Bipolar check-in #46

Quite warm here yesterday and nearly 90 today. Need to get a ride in, but allergie are bad and things are still really blooming here quite a bit, so, not sure what to do. Need to get out there pretty soon, though. I can't stand the heat. Just hate, hate, hate it. Too many years in West Texas and the south. Even NYC summers are hell. And Australia. I will take any west coast weather--including Seattle--over that crap any day of the year... A littel drizzle and 48 degrees won't stop me from doing anything. Plus, it keeps you cool when you are working out, which I love. Much easier to deal with.

Books moving along. I need to pick up tjhe pace. Just not working hard enough. Concentration is not ideal and motivations is poor at times. Medication- and illness-related, likely. Oh well, all I can do is try. I really, really want to push these out the door before I die. Hopefully, I will have enough time, but, these things are not up to us...

Hugs and love to all!

@BirdDancer, @bpcyclist

Thanks. I just contacted Garmin via a chat thing on their website and they said they'll have someone reach out to me to discuss this further. I showed the lady a picture of my irritated arm. They said they only need the watch returned, not the box, charging cable, or paperwork. I happen to have the paperwork and charging cable though. Oh well. We'll see what they have to say. The skin looks even worse right now and it's throbbing. I guess I should have paid attention earlier when it was itching a lot.

I can't edit my previous post, but I talked with Garmin over the phone and they're sending me a different watch. The lady said the plating on my watch's underside is not nickel, but some kind of fibrous polymer (whatever that means in terms of allergies?). But whatever it is, I'm apparently allergic to it because my arm is still itchy and throbbing. All I have to do now is send the watch in and they're upgrading me to a different one that's $50 more.

If this new watch does the same thing, I'll just go back to a Fitbit. I doubt there is much we can do about the Garmin watches if I get irritated again. But man, what a freaking weird allergy.

So therapy went a lot better today. We figured out a way to wrap up the sessions. She’s going to give me a heads up when we have 20-15-10 minutes left and for the last 5 minutes we are just going to talk about TV shows and other things like that. She mentioned me possibly needing a higher level of care if I keep having issues like the one I had last Thursday. Today went ok though. I mentioned being a completely different person on PC then I am in real life. I said it’s like that saying “business in the front, party in the back.” I didn’t mention just how angry I was at her last week or that my incident was largely related to her. I wonder if I should.

I hope the new one works out for you, bluebicycle! I'm glad that the customer service person was helpful.

I remember you writing about this issue. I'm so glad to read that you brought it up with your therapist and she agreed to work with you on improving the wrap-ups.

Maybe by next week you will feel more sure whether or not to mention that anger from last week. Either way, I hope it goes well.

The weather extremes sure have been crazy around the world! My sister-in-law in Czech Republic has said they've had some scorcher weather, and that's odd for CZ. They more often have milder summers and overcast cold autumns.

Yea, Mid Atlantic summers can be rough, especially the humidity. So far so good right now, though. This past winter in my part of NJ was mild. We had almost no snow at all, which is abnormal. Right now it's 77 F (25 C). I could take that all summer long, but I doubt I'd be that lucky. It's been a rainy spring this year. Green, green, green!

******mit I’m so ****ing TIRED. I just took a two hour nap and I’m still exhausted. **** seroquel. I’m not going to take it unless it’s a dire emergency. I think the mania is gone anyway. I can’t take this. It did this to me the last time I was on it but that was xr, I thought taking IR would be different. Nope.

I had an appointment with my NP via telephone today. Thank you WC for the doxy tips. I forgot to mention the depression or the Lithium. I’ve started back on the Lithium and I’m really hustling to stay ahead of the depression.

M surprised me today by coming to town to get her tags done. The car is registered in her dad’s name and has an Emergency tag since he’s a policeman and an EMT so it had to be done here. A pleasant surprise for me. Tomorrow we’re going to the creek again to walk and picnic.

The pool opens Monday but I’m not sure I’m going unless it’s very early when no one is there. Mom tells me our county is fifth in the nation for spike in cases. Gulp!

Warm regards to all and hugs to those that are struggling.

Garmin has a big operation close to me. People seem to all think have a good opinion of the company. You might see if they will share with you the ingredients in that polymer, so you can read labels and avoid it in the future.

The strongest OTC cortisone you can find will help. Three times a day.

Jennifer--I know most folks think of lithium as an anti-mania thing, but it probably saved my life from treatment-resistant depression in 2008. It turned me around in under a month. Was literally a miracle for me. I hope it helps you!!!!!!

Sweet! I hope the new one works out well for you!

Been hot here, low 90s in town, higher up in the Columbia River Gorge where I sometimes go. An area an hour or so east of here, just this side of the desert. Much hotter there. People always think of this state as giant trees and waterfalls and rain and stuff but, the reality is, most of it is extremely arid and/or desert. Two different states, really. Very diverse. Incredibly beautiful place. Most of it looks more like Arizona (both Northern and the hotter parts) than British Columbia.

Had a ncie ride yesterday, only 35 miles. I lost some fitness getting sick and not riding for a little while. I do think my breathing is still subpar. WIll try to get out there again today before the heat shows up.

The roses are blooming. The strawberries are already ripe. I am planning a trip to our absolutely breathtaking and gigantic rose garden in a day or two. One of my happiest places on earth. Also, making a reservation to go pick some strawberries at a local farm. Yum!~~~

Hope everyone is hanging in there. Love and hugs to all!!!!!!!!!

IR is worse with sedation than XR

Been slowly titrating up the Fanapt, symptoms seem about the same but I'm not supposed to see a benefit until I move to 6mg twice a day, which I'll start tomorrow.

Definitely noticing side effects, though, mainly dizziness, dry mouth, and sedation.

wildflowerchild25, I share falcon09's experience that Seroquel XR is less sedating than the iR was. I'll share this, too. Though it can't be certain that everyone will react the same to the same medications, for me, Seroquel XR is a medication that started out extremely sedating, but the sedation eased over time. If you are working, and the sedation flat out prevents you from doing your job, then I fully understand the extreme frustration and how it can be a "no-go". However, if you are in a position to "ride it out" a little bit, you might find yourself happy if you have some patience while you adjust to the medication. Patience is something I had almost none of in my youth. In fact, my mother used to harass me saying over and over again "Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue." But I had to learn it, eventually. My bipolar disorder experience gave me no choice. Patience in adjusting to medications and their side effects. Patience waiting for depression to lift. Patience for all kinds of things! It sucks, but that's life sometimes. I am extremely happy I gave Seroquel XR a fair chance. I've had other medications that I felt similarly about. For example, when I first started taking Geodon, in the past, it knocked me out cold. But then, over time, it didn't even sedate me enough. Seroquel XR still works great for me, with little sedation when it shouldn't sedate, and adequate sedation when it should (nighttime). Though I do believe Seroquel XR contributes to my high cholesterol and sometimes high triglycerides, it hasn't given me any other side effect. I generally even consider it weight neutral to only mildly challenging, in that respect. Other antipsychotics, for me, were far far less tolerable.

I feel OK today, but am still a touch irritable. I had a video appointment with my gynecologist yesterday. It angered me how she treated me with disrespect. I didn't want that appointment to begin with. I had hoped the nurse would have listened more and given me some input. She didn't, and forced the video appointment on me. My gynecologist acted annoyed that I bothered her with what I think she regarded as "a minor issue". I've had other complaints about her, as well. She's the type who criticizes one of my other doctors, without having qualifications to do so. She can also act motherly, in an annoying way, and years ago when I said I wouldn't have children, she started acting differently towards me. Believe me, voluntary childless women do receive negative vibes from some people. Mostly other women! It's also related a great deal to her view towards my bipolar disorder. It's become painfully obvious over the years. So, I'm thinking about switching to another gynecologist in that practice, despite going to her for almost 20 years. I saw one I have in mind while she was out on disability a couple years ago. He was one I went to, briefly, before her, 21 and 22 years ago. He seems more professional. At this stage of my life, I have no qualms about seeing a male gynecologist.

I ordered groceries for delivery from two different grocery outfits. It's getting easier to reserve delivery times. I guess people are feeling more comfortable about going to the stores, themselves. I've gone to some, myself, but the experiences were miserable. My therapist wants me to get out more, because I'm developing hints of mild agoraphobia, an issue I had some years ago. Maybe hubby and I can take a walk somewhere this afternoon, during his "break".

^^^^ This. The vast majority of the people I know, and that is hundreds, who have been on various forms of Seroquel, have found the sedation to abate, often, entirely, after a while. It will probably go away. I am not on it anymore, but if I took 400 mg right now, I could easily go ride my bike 100 miles and be wide awake the whole time. Hang in there.

Thanks guys about the seroquel. I may have been wrong, it may have been the beginnings of infection. Yesterday I was suffering from a sore throat and a headache, today still have the sore throat and headache and extreme exhaustion even though I didn’t take the seroquel last night. So it’s entirely possible that it wasn’t even the seroquel.

I think I am suffering from A virus, but I’m not sure it’s THE virus. I don’t think so because I have no fever and I am not coughing. I’m definitely monitoring the situation though.

I still can't believe I argued with my pdoc. I'm still really confused. I'm hoping my t can help. I need to finish my project at the very least. I think my husband is secretly mad at me. All I can really do is listen to music. I can't read/ write well. My heads loud. We did pick up meat from the meat market today. I'm hoping it'll last a month and a half.

Sorry to hear about the infection. I'm not a doctor, but do you think maybe it is a sinus infection? I always got sore throats and headaches from sinus infections. And if you have allergies, you could definitely have allergic sinusitis. Or, if you have been staying inside for a while and then went outside recently, your body could get overwhelmed by pollen even if you're not allergic (according to my allergist).

I heard from the CDC that OTC cold & flu medications can be used for treating symptoms of coronavirus, regular flu, and even sinusitis, so maybe you can ask your doctor about them, as they seem to be "universal." Though, mucinex may help with the headache a little more than the cold & flu meds if your sinuses are congested.

Yes, blue, I do believe it could be sinusitis because my cheeks hurt as well. I took some Sudafed awhile ago to see if that helps. I believe I have mucinex in the center console of my car. I will try to force myself out to get it. Or just ask RS to bring it in when he gets back from picking up dinner.

It sounds like that gyn doc is a bit short on empathy, a rather poor quality in any MD. I hope you do switch. Noone deserves to be treated that way. She should retire.

I also have a tendency to not ever want to go out. It can get quite bad at times, but I do find that forcing myself to do it often does help break the cycle. I believe mine is mostly PTSD and bipolar/psychosis in origin.

Hope you have a nice weekend.

I went on an hour walk yesterday and today. Both days I talked with a friend on the phone. (I used headphones.) Yesterday, I ventured into another neighborhood I used to ride in and got lost a few times but I figured it out without having to call for help or use google maps "walking". Today, it was lightly raining so I brought a small umbrella. Both walks were very nice.

I started to do this before but quit. Now Ive started up again. Im weaning off Seroquel because I have prediabetes and Seroquel is known to mess with your blood sugar. Im only on 150 so pdoc says it is only helping with sleep - not being theraputic.

My liver doctor called to say that my blood work came back great! The vitamin E for the last 6 months is the reason why he said but I'm hoping the diet and exercise are helping too.

I didn't read any of my digital book today, but that's nust more for tomorrow. I read a lot of it yesterday and I'm 75% the way through already!

I have to reset my modem because N2 changed the password and then forgot it! Its saved on our devices but I want to ad a new one.

Has anybody here ever gone to the bipolar chat? I went to the depression and anxiety chat last night but they couldn't remember when it is.

Well, I feel like a total idiot. I never checked my bike when I got it "tuned up" from the bike shop. Now that I've inspected it closely, they didn't clean all parts of the bike, and my brake cable is STILL frayed because no end cap is there to prevent it from fraying. I know it's not a new cable because those come with end caps and are not frayed.

The only things they did do were pressure wash the bike frame, pressure wash the tires, and inflate the tires. But it's too late to complain now, I think. They're just gonna say, "How do we know you didn't take your bike out for a ride?" Now it's up to me to clean the chain because it has so much gunk in it that it's making grinding noises when I listen closely. Such douchebags...

Never going to this place again. What a waste of $69. When I dropped it off, they told me specifically they were going to replace the brake cable and clean the chain, and well... THEY DIDN'T.

At least I have a second bike I can use for the time being. Still sucks though. They're scammers. And considering I bought the bike from THEM in the first place, that is a really sh_tty thing to do to a customer who's been buying expensive things from you.