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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jakeman on June 3, 2006, at 23:23:03
Isn't it just one person's opinion? Usually the docs tell me nothing my diagnosis unless I ask. Once when I inquired I was told ahedonia with anxiety. Later another doctor thought I may have major depressive disorder with GAD. But now they are talking about social anxiety disorder or social phobia and seem they think I may have that too (In the old days SAD was called shyness). Then there's treatment resistant depression (I seem have that too). There's various bi-polar definitions that I can't figure out, seems I could be soft bi-polar too. I have sleep disorders with various diagnoses but those symptoms could caused by the meds I'm taking for my other symptoms.
I know there's is some need to put a scientific label on one's disorder, but it can vary and it can be pretty loose and change over time. Maybe there's too much emphasis on sticking people into categories. I guess the point I'm making is we need doctors who will closely examine us and develop treatments on an individual basis.
warm regards, Jake
Posted by snapper on June 4, 2006, at 3:22:51
In reply to What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by Jakeman on June 3, 2006, at 23:23:03
> Isn't it just one person's opinion? Usually the docs tell me nothing my diagnosis unless I ask. Once when I inquired I was told ahedonia with anxiety. Later another doctor thought I may have major depressive disorder with GAD. But now they are talking about social anxiety disorder or social phobia and seem they think I may have that too (In the old days SAD was called shyness). Then there's treatment resistant depression (I seem have that too). There's various bi-polar definitions that I can't figure out, seems I could be soft bi-polar too. I have sleep disorders with various diagnoses but those symptoms could caused by the meds I'm taking for my other symptoms.
>
> I know there's is some need to put a scientific label on one's disorder, but it can vary and it can be pretty loose and change over time. Maybe there's too much emphasis on sticking people into categories. I guess the point I'm making is we need doctors who will closely examine us and develop treatments on an individual basis.
>
> warm regards, JakeHey Jake, I concur
It is at the point of "waistbasket" psychological diagonosis du-jour--- It does seem to me at least that a large majority of us on PB seem to be suffering from many of the same symptoms and "diagnoses" --- I hope that I am not delusional- (no PUN) that a lot of what is going on with us hard to treat and treatment resistant patients is not just a trend but rather a wake up call that this pattern and what I may refer to as a syndrome is hopefully a "wake up call" for the "prescription-wielding" Dr's. who treat us. There must be something more. Certainly too many of us are suffering greatly from a LOT of the same sympomatology. God help us all. I do beleive that psychopharamacology and what not is hopefully headed into a new and hopefully helpful era.
My best
Snappper
btw I do have ALL your symptoms and maybe more---don't give up!!!
Posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 11:59:18
In reply to Re: What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by snapper on June 4, 2006, at 3:22:51
Jake what were you doing up so late last night is it the EMSAM? That's the same thing thats happening to me new diasnoses every day. I'm tempted to quit all these meds as I do not think they work. Love Phillipa
Posted by Jakeman on June 4, 2006, at 12:35:32
In reply to Re: What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 11:59:18
Phillip, I stay up late on weekends. Midnight is early for me!
I've quit meds about 20 times but always come back in desperation searching for something that works.
warm regards, Jake
> Jake what were you doing up so late last night is it the EMSAM? That's the same thing thats happening to me new diasnoses every day. I'm tempted to quit all these meds as I do not think they work. Love Phillipa
Posted by Bonnie_CA on June 4, 2006, at 14:56:09
In reply to What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by Jakeman on June 3, 2006, at 23:23:03
>(In the old days SAD was called shyness)
Eh... I think it's just that doctors take a person that is a bit shy and call it SAD. Real SAD comes with physical symptoms triggered by a social event. Unfortunately, doctors hear from a patient "I get nervous in social situations" and instead of probing furthur to determine if it's shyness that can be fixed with behavioral therapy, they are quick to write a script. It's one thing to be nervous in a crowd; it's something else completely to feel like you're going to die because of the crowd, and your stomach hurts and you feel dizzy and disoriented... some doctors just don't do their job right. Sorry, I just had to disagree with that statement in particular. That statement comes from poor doctors giving ADs to people who don't really need them.
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. ;D
-Bonnie
Posted by heaven help me on June 4, 2006, at 20:04:26
In reply to Re: What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by Bonnie_CA on June 4, 2006, at 14:56:09
I always feel like I don't *know* what I am talking about when it comes to all these meds, diagnosis and such. But I have thought this: I think that the brain is an extremely complex frontier (I know Star Trek thinks it is the final frontier, but I think the brain is). Anyway, I also think that over time, we have gotten farther and farther away from the original perfect design. Now we are ALL suffering with some sort of chemical imbalance, illness, diagnosis, whatever you want to call it. ALL of us (on the board and otherwise). Some of these "problems" have been given names, others have not. (Like, my husband (who I love dearly) has a major problem with connecting his brain to actually DO what he knows NEEDS to be done) But no one has named that one yet and so he doesn't get to hang out on this board. My point is, the brain is not what it used to be, or what it was meant to be and we will always be working at trying to get things stabilized and hoepfully, better, in spite of our environments. Some of us more than others.
blessings
mary
PS: please know that I DO LOVE this board! You guys have compassion where it otherwise does not exist and that has blessed me in ways I can not explain. Thank you!
Posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 20:13:17
In reply to Re: What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by heaven help me on June 4, 2006, at 20:04:26
Mary is this the one you're referring to? Love Phillipa
Posted by heaven help me on June 4, 2006, at 20:17:06
In reply to Re: What does a diagnosis mean anyway? » heaven help me, posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 20:13:17
> Mary, what kind of meds are you taking that you think might be helping you with this? I know it may be God's grace, but just in case the meds helped too I was wondering. Thanks, Cara
THE SHORT ANSWER:
am: Synthroid, B,C,E,Garlic, Minerals, Enzymes
midday: Valium, healthy food
pm: 120 mg Geodon, 200 Lamictal, Resotril
THE LONG ANSWER:
Well, I have tried a whole host of meds in the last few years but the ability to strike it up with strangers is a new one to me. It is hard to get into this without getting into the spiritual aspect of it so bear with me. BEFORE meds at all I was not able to handle talk with strangers (or at least on the inside I was thiking about how to get out of it). Then, also, I was trying really hard to be a "good Christian". God let my depressions, and anxieties and insomnias come to a crashing all time high about 4 years ago which is when I (who had sworn NEVER to take meds beacuse that, to me, was an admission of not being well) finally let the Dr. talk me into Ambien for sleep. This began the talking with the Dr that led to the "discovery" that I also had depression, anxiety, etc. We tried many ADs, ALL of which drove me mad either by making me too tired to function, too wired to speak, too deep in anxiety to do anything but cry and shake and so on. My PA finally told me he thought I was bipolar 2 and I went on Zyprexa. (with Prozac and Ambien) Things were good as in I felt better but still unable to really live interacting with people without being sure that I was somehow going to be exposed, or fooled, or something. 35lb of weight gain and a diagnosis of pre-diabetes later we decided it was time to try something else. I tried adding Lamictal which helped a bit, have been on it over a year now. Then 4 months ago we weaned off Zyprexa (hell in itself-but done VERY SLOWLY, from dose to speck was do-able with the help of Lorazepam). In ONE meeting my PA (no, really, he is good) he changed me from Zyprexa(weaned), Prozac(cold turkey), Lamictal and Ambien(cold turkey) to Geodon, Paxil, Lamictal and Restoril. Well, as you can imagine, things were not well for a while. We ditched the Paxil and I have since been on Geodon, Lamictal and Resotril in the eves.
After an adjustment period of about a month I have felt GREAT!!!! Now, I do have some weird jittery thingy going on in the evenings which he has given me a Valium a day for (works wonders) and I have what I think is an inner ear infection giving me very dizzy spells of Veritgo that have been going on about 6 weeks or so now. I wonder sometimes if they are med related but my PA said just wait it out. In that last 6 weeks or so not only do I FEEL better but the Lord has shown me how low I can go over these last few years that I feel this sort of sudden utter reliance on Him that I had not felt before (remember, I wasn't going to take meds cause I could do "it" myself). Since Jan. I have been working at a local crisis pregnancy center where women from ALL walks of life (executives to drug addicts come in for HELP!!!) and I have seen, by God's grace, that I am NO BETTER than ANYONE!!!!!!!!! I am NOT a "good Christian" and I can never BE one. If I am anything "good" at all it is because by the grace of God HE has done something through me. Without Him I beleive I would be dead by now - having not given into meds but having continued doing it on my own, I'd have done myself in. So, He has taught ME (and we all learn in different ways) that I had plenty of faith for Him to heal me (as I had prayed for years for this pre meds) but no faith to trust Him to work through me with meds, and someone else in control (rather than me). So now, here I am, feeling tons better with some PA in charge of me and taking a bunch of meds that I never would have pronounced let alone taken. In addition, His allowing me to come into very close relationships with these women at the center, to see first hand the true dire state of human kind, has given me HIS compassion for these lost, hurting and suffering people and suddenly, suddenly I feel like I can't say enough to enough people!!!! I want everyone to know that God is amazing and that He never gives up on anyone who calls to him (though He may make me wait long enough to learn my lesson) and I don't want ANYONE to miss out on hearing His love call on their hearts. Not the woman at the grocery store, not the addict on the corner, not the mother in the hospital, not the kid next door, not the family at the park, not my daughter's friends, not the gang member, not my acquaintances, not the guy at the tattoo shop. (these ARE all strangers I have taken the initiative to talk to recently). I am BLOWN AWAY by the compassion and the power He has given me to speak as I have never before and to seek conversation with strangers as NEVER have I before. Somehow, now I just see EVERYONE as needing someone to reach out to them, whereas before I somehow was so self-centered that I spent all my time worrying about what others would think of me, or what if I said the wrong thing, or what if the conversation didn't really matter anyway, etc. Now, I think I don't care what anyone thinks of me. God has taken a mess (so if you think I'm one, yep, I am, no more hiding there) and made a miracle and I am happy to tell anyone what He has done for me. Whew! So there you have it. I'm beat, and have probably now spoken more than I should have. Hope I answered your question!
blessings
mary
PS: I'm still a bit worried about all this TD and Geodon talk, plan to talk to my PA on Monday about that one. Really though, so what if God wants me to sink lower? The lower I sink, the better I smell!
Posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 20:33:24
In reply to Hey Phillipa! Since you're on-here's a repost..., posted by heaven help me on June 4, 2006, at 20:17:06
Thanks Mary I'll e-mail you after dinner wow is it late. Love Phillipa
Posted by Caedmon on June 5, 2006, at 0:20:10
In reply to What does a diagnosis mean anyway?, posted by Jakeman on June 3, 2006, at 23:23:03
Psychiatry probably needs to have better methods of diagnosis and needs to verify the interrater reliability of those methods.
It is hard to do evidence-based practice if you can't define your terms. Diagnosis is important. You cannot ethically give people psychiatric drugs if you do not clearly know why you are doing so, or if there is an evidentiary basis for it. Just my opinion.
- Chris
Posted by tizza on June 9, 2006, at 0:24:37
In reply to Re: Hey Phillipa! Since you're on-here's a repost... » heaven help me, posted by Phillipa on June 4, 2006, at 20:33:24
hope you are well hon. P
Posted by Jakeman on June 9, 2006, at 1:21:44
In reply to Re: Hey Phillipa! Since you're on-here's a repost... » Phillipa, posted by tizza on June 9, 2006, at 0:24:37
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/11.07/11-patch.html
This is the end of the thread.
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