Posted by Gracie2 on October 29, 2001, at 22:13:22
In reply to Re: Swelling?/weight gain on depakote » Cam W., posted by judy1 on October 25, 2001, at 2:59:22
I gained weight on Depakote, I think mostly because it made me so terribly sluggish. After a few months I started having awful swelling in my ankles and feet, so bad that I couldn't tie my shoes. This was frightening to me, because I also have high blood pressure.
I went to see my doctor, but since he was on vacation I saw the doctor subbing for him. This is just another example of a good doctor, and a not-so-good doctor. The replacement doctor looked at my feet and he said, "Well, you could have diabetes or you could have congestive heart failure. Come back next week and see your regular doctor."
How's that for patient treatment? He absolutely terrified me and then sent me home without tests, medication, treatment, or even a reassuring word,
and I had to wait an entire week with these two
possible diagnoses hanging over my head like the sword of Damacles: diabetes or CHF, both serious and life-threatning conditions. Jerk. By the middle of the week I was such a wreck that, if I was 17 years old again, I probably would have found the guy's car and sliced his tires (note: you have to let the air out of the tires first. I'm a reformed punk.)Needless to say, I was sitting outside my doctor's office on the curb, waiting for them to let me in, on his first day back. I had neither diabetes or congestive heart failure. My doctor switched my blood pressure medication to a very good drug called Prinzide, which has a powerful diuretic, and the edema was gone in days. Why the OTHER doctor couldn't have done that is beyond me;
prehaps he was too busy, too inexperienced, or a sadist.There seems to be a lesson in there somewheres...
-Gracie
poster:Gracie2
thread:81731
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011025/msgs/82628.html