Appointment

I saw Dr. Brain today.  I laughed a few times.  This is good.  Nothing huge.  I did get some medication for anxiety but will be using as needed instead of on a schedule like before.  I'm just glad to have some available.  I am to log my lithium symptoms.  The log has begun with ugly headache of the day which has me lying in the dark typing.  The computer screen isn't too much light but the lights are.  Tylenol didn't do anything.  Hopefully the next dose in about an hour will.  In the hospital one of these lasted 24 hours.  We talked about the future.  At this point she says I need to be stable for 6-12 months before we talk about working in any capacity.  She did agree that I can talk to the surgeon about the ankle repair I need to have done.  The lithium makes me clumsy with 1 fall and 1 almost fall in just the last 10 days.  And if I would wind up working again I wouldn't want to be off for some time for surgery.  However the only way I will consider surgery is if he can do it with a nerve block.  I will not have general anesthesia for something elective.  If he can't do the block I'll just keep wearing a brace. I sent an email to work which was painful.  I hate this; it feels like I've not be responsible in getting back to work.  I know that's not true and that I've done everything I can but I am still amazed that not a big deal surgery somehow led to this.  It was supposed to only be 2 weeks off post-op.  Now it will be a minimum of a year and that's if I stabilize today.

She did tell me that the NAMI class I'm taking varies with the leader but can be extremely helpful for experienced patients along with new ones.  Hopefully I'll get a good leader.

My cat is going to have to take anxiety meds.  I was only gone for 6 hours today and she'd pulled more hair off and caused a new blister in a different place than the first 2.  I've been trying to not be gone for too long at a time to help her see that I do come back but this has limited effectiveness.  So I'll have to medicate her before I am gone for long.

Ugh, my head is killing me.  I think I'm going to get some meds working and take my tylenol a touch early.  I'm at 6 hours now for this one.  I think of any lithium issue these headaches are the worst.  They are just short of being migraines and I've had easier migraines than the headache in the hospital.

It still amazes me how much of an impact being in the real world for long has right now.