Bipolar Check-In #38

Miss Laura,

I am sorry you are feeling alone without your sister.
Is there some healthy distraction you could involve yourself in for awhile?
How about a friend? Is there someone you can call and spend some time with?
I am so sorry you are without your meds. Do you have any meds to use over the weekend?

We are here for you. I enjoy having you posting with us!
I hope doing so is helpful to you!

Thanks, Wild Coyote.... I only have my meds before they got upped ie only 15mg instead of the 20mg and I don't have the Propanol as that's a new med.

I'm chatting online to people but I spend the weekend with my parents.

I don't have the energy to socialise with people sad I know

The vomiting has increased and happened the last two nights in a row, so no sleep. But I girdled my loins and made the doctor appointment today! It's not for almost two weeks but that was the soonest he had available. Meeting with my PCP isn't so bad but I dread the tests he's likely to order.

I hurt my back when I fell in the temple last week. It's not my muscle, it's the very last bone of my spine.

I can sit, walk, and stand but it's painful at certain angles and when I make certain moves. I also feel it when I'm sitting.

What a pain. I still smile when I think of how I fell on all those people I was so embarrassed!

Mood wise, I'm still the same but hanging on. Hoping the Mirapex kicks in soon. But I'm starting to think the dose I'm on is a little low. But I'll wait a couple of more weeks before I speak with my pdoc.

Just popping in to bring you glad tidings of good things! Have been well enough (and calm enough!) today to knit! Am working on a dog coat. Getting chilly up here in Canada. Fall leaves blowing off the trees. Wore my Winter clothes and jacket today and was still chilled. Nice to wear my snappy black-and-white vest the i knit tho! Had some hot chocolate. So nice to live where there is such a range of seasonal change. I don't really have to travel as it's a whole new world four times a year! Am happy to be in my second day of abstinence (Overeaters Anonymous [OA]). I've been going to OA for five weeks but was too busy and chaotic to make much progress. Finally have the time [and sense!] to take my eating seriously.

I feel wonderful!

Just had peanut butter toast (and milk) for dinner. The last two times I've eaten pb toast, I've gotten itchy- like I dropped toast crumbs down my shirt. But my lips itch and I feel itchy all over. I have allergies to seafood and THAT makes my tongue tingle and go numb! Years ago, I used to get hives from seafood but its gotten way worse in the last 18 years. The pb is just itching. I feel I need Benedryl. Ive got to take n3's gf home this evening still.

On the plus side, my dysphoria and the weird, I-am-on-the-wrong-planet sense I had yesterday are both better today. Was quite worried I was becoming psychotic, which is just awful for me when it happens. Thanks very much to everyone for the kind words and support yesterday. It really helps me. Not able to exercise today, due to just being sore from a tough ride yesterday. Not good when I don't exercise every day. Oh well. Had an early dinner and I will make it to bedtime I think without a disaster. Still need to make the bed. I think I can do it. Onward!

Please be careful, Moose.
Do you see an allergist? One might be able to help you sort out any new allergies?

I have seen an allergist. I tested positive for shellfish, fish, and dustmites. Maybe I need to go back? Maybe the dustmites are back? Its happened right after eating peanut butter toast.

I'm glad you have some of your meds.

It's great you get to spend the weekend with your parents. Do you do things together as a family?

I do understand your not having the energy to socialize.
I feel this way, often, too.

We all have some kind of difficulty or we would not be here.

You have a lot going for you, Miss Laura! I hope you can see what the rest of us see in you!

I hope you will have a fantastic weekend!!!

We are here with you!

Sometimes, the allergy in peanuts/peanut butter are peanuts; sometimes, the allergy is mold. Peanut butter can have a high mold count.

It sounds like you were reacting to something. Please be careful.

I looked it up and theres something in peanut butter- especially "healthy" fresh-ground pb in health food stores that causes liver cancer! The lowest amount is found in the big brands- Jiff, etc.

My ECT today was great. My doc expressed extreme gratitude for the tea that I gave her the last time I was there. I'm glad she liked it. I was fairly nervous making a flavour choice for someone else.
The part that wasn't so great was getting more oxygen than usual so my throat was especially dry. This meant that when we stopped for espresso and a brownie on the way home I could barely swallow.

I finally got my colonoscopy and endoscopy scheduled. Yesterday was a lot of stress related to the whole mess but today they called and have decided that it is too complex to do at the outpatient center and I'm having it at the main campus with general anesthesia. Sounds like overkill but whatever. I'm getting it done and I don't really care how. I'll just be glad to have it done. I'm not sure why this didn't come up as soon as I warned them I was on an MAOI but whatever. Yesterday I had them all freaking out because in trying to explain that I can't go off my MAOI for 2 weeks preop as the GI suggested I said I would get suicidal and they translated that into being off any of my meds would cause this. So they were wanting my pdoc to not just clear the MAOI but also testify that I wouldn't lose it entirely if they did this.

Again, just glad it worked out but really could have done without the added stress. Now I have to get through 24 hours without fruits or veggies, both of which I eat a ll the time, then 24 hours of clear fluids and bowel prep solution.

I can't wait to be done.

oh no! I hate it when it involves too much oxygen! It was so thoughtful of you to choose a tea as a gift to your doctor.

Were you able to enjoy the espresso and the brownie once the espresso helped your throat?

So glad it went well for you!

Gonna ride this weekend?

Just fruits and veg? I wasn't allowed to have nuts or seeds either. Good luck with the prep- Ii made it last time but that's a LOT of foul-tasting liquid!

Daonnachd, I agree with the above. I sometimes wake up with my mouth and throat sticking to itself my mouth is so parched from my cpap. I get up and take a huge gulp of water. You werent able to have water after?

No seeds or nuts but that doesn't bother me as much.

The worst part of the prep is that now that I'm having general anesthesia I have to drink all the prep in 3-4 hours. I guess I'll get over it but really not looking forward to drinking that much all at once.

That's crazy! Drinking it all in 3-4 hours! I thought half before bed and the other half in the morning was bad.

Once when my procedure got cancelled, I drank the prep too quickly and projectile vommitted a TON of prep solution.

Oh my!!!

I am almost speechless, which is rare.

i have to get mine done under general because I am on daily pain meds. However, there was never such a fiasco.

I guess the difference might be: mine was about pain meds, where your is about an MAOI ? There may be a difference in attitude according to the med involved? As in, they became a bit irrational about your case simply because a psych med is involved? Hard to know for sure.

I would be upset with this mess, too.

I am glad you are finally getting what you need.

How soon?

Much Love

I had to do it that way, too. I became very ill and vomited it all back up. I still had time to get an anti-nausea drug prescribed as I did it all over again. If you have a sensitive stomach, you might want to request a med for nausea ahead of time? just a thought.

Thinking of you!

Thanks for the warning WC. I have some zofran around here. I can't call because my procedures are Monday. I am really hoping to not get sick because I have to do my prep in a hotel (too far to drive with prep in my system for a pretty early appointment).

I'll be leaving a nice tip at the hotel........They are near my hospital and have deals for patients of that hospital so I'm sure they are used to this but it still feels like it should be done at home in peace.

Oh! I am very sorry you have to deal with this at a hotel. I agree it would feel much better to go through this at home.

Is you mom still able to go with you? I hope so.

Yes, my mom is taking me. Oddly they are so strict about having a ride that you must sit beside the person you are with in the waiting room. I know why and want to sit with her anyway but it was a funny detail.

One thing I have going in my favor is that until I got sick I dealt with pretty severe constipation. Like 3-4 meds for it at a times and always at least 1. So every so often it would be so bad I had to use a bottle of stuff used in bowel prep done differently (magnesium citrate) and that causes rapidfire diarrhea for hours. So while I've not done prep this way before I have done prep in another way. I wish I could just do the mag citrate but it must not clean enough.

I'm stressed because I have no idea how to take my meds. I had asked my pdoc but that's when she told me I had bigger problems, like if anyone was going to do this in the first place. We never got back to it. So I am going to do about half the clozaril and gabapenting. I probably won't sleep much (assuming the worst of the diarrhea is over) but I dont' want to be overly sedated in post-op and I want to be able to get up and get ready to go to the hospital on time.

Oh well. This too shall pass.....

Beyond the Rainbow, I am so glad your mom be with you!

I hope all goes well!