Posted by KaraS on June 10, 2005, at 19:54:05
I had my first appointment today. I saw the doctor for about an hour and a half. I was extremely impressed. He was so sharp, really brilliant actually, and so on target in his assessment of me. He was also very caring. My friends are all shocked. They've never heard me talk about a doctor in such glowing terms. Usually I'm frustrated and feeling helpless after seeing them. Not so this time.
For one thing, he noticed that my pulse rate was too high. He took it a couple more times during the session. I explained that it's not always this high and that I was stressed from running late to the appointment. The pulse stayed high during the whole exam because I was nervous that this might be the end of the line for me and if this doesn't work, then what? I also mentioned that it was usually in the normal range at my regular check-ups. Anyway, he noted that my reasons for feeling nervous still didn't justify my pusle staying that high. He took a family history and noted that my dad died of a heart attack at age 45 and that my mother is an extremely anxious person. He could tell that my system overreacts to stress and stays in overreactive state far too long. He gave me more specifics about that. He thinks it could turn out that I don't need an antidepressant at all. He gave me a prescription for a beta blocker. I asked if the beta blocker might make my depression worse. He said he's never seen that in his patients and that the tests that led doctors to think that beta blockers do cause depression were done on people who already had heart disease, which he believes distorted the picture.
He also gave me tests for memory and cognition. Things have always taken me longer to think through than my peers in school so I have suspected that I may have some ADD. I managed to be a straight A student and get an MBA but my slow pace has been a huge detriment to me in the work world. Anyway, after the oral tests he gave me, he concluded that the rate of my cognitive functioning was not on a par with my IQ. He said that the rEEG would probably show that I need a stimulant. I told him that I had tried Ritalin but that it put me to sleep. He said that I probably haven't tried the right stimulant.
He discussed how the rEEG often indicates medications for people that are completely counterintuitive. For instance, he has found at least one case where dexedrine worked wonders on a woman with anorexia.
He also mentioned that he thinks SSRIs are safe medications and that the risks of suicidal ideation are minimal. He said that the problem is that they're given when they're not needed. He claimed he has never seen an EEG that showed a child or teenager needed an SSRI.
So anyway, my next step is to take the beta blocker and get off of the doxepin and the Omega 3 oils. (He said that the rEEGs indicate that Omega 3s can work like a mild Neurontin in the brain.) He wants me off of both of them for at least 10-12 days while I discover what dosage is right for me on the beta blocker (Atenolol). Then I'll have to be off of the beta blocker for a day or so before I can get the brain scans done. Also, he wants me to get some metabolic blood tests done including thyroid panel and CBC.
I was weeping at the end of our session because I finally felt that I was dealing with someone who could help me. I didn't have to try to convince him of anything that didn't match with my experience. I also was weeping because I felt that if I had met this doctor 25 years ago, then I might actually have had a life.
I hope my going on and on about this has been helpful to some of you. I'll keep you posted on how things progress. I'm very anxious to get the actual rEEG done and get on with the rest of the treatment.
Kara
poster:KaraS
thread:510796
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050606/msgs/510796.html