Monday celebrations and vents

[186momx]

I'm sorry shakinros, his psych isn't helping you much at all. If your area is like mine getting into a neurologist is a good 2 month wait if not more. Can the psych get you an emergency appointment with a neuro? That is the only way a quick appointment happens here. I could see anyone spiraling if their therapist that they trust all of sudden said you may have a brain issue.

[erinshelley21]

shakinros that is a lot to deal with and I'm sorry you're experiencing this right now. Thinking of you as you navigate these next few weeks and months.

[shakinros]

186momx believe it or not, I managed to snag a neurologist appt this morning. It does seem to be like your area: first place I called was scheduling for January. Second place had August, but also had a cancellation at a satellite office. So this morning we drove 40 mins for him to see a neurologist who turned out to be the rudest doctor I’ve ever encountered. Upside: she says he didn’t need to be there, she “wasn’t impressed by his symptoms” and “you can have an MRI if you want one but you don’t need it.” Ooooook.

He’s getting the MRI next week anyway, but he seems to believe her that he doesn’t have brain cancer. So, good news for the day, I suppose!

Thanks for the support, everyone.

[mellym]

shakinros, I'm so glad you got in quickly and that is excellent news! I hope it continues with the MRI. Thinking of you.

[mustardseed2007]

Jun 20, 2018 20:07:42 GMT -5 shakinros said:

186momx believe it or not, I managed to snag a neurologist appt this morning. It does seem to be like your area: first place I called was scheduling for January. Second place had August, but also had a cancellation at a satellite office. So this morning we drove 40 mins for him to see a neurologist who turned out to be the rudest doctor I’ve ever encountered. Upside: she says he didn’t need to be there, she “wasn’t impressed by his symptoms” and “you can have an MRI if you want one but you don’t need it.” Ooooook.

He’s getting the MRI next week anyway, but he seems to believe her that he doesn’t have brain cancer. So, good news for the day, I suppose!

Thanks for the support, everyone.

Did she happen to say if she thought his symptoms were related to meds? 

[shakinros]

mustardseed2007 she said “I don’t need to know all your medical history, I’m a NEUROLOGIST.” So she didn’t have anything to say about his meds lol.

She did order a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, which I think it’s quite likely he has (based on his snoring and the weight he’s gained in the past couple years). Treating that could help some with memory and depression.

[mustardseed2007]

shakinros, omg she sucks!

[erinshelley21]

The rudest doctor I have ever seen was a neurologist. He told me my back issues were weight related. I was 15 years old, either playing or practicing a sport 12 months out of the year and only slightly overweight.

This is compared to my prior family dr that couldn't see in my chart or sitting in front of me that I was 8 months pregnant.

[2chatter]

shakinros - we have definitely had that experience! I can’t imagine having it with someone fragile like DH - so what’s next on the plan for meds stabilization?

[shakinros]

Jun 22, 2018 7:39:07 GMT -5 2chatter said:

shakinros - we have definitely had that experience! I can’t imagine having it with someone fragile like DH - so what’s next on the plan for meds stabilization?

Have secured a new psychiatrist that he can see on July 2. Continuing with reduced dosage, which seems to have helped with the physical side effects, but he also had his first panic attack in a couple months. His therapist wants us to consider an inpatient program for a couple weeks. I feel... skeptical of that but I don’t really know anything.

[2chatter]

shakinros - an inpatient program may be a game changer, but I know it’s scary. My mom did inpatient when I was in college and that was the turning point. Having a dedicated team looking at the whole picture - mental symptoms, medications, physical issues and side effects enabled them to finally balance her meds and give her some strategies for successfully handling the ups and downs. It came down to - appointments and therapy were in a vacuum and she and my Dad could describe things but they could not truly see everything, so the ongoing context was absolutely critical.

If it seems overwhelming I am truly happy to help research if you feel comfortable sharing coverage and geography. Sometimes weighing the options is too much. With SS, his inpatient was a personal referral, which leads me to - do you have anyone you can ask about local programs? That’s a great confidence in the process and facility short cut. Hang in there.

[shakinros]

Thanks 2chatter. His therapist recommended a “placement specialist “ who can help with finding a program that takes our insurance and has some options. If we move forward with this, we’ll start there.

Good to know that it helped your mom. How long was she there? How was the transition back? I have concerns that it would be good while he’s there but no lasting improvement once he has to face his actual life with the day to day stresses again.

Feel free to message me if you’d rather not post about it!

[2chatter]

shakinros, my dad administered her meds and made sure she got up every day, ate, didn’t go to bed too early - essentially he forced a routine. She didn’t struggle in the same way with day to day things after she was properly medicated. He also made sure she knew she had to go to all follow up appointments. It was a really big difference before and after. She still had ups and downs but they were more like “I’m having a bad day and am going to take a long nap”. I hope it all works out better regardless of the path you take.