Documentation Medical Update

Just to document where I am with my medication:

As I mentioned on November 23rd, the Effexor 50 mg wasn't strong enough. I was feeling dull and gray again. When I went to the doctor on December 8, 2011, I asked for an increased dose. Dr. K gave me 75 mg of the Effexor XR. I was on that from December 9, 2011 through January 1, 2012. I became so dark. I was so depressed and I was crying and at one point, I really wanted to die. I just wanted the darkness to be over. 

I had another doctor's appointment on January 12, 2012. I couldn't make it till then. Thank God, I hadn't gotten rid of my Pristiq. I had felt so sunny when I was on Pristiq. I had a thought that since my surgery was malabsorptive that maybe I shouldn't take the whole 100 mg at once. I tried once in the morning and one in the evening. 

I had ten days of meds. I went took the Pristiq for 10 days and felt so much better. Almost giddy...although by now that has slowed down. I have been on Pristiq 50 mg twice a day since that time...January 2, 2012. 

The dates of the Effexor 75 mg might be a little different off based on my post here, but the latest dates in this post regarding the Pristiq and the doctor's appointment are accurate. 

I do have two symptoms that pop up. Every  once in awhile I feel super anxious...like fight or flight or like I've had way too much caffeine. The other symptom is that Sometimes my shoulder aches...terrible. I am able to control both with Xanax. Or Alaprazolam .25 mg. 

I also had constipation. I was able to fix that through addition of fruit, fiber such as Shredded Wheat, and a probiotic which is Phillips Colon Health. 

I really like Dr. K, but Divya suggested that I go to Dr. W. I tried to go to her when I was first having these problems but she wasn't able to see me until January 30, 2012 for a new patient. Dr. W was great. I felt to comfortable and she was so no nonsense.  Here is some of her advice. I had some trouble sleeping from the Pristiq. She suggested that I take the first pill first thing in the morning and then the next pill in the afternoon instead of right at night. This helped a lot. She also said that I could take Benedryl to make me sleepy and it was better to take because it didn't metabolize in the liver. 

I am also seeing her for my cyst problems. 

Finally, I wrote February 19th about leaving Lana as my counselor. I just wanted to document that I have an appointment with a clinical psychologists, Dr. M on March 12, 2012

Documentation of End of Seeing Counselor

I went to see Lana with EAP on October 28, 2011, November 14, 2011, November 19, 2011, November 23, 2011 and December 7, 2011.

When I started going to Lana, she said that my approval from EAP gave me four visits. However, on my November 23rd visit....also my fourth visit, Lana waited until the the end of the session to tell me that she had made a mistake and that my original EAP approval was for only three visits. She said that my visit for that day wasn't covered. She suggested that I call EAP to see if I could get it authorized or else it would be $60.

So I felt trapped...I had no options because I had already had the session...

I called EAP and got three more sessions. I needed to work with EAP because I was switching insurance at the start of the year because of the state switching from United Health Care to Aetna for Brevard county. So this would take through the first of the year which is what I needed. Because I had to call after the end of the previous session, my approval was from 12/7/11 through 3/7/11/12 for three sessions.

I gave Lana the approval code when I saw her on December 7. She called after my session and left a voice mail that the EAP wasn't back dated and that I would have to pay for the November 23rd date.

You know I felt so betrayed and the complete control was out of my hands. So the bottom line was that I called and cancelled my future appointments because I felt like I couldn't trust her anymore. I have the voice mails saved on my computer. I told her that I would send her a $60 check. She told me that all people make mistakes and that she would eat the $60.