Wow kay,
Sorry for the identity theft.
That is awful.
It is such an invasion of our lives. I am glad that you had some surprised texts for your birthday!
You are a good woman and supportive wife and friend to us.
(((((HUGS)))))

I am hoping your financial situation is dealt with quickly from the bank.
bizi

:grouphug:Kay

I'm so sorry that is happening.

Donna :hug:

Thank you Donna :hug::hug::hug:

Thank you Bizi (((HUGS))) But I thought Mari's hubby had a problem with identity theft. My husband just had problems with the debit/credit card.

I was able to handle the bank's customer service department myself. The fraud department has already taken care of the credit card charges, so no more worries there. We are just waiting for the cash reimbursement. They are sending us an affidavit. We sign it and can mail it back, but have the option of going to a branch to have them fax it. I think I'll pick option #2 as I think it will be faster.

My husband gave me the info so I could go online, look at our transactions, and see exactly how much money we have based on what bills have cleared and which are pending. I went to an ATM at a bank up the road that has a chip reader and withdrew some money. I bought some groceries and gave the rest of the cash to my husband since he has no way of getting any otherwise.

I have an appointment with my pdoc today. That will cost $30. I will be honest about everything going on. I expect her to increase the seroquel and make me come back in two weeks.

hi kay, sounds like the bank is quikly helping you.
Yes credit card fraud (I believe) is identity theft too., maybe not...I don't know I just know that it sucks.
sorry again, been there done that.
Ours was about $3,300 dollars total all on a friday.
They had stole jeffs debit card number and used it to purchase things.
It is just so freaky that they were able to access our checking account. scary!
I feel for you.
We use credit cards for all of our purchases because we earn cash back on everything that we buy and pay off the card every month.
Jeffs credit card got compromised over seas so we canceled the card and just used mine.
sigh
bizi

Hi, Kay
Glad that things are starting to work out.

1 Yes, someone used my hibby's social security number
To get a tax refund.
We have been told to work things out every year so that instead
of getting a refund, we should pay.

other situations:
2 My sister had someone steal her credit card and charge tons of stuff
3 My girlfriend had a big mess that is not resolved. When she and her
Brother bought a house together the bank needed s lot of proof that she was she said she was.
4 A few years ago my work buddy had money withdrawn from his accounts. He thinks someone got mail out of his mailbox because his neighbors had something similar. (-- but it might have been more complicated than that -- not sure.

M

I guess my father-in-law went through the same situation we are going through now. He said that thinking back he remembers using an ATM with a bright and shiny PIN pad. My sister-in-law had her banking info hacked when she opened and responded to a fishy email. They both got their money back, but don't remember how long it took.

I'm sorry that you guys have had to go through this **** too. It just shows how common it is. It sucks :hug:

I'm keeping an eye on the mail for my my husband's new card and the affidavit. I guess all we can do is wait.


I saw my pdoc yesterday. As expected, she was very concerned. And, as expected, she raised the seroquel another 50mg up to the 800mg max. I want to take it at night, but it doesn't always work that way for these type of sx. As you know, my MS fatigue has progressed, and I don't exactly need to take anything else sedating during the day.

What most people would consider typical OCD symptoms have been worse lately, too. I'm in the middle of doing the laundry and all my "checking" is still in full effect. Last night's extra dose of seroquel should have helped with that. I haven't experienced any intrusive thoughts yet, but it's early.

I have a feeling I'm going to wind up having to take this **** during the day.

Oh kay am sorry that you are having this extra stress right now, you don't need it!
hope your mood stabilize and that the intrusive thoughts are kept at bay.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

My mood is stable. That is not an issue. It's just ALL my anxiety disorders are acting up at once, but I recognize that is a threat to my stability.

I forgot to mention that my husband got paid today, so that should take a little heat off financially. I still have to log in online and check in to the health of our checking account.

I haven't had any intrusive thoughts since I starting taking the extra 50mg of seroquel at night, and my OCD and PTSD have calmed down :):):)

I'm surprised it didn't have a larger effect on my GAD though… maybe because I'm taking it at night? I'm still using a lot of klonopin, but am not taking more than the 3mg I'm allowed. I hope since I'm not dealing with the other ****, my general anxiety level will start to go down in time…

I usually wake up with some degree of anxiety and can't go back to sleep, but I woke up somewhere between 5 and 5:30am this morning with a full blown anxiety attack. It's not the first time it's happened, but it just hasn't happened in a while. It's a great way to start the day :(

Taking the extra seroquel at night has been helping with my other anxiety disorders, but I think I'm going to have to try taking it during the day instead. Maybe spreading the dose out more over 24 hours is the only way it's going to help control my GAD, which it should be doing… easily. If that doesn't work, I'll have to go see my pdoc again and figure out some sort of plan B.


I suffer from "intractable constipation," which is a major motility disorder that doesn't respond well to diet or typical therapies. It's common in MS and meds make matters worse. There are a lot of things that used to work, but don't anymore. I go to the BR once a week, twice if I'm lucky.
I take:
15mg of Sennakot at night
1250mg of Fibercon twice a day
100mg of colace twice a day
30mg of lactulose at night
15mg of Dulcolax as needed
I know it's an aggressive bowel regiment. I make changes occasionally. It's something I work on with my PCP, neuro, and gastro.


I'm have plans to go to the club some time this week on a day when my anxiety isn't too high. I kinda made a promise to myself I'd go every week, but I guess I didn't follow through because it's been about two weeks again.

My husband received his new debit card in the mail Friday.

When I spoke to the customer service agent from our bank on Wednesday, she said they were sending us an affidavit. We have to sign and return it before we can be reimbursed for the money that was stolen from our account…

We're still waiting for it.

If not received in a couple days remind them. It could be lost in the mail.

Which would be more frustrating.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

I am so sorry for all of the meds you have to take for your GI issues.
wow this must be frustrating!


sorry for all of your anxiety.....
(((((HUGS))))
bizi

Sure wish I could help. But don't know how. I take metmucil tablets when
mine gets bad.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

To change from taking 50mg am/750 pm of seroquel to 100mg am/700mg pm, I took the extra 50mg yesterday so I wouldn't be skipping a dose. I had already taken 1.5mg of klonopin for the anxiety attack, so it knocked me out and I slept for 4 hours.

Now I'm on schedule.

I woke up with anxiety as usual this morning. The 50mg of seroquel I took this morning was not effective in calming my anxiety by itself (which is surprising), so I took 1/2mg of klonopin. I am experiencing some sedation even though I still feel anxious.
I'm going to give it another day or two before I go running back to my pdoc's office, but I'm starting to wonder if this is really just anxiety. I have a habit of confusing mild hypomania and high anxiety, but I'm not picking up on any other hypo sx, and if it's mild hypomania the extra 50mg of seroquel should have taken care of that, too. I'm going to have to take stock of my recent behavior to see if anything pops.

We got the affidavit yesterday and my husband checked it, filled it out, and signed it. I was going to have one of the bank branches fax it to them, but there is no fax number on the letter, and that makes me nervous. I'm trying to decide if I should call customer service to ask for the right fax number or just send it overnight mail. I'll probably err on the side of caution and make a trip to the post office.

I have to do some food shopping today, but will only pick up a few things because we are hurting financially. I wish I could put it off until I get my SSDI check tomorrow, but there are some things we need now. What a PITA.

Unfortunately the post office and grocery store are going to have to wait because I need to sleep this off before I can drive anywhere…. if I can even drive at all today. My husband may have to drive me when he gets home from work whether he likes it or not.

Kay this is a lot of stress for you.
I am sorry.
I wish we did not have to be so hyper vigilant about our bipolar, but somebody does right?
((((((HUGS))))))
bizi

Kay,

Keep erring on the side of caution. Things are going to work out.
But on the off-chance that they do not, you will want paperwork
in case you have to refer to records of the steps you took.

Good luck through all this.

M

$22 to mail the affidavit overnight guaranteed… wow. More money to get our money. I'll check the delivery confirmation today and call tomorrow to check on the status of our claim. I made copies of the affidavit before the ink was dry, so if anything happens we will be covered.


I was more alert after a 2hr nap yesterday, and felt comfortable enough to drive and get my errands out of the way. I just don't know if I can/want to have to take a 2hr nap every morning to sleep off the sedation of that extra 50mg of seroquel until my body adjusts to it. History shows I will adjust to it, but I don't know how long it will take, and I didn't see any benefit from it anxiety-wise yesterday. I've only taken 50/100mg so far this morning until I decide what I'm going to do… am or pm? I'm leaning towards taking it at night again.

As far as possible hypo sx, I've had racing thoughts that I've attributed to the anxiety, and I've been irritable. If I am having an episode it would be a mixed mood. Thinking about it, I think that's probably what's been going on. The PTSD symptoms hit me pretty hard during agitated mania, and I've had thoughts in the past that I could be mistaking for the intrusive thoughts I've been having recently. The seroquel increase has helped, but it's obviously not enough. I'm going to call my pdoc's office to get an appointment for Friday. She will probably increase the gabapentin.

We didn't get to see my father-in-law again before he left for Florida and he has been texting me constantly about the situation and being a real ***hole about it. He's really been an ***hole the entire time he's been up here. I'm tired of his ******** and guilt trips. I had to tell him twice I didn't want to talk about it anymore. If he brings it up again, I'm not going to respond to any more of his texts. It's exhausting.

mixed moods are hard to manage.....
(((((HUGS)))))
sorry, wish this were easier for you.
bizi

Yeah… and mixed mood is my danger zone, too. I'm lucky I'm not manic…

I was hospitalized for full blown agitated mania (which is a mixed mood) this time last year, but it was preceded by a significant episode of euphoric hypomania, and it was a med (Latuda) that put me over the edge.

Personally glad you can figure these things out.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

I forgot to mention something very important: Yesterday I was officially 1 year sober :):):)

I felt better yesterday as far as what has been feeling like high anxiety, but I decided to switch back to taking that 50mg at night, which meant skipping one 50mg dose, and am not doing well this morning. So, I guess I'm going to have to go back to taking it in the am and just suck it up until my body adjusts to it. I took the 50mg this morning so it will be "extra" rather than missing a dose again. I see a nap sometime in the very near future.

The last time I had to adjust to taking 100mg of seroquel during the day, I was not driving and was pretty much home bound. At least I know I will do better today than Tuesday because I have only taken 1/2mg of klonopin today vs. 1.5mg the other day because of the anxiety attack.

At this point I know I'm having an episode.. I should have picked up on it weeks ago because I've never had all of my anxiety disorders flare up to that degree all at once in the absence of an episode. I guess it's something to learn from. I was just so focused on handling it on my own.

Instead of making an appointment, I called my pdoc this morning and left a message. I know what she's going to tell me, but it's still important to call to let her know what's going on, and I should get her input before I treat myself because there's the possibility she will recommend something different than she has in the past.

I planned on doing laundry this morning, but I'll be too sleepy to finish it. I have one errand to run, but it can wait until the afternoon.
I'll call the bank's customer service department after breakfast, then go back to bed.

WOW!!!!!
Congratulations, can't believe it has been a year already.
You are amazing!!!!!

hope your pdoc comes up with a plan that will help you.
((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Congratulations Kay.

Such a milestone.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

Thank you :hug:
I can't believe it's been a year already either.

I got a call back from the secretary at my pdoc's office telling me she won't be in until Monday, but the covering NP said I need to be evaluated. So I could go to the ER or accept the next available appointment with my pdoc on Wednesday. lol. Those are two vastly different options aren't they? My pdoc is in the office on Monday, and I'm sure she will call me.

I have no intention of letting things get to the point where a trip to the ER or psych ward becomes necessary. There's no point in seeing a different NP right now because my med plan is complicated and I'd just be telling her what my pdoc would recommend. If this situation hasn't improved by tomorrow, I will raise my dose of gabapentin, which is what she would tell me to do.


Yesterday I called to see when we'd be reimbursed for the money that was stolen. I went down a few rabbit holes trying to get the right person on the phone, but in the end was told we would get our money back sometime between today and Tuesday. I hope that's true.


I finally went to the BR but had to use everything in the arsenal to do it because oral laxatives alone weren't working. Unfortunately the show's not over because I didn't get great results. Hopefully the oral meds will be enough now though.

Ordinarily I'd be putting laundry in right now, but I know that I'm going to need to go back to sleep once I take that seroquel. I hope that I'll be able to get my wash done when I get up. For once I don't have any errands to run.

You do so well managing your moods kay. I am happy that your pdoc is so helpful and willing to work with you.....
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

My pdoc's wonderful. She's just wasn't in the office.

I felt better yesterday and am feeling better so far this morning, but there's still room for improvement. I'm trying my best to pay attention to my mood and behavior. I am holding off on adding the gabapentin for now.

Yesterday my little nap turned into a 4 hour marathon nap despite setting 4 alarms on my cell. I got nothing done.
I was up at 5am this morning, but didn't take my meds until my usual time at 7:30. I should have just taken them at 5, because now I'll probably be going back to sleep when my husband is just waking up. Hopefully my nap today is short, or at least shorter.

does you MS make you fatigued like that or is it the meds?
bizi

Kay,

I missed posting on your thread the day you posted about your anniversary.

You have done very well. . . . so well that you could get a prize for
your sobriety :winner_first_h4h: :winner_first_h4h: :winner_first_h4h:

Congrats too on getting your license back. :Bow: :Bow: :Bow:





M

Thank you Mari :hug::hug::hug:

MS is the #1 reason for my fatigue, but meds and other factors like heat can make it worse. Some days are better than others, but the fatigue is always there. It's a matter of whether or not I can function despite it or not.
I usually wake up between 6-7am, but there are days I have to go back to bed a few hours later regardless of meds, and I almost always have to have a nap at some point during the day. My naps were running longer before the seroquel increase.
The extra 50mg that I just added to my am meds is sedating me, and I have to go back to bed shortly after taking it… no choice. I'm still waiting for the first day when I can just push through it and stay awake.

My husband got absolutely ****faced Wednesday night. He was obnoxious and annoying. I've been so irritable/agitated, and his behavior is driving me up a wall, so I explained a little bit about what was going on with me on Thursday, but that didn't stop him from getting trashed and testing my patience again. He has absolutely no consideration for me, or anything I might be going through. He drank heavily on Friday, but paced himself so he wasn't such a handful, but was back to pounding the beers and being obnoxious again last night. It was a blessing when he passed out at 7:30.

We got "HIS money" back yesterday. It's "HIS money" because he works for it, and I don't work. Of course I can't work, but that doesn't matter. I feel badly because I would like to contribute, but can't because I'm handicapped. I have told him that comments like that make me feel like a beggar and a piece of ****, but he doesn't care. I get a social security check, but it's a small amount of money that I was mainly using for medical expenses and cab fare, but have been using more of it for household expenses now that I'm seeing doctors less and am driving again. He says, "THAT is YOUR money." That's the last thing he said to me before he went to the bathroom, and then disappeared into the bedroom to pass out last night.

I don't want to start a fight because I never know how far he's going to take it, and I can't deal with his temper right now, but he's getting on my last ****ing nerve. He's a total ***hole.

I feel sorry for you.
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))
bizi

Kay,


I hope today is o.k. for you and I hope for both of your sakes that he
somehow starts having more good days than bad.
Does he get enough sleep do you think?

=-=-=
Hubby and I sort of keep our money separate but it mostly works for me because he is better at money /paying bills than I am.
When it is not "working," it is because he is anxious / obnoxious.


M

Mari, He drinks so much that he usually passes out early and sleeps like a rock. But it's not good quality sleep because his body isn't resetting itself for the following day because it's too busy breaking down the alcohol.

Saturday wasn't the first time we'd had a "discussion" about the money issue, so he already knew my feelings about it before he started making digs.

His position further upsets me because it shows me that he doesn't regard me as a partner in our relationship. It makes me feel like he sees me as only someone to cook and clean for him, do his laundry, and get him a million beers "while (I'm) up." He's actually said "get me a beer while you're up" in his sleep because he says it so often. He thinks that's funny.

When he woke up yesterday, I made no attempt to conceal the fact that I was upset, and he knew why, but didn't acknowledge it. He remarked later that I was "giving (him) attitude," and I don't know when to let things go. So I told him how I felt, and I got little response aside from the fact I don't take his feelings into account (WTF is that supposed to mean?), and that I was "lucky to have access" to his money… very unapologetic.

I used to have my social security check deposited into our joint account before we were separated. It makes sense to do it now, but he resists. He won't tell me why, but I think it's because he wants to maintain the separation of funds so he can use the money issue against me when it suits him.


So this, and his drinking, aren't helpful to me considering I'm not at my best right now. I am doing better since switching to taking the extra dose of seroquel in the am, but I'm still off. I'm not feeling the same degree of that high energy that I was mistaking as a flare up of all my anxiety disorders anymore, but I'm still agitated/irritable, dealing with anxiety, and am sleeping less now. Maybe I'm transitioning from a mixed mood into depression? Or it could just be situational. IDK. It's been a very long time since I've gone through an episode of depression.
I see my pdoc on Wednesday and will let her sort it out. Given my history, depression would have to be clear and severe before my pdoc would consider prescribing an antidepressant, or I would consent to taking one. Maybe she'll move some meds around. IDK.

Kay

Good luck with your appointment on Wednesday. I totally understand
the money issues. Until I started working mainly for IN*SOURCE.

I had to depend on my husband and what he considered his money.
Even when wanting something for the kids. It technically was the
way he was raised. And I knew that from the beginning.

Both his parents were rich from their own money. From family.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

kay it really makes me angry the way your husband treats you......:mad:
I am so protective of my friends here. I want each of us to be treated with respect...the respect we deserve.
sigh

in regards to anti depressant use....Have you ever taken welbutrin? It is the only antidepressant that I ever tried that did not make me manic. though I was on a really low dose and am not sure how long I was on it.
don't rmember.
bizi

It's unfortunate that you can relate Donna. It must have been especially difficult to deal with that when you needed money for things for your kids :hug::hug::hug:

Bizi,
I know my husband is abusive. I have to be careful how and when I assert myself. He has a bad temper and a slanted view of reality. I don't want to instigate a larger argument and put a bullseye on my back, but sometimes I do speak up. I just have to pick my battles… even if I know I'm going to lose them.

I've taken Wellbutrin before, it doesn't work for me, and it induces mania pretty quickly.
I've taken Zoloft several times in the past for depression and once for OCD. It's effective, but I guess I can only be take it for very short periods of time because it induces hypomania, and in some cases mania. But that was before I totally lost my ****, and when I was on a lot of other drugs that zombified me. The effect could be more profound now, and that's the concern.

I'm interested in what my pdoc's input will be tomorrow, and what she's going to recommend. I think she's going to hold off on changing or adding any meds at this point to wait and see how things develop.

I hope you have a successful day today!
(((((HUGS))))
bizi

My constipation is really bad, and I was put on a new med that is supposed to start working in 48-72 hours. I'm off all the other meds. In the meantime, I feel terrible.

My pdoc appointment is at 11:30. I'm going to have to sit down and think about my symptoms prior to yesterday because I'm completely distracted by the fact that I'm not feeling well. I will definitely present as depressed at this point because of that.

I have to go food shopping today. I made out my meal plan and list Monday, but I don't know if I'm going to be staying on my diet or not yet. I'll wait to see how I tolerate breakfast and lunch first. I may end up just picking up a few things and doing the rest of the food shopping later in the week.

Good luck at the appt.

It is hard to see a pdoc and present on a day that is not a normal day.:hug:


M

Kay,

Hope it all gets better.

Keep us updated.

Donna :hug::grouphug: