questionable advice

I know that my friends are well meaning and have nothing but my best interest at heart. However, I have been a little surprised lately by some of the suggestions I've received from them about my health.

Here are some recent ailments that I have been advised of:

• Adrenal Fatigue - although my levels are well within normal, I am told that "western" medicine lab tests are not sensitive enough to pick up on this ailment. The treatment? Lots of rest and bovine adrenal supplements. Is it just me or does this sound like a really bad idea?

• Candida (yeast overgrowth) - I am the first to admit that a yeast infection is nasty, nasty, nasty! I am totally behind a good anti-fungal treatment when warranted. But the idea that candida is growing throughout my body, raging through my innards just doesn't resonate with me. Unless one's immune system is severely compromised, I think we can tick this one off the chart.

• Wheat Allergy - despite having been tested for celiac (twice), there are still friends of mine insisting that I must have a wheat allergy. This one isn't totally off-the-wall, there are real cases of wheat allergies, but living a wheat-free lifestyle is hard work. At least it doesn't involve eating cow glands, so I suppose this one is at least a possibility.

I will be the first to admit that modern "Western" medicine doesn't have all the answers. It is tempting sometimes to want another perspective, another option on the table.

I suppose I just like to stick to things that I can research in peer-reviewed journals. Am I being too closed-minded?

the real me?

After weeks of tapering Celexa, I finally reached zero last weekend. And while I still have two other antidepressants floating around in me, my personality seems to have shifted. I have become angry and agitated.

What scares me most is that I no longer know the "real me". Without the meds, am I really an angry person? Or is the "real me" when I'm on the meds?

I feel totally overwhelmed.

cranky counting

Eight days of a constant migraine headache

1 broken central vacuum requiring service call

1 broken nearly-new washing machine (warranty expired) requiring service call

1 broken floor vacuum cleaner (beyond repair)

1 outdoor hose frozen and broken requiring service call

2 dogs, 1 tearing the house to shreds (he's a puppy, I have a headache)

1 paper left to finish

1 presentation left to present

1 missed episode of House

0 mg cipralex onboard (tapering complete)

Penelope is cranky tonight. Really cranky.

a question of trust

I came across this article today on Salon that caught my eye. It seems that one of the most reputable journals of medicine, the JAMA, is angry at a 'whistleblower' who pointed out a potential conflict of interest.

The article states that Dr. Johnathan Leo - a professor with the Lincoln Memorial University in Texas - noticed that the author of an article published in JAMA about Lexapro failed to disclose a financial relationship with Forest Labs, the company who make Lexapro.

I took the time to read JAMA's response and I found them to be quite defensive.

Journals are the 'go to' source for trusted information on health issues. Physicians make prescribing decisions based on information gleaned from the latest journals, patients rely on this information to be neutral and reliable.

It's a question of trust. It is vital that conflicts of interest be illuminated. If my doctor prescribes a medication for me, I want to be certain that their judgement is based on objective, neutral reporting of well designed studies.

I am not saying that the results of the Lexapro study were invalid, only that a lack of disclosure on the part of the author calls the results into question.

Here's hoping that this will be a wake up call for journals and researchers who publish in them.

forced to keep mirena?

Why do some health care providers feel that they are entitled to force their patients to keep unwanted Mirena IUDs?

I recently came across a blog post from a NP where she vents her annoyance about removing a recently inserted Mirena from a patient who was concerned about the side effects. The majority of the comments she received are almost more disturbing than the original post itself.

Tales like this are repeated frequently across the web - women told that they must keep IUDs that are causing them discomfort. Adding to this concern is the reluctance of other health care providers to remove an IUD that they themselves didn't insert.

I can't for the life of me understand why a provider would be reluctant to remove an unwanted IUD. It is a simple and quick procedure. Do they not believe patient's reports of side effects?

Am I alone in thinking that this kind of behavior is offensive?

frustrated, desperate

I'm scared.

For the past few years, I have tried to hang in and be a 'good patient' as a host of symptoms started to steal away my life.

Only a few years ago I was a busy health professional with an enjoyable career. I worked out regularly, did yoga three times a week, went out for dinner with friends, performed in a band, went rock climbing in the mountains...

Now I am a student on an LOA who rarely leaves the house; spending most of my time trying to get enough energy to do basic chores. 

I stopped seeing my friends, as I was sick of always talking about what was wrong with me (a hard topic to avoid, since it has eaten away at every part of my life) My world has become so small.

I would give just about anything to put on my running shoes and just RUN again.

The past three days I have been mostly in bed, in the dark, with a migraine. Three days of nausea, diarrhea, body aches, and unrelenting pain in my head. F@*k!! I've had enough.

Last Sunday I was in church, during communion I started to pray. I feel like I am dying. There is no way anyone could feel this shitty and not have something seriously wrong with them. Why can't anyone give me an answer??

I keep getting referred to specialists and then...wait...

My psychiatrist - after two years of working with me - isn't sure anymore that I have a mood disorder. He thinks something else is going on; BUT, both he and my Primary Care Physician can't agree on which type of specialist I should see, so I will be seeing them all:

- Rheumatologist

- Internist

- Neurologist

I simply can't live like this any more. I am desperate. I need to find an answer. I cling to the hope that if I have a REAL diagnosis, then perhaps there might be a treatment. 

I am in need of hope, or at least a "good day" to help me get through.

mirena IUD & depression

Last summer I was finally starting to feel better. My energy had increased, my mood was stable, things were finally looking up.

My husband and I talked about the possibility of another pregnancy, but the postpartum depression was still too vivid in our minds to risk again. Still, we weren't ready to give up 100% on the idea of a future baby.

I visited my doctor to discuss an IUD (as I have clotted previously, the pill was out for me). She suggested I try the Mirena, an IUD that provides a very low daily dose of progesterone. I was told to expect that with the Mirena I would eventually no longer have periods (sounded good to me).

I had the Mirena installed on a Friday. By Saturday morning, it was clear that something was very wrong with me. I was in tears, angry, anxious. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. I felt like I just didn't want to exist anymore.

My husband asked me if the dramatic return of my PPD symptoms could be related to the IUD. I hadn't even considered that! After googling for a few hours, I came to learn that Mirena wasn't for everyone. There were far more potential side effects than I had been warned about.

Searching for the product monograph online, I was shocked to find a clear warning that the Mirena IUD could re-trigger depression in women who had a history of the disease.

I was angry with my physician for prescribing me something that had undone nearly a year of healing. I was angry with myself for not doing the research on possible side effects myself before making my choice.

I tried to have it removed over that weekend, and I couldn't find anyone who would take it out!

First thing Monday, I was back at my doctor's office to have it removed. She apologized and told me that she hadn't considered the effect on my depression. I appreciated her honesty, and was just glad to get the damn thing out of me.

It took several months for my moods and my body to get back to where it had been pre-Mirena.

Many women use Mirena and have great experiences with it - to them, I say "wonderful"! I was not one of those women. I'm writing this post today to alert women who have a history of depression of this potential side effect of Mirena.

Please Note: I have updated this topic - Sept. 2010