you are very good at paying attention, we will help if you like????
bizi

I would love the help! I have no problem with any of you giving me your input, or letting me know about something you pick up on that I've missed. I'm not a China Doll.

I don't think I'm hypo right now though...
I had a couple of good hours in the morning yesterday, but got extremely tired and lazy thereafter. I got absolutely nothing done outside of scooping out the cat boxes and making dinner. I spent half the day with my feet up, and needed my afternoon nap.

Hypomania usually doesn't take a day off. With MS I have good and bad days, but maybe the amantadine is starting to help, too :)

Hypomania is something well worth watching out for though. It really sucks that I have to be afraid of the same symptoms I'm hoping to get and that there's such a fine line there…

I have my 3rd appointment with the counselor today. I remembered that I have to bring her a letter from my husband that says I'm living a sober life. I wrote up something very simple and brief that he was satisfied enough with to sign. He's BS about the whole thing because he thinks she's treating me like a baby. I agree.
I've decided I'm not going to skip an appointment even though it's going to be a financial hardship… we have tax refunds coming to replace the money that will have to temporarily come out of the savings account. I'm going to have to pay for that session sooner or later, it may as well be sooner so I can get my license back quicker. If I keep up with weekly sessions, I can finish on the 17th. Soldiering on and having a specific end date to these sessions not so far away makes the denouement seem more within reach. But then there are more steps ahead of me to worry about before I finally get there.

I'm glad you guys liked the candles. We burned one last night. My husband was happy.. it does smell like sandalwood! It will be even stronger when we burn it some more because the fragrance I used in the wax to top off the candles wasn't as concentrated as the wax I used to pour most of it.

Katm

It is good that you are not going to skip an appt.
Being steady with the appts shows those people that you are consistent and serious about the program.

Does your husband find the sandalwood "calming"?
http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/02...ty-and-stress/


M

My counselor is very nice. One of the focuses of our counseling sessions is asking for help. I can understand that objective, but I think she is overstepping her bounds when it comes to MS...

She somehow assumes that I can do more than I can, but thinks I should do less than I actually can. She has ideas about what I should and shouldn't be doing, but they're beyond the scope of her practice.

I'm very uncomfortable discussing this subject with her. Anytime I try to assert that it's important for me to remain independent and do the things I can do, she sees it as me having the inability to ask for help, even though I have explained that I have changed in my ability to ask for help over the years, and how.

I got very frustrated yesterday, and I have a feeling I didn't hide it well. I understand that it's important to ask for help when you need it, but that doesn't mean that you should be rendered helpless because you are limited in some ways because you are handicapped. There are plenty of things I can do, and I plan on doing them as long as I can.

Because she's making such a big issue out of the fact that I'm handicapped, I worry that she's going to write that she's concerned about my ability to drive and I'm going to end up having to fight for that privilege in the state of NH, and then in my home state of MA. However, she hasn't mentioned that concern to me.

She continues to press upon me her concerns about asking for help if I have symptoms of hypomania. I can understand that concern. I told her that I had spoken to pdoc who said she would be happy to call or write her a letter to help reassure her… the counselor actually laughed out loud. I really didn't appreciate that.

So far, the sessions have been repetitious to drill in these points: Ask for help when I need it (especially in regards to my mental health), have some sort of a support system in place, and have a plan to avoid drinking and driving again.

I guess we'll be starting to work on a "treaty" with the state during my next appointment that covers those topics and many others. It should prove to be very interesting.

Three sessions down, three more to go. I'm half-way there.

I haven't noticed a difference. We don't light the candles until the evening, and he's most prone to his temper tantrums right after he gets home from work in the late afternoon. Maybe I'll light the candle shortly before I expect him home…

That sounds like a good plan!
kay have you ever heard of rescue remedy?
I have heard one way to use it is put some in a spray bottle with water and spray a room. It is meant to help disperse anxiety...the tonic can be taken in a tea to help calm your nerves etc.
I believe you get it in the homeopathic section of a health food store.
might help to spray the room right before he gets home???
bizi

I might try the room spray Bizi, but I'd have to order it online. I know he'd never drink the tea or anything else to help with his anxiety, or help him calm down… that would be admitting there's a problem.

http://www.amazon.com/Rescue-Remedy-...e+remedy+20+ml

they actually make a spray now!:)
bizi

For some reason I think that the spray is to be put under the tongue, although
I can see why it might be worth a try to spray the air.

M

oh you are right mari!
I have heard of taking the drops(not sure how many though) and adding them to a sprayer full of water then spraying a room. I jumped when I saw the spray. You are right though!
thanks! sorry kay.
bizi