[hamster-bamster]

I am very indebted to my former p-doc, an Indian woman. She held my hand through a crisis, seeing me weekly and never rushing me. She took care of everything. She talked to me a lot and her smile itself was healing (she has a mouthful of pearls). She prescribed a tiny dose of Prozac to me and even though I did not believe at all that Prozac would do anything, it really did everything without side effects.

Diwali is on the 13th. Is it the kind of holiday on which people send each other cards or not? If it is appropriate, I would like to send her a thank you card. I just don't know whether Diwali is the right occasion. If it is not, I will just send her a regular thank you card.

[Confusedinomicon]

I honestly don't think it matters when you send the thank you card. I think she will appreciate it at any time of the year because she will know a patient has fully acknowledged what she's done for them.

I also don't think you should spend a large portion of the card talking about prozac and its benefits to you. (I have a feeling you would do this based on your analytically style of writing) Make it more about appreciating her being there...more emotional-related stuff. People love sentimental cards.

Like..talk about how you're doing, but don't make that the focal point.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Confusedinomicon

I honestly don't think it matters when you send the thank you card. I think she will appreciate it at any time of the year because she will know a patient has fully acknowledged what she's done for them.

I also don't think you should spend a large portion of the card talking about prozac and its benefits to you. (I have a feeling you would do this based on your analytically style of writing) Make it more about appreciating her being there...more emotional-related stuff. People love sentimental cards.

Like..talk about how you're doing, but don't make that the focal point.

Well, Prozac was her winning solution. 1) first AD used, no trial and error 2) I did not believe in it but she insisted and was right 3) it started working after several days only 4) she guessed right what dose (the smallest possible) would do the trick 5) no side effects. So I think I should tell her that among other things, no?

[Confusedinomicon]

If it were me, I would also want to know the sentimental value she had on your life.

I think that you have a tendency to make irrational choices but you see the world through rationals. So you don't always see the value of being sentimental because you don't get the same "mushy gushy" feelings of knowing someone really appreciated it. You can tell you think more rigidly because your posts tend to examine as opposed to express an emotion. Like, I know you're expressing your emotions but I can't always identify with that expression. (There is nothing wrong with this either! Everyone is hardwired differently.)

So I think that you should talk about the AD but put an emphasis on her as the doctor so she feels like you're writing a thank-you about her suggestion AND her as a person.

Does that make sense?

Please don't get the idea I'm attack you or your posting-style. I'm not.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Confusedinomicon

If it were me, I would also want to know the sentimental value she had on your life.

I think that you have a tendency to make irrational choices but you see the world through rationals. So you don't always see the value of being sentimental because you don't get the same "mushy gushy" feelings of knowing someone really appreciated it. You can tell you think more rigidly because your posts tend to examine as opposed to express an emotion. Like, I know you're expressing your emotions but I can't always identify with that expression. (There is nothing wrong with this either! Everyone is hardwired differently.)

So I think that you should talk about the AD but put an emphasis on her as the doctor so she feels like you're writing a thank-you about her suggestion AND her as a person.

Does that make sense?

Please don't get the idea I'm attack you or your posting-style. I'm not.

Yes, it makes sense. I will probably post a draft for feedback.

[hamster-bamster]

Confused... you are so right...

Prozac is so minor among the things this Indian woman did for me...

I am off Prozac already for 3-4 weeks and doing fine - it was very helpful back then but I do not need it for life...

In April of last year, ex told me to leave California for good and never contact the kids in his lifetime. He said that he would make sure that in his lifetime he would not let me contact the kids. He said that it is hard for him to live in the Bay Area where everything reminds him of me but if I were to leave for good, he would have a chance of making peace with the area, in my absence and only in my absence. I started thinking of where to go. My only hope for income was SSDI. I would get $1350 a month in SSDI based on prior earnings. SSDI takes years to receive. I started thinking where to go. I looked at really cheap states such as Dakota. Then I realized that I would not be able to survive there because I depend on the availability of Lifeway Plain Nonfat Kefir for physical survival and it is not distributed in the middle of nowhere. I went to the Lifeway website to check where it is distributed. I wanted to go to a state where I could cross country ski, to get something good for myself besides the self-sacrifice. That also would have ensured never running into Fyodor again because he hates cold weather. I finally chose Minneapolis.

I then went to this Indian psychiatrist at Santa Clara Mental Health (she later transferred to VA to work with veterans and my current psychiatrist took over from her), for my weekly visit. She was seeing me weekly because I was high risk of a suicide attempt. She was trying to keep me out of hospital. She told me that the idea was ridiculous and that I should stay in the Bay Area until I get SSDI and she would sign all the medical statements I would need to get SSDI and help me in everything and then, after receiving SDDI but not before, I could think of moving. She said that my husband would somehow survive even with my presence in the Bay Area and that I should not be going to live in another state with no money, no support, no doctor there, and no nothing just because he demands it.


Crying now which almost never happens to me.

So yeah, I am indebted to her for much more than Prozac...

[Odee]

Funny! My current and previous psychiatrists are/were both Indian!

The previous guy was a total ***, knew exactly what he was going to give me pretty much before I came through the door, and constantly contradicted what I said. I am pissed that he tried giving me Pristiq instead of Effexor, considering that the former has no generic and is so very closely related to Effexor. During our second visit, he was still convinced that I was taking Pristiq although I demanded and received Effexor. Then we went through several minutes of a round about where he couldn't get it through his head that I never was given, tried, or was prescribed Pristiq, and the Effexor was prescribed by him and not before!! My account just didn't seem right to him!

I dropped him after the second time I saw him. I felt terribly bad for the people who rely on his services. He also had a thick accent. It made communication very difficult.

On to my excellent current Psychiatrist. She is likewise Indian, she has an obvious accent but not in a way that makes her harder to understand. In fact, the accent seems very pleasant to me.

[BlueInanna]

My favorite therapist was my daughter's from when she was 12/13. She was Indian, too
She gave my daughter a little glass Ganesha figurine which daughter loved, sadly brother smashed it in a rage.
But when my daughter o/d'd at 14, therapist rushed to PICU to see us, it was an amazing kindness and genuine care she showed us. I'm still so grateful, I should send her a note letting her know daughter is doing well. Such an intense job, I'd guess a kind gesture of thanks like a card would be very appreciated.

[AeonDM]

"Such an intense job, I'd guess a kind gesture of thanks like a card would be very appreciated."

I believe so.

[hamster-bamster]

I am so glad I did not send a Diwali card. It would have been less meaningful than what. Ican write now.