![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 27. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Squiggles on August 10, 2002, at 22:16:28
It has always struck me as very odd
that in most cases of mental illness
there is absolutely nothing wrong with
the rest of the body, but something wrong
with the brain.I may be generalizing, but in my case for
example, and other people i have met,
i enjoy almost supernaturally good health
and look very young for my age. And yet,
there is something wrong with my brain
presumably.I know that i am making an assumption here
that an illness cannot be isolated in itself
which is probably false, but i am tempted to
think that if there is something wrong with
your brain, surely it must show somewhere else
in your body.Squiggles
Posted by BekkaH on August 11, 2002, at 0:59:35
In reply to Strange thing about mental illness, posted by Squiggles on August 10, 2002, at 22:16:28
> I may be generalizing, but in my case for
>I think that you might be generalizing. I've known quite a few people with depression who have endocrine problems and other neurological disorders. Moreover, there are many medical mimics of depression that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of depression is made.
Posted by Squiggles on August 11, 2002, at 9:57:36
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness-Squggly, posted by BekkaH on August 11, 2002, at 0:59:35
Differential diagnosis - i have proposed
this as a layman, on many occasions.Alas, i think the doctors just don't have
time to do it. Anyway, once you are placed
on drugs if such a thing does exist (e.g.
hypthyroidism) it is too late as the drugs
themselves will possibly have an effect.Squiggles
Posted by katekite on August 11, 2002, at 12:12:26
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness-Squggly » BekkaH, posted by Squiggles on August 11, 2002, at 9:57:36
My own theory is that depression is just the common end result of a huge number of mild physical or hormonal problems. I think there is less disconnection between the body and mind than is supposed. I think that eventually it will be found that anti-depressants turn out to be really truly treating phsyical problems: circadian rhythm abnormalities, sleep disorders, etc.
To me, depression seems a lot like hypertension. Something like 80% of people with hypertension are considered 'essential hypertensives': people with no known cause of it. They go on lifelong medication. Of course maybe its diet. Or maybe there are 40 different causes where the end result is hypertension.
At least with hypertension there is something to measure. Mental health suffers from a terrible deficit of things to measure.
Isn't it great: now we all know what I think, LOL.
kate
Posted by Squiggles on August 11, 2002, at 12:17:52
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness-, posted by katekite on August 11, 2002, at 12:12:26
You know Kate, i think the same thing;
though I have no medical background, i
just get the same ideas that you have
from general reading; Kraeplin for example
and his colleagues suspected that manic
depression may be a metabolic disease from
the fluctuating excretions of uric acid
and other metabolic circular changes, like
temperature and thyroid changes
... that would be a difficult
thing to stabilize indeed.Squiggles
Posted by Bob on August 11, 2002, at 20:42:43
In reply to Strange thing about mental illness, posted by Squiggles on August 10, 2002, at 22:16:28
I too have a rampantly healthy body. I look young for my age, and have always had people who knew of my problems claim that I never looked depressed. I recently had an exhaustive physical with blood and urine work. Everything came up perfect.
I suffer from major depression, anxiety, irrational thinking... you name it. I'm in bad shape emotionally and mentally.
Posted by Squiggles on August 11, 2002, at 21:04:13
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » Squiggles, posted by Bob on August 11, 2002, at 20:42:43
Thanks for sharing Bob; but i doubt it's
Dr. Bob, right; seems that psychiatrists
are rarely mentally ill.They call m-d the divine madness, we should
start a club; I think David Oaks has a Mad Pride
segment in his organization. Personally, i would
rather spend an evening over a Chateauneuf de Pape
with a cognitively quirky individual, than
with a Tom Cruise.Bipolars rule
Unipolars drule :-)Squiggles
Posted by cybercafe on August 12, 2002, at 18:22:25
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness-Squggly, posted by BekkaH on August 11, 2002, at 0:59:35
> I think that you might be generalizing. I've known quite a few people with depression who have endocrine problems and other neurological disorders. Moreover, there are many medical mimics of depression that should be ruled out before a diagnosis of depression is made.
Funny how both those suffering from both bipolar and hypothyroidism often do well on thyroid medication even when lab work turns up normal
<fantasizes about robbing local drug store>
Posted by Mr. Scott on August 13, 2002, at 0:34:32
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » Bob, posted by Squiggles on August 11, 2002, at 21:04:13
Actually, of all physicians psychiatrists are always the most screwed up (my words). They have the highest suicide rate of any physician (far higher than oncologists who deal with people constantly dead) they also have the lowest job satisfaction. They also don't make that much $$ either. It's my job to know these kinds of things, or at least it was...
Scott
Posted by Bob on August 13, 2002, at 1:10:16
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » Squiggles, posted by Mr. Scott on August 13, 2002, at 0:34:32
> Actually, of all physicians psychiatrists are always the most screwed up (my words). They have the highest suicide rate of any physician (far higher than oncologists who deal with people constantly dead) they also have the lowest job satisfaction. They also don't make that much $$ either. It's my job to know these kinds of things, or at least it was...
>
> ScottIt's not hard for me to see why this might be. It has to be extremely frustrating to treat people when nobody understands anything about these conditions. Working with seriously mentally ill people would definitely start to wear on me.
Posted by huck326 on August 13, 2002, at 4:56:51
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » Mr. Scott, posted by Bob on August 13, 2002, at 1:10:16
As far as general health and mental illness go for me I have had depression as long as I can remember (since very early childhood) and I have found it nearly impossible to catch a cold , break a bone ,or even scar normally (not that I try). You may be on to something or I could be wrong after all I am mentally ill and you know how "Those People" are.
Posted by awake at last on August 13, 2002, at 9:08:43
In reply to Strange thing about mental illness, posted by Squiggles on August 10, 2002, at 22:16:28
> It has always struck me as very odd
> that in most cases of mental illness
> there is absolutely nothing wrong with
> the rest of the body, but something wrong
> with the brain.
>
> I may be generalizing, but in my case for
> example, and other people i have met,
> i enjoy almost supernaturally good health
> and look very young for my age. And yet,
> there is something wrong with my brain
> presumably.
>
> I know that i am making an assumption here
> that an illness cannot be isolated in itself
> which is probably false, but i am tempted to
> think that if there is something wrong with
> your brain, surely it must show somewhere else
> in your body.
>
> Squiggles
*************************************************
Speaking from experience, I don't agree completely. I was diagnosed with depression when the doctors initially couldn't find anything else wrong. Blood work all good, EKG's, Cortisols, and I looked healthy, at work and home I put on a good front. However - I was always tired and had a hard time concentrating, I never felt right. After persistent searching, I finally was able to find all the things wrong with me. Hypoglycemia, low testosterone, and Narcolepsy. All of which are not normally tested for unless you have an extreme case of just one that would make it stand out, or they are just hard to diagnose even with the latest tests available.
I think when doctors can't easily diagnose the problem, they jump to treating symptoms and move on. I didn't want to pop pills for the rest of my life, so I continued searching...and grateful I did.....
Posted by Squiggles on August 13, 2002, at 9:27:13
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by awake at last on August 13, 2002, at 9:08:43
Yes,
I see your point - i think it comes back
to the differential diagnosis problem -
there are practical limits to medical care -
i think that is underemphasized - especially
now with the boomers getting older. It is
far easier and more "dead on" to cure the
symptoms. This approach is not the most
elegant practice in scientific terms, but
i think that happens more often than we
dream.
BTW, I am glad you are one of the lucky ones.Squiggles
Posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 0:36:21
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by awake at last on August 13, 2002, at 9:08:43
>good front. However - I was always tired and had a hard time concentrating, I never felt right. After persistent searching, I finally was
yeah ... i'm the same...
>Hypoglycemia, low testosterone, and Narcolepsy. All of which are not normally tested for unless you have an extreme case of just one that would
hmm... a question for you... i have low blood glucose (2.8) ... what signifigance does that have? ... does it just mean i have an excuse to eat 3 desserts a day?
Posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 0:38:49
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » awake at last, posted by Squiggles on August 13, 2002, at 9:27:13
> I see your point - i think it comes back
> to the differential diagnosis problem -
> there are practical limits to medical care -
> i think that is underemphasized - especially
> now with the boomers getting older. It is
> far easier and more "dead on" to cure the
> symptoms. This approach is not the most
> elegant practice in scientific terms, but
> i think that happens more often than we
> dream.hey Squggly :) i am not so upset that docs can't diagnose all that well as i am that ... they are unwilling to come forward and say "gee i'm not really sure" or "there are people out there who could serve you better than I" ...
... and of course the long wait to see a doc is also quite horrible ...p.s. -- any decent website to find part-time jobs in montreal?
Posted by Squiggles on August 14, 2002, at 7:20:45
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 0:38:49
Hi Cybercafe,
Oh yeah i forgot to add - sometimes drs. don't
konw the cause, heh heh heh; we exepect them
to be Gods, why aren't they?So, you want to work in Montreal - well I would
suggest the unversities but unless you are
an "internal" it's hard to get in - still they
will accept you for registration possibly in
Sept. if they are deseparate for people.I have tried but being an external, even after
something like 15 yrs and 2 degrees there, it is
hard to re-enter.There is also something called
alt.support.Mtl.jobs i think in the newsgroups -
those are mostly computer jobs.Squiggles
Posted by denise529 on August 14, 2002, at 9:10:00
In reply to Strange thing about mental illness, posted by Squiggles on August 10, 2002, at 22:16:28
I think you probably are generalising. Although I know exactly what you mean from a personal point of view. My physical health is perfect, I smoke like a trooper when depressed but I rarely get colds, stomach bugs or anything. I also look younger than my years.
On the rare occasions I do get flu It makes me feel slightly better in that I have something legitimate to complain about.
Denise
Posted by awake at last on August 14, 2002, at 10:06:17
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 0:36:21
> >good front. However - I was always tired and had a hard time concentrating, I never felt right. After persistent searching, I finally was
>
> yeah ... i'm the same...
>
> >Hypoglycemia, low testosterone, and Narcolepsy. All of which are not normally tested for unless you have an extreme case of just one that would
>
> hmm... a question for you... i have low blood glucose (2.8) ... what signifigance does that have? ... does it just mean i have an excuse to eat 3 desserts a day?**********************************************
This could have a huge significance. The normal range for blood glucose levels is 4 to 8 mmol/l (or 70-110 mg/dl).
How did you determine the level of 2.8? With a glucometer of your own or by a doctor? If a doctor registered this, he should have been doing some further testing! At a level of 2.8, you probably are not only tired and have memory and concentration problems, but I wouldn't be surprised if you are experiencing some shaking/queezy feelings as well. If a doctor finds a 2.8 mmol/l level after a 12 hr. fast, then he should begin checking to assure that you don't have an Insulin secreting tumor in your pancreas or a liver disease. If these are ruled out, then you may have what's called reactive hypoglycemia.
In general - NO DESSERTS! Reactive hypoglycemia is directly related to what you eat (this is what I have), thus can be hard to diagnosis. When I eat sugar (or simple carbs - white flour etc - which become sugar), my body doesn't process the glucose properly and releases too much into my system too quickly, because of this my pancrease is told to inject lots of insulin to couteract the sugar - however, mine releases too much insulin and thus brings the blood glucose down too low. So if you eat sugar to bring it back up - you are just starting this cycle over again and will feel lousy all the time.
What you need to do is to is eliminate sugar and simple carbs from your diet - try to keep a steady amount of glucose in your system so that your pancreas doesn't over-react. There are some good hypoglycemia diets on the net, but your local hospital will probably have one in their nutrition deparment as well - they will explain what a simple carb vs a complex carb is and other foods that contain high carb contents (for example, a banana - a fruit you would think is healty - nope, very high in carbs, I can't have them), and as well they can explain the importance of protein and how it fits into the diet as well.
When your glucose drops as low as 2.8 mmol/l (or equivalent of 49 mg/dl), if you are feeling shaky or having slurred speach, you probably do need to eat a SMALL amount of sugar (but a small glass of orange juice is really the best option) to bring the level back up to a non-dangerous level. Then you need to eat some complex carbs and monitor your level until it becomes stable.
Blood glucose levels have a tremendous effect on serotonin levels (low glucose, low serotonin, high glucose - high serotonin) - I don't know what meds you are on, but many anti-depressants effect serotonin levels. Most of them raise these levels which can help (or "mask" as I like to put it) some of the side-effect that are being caused by the low glucose levels. But for me, the anti-depressants that raised my serotonin didn't help much. I found I have to maintain a proper diet. If you haven't read my other posts, then please note that my hypoglycemia was the first diagnosis in my recovery (I also later found that I had low testosterone levels and narcolepsy). After treating all of these is when I finally got my life back.
So if you don't feel immediately better from a change in diet, don't go back to eating poorly, continue the search for what else might be wrong.
Posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 13:05:45
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » cybercafe, posted by awake at last on August 14, 2002, at 10:06:17
> This could have a huge significance. The normal range for blood glucose levels is 4 to 8 mmol/l (or 70-110 mg/dl).
yeah heh heh heh on these reports that doctors get it actually tells them the normal range and when something is a problem -- i thought that was what a medical degree was for? :)
> How did you determine the level of 2.8? With a glucometer of your own or by a doctor? If a
.... i was not very impressed with the waiting times or knowledge of my docs
.. i figured that it would be faster to just get a medical degree than to wait months to see a pdoc ...
.... so i started off by asking my doc for my test results ...
... it says
GLUCOSE-FASTING result 2.8, Abnormal Lo, reference range 3.6 - 6.0, test locn. Loc 10 (elbow i'm guessing -- i.e. pronator teres muscle -- cephalic vein i'm guessing)... this is from 1999, i think i was on 40 mg paxil, probably lorazepam as well
for some reason my cholesterol is also super high even though i exercise like a mad freak... i'm actually looking into endocrine disorders right now...
>doctor registered this, he should have been doing some further testing! At a level of 2.8, you probably are not only tired and have memory and concentration problems, but I wouldn't be
concentration problems -- you better believe it baby .... what do you mean it's not normal to fall asleep at work?
... ummm... can i be totally honest with you? i don't want to bother my doctor unless it's important -- you know how we anxious people are always being annoying hypochrondriacs -- would it be possible for you to provide me with a website that could validate that a low blood level of 2.8 is really something serious?? .. nothing personal -- i always like to have at least 3 sources tell me the exact same thing before i alter my beliefs/behaviour
>surprised if you are experiencing some shaking/queezy feelings as well. If a doctor finds a 2.8 mmol/l level after a 12 hr. fast, then he should begin checking to assure that you don't have an Insulin secreting tumor in your pancreas or a liver disease. If these are ruled out, then you may have what's called reactive hypoglycemia.
hey thanks a lot for the info -- i say we submitt a claim to my healthcare provider for your excellent medical advice
> In general - NO DESSERTS! Reactive hypoglycemia is directly related to what you eat (this is what I have), thus can be hard to diagnosis. When I eat sugar (or simple carbs - white flour etc - which become sugar), my body doesn't process the glucose properly and releaseshmmm... i think i was actually avoiding desserts back then -- in an effort to avoid acne
you know what? ... i just called our local health service and they told me low blood glucose doesn't mean anything.. it changes all the time.. yadda yadda yadda... plus the test is 3 years old so it doesn't mean anything etc etc etc ...
funny how you seem to know more about this stuff than these registered nurses
> What you need to do is to is eliminate sugar and simple carbs from your diet - try to keep a steady amount of glucose in your system so that your pancreas doesn't over-react. There are some
that's only if i suffer from reactive hypoglycemia right? ... i might just have a fast metabolism or something maybe ?
in which case i would have to eat frequently to keep my sugar levels half decent
> When your glucose drops as low as 2.8 mmol/l (or equivalent of 49 mg/dl), if you are feeling shaky or having slurred speach, you probably do need to eat a SMALL amount of sugar (but a small
arr grr.. shaky (tremors?) could be caused by medication... slurred speech -- yeah, .. i always thought i just had too much bloody saliva... or now... because my jaw is somewhat dislocated :)
> Blood glucose levels have a tremendous effect on serotonin levels (low glucose, low serotonin, high glucose - high serotonin) - I don't know what meds you are on, but many anti-depressants effect serotonin levels. Most of them raise
.. you mean blood sugar = happy ? .... you've got my attention :)
these levels which can help (or "mask" as I like to put it) some of the side-effect that are being caused by the low glucose levels. But for me,
... uh... so antidepressants cure low blood glucose? ... or they alter the test results (false negative), but the side effects still persist?
>the anti-depressants that raised my serotonin didn't help much. I found I have to maintain a proper diet. If you haven't read my other posts,
yeah... i was taking paxil at the time... and still had the low reading
>then please note that my hypoglycemia was the first diagnosis in my recovery (I also later found that I had low testosterone levels and narcolepsy). After treating all of these is when I finally got my life back.
hmmm... you experienced daytime sleepiness before depression?
... i can't remember to what extent i did or not... i definately dream within 2 minutes of sleep... but there's no way i can be a narcoleptic... i mean there's no way that one person can suffer from 5 trillion different medical illnesses... clearly i must be a hypochrondriac ....
can you cite a source that clearly goes over this dreaming-within-10-minutes-of-falling-asleepness?> So if you don't feel immediately better from a change in diet, don't go back to eating poorly, continue the search for what else might be wrong.
thanks a lot for the info .... if you turn out to be right i will be oh so very happy to kiss your feet :)
Posted by awake at last on August 16, 2002, at 11:25:27
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by cybercafe on August 14, 2002, at 13:05:45
I see you've kept your since of humor...you'll need that to fight this battle!
First, let me make sure you know I'm not in the medical profession, though after 4 years of doing research, I've definitely considered turning in my Engineering degree, and going for my MD.
I have two sisters, one is a Surgical RN, the other a Medical Technologist (those people who do the testing on our blood and tells us what the levels are and what it means - the one's that tell the doctor what's wrong with us)...needless to say, they are a great resource for me...but I challenge them constantly.
I have always gotten a copy of my test results, examined them thoroughly and questioned them intensely. I want to know for me what they mean - not what the doctor tells me they mean.Hypochondriacs - yep, that's what some thought of me until I proved them wrong. I truly believe that the body is so intertwined that one medical problem often causes another. And who says that there can't be more than one problem in the first place? If your body is susceptible to one illness, why wouldn't it be susceptible to another?
I definitely agree with the proof in the hand theory - my doctors definitely paid more attention to what I had to say when I brought my books or medical research papers with me. If your doctor is offended by this....go to another one! My Internist is now intrigued to see if I can come up with something he hasn't heard about - he's actually made copies of some of the things I've brought him to look at closer later. As well, make sure you let the doctor know that you are interested in determining the cause – many people go to a doctor and say “just do something to make me feel better” – and the simple solution is to prescribe something to relieve the symptom. Tests can be expensive, even with good insurance, and doctors aren’t likely to run any but the usual unless prompted to do so.From what you describe, it is understandable that your doctor had given you paxil and lorazepam. With your blood glucose being low, your serotonin would have been low as well. ie..the paxil - it is designed to prevent your body from re-absorbing the serotonin it produces (however, if you weren't producing any, there's none to take back up anyway - I wouldn't be surprised if the paxil did you little to no good).
*** Oh - note that increasing glucose does increase serotonin - but not vice-versa - increasing serotonin will make you fell better, but it will not increase your glucose level, so it wouldn't cure you if you were hypoglycemic, actually might make it worse. Serotonin is the body's natural way of telling you it needs something it's missing - unfortunately for a hypoglycemic, it's easy to get that quick fix with sugar that actually does more harm. But if you fool your body into thinking it has enough serotonin with meds - it's not able to tell you that you are missing something else....but typically the body just finds another way to tell you - ie...another medical problem***
Lorazepam is a benzo - it is designed to shorten sleep latency (the amount of time it takes to go to sleep) and reduce REM (dream sleep). A-HA, would definitely make since to give to someone who dreams all the time....like a narcoleptic...(but why mask the problem rather then cure it?)
If you are falling asleep at work - odds are really good that you aren't just tired - you're sleepy - take the Epworth test for sleep disorders and see what you score (I'll attach a link below). Note that AD’s can cause this as well, so don’t be surprised if the doctor immediately contributes it to that...think back, was it this way before the AD’s? Funny thing, my doctor prescribed the AD’s because of my sleepiness.Ignore the people you talked to on the phone...they are right that a test done three years ago doesn't tell them much about how you are now...but it should indicate to them that there has been a problem in the past and it needs to be re-examined. An Endocrinologist is definitely the right step to take (or a good Internal medicine doctor). Let them do their test and rule out any organs etc. that aren't functioning properly (they will probably do all the normal blood test along with thyroid, adrenal - cortisol, and insulin levels. Get a glucometer and start taking your blood sugar throughout the day - this is the best way to gather a history of your glucose levels to have as proof for the doctor as well. Hypoglycemia is very hard to diagnose because so many things can affect the blood sugar levels.
I get the feeling that you - like I - have a sweet tooth? Sorry to say, I don’t think that you’ll find sugar is good for maintaining blood glucose regardless of the cause. As well you have to be careful with sugar substitutes, our bodies sometimes trigger an insulin release with just a sweet taste. This is one of those things you just have to experiment with. For a long time I kept a food log of all the foods I ate and took my glucose levels with my glucometer 3-4 times a day to determine what foods I could and couldn’t eat. I have found a sugar replacement that works for me – and I try to make sure I have a dessert made up all the time so if I get those cravings – I don’t sabotage myself and eat something I shouldn’t.
Here is some info. and some links that might have some helpful information for you:
__________________________________________________
One of my favorite books: “The Low Blood Sugar Handbook: You don’t have to suffer... ” by Edward and Patricia Krimmel. This is a book about how his hypoglycemia was misdiagnosed for 10 years (including depression) and how he has conquered it. It explains all of the test and their meanings. Really informative – it is the one book that really motivated me to research until I found my cure....[You can find this book at Barnes and Nobel for $11.65]They have two web sites as well “The Krimmel Hypoglycemic, Cholesterol, and Celiac Home Page”, it has been down recently, but keep trying it – he discusses high cholesterol as well....I’ve not had that problem, but he may have helpful info. on that as well. I can tell you that with Cholesterol – eating sugar and simple carbs. - will contribute to this being high as well.
Sweet Nothings:
http://pages.prodigy.com/dhxu49a/Krimmel Home Page:
www.dynanet.com/~bodychem
________________________________________________
An interesting bulletin from the Hypoglycemia Association regarding Hypoglycemia and Hypoadrenocorticism...an interesting read.www.fred.net/slowup/habul44.html
________________________________________________
A definition of the Glucose Tolerance test, and the meaning of the numerical results...ie, this is where you can see that the 2.8 mmol/l is a problem.http://lightning.prohosting.com/~hypoglyc/gtt.htm
________________________________________________
A definition of Narcolepsy:
www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/livingnarcolepsy.html#1
________________________________________________
An explanation of an MSLT and MWT (Sleep test), this is were you can find the significance of going to sleep in <5 min. and having REM sleep first being an diagnosis for narcolepsy. [But if you do a search on Narcolepsy or MSLT – you find this in multiple places]
Go to the bottom of this page to "more on narcolepsy" and on that page see the diagnosis section.
http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/psychiatry/narcolepsy
________________________________________________
And here’s the link to the Epworth Test..http://www.provigil.com/patient/sleep_test/index.asp
________________________________________________Finding a good doctor that is willing to work with you is essential – and don’t think that just one doctor can cure it all. My GYN diagnosed the low testosterone; my IM determined the hypoglycemia (even after my GP did not after running two different glucose tests). And my IM referred me to a Neurologist that detected my Narcolepsy.
My GP I determined was a definite Quack – he told me I was getting old (at 30), I needed more sleep and exercise – that my test all said I was perfectly healthy. Needless to say years later after finding my cure – I took a lot of pleasure in informing him he didn’t know what he was doing, and that if he wanted to stay in practice he needed to listen to his patients more......of course I said this to him as I was there to retrieve my medical files and inform him that I would no longer be needing his services.I’m fortunate to have been able to regain my life, and I know just how hard a battle it was, so I hope that by telling my story, I can save a few steps for at least one other. I have not yet finished my fight though....my research on my hypoglycemia continues. My youngest son (3) has been diagnosed with an allergy to salicylate (a natural preservative in many foods). I recently learned that salicylate has been connected to causing hypoglycemia .... so maybe this is an allergy I have as well, but not to the degree he does (I know I tested positive for an allergy to tomatoes and strawberries, and have never worn makeup because it makes my skin break out – now I’m wondering if this is a sensitivity to salicylate – tomatoes and strawberries are very high in salicylate and makeup’s are often made with salicylate in them.....Hmmmmm – My newest adventure to research....)
Who knows...maybe someday I’ll write a book myself.
Good Luck....
************************************************
Posted by Squiggles on August 16, 2002, at 11:47:13
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » cybercafe, posted by awake at last on August 16, 2002, at 11:25:27
I don't know where you're coming from,
but i can tell one thing - you're rich;
not everybody is and must rely on the max
that public health care can give; a specialist
for every single symptom is a luxury most
people cannot afford.Squiggles
Posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 15:00:42
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » awake at last, posted by Squiggles on August 16, 2002, at 11:47:13
> I don't know where you're coming from,
> but i can tell one thing - you're rich;
> not everybody is and must rely on the max
> that public health care can give; a specialist
> for every single symptom is a luxury most
> people cannot afford.heh heh but we live in canada -- we don't have to pay for any of this stuff....
.. and i think awake at last has insurance?? ...... i'm not sure here if you're critising awake at last or the health care system so .. i'll keep my mouth shut :)
Posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 15:08:57
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness » cybercafe, posted by awake at last on August 16, 2002, at 11:25:27
wow .. that was quite an informative post... thank you for taking the time to reply ... (i actually was afraid you weren't going to, and was starting to despair for my life) ...
yes i had heard SSRIs decrease time to REM from 80 minutes to 20 or so....
but i did think back, and definately got into REM before then before i ever tried meds -- but i will take the test myself....anyways!! ... i have stayed away from sweets for a very long time, since i am both poor and trying to avoid acne ... however i did go out and have some ice cream and the results were .... extraordinary? ...
i am bipolar mainly depressive and i have been depressed for pretty much a year straight now... but when i had that ice cream i went nuts... and 1 day later i still am... ummm.... energy/pressure to do things .... i don't know how to communicate this properly but when you are sitting still doing what you ahve always been doing (surfing the web) and for hours on end you feel incredably energized you know you're not dealing with a placebo effect --- though whether the environment played a signifigant role who can say .... (probably not) ....
i actually find myself unable to think as i write this message i just have this impulse to keep typing... good thing gabapentin can be increased rapidly
so thanks and stuff :)
Posted by Squiggles on August 16, 2002, at 15:12:32
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 15:00:42
not criticizing - though i do feel
my dog gets better care than i do -
not my dr's fault - i believe that the
health scare system does not have enough
financial support (due to taxation mostly)
to run the way it should - the system is
perfect if you give in enough gas.Squiggles
Posted by awake at last on August 16, 2002, at 17:36:13
In reply to Re: Strange thing about mental illness, posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 15:00:42
I do have health insurance through the company I work for, which helps, but yes it has been expensive. If I were rich - I would have had all this done 4 years ago, instead I had to spread it out.
I'm from the US, and I do agree that our healthcare system leaves much to be desired...but save your pennies and take it one test at a time.I relay my information to others only in hopes that maybe it will help them determine if the tests I took may or may not be appropriate for them. When I started this...I didn't have a clue what tests were even available.
**************************************************
> > I don't know where you're coming from,
> > but i can tell one thing - you're rich;
> > not everybody is and must rely on the max
> > that public health care can give; a specialist
> > for every single symptom is a luxury most
> > people cannot afford.
>
> heh heh but we live in canada -- we don't have to pay for any of this stuff....
> .. and i think awake at last has insurance?? ...
>
> ... i'm not sure here if you're critising awake at last or the health care system so .. i'll keep my mouth shut :)
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