Tag: Stress

Dealing With Memory Loss

Dealing With Memory Loss

I’ve been back at ECT for almost two weeks now, and it’s already messing with my memory. It’s so frustrating for and it appears to be frustrating for those around me. I do my best to remember what’s happening in my day to day life, but it doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try. I feel like it’s going to upset others in my life. I can only do my best, I just hope that my best is enough. Hopefully, the two new medications I started (which are for Alzheimer’s) will start working soon.

Restarting ECT

Restarting ECT

I restart ECT again on Monday. It’s been over six months since my last treatment. I’ve been waiting for about a month to restart ECT, and now that it’s about to happen, I’m not sure if I’m ready. At least I’ve done it before, so it’s not as nerve-racking. My anxiety is so high right now. What do I do if ECT doesn’t work? I know there are other options, but there’s not many left. I’m just nervous and scared. It will work. I’m trying to stay positive.

Apparently, ECT is twice as effective when being used with Clozapine, and even more effective when being used with Clozapine and Lithium. I’m take both Clozapine and Lithium (and many other meds), so there’s a really good chance that this will work for me. I’m trying to stay positive. It’s not easy, but I’m working at it.

They also changed how some of it goes. They now allow one person to go back with you, stay with you until you go under, and then they can wait for you in recovery. That makes it a lot easier for me. My husband already said he will be doing that for me on Monday.

Another Bad Doctor’s Appointment

Another Bad Doctor’s Appointment

I had to see my PCP this afternoon to get a physical so I can restart ECT. This is the same doctor that was very disrespectful at my last visit about my weight. I’ve lost a little bit of weight since I’ve last seen her. I was hoping she would say something, but she didn’t. Oh well. However, she did ask me if I was depressed. Are you kidding me!? If she looked at my chart she would notice that I’m diagnosed with bipolar mixed, plus I was seeing her so I could get approved to restart ECT. People don’t do ECT for the fun of it. So I answered her question and said, “Yes, I struggle with depression.” Then she asked me if it was bad or if it was mild. I didn’t even answer that question. She sees that I take 9 psych meds. It’s like she didn’t even look at my chart!

I’m pretty unhappy with my PCP, but I don’t think I’m going to change doctors. It’s easier for me to stay with my current PCP and be unhappy than it is for me to go to a new doctor. I don’t like anything new, it terrifies me. Maybe I will change at some point, but for now I’m going to stay where I am.

Anxiety Level Rising – Fears About Treatment

Anxiety Level Rising – Fears About Treatment

My anxiety finally started to lessen after my psych appointment yesterday. I think it’s the fact that I now have a plan of action regarding my bipolar depression. Today, I’m going to call and make an appointment with my PCP to get a physical, EKG, and blood work, which is required for me to start ECT again (because of the anesthesia). However, my anxiety started to rise again late last night. I think that now it’s the fear of going back to ECT.

What if it doesn’t work? Is there anything that can help me (and have it last for more than a few months)? What if it does work? Will I be doing this for the rest of my life? Will the medications he’s going to give me for the memory loss and migraines/jaw pain actually work? There are so many questions in my mind that will only be answered with time.

Preparing For My Appointment

Preparing For My Appointment

Yesterday went well. I got everything done that I wanted to and I was able to visit with my friend. It really helps to be able to talk to someone who completely understands what I deal with on a daily basis. I slept fairly well again last night. I only one up once in the middle of the night and I was able to fall back asleep in about 30 minutes.

I’m preparing for my appointment with my psychiatrist that I have on Wednesday. I’ve written down all my questions for him. During my appointment I plan to stay calm and listen to what he has to say. I know he has my best interests in mind. I have a feeling I will be going back on ECT. I’m not excited about that, but I am open to it if he thinks that it will help me. Treatments and medications usually work for me for the first year or so, but then they stop working. It’s a pattern I’ve seen in lots of the treatments/meds that I try. That’s another thing that I plan on asking my doctor about.

Not Moving, Just Doing Research

Not Moving, Just Doing Research

After talking to my husband about some of the details about moving, he decided it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to move to Connecticut. He wouldn’t want to move while his father is sick. We would both miss our granddaughter so much. And Connecticut is an expensive place to live. We talked about moving to northern Arizona, but that is even more expensive than Connecticut. We’re just going to do some research to see what the rental properties are like up north, but most likely we won’t be moving anywhere for at least a few years. This brought down my stress level a bit. I don’t want to move and then have either me or my husband regret it.

I have a feeling that we won’t be moving for a while. It’s hard to move away from your family. I know; I’ve done it twice. Both times I moved away to go to Arizona. Moving away from family is so hard. I probably wouldn’t be able to do it if I didn’t see my mom every 3 months. I also know that I can go visit my family at any time if I need to.

Looking Into Moving

Looking Into Moving

My husband has been talking about moving for a couple of years now. I ask him where he pictures us moving to, and he says that he would like to movie back to Connecticut where my family lives. I never really believed him until yesterday. He says that the summers are way too hot for him to deal with any more. He has burns on over 30% of his body, making it very hard during the Arizona summers.

I always thought he was teasing me when he would talk about it. Now that I know he’s serious, there are a couple of things we need to look into. I told him he needs to go to Connecticut during the coldest part of the winter so he knows exactly what he’s getting himself into. I also told him he needs to spend at least 2 or 3 weeks there to see how it feels.

I have no clue what’s going to happen, but we’re at least looking into moving at this point. Surprisingly, I don’t have that much anxiety over the whole thing. It would be really nice to see my family regularly. That would actually be amazing.

Marketplace Appeal Difficulties

Marketplace Appeal Difficulties

I’m trying to follow through on an appeal that I sent into the Marketplace a couple of months ago. I received a letter basically saying that I need to pay back the tax credit we received in 2016. Fine, it was only a little bit each month. But I still don’t agree with their overall decision and I want to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen for 2017. I gathered all of my information and called the number in the letter, but they weren’t very helpful.

I get so anxious over these type of issues and calling in to resolve issues. I don’t mind the first phone call because I can prepare myself for what I want to say. However, I don’t know how to respond when they answer or don’t answer my questions. I always end up saying, “Thanks for your help.” My anxiety prevents me from thinking on my feet. I’m going to get some help from my mom, she’s great at this kind of stuff. But I still need to work on responding to people on the spot.

Added Stress Before Vacation

Added Stress Before Vacation

I’m about halfway packed and so stressed out, I can’t wait for vacation to start. I slept about 3 hours on Sunday night, which is probably what made Monday a difficult day for me. Why is it so hard and stressful to prepare for vacation? As if the regular day-to-day stressful events  of life aren’t stressful enough. Hopefully I will get a good night’s sleep tonight and a better day tomorrow.

Saying No – My Biggest Difficulty

Saying No – My Biggest Difficulty

It seems that I don’t know how to say no to anyone or anything. This time, it is affecting my husband. I tried to explain to him how difficult it is for me, but I don’t think he understood (not for a lack of trying). This is something that I really need to work on, but for some reason I haven’t found the right time to try it. Every time I come close to saying no to someone/something, I have an anxiety attack and freeze up. It becomes literally impossible for me to say no. I wonder if I’ll ever get over this. I suppose it’s one of my biggest fears.