shesellsseashells

Thanks for sharing that with me, mcjimjam. My pdoc won't write me a prescription for weight loss meds. I have an appointment with my PCP on Monday. If he won't help me, I may buy Contrave from the manufacturer as they will write a prescription and send me the meds after I speak with one of their doctors via videochat. I'll also look into the Optifast angle. Thanks again. Thanks for sharing that with me, mcjimjam. My pdoc won't write me a prescription for weight loss meds. I have an appointment with my PCP on Monday. If he won't help me, I may buy Contrave from the manufacturer as they will write a prescription and send me the meds after I speak with one of their doctors via videochat. I'll also look into the Optifast angle. Thanks again.

Hi there. I had a little slip with my weight loss and gained a few pounds. I have an event coming up in May for which I'd like to lose 20-25 pounds. ( I need to lose the weight anyway, and I think that's a good goal.) I've lost 34 pounds on my own and with Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem, but I'm getting bored of the food. I did some research about diet pills and came up with Contrave (Naltrexone and buproprion) and Qsymia (phentermine and Topimirate). I've taken some of those meds individually. I'm planning to talk with my pdoc, since those meds are combinations of psych meds. Has anyone had experience with Contrave or Qsymia, or another weight loss med? Thanks for your time.

I realize this question was from July, but I just had a 4-day episode during which I acted as I were drunk and have little memory of that time period. My pdoc said I was disassociated but has no explanation of how or why.

I've bounced around the ED diagnosis for most of my life. I was anorexic then bulimic. The urge to purge remained, but I couldn't stop bingeing. I grew out of that for a bit and restricted and yo-yo dieted for a long while. It finally occurred to me when I was 32 or so that I realized what a problem body image and food intake still were for me. I was fortunate to have been treated at the Center of Eating disorders at Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore. Now my dx is Binge Eating Disorder. If you aren't able pay the deductibles for the ED treatment, is there a scholarship to which you can apply for funding?

Thanks BB. Yes, I will be a happy camper when I get my car back, although I cringe at seeing the bill. I think that one of the reasons I'm upset with my family members is that I feel they don't trust me. Pdoc hasn't a clue as to what caused the episode. I have never experienced anything like it before. Pdoc doesn't think it was a seizure because the episode lasted so long. It is disturbing.

Unfortunately I had a bad experience with ECT. I've experienced memory loss and a change in cognitive functioning, some of which still lingers. For example, I had to learn how to drive again, and my spelling is now awful. I used to love to read, and I can no longer concentrate the way I used to. ECT seems to work for some people, but I wish I'd never had it. I don't mean to frighten you, just to share my experience. I wish you the best.

You're probably right . . . I think one reason it ticks me off is because I've let my brother drive my car in the past when he's needed it despite his driving record. I looked into renting a car, but it's pretty expensive. Since I'm not working right now it seems superfluous, but may be a good idea so I no longer feel trapped. It's something to think about. Thanks for your reply.

I am 44 and the oldest of three children. Brother 1 (42) lives in San Fran. Brother 2 (36) has a dream job and travels all over the world. He and his girlfriend use my parents' house as a home base and a storage space for their miscellaneous belongings, which include two cars. I live at home with our parents. I've been living here for an embarrassingly long time. I've been dealing with a deep depression over the past six months and am not working right now. I want to get the hell out of here but can't afford to move at the moment, so I'm in saving mode. I had a bizarre 4-day episode the weekend before Christmas. My mom and I went to look at some potential apartments (for me) together. My brain was off in another place. The episode must have started during the night, because I was in a blacked-out state by the time I got into my car on Saturday morning and proceeded to drive into another car. Very minor accident, no one was hurt. Following the accident I apparently demanded that my mom drive us around to see the apartments, anyway, which she did that day and the next. I have no recollection of these activities. Saturday afternoon through Tuesday evening is blank in my mind with few lucid thoughts poking through. My parents said I was slurring and stumbling, as if I were drunk, but that wasn't the case. Apparently I asked my dad to show me how to use the microwave. My pdoc says that I was disassociating but doesn't know why. He did say that it is not likely to happen again and that I should not curtail my actions. I have never had an episode like this before, where I was blacked out for days. When I'm hypomanic/manic I usually remember what happened during the episode. My car is in the body shop and will likely be there for the next couple of weeks. I looked into renting a car, but that gets expensive. It would cost me $40 to take a Lyft/Uber to and from my doctor's appointments, but they won't allow me to schedule a pickup in advance in my area. I don't know what the episode was or why it occurred, but I can't stay home for the rest of my life in case it happens again. Pdoc and I are trying to handle it and have made some med changes. My family now treats me like even more damaged goods and expect to either have my mom chauffeur me around or to take the bus. I live in suburbia in a state that has pitiful public transportation services. Also, on most routes I would have to change busses, and that is scary to me. I took the bus last week without having to transfer and that was OK. I have OCD tendencies, so public uncleanliness is hard for me to withstand. I asked Brother 2 via text if I could drive one of his cars, thinking that would be no problem. He said no, saying something about keeping the mileage low to sell them. Huh? (An aside: my dad told me he was thinking of buying one of Brother 2's cars for me, as it is newer and has been driven fewer miles. If this is the case, I really couldn't see the big deal to put another 50 miles on it.) If Brother 2 didn't want me to borrow a car because he was afraid I'd get into another accident, why didn't he say so?. (My driving record, by the by, is the best of the five of us.) I don't use my car daily. It's just nice to be able to go to a doctor's appointment by myself, or to the grocery store without my mother sticking her nose in regarding my food choices as we walk down the aisles together. (Separate issue.) So, lots of unused cars in the driveway here at the homestead. I am NOT allowed to drive my Dad's car under any condition. My mom has a car, so it wouldn't be bad borrowing it to nip out now and again as she's retired, but it's in the shop and she has a loaner, and she is the only person allowed to drive the loaner. I feel like a teenager who has had her first fender bender and is on probation until Mom and Dad deem it safe to drive. I'm under house arrest! I spoke with my insurance company to ensure I have proper coverage to drive another person's car and I do. The accident will not raise my rates. I think Brother 2 is a jerk for not letting me borrow a car. Brother 1 is a jerk because he IS intrinsically a jerk and because he thinks I'm being unreasonable in this situation. And the way in which he told me so was unkind. Am I behaving like a self-absorbed, entitled bitchy cow? I don't see how my driving someone's car for 40 miles per week for a week or two is such a production. Having a repeat performance would be awful, but the chances seem low that I'd black out again and crash. If the roles were reversed and any family member needed to use my car following a minor accident, I would absolutely let him or her drive my car after making sure everyone's insurance is in place. Am I being unreasonable? Or naive? Or something else? Gaah! Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

Thank you, A. My pdoc has no idea what this episode was. I am disappointed in him. He put forward the theory that it was caused by stress of the car accident, but it started before I got into my car. Also, the accident occurred at a low speed, so there was no physical trauma. I'd just increased Latuda, but reading the side effect information did not ring a bell. I can't find anything re: a multi-day blackout. We agreed to stay on the current dose (120 mg) for another week or two and then try cutting back if it's still not helping my mood.

Thanks for your insight, Antecedent. I have been OK since Tuesday night for most of the time. I've noticed over the last day or so I've been shaking more, that I weave as I walk, and I can't pick items off the floor. My pdoc isn't quite sure what the episode was. I'm just hoping whatever it is goes away.

Last Saturday I experienced an unusual four-day blackout-ish episode. The episode lasted until last Tuesday evening. I have little memory regarding what occurred. Apparently my mother and I were going out to look for apartments for me. I pulled out in my car onto a main road and crashed into another car already in that lane. Fortunately, no one was injured. I have a recollection of my mother flailing her arms at me as I was joining the traffic not far from the road to our house. After the crash I have vague recollections about having difficulty picking items up off the ground that I'd dumped out of my wallet, such as my driver's license. I couldn't figure out how to call my town's non-emergency line for the police department on my phone. I remember the man whose car I hit. I don't think I apologized to him, which was rude. My mother said I was stumbling and slurring. (I'm not sure why the police officer didn't take me into custody, but am grateful he did not.) I did not even get the man's name. I recall my dad arriving and putting part of the front of my car into his vehicle. I made phone calls to the apartment folks with whom I had appointments to reschedule rather than paying attention to what was going on around me. This behavior is unusual for me. I typically don't talk on my cell phone when interacting with others present, as I find that obnoxious unless absolutely necessary. When my mother and I arrived home from this incident I apparently insisted on going to look at the apartments anyway, so my mom drove us. First, however, I called the body shop my family uses to set up a time to bring my car in, my auto insurance company (I guess I called them to tell them I'd been in an accident, although I had neither the other driver's name or information re: the police report), and texted my younger brother to ask if I could use one of his three vehicles while he is out of the country. (He said no, but that's a separate topic.) My mom and I saw a handful of apartments, none of which I remember, and I guess I did not know what day or month it was. After that my recollection is even more spotty. I had an extremely volatile argument with my parents (with whom I live), of which I can only remember unpleasant snippets. I remember talking with my pdoc on Monday night on the phone asking if it would be OK for my mom to come to my appointment on Tuesday morning, as she was worried about me. Monday night I believe I stayed up all night making lists of medication side effects and creating a Power Point presentation to show my pdoc. I remember some of my appointment with him the next morning. I believe I spent most of it shouting at my mother for causing my accident due to her flailing arms. My pdoc seemed unconcerned by my behavior. I was still having the episode at that time but didn't want to tell anyone because I did nor want to be committed as an inpatient and because I was afraid that my parents would cancel a month-long trip they planned. (I am really upset about my pdoc's attitude, as he is usually kind and supportive. But that's a separate issue. I have been seeing him biweekly for almost a year now, so I should think he knows me rather well.) I remember my pdoc telling my mother that I was disassociating for reasons unknown. The blackout ended on Wednesday, and my head has been clear since that time. I apologized to my parents for my behavior when I "came to". I'm so embarrassed by my actions, although a part of me says it's not my fault as I was not in control of myself. (I have also effectively been placed under house arrest since that time, but that is yet another issue.) I ask you: what the heck was that? Does this ring a bell with you? The episode was like an alcoholic blackout, only the blackout lasted longer and I had had nothing to drink. My first thought was medication change: I recently increased Latuda from 80 to 120 mg. That doesn't seem like the answer to me, although I'm not sure why. I had a similar experience about eight years ago, when I stayed up all night calling people to tell them what I really thought of them and then drove, intending to go to the local mental hospital, wearing my nightgown and flip flops, no underwear. I don't fully recall that episode, either, but it only lasted about two days. At that time I was spotted by a fellow motorist as I drove erratically and was stopped by the police as I scraped along the guard rail and was transported by ambulance to a hospital, where I hollered for my childhood pdoc. At the time I chalked it up to an Ambien reaction or an odd mixed episode. Christmas is a difficult time for me. Last week's symptoms weren't like episodes of mania/hypomania/mixed I believe I've had before. I'm looking forward to confronting this episode with my pdoc at my appointment on Thursday. In the meantime, I'm confused, scared and embarrassed. WTF?! Are the incidents connected in some way because they both related to an automobile? My pdoc said he thought I was disassociating, which seems accurate, but I don't know why it occurred. To my knowledge I have no experience with physical abuse or PTSD or other symptoms of disassociation. Thanks for reading and for sharing any thoughts you might have.

I had the second chin treatment on Friday. It's still swollen up a bit. I'll let you know in a couple of months when I see results. No results on the tummy yet, but it's only been six weeks, and results can take three months to show. I'll keep you updated in case you or other folks are interested.

I was fortunate enough to have been approved for SSDI, only waiting two months for a decision. I was told by the folks at SSA that it would take 4-6 months, so I was very happy to be approved in such a short time. I applied for SSDI through the Social Security Administration in person. There are a few situations where one can't apply online. In my case it was because I'm divorced. The SSA folks were very helpful and friendly. I made an appointment and did not have to wait long. After you file the application you will be sent a function report and employment report for completion. These look a bit daunting. Completing the paperwork with your worst symptoms in mind is a great idea: someone on CB suggested that to me when I was applying, and I think it really helped me get approved so quickly. My understanding is that 40% of SSI/SSDI applications are initially denied. My former pdoc suggested that I hire a law firm to help me through the process. I called the law firm he recommended as well as many others when I was working on my function report. Not one was willing to help me at that stage. It seems attorneys' interest in my geographical area apparently only begins when a person's SSDI application is denied and an appeal needs to be filed. I would encourage you to do all the application work by yourself (with help from the SSA if needed) and wait to hire an attorney if you've been denied. I believe that attorneys' fees are up to 25% of your retroactive payments. I see that this thread is a month old, so the point may be moot, but if you'd like I could scan my application and send it to you via CB messaging in case it would be helpful to you. If so, please let me know.

My concerns re: CoolSculpting were addressed to my satisfaction. I had my tummy and under my chin treated on Wednesday. I had expected pain but it was not painful. The session lasted for about three hours. The treatment under my chin was uncomfortable but not too bad. It took 90 minutes for the chin procedures alone. I have an appointment the end of this month to have another round of chin treatment. My tummy was a bit sore afterwards, as if I'd been working my abs. The soreness is dissipating. My chin is still swollen and painful to the touch, but that's supposed to go away. Results should start to show between 1-3 months. I'll report back when I start to see results in case anyone is interested.

I hope you fare well with the ECT. For me, not all of my memories came back afterwards, and I have a hard time remembering things now in the present. I do exercises to try to improve my memory. Have you been on the max dose of every medication you've tried? I find that I don't respond to some meds at a low dose, but at a higher dose it works quite well. I wondered if you've ever considered a residential treatment program. It's not the same as inpatient. You said that your health insurance is up in the air, but some insurances to cover residential stays. That way your meds are closely monitored, can be changed more quickly than in an outpatient setting. It would also give you a chance to get another opinion re: your meds and treatment. You mentioned that you've been seeing the same pdoc for about 10 years. Is she a good fit for you? Have you considered getting a second opinion from another pdoc? Of course you might want to wait to see how you do when you've finished your ECT rounds.