Saw my new doc yesterday...

[Fraidycat]

Hi people

Well, after being kicked out of the clinic I had been going to for the last 7 years, I was really fretting over what the new clinic I was recently assigned to under my medical plan was going to be like. Was the doctor going to be a kind, grandfatherly/motherly type who listened attentively to my problems and was willing to work with me or was he/she going to be one of those "ok, ya got five minutes with me and yer outta here!" types. I had fretted about this for about a month.

Well, I went in yesterday and it was a breath of fresh air!. Unlike that place I had been going to where they made you wait 5-6 hours only to get 5 minutes with some rude, impatient doctor (and even ruder nurses), I found the staff at this new place to be much more friendly, civil and understanding. Whats more, I got in in under a 1/2 hour and the doctor turned out to be an elderly colored woman who I think was one of the nicest people I have ever met.

She told me that she was a born-again Christian, went over my whole history with me, listened to me patiently, joked around and had a very good sense of humor and a friendly personality and then proceeded to give me all kinds of lab tests, free samples of pills and a HUGE supply of Oxazepam (a benzo). The latter was terribly important to me because some docs won't prescribe them and this one gave me a bunch of them which I need for my anxiety and panic attacks!. I have never taken this particular benzo until today and it makes me very sleepy but it works.

Anyway, so I have also been spending a lot of time on my new blog, catching up on a number of things around the house and tommorow I have to drive a long distance to get my stitches out and have a new cast made. Then I go in for 6 weeks of physical therapy (severed tendon on my finger).

So I scarfed down two baked subs, almost a half gallon of chocolate ice-cream, two sodas, a banana and some shortbread. Then I took a happy pill and I'm about ready to go to bed. Anyway, that's about it for now...Zzzzzzz...

[Junebug]

Hi Fraidy:)

I'm so glad to hear that your new doc was nice and that everything worked out for you. I know it must have been kind of scary going to a new clinic after 7 years at the old one. Maybe the old clinic actually did you a favor by kicking you out!.

June

[Fraidycat]

Well, our neighbor was nice enough to let us use his car (ours needs a tune-up) and we drove about 70 miles north where I had a new cast made. Then we came home and after a steaming plate of turkey meatloaf with mexican salsa, steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes, I brought my poor goat in for the first time in a month and gave her a good bath...with one hand!.

Tommorow, I have to call the center and go in for physical therapy three times a week for the next four weeks. Ahhh...my life is not my own anymore!. The Oxazepam the new doc gave me made me extremely short of breath and uncomfortably sleepy. I tried a different dosage and took it a second day. Same thing. I told her when I was there that the only that that really works for my anxiety is Lorazepam so I don't know why she wrote me a script for Oxazepam. Now, I have to find some way of letting her know that I'm not doing so well on these pills and hope she does'nt say something like "oh, well just try them for another two weeks". I'm sorry but I don't like how these pills make me feel. Worse yet, I'm afraid she might think I'm some kind of benzo addict (I'm not). I would even be happy to turn in the remaining Oxazepam to the pharmacy (or the clinic). I'm just not wanting to make any waves because she is my new doc and very nice.

[pmhoran]

The "uncomfortably sleepy" might just be due to your body needing to adapt to a new med and might disappear over a period of a few days.

However, the "extremely short of breath" ... I find that sounding more than a little worrisome.   My suggestion ... would be to contact your prescribing doc ASAP and just telll her point blank the adverse effects you are experiencing.  From what you have shared, she sounds like someone who actually listens to her patients ... so I would think your fears of her becoming upset with you are probably (hopefully) unfounded.   

Over the years, the thing I found that upsets docs more is when a patient just stops a drug without consulting them first.  Contact her ... mention the being "uncomfortably sleepy" but make sure you tell her about being "extremely short of breath".  If she gets upset with you for telling her about the adverse side effects from this new med ... then that might be a clue that she may not be the best doc you could have to work with you in your treatment.

I started a new med for my chronic pain last September.   I found I was suddenly experiencing periodic rapid heart beat.  My pain specialist felt it was due to my body just needing to adjust to the new med ... so between him, my PCP and my cardiologist ... they monitored me quite closely for the next 3 weeks.   The rapid heart beat "attacks" disappeared and the med has turned out to be helping my chronic pain better than I could ever have hoped for.   So ... keep your doc informed ... but keep an open mind about new meds.

Hopefully you too will find something that will help you more than you expected too

Take care
Peter