[Maven]

During my last pdoc visit, he said something to me that has me wondering what he meant. I tend to be a little intimidated with doctors, and I often don't think of things I should have asked until I've left the office. I should write down things I know ahead of time, but some things, such as this topic, I couldn't have thought of before the appointment, because it's something he brought up. Sort of.

We weren't talking about housing or rights or anything like that. We were talking about my meds. He said, "How are we going to advocate for you?" I was trying to remember things I wanted to bring up, and I didn't think to simply ask, "What do you mean?" I don't see him for another couple of months, but I thought I'd ask here what you all think he meant?

My OCD is just ridiculous. It's so bad, and it consumes my day. My whole life is centered around it. I can't do simple things without having to make sure things are certain ways, having to do rituals, or doing things in a certain order. The Clomipramine [the generic for Anafranil, which isn't made anymore] I'm on has helped a little bit, but he just told me to cut back 50mg and increase the Risperidone [the generic for Risperdal] (I'm also on Lexapro and Alprazolam XR [the generic for Xanax]). He wanted to put me on Abilify but said it would cost too much with my prescription plan. I have expressed my concerns to him about drugs that raise blood sugar (such as Abilify and Risperidone), but he still wants to put me on them. I have a hard time controlling my sugar intake (partially because of the limits my OCD puts on me), so the last thing I need is to increase my chances of getting diabetes. So, I have a second question: Should I back off on my concerns? It's not that I don't want to take medications that might help, but diabetes runs in my family and several people have told me that I do not want to get it. (I knew that, because diabetes can lead to many unpleasant things, including death.) I'm not trying to be a difficult patient, but I feel like I should try to protect my health as much as I can. Thanks.

[Tonny]

((((Maven))))

I would be completly lost if someone said "How are we going to advocate for you?" too. Not even an idea as to what they would be talking about it. And I hate to ask questions, so I guess we can be confused together.

I am just starting some meds and I can relate to the concern of the side effects. Seraquel (sp?) also causes a rise in blood sugar and cholesterol. Not to mention weight gain (Like that will help my self image issues) Not sure what the right answer is on the trade off.

I wish I had the right words to say. But I can send you hugs.

[Maven]

Thanks for the hugs.