The Institute called yesterday to confirm my appt for Wed. I told them I would have to cancel and would call back to reschedule. Haha. Yeah, right. Adios, people.
Today, I reached total perfection with my meds! Now I have the timing right and I feel wonderful. I'm not so naive to think that everyday will be this way, but at least now I know it's possible. Unfortunately, my computer room is STILL in complete and utter disarray. I guess there are some things that just aren't meant to be. LOL
I forgot to ask - what kind of dr are you seeing in Houston? I'll be interested to hear about your results with Strattera. I'm going to try my son on a non-stimulant (Intuniv - an old blood pressure med) this weekend to give him a "drug holiday", but at the same time try to control the hyperactivity. He gets a little TOO focused at home on the Vyvanse. It kinda freaks me out. LOL
One cool, unintentional plus of the Vyvanse --- I can fit in my pre-pregnancy, 4 years ago jeans again!!! = )
Oh...and Sarah told me that because I made good grades in school, I could not have had ADD as a child. (Never mind what my own mother said.) Really? Thanks a lot. Gee, here I am at 42 years old and all this time I've been thinking I was just smart or something. Ha. Yes, I was more than a little offended by that statement. I know for a fact that ADD/ADHD and grades do not always correlate.
I can't get past the "middle-aged women are drug-seekers" thing. I'm just sitting here laughing - not like it's funny, it's more like disbelief. What's sad is that people like us are forced to perpetuate that belief because, in a way, we are. Apparently, we are in need of medication...just not the ones they want to feed us. So like us - we're going to see Sarah once and we'll never go back. WE know why, but what's going through her mind? (And that, of course, was already on my chart from Dr. P... *sigh*)
Throughout this whole ordeal, I really started to wonder about something. I wonder how many women only discover this (ADD/ADHD) about themselves when they stop working and become stay-at-home Moms. Maybe I'm thinking about my own situation because I've always been doing something structured - work, school, etc - and suddenly I've found myself with no set schedule and I'm lost! Like my Mom said, back when our generation was young, ADD/ADHD just wasn't diagnosed like it is today. Therein lies Sarah's "middle-aged woman" issue. What do you think?
At 12:23pm on February 11, 2010, Cajun Tiger said…
I knew it! The minute I read that you had gone to Houston, I thought to myself "Sarah fed her the bipolar BS, probably gave her some mind-twisting meds, and said to come back in a month. She cut her losses and ran." That reminds me - I need to cancel that "in a month" appt. LOL No more Institute for me either. What is it with those people and their obsession with bipolar disorder? Funny how we both were sitting on pins and needles waiting for the other to tell the same story! = )
By GP, I meant my general practitioner, family doctor...whatever you want to call him. I've been with him the entire 10 years I've lived here. Why I didn't just go to him with this first I don't know. Boy, was he a breath of fresh air! He added the "H" in my dx as well, by the way. Like you said, I have NONE of the major symptoms of bipolar - no mood swings, no delusions of grandeur, no deep depressions, no none of that crap. Every time I heard someone tell me that, I just wanted to grab them and say, "If I'm so bipolar, then where's my manic side, dammit?!?!?!" LOL I have a couple of friends who ARE bipolar and several friends who are RNs, all of whom told me, "You are so NOT bipolar." So, in a roundabout way, I guess the folks at the Institute helped me. They made me angry enough to keep on keeping on
So, my doc in Houston. He is not very personable, more clinical. However, I found him through my coach who called a colleague of hers in Houston. My insurance was so kind as to waive my point of service fees since I have to go so far and they did not have a suitable doc in the area. So, he confirmed that my suspicions are correct, I do NOT have Bipolar, I have ADHD and marked depression (I was surprised at how bad my deprssion was). My ADD is Combined type showing symptoms of both inattentivness and hyperactivity. We are trying Strattera first because it is easy to rule out. In 4-6 weeks it will either work or it won't. I know stimulants can be trickier to get right kind and right dose, so I thought better to rule out the easy ones first.
All that being said, I will have to go back and see him monthly until we get the right meds. However, After that I will be able to call to get refills with every 6 month visits (At least that is how I understand it). I will NOT ever go back to the Institute. although I liked the therapist ok, if as the PhD he can't speak his mind and the employees are not on the same page - it is not worth my time. The trips to Houston shouldn't be too bad. My daughter (4 y.o.) has to go to MD Anderson for check ups since she is a cancer survivor and we have friends there....we will make the best of it. Plus, Houston has an IKEA!!
Terri, OMG! I had almost an identical experience! The only reason I didn't give you all the details before was because I thought maybe it was just me, and I didn't want you to make a judgment based on my poor evaluation. So, YES, she said I had bi-polar too! Never in my life have any of my other counselors or therapists or psychiatrists ever suggested this. I don't have the appropriate mood swings for this. I checked the current DSMIV which I do NOT meet the criteria. I am not concerned with the one coming out because well, it hasn't come out which tells me it may not be approved yet (unless you more recent information than I have). Anyway, she indicated to me that middleage women who come to her with ADHD concerns are basically drug seekers. She tried to put me on Amblify (sp?). The psychologists (PhD) that I had been seeing was really confused by both the dx and the prescription but I could tell he was uncomfortable contradicting her. Interestingly he was the one that supposedely does the dx and before my appt with her clarified that he thought I had ADD and Depression. Hmmmm...maybe this lady is just nuts herself. My coach confirmed what my thoughts were than said "RUN!!!" (without really saying it directly).
Hey! I did not get your thread, but I was so glad to hear from you. I just started on Strattera. I don't know if it will work as good as stimulants but I wanted to give it a try. In 4-6 weeks I should know if it works or not. If it does, great. If not, I can start the long arduous task of trying stimulants. I know stimulants are trickier because there are so many, and the dosing ranges are huge! So I thought, better rule out the easier one, Strattera, first. I had already ruled out Wellbutrin with another doctor. Anyway, I will let you know how it goes. So, I can't stand it any longer...how did it go with Sarah? ~Kateri
OOH! I am SO glad you posted! I'm running out at the moment, but I definitely want to chat. Your timing could not BE more perfect. More later this evening. (Oh my gosh, I'm getting things done!) = )
I am actually seeing someone now in Houston and I love him. The drive is awful for me though...4 hours each way. Good thing I only have to see him once a month. I started my first dose of Strattera today...we'll see how it goes!
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Today, I reached total perfection with my meds! Now I have the timing right and I feel wonderful. I'm not so naive to think that everyday will be this way, but at least now I know it's possible. Unfortunately, my computer room is STILL in complete and utter disarray. I guess there are some things that just aren't meant to be. LOL
One cool, unintentional plus of the Vyvanse --- I can fit in my pre-pregnancy, 4 years ago jeans again!!! = )
I can't get past the "middle-aged women are drug-seekers" thing. I'm just sitting here laughing - not like it's funny, it's more like disbelief. What's sad is that people like us are forced to perpetuate that belief because, in a way, we are. Apparently, we are in need of medication...just not the ones they want to feed us. So like us - we're going to see Sarah once and we'll never go back. WE know why, but what's going through her mind? (And that, of course, was already on my chart from Dr. P... *sigh*)
Throughout this whole ordeal, I really started to wonder about something. I wonder how many women only discover this (ADD/ADHD) about themselves when they stop working and become stay-at-home Moms. Maybe I'm thinking about my own situation because I've always been doing something structured - work, school, etc - and suddenly I've found myself with no set schedule and I'm lost! Like my Mom said, back when our generation was young, ADD/ADHD just wasn't diagnosed like it is today. Therein lies Sarah's "middle-aged woman" issue. What do you think?
By GP, I meant my general practitioner, family doctor...whatever you want to call him. I've been with him the entire 10 years I've lived here. Why I didn't just go to him with this first I don't know. Boy, was he a breath of fresh air! He added the "H" in my dx as well, by the way. Like you said, I have NONE of the major symptoms of bipolar - no mood swings, no delusions of grandeur, no deep depressions, no none of that crap. Every time I heard someone tell me that, I just wanted to grab them and say, "If I'm so bipolar, then where's my manic side, dammit?!?!?!" LOL I have a couple of friends who ARE bipolar and several friends who are RNs, all of whom told me, "You are so NOT bipolar." So, in a roundabout way, I guess the folks at the Institute helped me. They made me angry enough to keep on keeping on
I am so glad to hear you are getting better treatment! I hope it works great for you. BTW, what is a GP??
~Kateri
All that being said, I will have to go back and see him monthly until we get the right meds. However, After that I will be able to call to get refills with every 6 month visits (At least that is how I understand it). I will NOT ever go back to the Institute. although I liked the therapist ok, if as the PhD he can't speak his mind and the employees are not on the same page - it is not worth my time. The trips to Houston shouldn't be too bad. My daughter (4 y.o.) has to go to MD Anderson for check ups since she is a cancer survivor and we have friends there....we will make the best of it. Plus, Houston has an IKEA!!
I am actually seeing someone now in Houston and I love him. The drive is awful for me though...4 hours each way. Good thing I only have to see him once a month. I started my first dose of Strattera today...we'll see how it goes!
Kateri
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