[bizi]

It is now the 11th of january! thought I would stat are new thread. have been on line reading for hours and jeff has been in bed asleep for hours, will take another klonipin as the first one has worn off so to speak and I have had alot to drink tonight....
I wonder if hard clear cider is allowed on this clear diet for tomorrow, sunday????
hmmmm
bizi

[waves]

I think you know the answer to that, Bizi. But just in case. It will be ok that you had it tonight, but I wouldn't have any tomorrow.

[bizi]

rats old friend.
bizi

[bizi]

I can relate in a small way to wanting to change doctors.
Before I left I had a routine physical and lab work done( no pap this year reccommend every 3 years now) anyway.
I waited and waited for the blood results to show up on my "portal " on the web, so I called after about a week. They did not get back to me about that.
I think the results had yet to be reviewed. lost on someones desk maybe mdoc...later they called and said that they wanted to start me on cholesterol lowering medication(total chol was 240 but my hdl was 130) and thyroid medication. I told the nurse that I was not concerned with my chol level in the least.

I was getting ready to leave in a couple of days for 3 weeks. I called back and wanted to specifically tell them that I am bipolar and do we really want to start me on a medication that will increase my metabolism???? and she had not run the t3 or t4, she called back stating that my mdoc knew that I was bipolar and so she ordered them for me to have checked that thursday before we left on satuday so i would have the results that friday so I could start the medication.

I think that would have been a mistake starting a new medication getting ready to leave town. (I decided to not run the t3 or t4 until I get back from vacation)


So I called my Pdoc to get her opinion and told her I was running a bit hypo with the trip coming up.
She thought that the thyroid medication might help my moods. and then she told her nurse to tell me that she wanted to double my dose of LAMICTAL, I told the nurse that lamictal was good as an antidepressant qualtilies but not for mania. ISN'T THIS COMMON knowledge about lamictal?????? I was so dissappointed. Do I need to get a new pdoc?????

Quickly researching elevated TSH and HDL, it seems that both can be elevated from drinking too much alcohol. So I am going to wait to have the t3 t4 run in about a month and am going to curtail my drinking. I have eaten and drank every night for the past 3 weeks.

My mdoc wanted to start me on 2 meds with out looking further into the t3t4 nor take consideration of my elevated hdl. Do I need a new mdoc????

I have to have a clear liquid diet as I have a colonoscopy done tomorrow.
I wanted to get that out of the way before we changed insurances in case something shows up and it becomes a diagnostic one instead of a screening one and the copay would be then $100 instead of thousands when we change insurances in March to a $4,000 deductible.

Last month I had my mammogram done with a screening ultrasound done very uncomfortable and extremely cold. it hurt way worse than the reg mammo. every thing came out clear with that.

Anyway, I hate confrontation and I have been with both my mdoc and pdoc for 10 years but these latest incidences just really go me mad. Especially with my pdoc whom I see far more often every 3-4 months. mdoc every other year or so, more often when I need to see her, broken collar bone and injured thumb months ago. She remembers me from the gym and about my business. Which is nice.

My pdoc really thought the lamictal would help with my hyponess really it just turned out to be anxiety and not hypomania. Which is normal for me this time of the year getting ready for a big trip. I told her that I would call when I got back into town.
I think I will wait until I have decreased my drinking and have had the thyroid test run. She doesn't want me drinking at all.
bizi

added, I will email my pdocs her office to let her know that I was back intown and that I never really was hypomanic and that I will have the t3t4 run in a month. I will tell her that I am fine except that I was drinking too much but will curtail now that I have returned home.

[Mari]

Originally Posted by bizi

I think that would have been a mistake starting a new medication getting ready to leave town. (I decided to not run the t3 or t4 until I get back from vacation)

Bizi,

I would have done the same thing you did -- no reason to take thyroid med a couple days before a trip AND esp when she did not run the other two tests.
I would not leave over one med recommendation and one incomplete test.
Tell her you need the full panel and that you are more concerned about your mood than about anything else.

She thought that the thyroid medication might help my moods. and then she told her nurse to tell me that she wanted to double my dose of LAMICTAL,

DUH!! You talk to her about thyroid and she answers with talk of Lamictal?????!!!!

I told the nurse that lamictal was good as an antidepressant qualtilies but not for mania. ISN'T THIS COMMON knowledge about lamictal?????? I was so dissappointed. Do I need to get a new pdoc?????

IF you are only unhappy about the Lamictal, then you can stay with her, but I remember that you do not like her anyway.

Quickly researching elevated TSH and HDL, it seems that both can be elevated from drinking too much alcohol. So I am going to wait to have the t3 t4 run in about a month and am going to curtail my drinking.

I think it takes more than one month --three months maybe but I am not an expert.

Good luck with the clear liquid today.I hope that tomorrow goes well also.

Good job with the clean mammo.

She doesn't want me drinking at all.

You can understand why she feels that way. She is being a good pdoc in that regard.

added, I will email my pdocs her office to let her know that I was back intown and that I never really was hypomanic and that I will have the t3t4 run in a month.

That is a good idea.

Mari

[bizi]

thank you mari, I feel validated.
I am drinking alot of fluids so I don't really feel hungry yet.
bizi

[bizi]

well my stools are not clear yet so I took another ducolax as my sister suggested. I am feeling a little hungry so may have the rest of the broth that is left. I ate a whole bowl of pinapple jello. and drank 64 oz of chicken broth and 64 oz of gatorade with a bottle of miralax, so that is a total of 5 quarts of fluids today. I will probably be up all night tonight. oh well. hopefully won't have to do this for another 10 years. talked to sister tonight she asked what if they find cancer...I said I thought they would remove it she said no that they would remove pollops but not surgery. she said to ask. just something to worry about. I thought that I was seeing a surgeon no she said he was a GI man. I should have known better.
my sister is a real nurse.....
bizi

[waves]

Originally Posted by bizi

I think that would have been a mistake starting a new medication getting ready to leave town. (I decided to not run the t3 or t4 until I get back from vacation)

Agree 100%. There is no imminent danger to you, and starting ANY new regimen before leaving for 3 weeks is like opening a bag of tricks... you don't know what can pop out... not a good idea. You made a good decision, IMO.

Originally Posted by bizi

Quickly researching elevated TSH and HDL, it seems that both can be elevated from drinking too much alcohol.

Yes, I saw this as well.

Originally Posted by bizi

So I am going to wait to have the t3 t4 run in about a month and am going to curtail my drinking. I have eaten and drank every night for the past 3 weeks.

Originally Posted by Mari

I think it takes more than one month --three months maybe but I am not an expert.

Yes, that is what I remember, as well, for both the thyroid and the HDL. We can google more and figure out if we have the time right.

Originally Posted by bizi

My mdoc wanted to start me on 2 meds with out looking further into the t3t4 nor take consideration of my elevated hdl. Do I need a new mdoc????

Tough call. You still get to be in charge of your treatment plan. Changing doctor is one way of taking charge. Another way of taking charge is simply to refuse the treatment, and give her your reasons. No doctor is perfect. Sometimes they may not be aware of things, like alcohol influencing levels. She may not be exactly aware of your drinking. A lot of doctors only test pin-pointy things. Insurance has started to drive some things -- possibly the only running TSH, and then not re-testing it with the T4. These current issues seem sloppy, but not grossly incompetent.

Bottom line: if you've had repeated competence or sloppiness issues with her, then perhaps you should change. If it is the occasional thing that happens... it will happen with most doctors.

It also depends on how you see this issue. Maybe you regard it as blatant incompetence, not just sloppiness.

I am continuing in a second post, because it is too long.

waves

[waves]

Originally Posted by bizi

Anyway, I hate confrontation and I have been with both my mdoc and pdoc for 10 years but these latest incidences just really go me mad.

I know you hate confrontation, but it can be constructive, especially when it comes to health care and your relationships with your doctors. You do know how to be confrontational, and you can be good at it -- polite, etc. Can you muddle through the hating it, from time to time, to have your needs better met? Isn't it more unpleasant, ultimately, to swallow anger and accept treatments plans with which you disagree? Changing doctors won't necessarily fix things.

Especially with my pdoc whom I see far more often every 3-4 months.
...
My pdoc really thought the lamictal would help with my hyponess really it just turned out to be anxiety and not hypomania. Which is normal for me this time of the year getting ready for a big trip. I told her that I would call when I got back into town.
I think I will wait until I have decreased my drinking and have had the thyroid test run. She doesn't want me drinking at all.

I am not the right person to advise on your pdoc, because she lost my respect a long time ago: I remember your saying she would not see you if you continued to drink, i.e. she gave you an ultimatum. I canned her, right then and there. Keeping her forced you into dishonesty which, when it comes to medications which interact with alcohol, is a bad, bad, bad, bad scene.

It seems however that she has not really kept you to that, since you've told her about drinking recently. But she doesn't have the full picture on you, either.

Mostly, I'd like you to see a pdoc with whom you can be honest, especially about the chemicals you ingest. If you can make the current relationship honest, i.e., if she will accept your struggle with drinking, as it is, then it could work.

As to the Lamictal... I'd say just refuse it. Confrontation again, I know.

added, I will email my pdocs her office to let her know that I was back intown and that I never really was hypomanic and that I will have the t3t4 run in a month. I will tell her that I am fine except that I was drinking too much but will curtail now that I have returned home.

Yes, the anxiety makes sense. I was through the roof with anxiety planning for my trip. I thought I was manic at times, other times depressed, sometimes mixed, but it was all transient feelings, from the anxiety. I am off all regular benzos, but at that time I took them day on day off, and was drinking... sometimes heavily for me (2-3 hard drinks). And plus you were worrying about Jeff being off in China, I'm sure.

So yeah. These are huge stressors and we are going to react in kind: huge anxiety is about the size of it.

Take care, Bizi. You are starting out this year with a lot on your plate!

waves

[bizi]

thank you waves. I appreciate the input and observations.
I could send a note to my pdoc via email and her assistant.
I could site the info about the lamictal etc. some how I feel like I already did that last month If I remember correctly.
hmmm.
bizi