not so bad....

I get horribly introspective now and then, and my last post was reflective of that.  It's rough, but I managed to pull myself up and remind myself how blessed I really am.  Once in a while, though, it's good to be brutally honest even if it hurts.  It's far better than hiding it way back inside somewhere and letting it fester.  It is part of my mental health status that this happens, and I have learned that denying it doesn't change its existence.  Many people are taken aback or shocked when they see that I can get that way.  I live with it; it doesn't surprise me any more.

I was scheduled for a sleep study last night.  Apparently they use some nasty scented dryer sheets on the bed linens and after about half an hour in the room, waiting on the nurse to come and hook me up to the plethora of wires that are required for such a techno-savvy test, I was about to wilt into a puddle of upchuck.  I turned everything off and left the room.  As I made my way down the hallway she came up and asked if I was okay.  I explained what was going on and we agreed my only alternative was to leave.  We had already been questioning the wisdom of sticking so many patches to someone allergic to adhesive and latex and everything else I don't tolerate.  I guess it was decided for us, no?

I've managed to stay eating very well since I got sick last weekend.  I believe I've lost an inch off my waist already.  I feel looser in my clothes, if that makes sense.  It's a nice feeling not to have the fabrics snug on your body, but instead to have to reach down and tug up a skirt or a pair of pettipants once in a while.  I'm certainly not going to complain.  I can always make more if I need to.

I'm sticking with several small meals, very little bread or other carbs from processed grain, and more protein and fresh stuff.  I've had cantaloupe, strawberries, yogurt, mesquite turkey breast, cheese, some whole grain crackers, nuts (mostly raw ones, thank you Target), and jello.  Last night we had some of the Breyer's low carb ice cream bars with almond pieces in the chocolate.....oh, they sure don't taste low carb, but they are pretty much the only chocolate I can eat without paying for it later.  I have cut my diet soda intake in half by making sure that every other thing I drink is either sugar free koolaid, gatorade if I'm feeling like I need to replace electrolytes, or the like. 

God is good.  He is with me and He holds me up when I falter, patiently loving me back to sensibility.  And because of that, I am blessed.

day 811

Okay, so I ended up cancelling again. My head was pounding. I'm going to check out the new doc here who is replacing my old cranky one and if it's not going to work out with her I'll make the appointment with the other guy.

I've been kinda between depressed and feeling driven to do and be and all that junk because of the season and because of the new baby. I'd like to just crash for about a month but it's not going to happen.

Realizing the extent of my borderline personality disorder has been a bit tough on me but at least I see it for what it is and I'm trying to work with it and keep my life somewhat consistent instead of flopping all over the place.

I don't really feel like writing either here or in any one of my other blogs. I'm really lacking that kind of motivation right now. Maybe it's the SADD kicking in again. Then again, maybe not.

I wonder sometimes how I manage to function like I do considering all the crap that I went through as a kid. It's hard to remember a lot of it - I've blocked years and years of my life as part of that psychological protective mechanism process. It's frustrating, though, to think that there are periods of time where I was here, and alive, and being who I am, and I can't recall that time. It must have either been bad, or it would have triggered memories I couldn't handle, so my mind just put them in a box, taped it shut, and stored it on a shelf way, way back in the closet in the corner of my brain.

I know it's for the best, but for how long?

blast it all

Darn pain doctor....I really don't like that man.

First off, he tells me that increasing my Methadone dose to 20 mg a day, which he is doing very very very reluctantly, puts me in danger. It's bad for my health. He insists I see a dentist because it can mess with my teeth. That's a new one. I tell him when I have the money I'll go to a dentist. I can't pay for a cleaning and inspection and neglect the house payment.

Then he says I have the WORST case of PTSD and anxiety he's ever seen and asks if my psychiatrist has suggested hospitalization.

Why? Because I'm in so much pain I'm crying again?

Because I'm picking at the sores on my arms like I've done for 35 years?

Because I'm stressed?

No. Really???? I'm stressed because I hurt. I don't hurt because I'm stressed.

I reminded the dork that I've had PTSD and OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder since I was, like 12, and functioned in society on a relatively even keel with it, even managing to raise 3 kids on my own and they all made it to adulthood in one piece. Those diagnoses have NOTHING to do with the fact that I hurt like blazes. I hurt. I need meds so that I don't hurt so much, so I can sleep, so I can function and vacuum my living room and sweep and mop the kitchen and fold the laundry. I don't want to go to Vegas or Mozambique or Paris...I just want to keep my house clean and not hurt so bad I can't spend time with my kids and grandkids.

He then mentions that he may not be the right doc to treat me because he's uncomfortable with such high doses of Methadone. High? 20 mg a day? Come on! This hint wasn't missed. I know where he's heading next. He hasn't said it yet, but I know what's coming the next time I see him.

So I came home and called the doctor of an online friend. This doc is in Columbia, another 45 minutes further from my house, but she is treating my online friend like a real honest-to-goodness person in spite of her pain.

I have an appointment with her on October 22 at 10:15. I'm hoping this lady and I hit it off because I'm running out of options here. I know that Dr. Toad wants me off the Methadone. He still won't give me anything for breakthrough pain but the Tylenol. He, like the neurologist, thinks this is all related to my psych diagnosis...something which, amazingly enough, has not occurred to my psychiatrist, who sees the stress and anxiety as being aggravated by the pain.

So anyhow, for now I'm up to a whole whopping 20 mg of Methadone a day, in 4 5-mg increments. I know...I'm just the druggie of the month here, aren't I?

I'd like to do a few things to give him an idea of how I hurt. First, I'd bash him in the head with a baseball bat a few dozen times. Next, I'd take his family jewels and put them in a couple 2-inch C-clamps and tighten them as tight as I could. Then I'd walk out of the room for about 3 weeks and when I came back, I'd tell him he sounded stressed and suggest maybe he needed to be hospitalized for his psych issues. I'd give him some Tylenol for the pain and tell him anything stronger could have serious detrimental effects on his health.

Yep...there is a sadistic component to my BPD, and when I get mad, it comes out. Fortunately I never act on it...but I do fantasize a lot.

day 602

I see the psychiatrist tomorrow. I'm hoping he'll increase my Lexapro so when I see the pain doc in a couple weeks I can tell him it's been done and he'll be happy.

I know the pain doc is going to have a fit that I haven't done the physical therapy but we just haven't had the money to do it for the 4 weeks he wanted it done for. I don't know what to tell him other than we can't afford that much right now. I was thinking it was going to be like 3 visits, not 12...and that's $180 we don't have to spare at this point in time.

I am getting my exercise most days, just not walking like he wanted me to. I care for the chicks, and garden, and stuff like that. I'm out there almost an hour most days and some days it's more than that.

I printed out an information sheet for Norbert on borderline personality disorder yesterday so he can understand about the picking thing. It's hard to explain to people that I can't just stop picking at the sores. It's a compulsion. It's something I find myself doing without thinking. Between the OCD and the borderline, I'm actually almost surprised it's not more than just picking. The sores are getting better though...it's just taking time. The more time I spend outside and doing stuff, the better it gets. They used to heal a lot faster when I was working but I'm not doing that any more so I pick more.

I dunno...it's frustrating for me, too. I don't like how it looks. I'd like to just say I'm gonna stop and have that be that, but it doesn't work that way. Maybe the increased Lexapro dose will help.

I'm trying not to sleep so much, but when I do more, it makes me tired, and I even fall asleep sitting up. The pain doc wants me to get up and do stuff when I feel like that, but between the insomnia and the meds sometimes I just can't control it.

I'm waiting to hear from the Social Security people...that might take till mid-July. I'm just hoping it's good news. I hate the thought of having to fight again to get the disability. We need the money. Where we sit now, if something goes wrong and it is going to cost more than a couple hundred bucks, we're screwed. That worries me.

Oh well...

day 556

I'm up again.

I think the Maxalt I had to take at 11 for my migraine interfered with the Xanax I take to help me sleep.

While I was up I figured I might as well use up the brown bananas so I made hubby some banana muffins for breakfast. He's doing overtime again today for double pay.

I hate that he has to work so much but with only one income and the bills that have to be paid he feels like he needs to do all he can when they offer it to him. This week's paycheck was pretty skimpy due to the holiday and no Saturday overtime the day before Easter so we're counting our pennies. Living paycheck to paycheck is bad enough but trying to come out of the grocery store having spent less than 2/3 of what we usually do is hard all around. There are things I like to have here for him - and for me - that just didn't happen this week.

I should hopefully find out soon if I was approved for disability. That money would help us a lot. We could get ahead a bit on the mortgage so once he retires we won't have that payment to worry about. Since I know we can live on what he makes, I can put most of my check on the principal and bring it down a lot faster than making the minimum payments does. Most of that is still interest. Every extra dollar taken off the principal lowers the interest payment and shortens the life of the loan. If we're wise I can pay it off by the time he's 70, at least...and he probably won't retire till then anyhow. Maybe I can do it sooner than that. It all depends on what happens in the meantime, like car repairs, house repairs, and maintenance bills. Owning a place, even a mobile home, can be expensive.

While hubby's at work today I'll probably be catching up on my sleep. The insomnia and consequent daytime sleep is frustrating because it gets me all upside down on my hours. However, it is a small price to pay for the nerve pain relief I get from the Lexapro.

I'm hoping to order a couple books on borderline personality disorder to read and study and hopefully learn from. One is a workbook on what is called cognitive behavioral therapy - it helps you learn how to change how you see things that threaten you and put you in a bad place mentally, and by that you can change your reactions to them. There are no support groups out here and no therapists in a reasonable driving distance that have experience with BPD so I guess the best thing to do is go it on my own and get what feedback I can from my psychiatrist. Thankfully I'm motivated to do something about it. I can't just sit here and do nothing. It's not in me to be that way.