Friday, October 16, 2009

Getting Personal


I have just realized that I usually talk in a general format and not about my personal life. Tonight I want to talk about what’s going on in my life. Particularly my new medicine change, I been on one medicine for my schizophrenia for three years now. It has made me gain so much weight! I have literally doubled in size. At first, I thought changing meds when it was first brought up to me, would be a vain thing. However, I change in front of the mirror in my bedroom and I think of what I used to look like. I’ve also decided that not wanting to reach three hundred pounds is not vain, it’s a health issue.

Since gaining all this weight, health problems have arisen. I have high blood pressure, pre – diabetes, and a worse injury to my knee (yes, Amber if I was only half my size and fell down your stairs, I probably wouldn’t still be in physical therapy). Now the high blood pressure and the diabetes runs in my family, but ALL of those in my family that have that got it at a much older age. Also my digestive system is pretty whacked out. Now I don’t think that it’s directly caused from my weight, but the medicine I am on makes me hungry. Now I do take responsibility here and say that I control what goes in my mouth. However, when you get hunger pains and want something your not suppose to have it’s hard.

I am a little scared trying this new medicine. My regular psychiatrist, the female Dr. L,. is out on maternity leave, but she has been encouraging me to try a new medicine for quite some time now. I trust her. She said before she went on maternity leave, when she assigned me to see another doctor in her place, that if I wanted to try the new medicine while she was away it was o.k. My temporary psychiatrist the male Dr. L. (their not related or married;) was very open to the idea of trying a new medicine. He just wanted to tell me the two medicines that are known for not gaining weight only have a twenty to a fifty percent success rate among schizophrenics. However, I still wanted to try it. The male Dr. L. told me that some of the older medicine is not known for gaining weight, but I said that I would rather stick to the newer generation of schizophrenic medicines.

Tomorrow will be my first day on the new medicine. You probably want to know what it is, but this is a public blog and I don’t advertise for drug companies. The important thing is I am living a fearless life and trying something new. I hope that you all will keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for reading!

7 comments:

  1. I understand what your going threw ,I have LUPUS .I have to change meds so many time i have lost count. its been so bad.I even had two eye surgery because of my meds.good luck. let me know how you are doing

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  2. I hope this new medication works well for you. I struggle with weight issues myself so I understand your feelings.

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  3. Thanks Janice for sharing. I knew you had an illness, but I wasn't going to ask. Lupus is pretty serious. I wil pray for you! It's nice to know it's not just me changing medicine.

    Drifter,
    Thanks for the well wishes. Weight is a terrible issue isn't it?

    Thanks my blog buddies,
    Amanda

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  4. Hello Amanda! My son has tried two meds and had some bad side effects so is currently unmedicated and just using coping skills with therapy. Please keep us up to date on how things are going with new med and one day I hope you can share with us what it is. He is thinking about trying meds again so we will see. He has SZ. Thanks for writing. Janet

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  5. Hello Medcalfs,

    As long as people are intrested I will keep you all updated. I am sorry that your son is having such diffculty. I will pray for him. What is his first name? I like to pray using people's first name! I tell you what the medicine is. It's Geodon. I think medicine, though, works differently for different people. Please keep trying. Your doc WILL find the right medcine. There is something to say for copinng skills and therapy. However, it's hard not to have therapy and pills working together. So I will pray hard for your son.

    Love from Above,
    Amanda

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  6. Amanda...thank you for the prayers. His name is Brandon. I could not make it without my faith. I know our prayers are heard.
    Janet

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  7. Thanks Janet, Brandon will be in my prayers!

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