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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on July 9, 2002, at 9:29:11
It would appear from the few posts I have read that you are finding your day program helpful?
Please bring me up to date. :)
Dinah
Posted by Penny on July 9, 2002, at 18:18:15
In reply to Hi Penny! How are you doing?, posted by Dinah on July 9, 2002, at 9:29:11
Dinah,
Good to hear from you! Hope things are going better your way...
Right now I'm feeling extremely anxious. When I get anxious I start heading downhill, so that's not good.
I do think the IOP program is good, though. At least when we have the regular therapist. I don't know when I'll be discharged. I've got five objectives I'm supposed to accomplish before being discharged and I've only done one. Next week will be my fourth week in the program, and I'm not sure at the moment that I'm doing better. What I have done is start to get in touch with the anger that I've buried deep inside of me, but that takes time. And I've all but shut down this week b/c the regular therapist and my personal therapist were on vacation. I won't see my personal therapist until this Saturday and the group therapist until next Monday. And I really, really don't like the substitute therapist. She was all about "let's think POSITIVE!!!" , when all I've heard is how I need to get in touch with the anger inside of me, from both my therapists. She doesn't believe in that, but thank goodness the regular therapist will be back soon, then I can get back to work.
And, of course, being out of a job is really getting to me, although I'm busier than I was with a full-time job. Between babysitting and freelancing, it's really crazy. And I'm not sure how well I'm handling the stress. Not well at all, I think.
Oh...how's this for weird....I woke up at three a.m. this morning with limericks running through my head! Many of them!!! They were all dark subjects too. Very very strange. That's what I get for not taking my ambien.
Pdoc's thinking that the next step for me is lithium. So, we'll see. At least I still feel good about him, even though this med thing is taking a really long time.
Thanks for asking. Let me know how you're doing!!!
Love, Penny
Posted by Dinah on July 9, 2002, at 19:06:23
In reply to Re: Hi Penny! How are you doing?, posted by Penny on July 9, 2002, at 18:18:15
Things are going pretty well, Penny. I started Effexor a few weeks ago and had a few REALLY good days. But now it's gone to a constant jittery agitated feeling. I'm holding on for another week to see if it goes away, because it does give me a bit more energy and seems to make me a bit more cheerful. And not one migraine the entire time unless I forget to take the Effexor! But agitated isn't good for me. It tends to make me want to hurt myself.
My therapist is out of town this week too. :( But I'm starting to miss him less as he is gone more often. I just feel rather detached from everything. I'm glad your regular therapists are coming back soon. Super cheerful positive people are so trying sometimes.
Overall, I'm pretty good. Believe it or not, away from this board I'm a calm, rational, rather detached person who is not overly given to external meltdowns - internal ones, yes. :) But not so anyone would notice.
The goal setting aspect of the IOP program sounds interesting. So it isn't for a set number of weeks but until you reach a certain number of goals?
Dinah
Posted by Penny on July 11, 2002, at 19:34:48
In reply to Re: Hi Penny! How are you doing?, posted by Dinah on July 9, 2002, at 19:06:23
Dinah,
Glad to hear things are going somewhat better for you, and I hope the Effexor starts working again. I took it for about a year but it just numbed me.
Yeah, I think IOP has been good for me, but only to find out yesterday that my insurance doesn't want to cover any more sessions. My pdoc is very upset and offered to call or write them. I think I will let him. He said to me today, "Maybe I'll call them and say 'Okay, if you don't want her as an outpatient, then you'd prefer that she was an inpatient?' I mean, what do they want when what we're trying to do is keep you out of the hospital?" He was not a happy man and I'm sure he had a few more chosen words he could have used if he wasn't being polite b/c of me. I love my pdoc.
So, yeah, I'm *supposed* to be working on my goals in IOP, but don't know if I'll be able to stay in the program. My goals are things like, "Able to express anger regarding parents and connections between problems while growing up and problems today" and "Verbally states that she is no longer having suicidal urges." I think, once again, it's taking me longer to get through this stuff than they would have anticipated. The only one I've crossed off is "Verbally expressed understanding of connection between depressed mood and anger from childhood". Four to go...if I get the chance with my stupid freakin' insurance.
Anyway, I didn't get the job I had interviewed for, and got that news yesterday too. Yesterday sucked. Not sure today has been any better. My pdoc's raising my lamictal dose and I have to go in tomorrow for bloodwork. Yay.
I'll keep you posted, and you do the same.
Penny
Posted by Dinah on July 12, 2002, at 10:29:51
In reply to Re: Hi Penny! How are you doing?, posted by Penny on July 11, 2002, at 19:34:48
Oh Penny. I'm so sorry about your not getting that job. I know you were excited about the opportunity.
Insurance companies just don't look at the big picture do they? It's obviously less expensive for a day program than for an inpatient hospital stay. As I've said before though, I'm glad you have mental health professionals who are willing to go to bat for you.
I'm dropping the Effexor. I think those few good days weren't so much that it was working as that it was a good step on the way to a bad hypomania. My pdoc agrees and we're dropping the doseage.
But good news is that the stressors that caused me to go on Effexor to begin with are not going to happen after all, so I think I'll continue along just on Depakote and Klonopin.
Hope things start looking up for you.
Dinah
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