Cate's Diary

Well done on your golf win. Enjoy the time with the grandkids. You are a lovely lady. I might have to fly to Australia sometime to track you down. :)
 
A hasn't really been officially diagnosed with anything. The neurofeedback seems to be well known in this area. A lot of military do it and seems to help with PTSD and a number of other things. I've thought about testing it put myself since my benefits would cover a few sessions as least as it's done by a Psychologist.
I'm glad R is open to talking and treatment. That is a huge step itself. And I totally understand not wanting to be on meds the rest of his life, A was the same way. He tried some meds and some may have even helped a bit, but the thought was always to not rely on them and to even be free of all meds. Hopefully R can find something soon that works well for him. Having a diagnosis is a good start because at least now the treatments can be narrowed down.

Have fun with the little ones!
 
Hi, Emily. :D That's sweet. If you come to Aus I'll make it easy to find me. That would be fun!
Hi, Icy. I think that neurofeedback looks suitable for lots of conditions. It's still worth checking out, even for bipolar. We did have a fun day with the kiddlies. We had a movie marathon!

G didn't play golf as it rained so we got to spend the day together with the GK's. We went to the market briefly, did a little shopping, bought fish and chips for lunch & then watched movies all afternoon & until 8.30 when D arrived to take them home. I think we all enjoyed the day, including A, our older GS who worked until 2pm. They are lovely kids.

I feel like I have been taking a break from watching what I eat 7 days a week and it's time to get back to eating better. We are going out to lunch today with friends. It is bucketing down with rain, but we have to go as he has been diagnosed with reasonably aggressive Prostate Cancer & needs to talk to G about it. Well......we wives think that would be a good idea :D. It just stopped raining then. I had better get on the move......
 
Thanks, LaMa. We had a lovely time. They are such good friends. S & I had lots to talk about. I had forgotten just how well we get on. They are very similar to us. I think they are both feeling fairly positive. He finds out Thursday if the cancer is localised to his Prostate like G's was. If so, he has a prostatectomy, which is the best outcome. Fingers & toes crossed! I told them we went home & had a bottle of bubbly when we got that diagnosis.
We went back to their unit & watched the footy (well the men did) so we spent all afternoon with them. K is a builder & he built our house. We have been friends for about 30 years!

I weighed myself this morning. After a weekend of excess, I am 1 kilo more than I am allowed to get. Ouch. I had Greek yoghurt & rhubarb for breakfast, with a little cut up trail mix on top. I'll nip this in the bud. I am so over eating so much bread. Thank goodness the testing has finished. I have just been ordering whatever, & yesterday I had lemon meringue pie, knowing that today I would be back on track. I'm relieved to be actually. I feel like a blimp. Coeliac or not, eating wheat does not suit me.

It feels good to be in the last month of Winter. :D
 
I didn´t see if you got the results from your test yet but I´m glad you no longer have to force yourself to eat stuff that makes you feel bad.
 
I haven't yet, LaMa. I had a gluten-free day yesterday & feel much better already. I hadn't reacted as badly as I thought I would, but I just don't like it & don't like how it makes me feel bloated & fat. I'm glad you're back. I missed you!

I have an appointment with a podiatrist today, which will help fill the time while G is playing golf.

I'm in 2 minds whether to get another script for the AD's. I had said no last week & have been tapering them off, but I am changing my mind. I have been waking up with lots of things in my head again(&anxiety) whereas on the pills I was waking up with a song in my head. I also had been VERY thirsty all the time & a little bit shaky & also feeling a bit too revved up (manic?). I have made another appointment next Tuesday to see my GP & talk to her about it. Maybe I should try something else.
 
Hope you find the right meds soon to get you feeling better. It's funny how while taking meds you can feel like they aren't doing much, then you try to get off them and realize they really were helping.
Glad you had a good time with friends and are back on track with eating better.
 
cate said:
I haven't yet, LaMa. I had a gluten-free day yesterday & feel much better already. I hadn't reacted as badly as I thought I would, but I just don't like it & don't like how it makes me feel bloated & fat. I'm glad you're back. I missed you!

I have an appointment with a podiatrist today, which will help fill the time while G is playing golf.

I'm in 2 minds whether to get another script for the AD's. I had said no last week & have been tapering them off, but I am changing my mind. I have been waking up with lots of things in my head again(&anxiety) whereas on the pills I was waking up with a song in my head. I also had been VERY thirsty all the time & a little bit shaky & also feeling a bit too revved up (manic?). I have made another appointment next Tuesday to see my GP & talk to her about it. Maybe I should try something else.
Click to expand...
There are good meds out there. Dont give up on the first one you try.
 
Thanks, LaMa, Icy & Rebel.
The AD I tried was a 20 mg Fluoxetine (Prozac). I took my last one yesterday & felt quite high all day. I was so revved up! Drugs seem to affect me more than they do other people. I will talk to her next Tuesday about it. In the meantime, I'll do some homework.
I'm off to golf today. I saw a new Podiatrist yesterday & my feet feel much better. He seems to think most of my feet problems are muscular. He was incredibly thorough. I'm pleased I changed.
Time to get moving!
 
If you suddenly feel high on a drug you´ve taking for a while and it´s something that should take a while to start working, even if you´re fading it out and haven´t been taking as much of it, part of the reaction is likely placebo (or nocebo, really). That being said: some people do react more to meds than others, so who knows.
 
Thanks, LaMa, Hana & Emily :grouphug:
I think it's time that I acknowledged something I have pushed to the back of my mind for a very long time.
I went to golf yesterday morning, feeling very revved up. I raced around getting the fire going, opening up etc before anyone else got there & had loads of energy. After 2 holes of golf, I was very short of breath, had palpitations & just generally felt quite weird. I continued on for another 4 holes, mis-hitting & playing woefully. I had no energy left by the end of the 6th & said that I had to pull out. The 2 women wanted to take me to the doctors, but I promised that I would go inside & wait until I felt well enough to drive & would ring them if I didn't. I promised I would go to the medical centre.
I sat inside for about 15- 20 minutes until my pulse slowed down & then drove to the medical centre. I was given an appointment with a new doctor. By the time I got to see him I had calmed down considerably. He took my BP & it was high, but not crazy high. He asked me lots of questions & decided on an ECG. I saw a nurse, had the ECG & went back in to see him. The ECG was fine. Then we got talking about my symptoms & I told him about the anti-depressants. I also told him that I had been feeling very anxious & stressed & we spoke about that. When I mentioned that our son has Bipolar 2 he had an "aha" look & he asked me if I thought that I may have bipolar as well. I then agreed. I have been thinking it since R was diagnosed.
I told him that I had never followed through with investigating my mental health & had always managed it myself. He said I had done very well. I did say that a doctor had wanted me to see a Psychiatrist decades ago but I had not wanted to. He said he didn't think it was necessary as I have done so well with self-managing. I really do feel like the penny dropped yesterday. That is why I think I have had such bad reactions to anti-depressants in the past. I was only on this one for one month thank goodness. He gave me a new script for something that is to be taken only when needed for anxiety & stress. I have forgotten what it is called, but it's like Valium. It's still in my handbag & I'm feeling too lazy to go look! I won't have it made up until after I see my usual doctor next Tuesday. I really liked this guy & he got me to speak up & accept that I do probably have bipolar. He's the first doctor to get me to that stage. I usually cover things up & gloss them over. He seemed to genuinely care & did not look at all alarmed. He was very calm but also very thorough. He asked the right questions in the right way.
I had messaged G to tell him I was going to the docs so messaged him to say I was ok & about to head home. When I got home I told him what had happened. I hadn't told him that I had been taking anti-depressants. I don't think he knew what to say really. I sent M(who I had been playing golf with) a message after I had been to the doctors to say that I was OK & had a reaction to a new medication.
I'll talk to my GP on Tuesday & see what she thinks about any treatment. I think that I am on the spectrum, but not high on it so may just continue on as I am. There are lots of options according to the guy I saw yesterday & a very low dose mood stabiliser is available which may help me. Anti-depressants are a big no no. I'm still jittery 2 days after taking my last one.

Anyhow, none of us is defined by any illness or chemical imbalance & I will continue to look after my health as best I can. That should include getting up off my bum & getting on the move. The sun is shining & G & I don't have to go anywhere today, so I think I may just do some gardening.
Spring is in the air already in Tasmania & I think our Winter weather seems to be disappearing. Yay. I love our seasons here. They are never extreme & are quite well defined.
Love to all, xoxo Cate
 
I´m sorry you felt poorly but really glad you happened on an awesome doc and felt able to open up! After all: it didn´t add anything you didn´t already have but it may help you manage your well-being even better than you have been. Big hugs, hon.
 
I'm really glad that you met the right person who was able to give you the proper guidance regarding the medication. Happy gardening.
 
Thank you, LaMa :grouphug: That's right. Nothing has changed. I'm still the same.
Thank you, Emily. I did do some gardening & went for a walk in the bush. G & I had a nice day.

Our friend, K, got some good news & his cancer is localised like G's was. It's the best possible outcome & we are both really happy for them. That was such a relief!
We are off to the tip & the club today for a bit of a working bee, which G organised. There are some outside jobs that need doing. I have a request from the woman who does the gardening to pull out some plants. She has been trying to get them out for ages & has asked a couple of people already. I had told her that we would be having a working bee & asked if there was anything she wanted to be done.
We are going to Hobart tomorrow & will be catching up with R. G is playing pool.
 
I'll be away until Sunday afternoon & most probably won't update my diary.
I hope everyone has a nice, healthy weekend xoxo
 
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