

"I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that students go into psychology for ulterior motives. Either they want to learn how to manipulate people, or they're kooky. So, is it really any wonder that the basic psychological model of the mind is that of a manipulative kook?" -- Dr. Queller

Same applies, to at least some degree, to psychiatrists, but they can do it with drugs too.

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I saw my pain management doctor at the hospital today (as mentioned elsewhere) to discuss the caudal epidural procedure and to get a refill of my pain medication. I told him I only got about 10-15% relief of my back pain overall, and only for a few days. We discussed several options and several other problems he's found with me, including a sacroiliac disorder. What we settled on is a trial of a neural stimulizer that works at 10,000 Hz and, so he says, will allow me to drive if it blocks the pain. It's going to have to work on both flare-up muscular and static nerve pain (I have the former on the left and the latter on the right), plus on pain coming from my ankles. Anyway, I'll get a call for a surgical implant date soon.

When I got home, I had voice mail from another doctor about the lesion on my ear. I was under the impression I was being referred to a dermatologist, but it turns out I'm being referred to a skin cancer center.

Joy.

I called back about 8 minutes past closing time. I'm going to have to call back tomorrow.

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3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I saw my pain management doctor at the hospital today (as mentioned elsewhere) to discuss the caudal epidural procedure and to get a refill of my pain medication. I told him I only got about 10-15% relief of my back pain overall, and only for a few days. We discussed several options and several other problems he's found with me, including a sacroiliac disorder. What we settled on is a trial of a neural stimulizer that works at 10,000 Hz and, so he says, will allow me to drive if it blocks the pain. It's going to have to work on both flare-up muscular and static nerve pain (I have the former on the left and the latter on the right), plus on pain coming from my ankles. Anyway, I'll get a call for a surgical implant date soon.

When I got home, I had voice mail from another doctor about the lesion on my ear. I was under the impression I was being referred to a dermatologist, but it turns out I'm being referred to a skin cancer center.

Joy.

I called back about 8 minutes past closing time. I'm going to have to call back tomorrow.

Guh. At least your pain management doctor still seems like he has his head screwed on straight. We'll await developments.

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2 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Guh. At least your pain management doctor still seems like he has his head screwed on straight. We'll await developments.

Well, my primary care doctor said the lesion on my ear is probably a basal cell carcinoma. That explains the referral to a skin cancer center.

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10 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

However, after tonight, I'm questioning my recent use of Imodium, too.

Oww.

That is all.

Oh, I hate that.  Really hate that.

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WARNING: BODILY FUNCTIONS DESCRIBED BELOW

When I need Imodium, it's usually a very serious need. Before I went on opiates long term in 2009, I had IBS-D. Had it since 1976. It still flares up on me at times, with some seriously jet-propelled output. Those flare-ups absolutely require two pills. The most recent occasion wasn't one of those, but it was still bad enough and crampy enough to require a full single pill. Even a single pill can result in billiard balls or larger now, unfortunately. Last night wasn't so much size (it was billiard balls) as it was volume (it was almost a 9-ball rack).

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

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Nowhere near as bad a deal as the two of you seem to have, but...

I seem to react badly to something common in Chinese food.  There's one buffet near work, and when I eat there, lately there have been several times when the result was, well, Bristol 6 to 7.  It doesn't always happen, and it has occasionally happened after visiting other Chinese places.

Not only do I love Chinese food, but it is one of the few ways to have a variety of vegetables that I actually enjoy.  I consider it one of the healthier options for me to eat, and I really don't want to have to stop eating Chinese.  Best plan I can think of is to get a carryout box and get samples of my favorites, and then try one a day and see which one or ones cause the problem.

At least I seem to have reassured myself that it's not the milk they serve there, something many Chinese places don't even have available, let alone with unlimited refills.  I don't drink milk as often as I should, but I have drunk it and not had this issue.  But everything else I eat there is so yummy and healthy, I'd hate to not be able to eat any of it.

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6 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

Nowhere near as bad a deal as the two of you seem to have, but...

I seem to react badly to something common in Chinese food.  There's one buffet near work, and when I eat there, lately there have been several times when the result was, well, Bristol 6 to 7.  It doesn't always happen, and it has occasionally happened after visiting other Chinese places.

Not only do I love Chinese food, but it is one of the few ways to have a variety of vegetables that I actually enjoy.  I consider it one of the healthier options for me to eat, and I really don't want to have to stop eating Chinese.  Best plan I can think of is to get a carryout box and get samples of my favorites, and then try one a day and see which one or ones cause the problem.

At least I seem to have reassured myself that it's not the milk they serve there, something many Chinese places don't even have available, let alone with unlimited refills.  I don't drink milk as often as I should, but I have drunk it and not had this issue.  But everything else I eat there is so yummy and healthy, I'd hate to not be able to eat any of it.

If you eat a lot of the rice, that could be the culprit. There is a myth that Japanese women are always constipated because of the amount of rice in the diet.

I've been considering trying this "DulcoEase® Stool Softener with HydroSoft Action" stuff to see if it works.

 

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Just now, ProfessorTomoe said:

If you eat a lot of the rice, that could be the culprit. There is a myth that Japanese women are always constipated because of the amount of rice in the diet.

Opposite problem, remember.  And I didn't eat any rice today.

 

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9 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

Not only do I love Chinese food, but it is one of the few ways to have a variety of vegetables that I actually enjoy.  I consider it one of the healthier options for me to eat, and I really don't want to have to stop eating Chinese.

It seems like most meats at Chinese buffets are breaded and then soaked in a sweet sauce. According to the Chinese-herbal-medicine specialist who helped my mate lose 65 pounds in 5 months, both the breading and the sweet sauce are on the "NEVER eat this!" list.

Look for a Mongolian grill - preferably one with "all you can eat" pricing (it seems only about a third - the better third - of Mongolian grills have that even as an option).  The routine at a good Mongolian grill is that you grab a bowl - or two or three - and go through the buffet area filling it with meats, veggies, and sauces (use lots of sauce, mix sauces if you like), then take it over to the grill and they cook your food for you. Less-good places might put the meat, and some even the sauces, behind a barrier and have the staff dish them out.

(If they want to cook your food BEFORE putting sauces on it - don't go back there again.)

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I don't generally eat the breaded stuff, and if I do I pull most if not all of the breading off.  I prefer to take the skin and breading off my fried chicken, too.  I love the Mongolian Stir-Fry option; unfortunately the one right near where I live, that had the most combinations of veg and lean meats and sauces, closed and reopened as a much more expensive sushi-oriented place.

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10:35 p.m. CDT 20170909. I'm starting to get a bit worried about my memory as related to my hydrocodone intake. As I've said before, I try to run on a 4am/10am/4pm/10pm schedule when I take my doses. Sometimes I wake up about an hour late for my first daily dose. The problem happens on days when Mrs. Prof leaves the house in the morning. For example, I fell asleep after she left this morning to go back to the pet adoption center. She says she called and told me something important, but I have absolutely zero recollection of the call. However, the call is on the call history—10:17 a.m. this morning. Scary.

I've told her that, in future situations, she should have me repeat what she says so that it sinks in. Or at least, I hope it'll sink in.

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9 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

10:35 p.m. CDT 20170909. I'm starting to get a bit worried about my memory as related to my hydrocodone intake. As I've said before, I try to run on a 4am/10am/4pm/10pm schedule when I take my doses. Sometimes I wake up about an hour late for my first daily dose. The problem happens on days when Mrs. Prof leaves the house in the morning. For example, I fell asleep after she left this morning to go back to the pet adoption center. She says she called and told me something important, but I have absolutely zero recollection of the call. However, the call is on the call history—10:17 a.m. this morning. Scary.

I've told her that, in future situations, she should have me repeat what she says so that it sinks in. Or at least, I hope it'll sink in.

Keep a little notebook with your phone, and make sure you write everything down.  Even if it seems like something you couldn't possibly forget, put it in the log anyway.

When I was on duty in the ICU overnight during vet school, there were at least a couple of Residents who, if we called them in the wee hours about a case, we had to keep talking for several minutes to make sure they were actually awake before making any new orders official; otherwise they'd have no memory of the call and might not have been awake enough to make sensible decisions.

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