THE SWEET SPOT
My journal on my expedition to Bandlandia and my adventures there. I plan to stay forever (been to Onederland many times, but I never stayed long). Join me!
My journal on my expedition to Bandlandia and my adventures there. I plan to stay forever (been to Onederland many times, but I never stayed long). Join me!
12/4/09 Happy Pills
Yesterday I had my yearly OB-GYN annual checkup (sorry dudes, no details). I was ushered into the room by a very young morbidly obese nurse/or MA. Before I got on the scale she asked me what my weight usually is...hmm...I replied 'Well, I never know because I'm on my way down...I got the LAP-BAND®®®®!' (I was 180 on their scale fully dressed in jeans and after breakfast...down to 177 on my scale today, so that head is staying OFF!). Then the questions began about the LB...How much have you lost? When did you get it? How is it working for you? Have you had any problems? Do you have to keep going back to your doc...for? So I answered them all and then some...she was really interested. I told her she could feel my port...she thought it was on the outside of my body so I had to lift up my shirt to show her...then she asked if they have to open me up every time to do the fill...I couldn't help it...I started laughing (OK, how does someone in the medical profession think that? I thought most people knew, like I did, from all the commercials!)...then I explained the port, what it looks like, and how fills work. We commiserated about dieting (she's a yo-yoer, like me…and has lost up to 50 pounds before dieting, like me) and before they came looking for her (we were talking awhile) she left me with a 'I'll have to look into it!' I almost gave her my LBT name, but then I thought she might not like that I unkindly called my one PCP nurse 'Nazi Nurse'...you know, the one who wouldn't give me the 1 flippin' POUND I needed at my should-have-been first month weigh in (I did eventually bond with even her...over the Steelers).
It's fun for me to get to talk about the LB, since only DH knows about mine. I have to tell all the medical people I see (it was on my form I filled out there at the OB-GYN; ‘surgeries you‘ve had’), so it’s always interesting to see the reactions. Pre-band I got ‘You’re not heavy enough to need that! You don’t look like you need a LB!’ from every medical person (even my pre-op requirement ones) except my LB office and one of my PCP nurses (and she had a LB). Now I always get the comments of how great my weight loss is and lots of questions. It’s been a nice change…I went from having to defend my decision to compliments.
I saw a new doc there for my exam as I wanted to talk to someone new about HRT’s (hormones). My first doc there, I loved, left the practice, so I saw an old guy there last year who put me on an Estrogen/Testosterone pill at the first mention of hot flashes. I think I mentioned last year that I stopped taking the pills the first month. I went to my PCP for my physical and he suggested I stop taking them after I complained about sudden morning dizziness and joint swelling/pain (my fingers). Since then, I’ve been paying attention to articles/TV about HRT’s and it seemed to me that they do wonders for some people, and there are all kinds of ways to approach it, so I decided to try a new doc there so I could get a new approach. Well, she discussed the pro’s and con’s, patch, different meds, etc. She didn’t agree with me that they needed to check my hormone levels (I had a partial hysterectomy so it’s harder to determine what stage of menopause I’m in). I was concerned about trying a patch because I’m allergic to all kinds of adhesives (even band aids). She was concerned about me even being on an HRT because one of my sister’s had a mini-stroke in her early 40’s…I suggested that I’d rather have the hot flashes than a stroke (I told her I'll just lay on the tile floor and and alternate pressing my face cheeks to the cool tile). So she suggested something new, since my main complaint is the ‘burning up red face’. She gave me an Rx for a very low dose of a form of Prozac…yes, the anti-depressant drug…I’m going to be on ‘Happy Pills’.
She said they’ve found that women have found that a happy side-effect is that this has helped many with the hot flashes…interesting. I had all the usual concerns about taking an anti-depressant when you don’t need that part of the effect, addiction, etc. (not to mention I'm tired of adding pills when everyone else here is getting to get off of theirs), but she quelled my fears with how super low the dose is, etc. …she couldn’t possibly have thought I was depressed because I was beaming talking about my LB with her too…it’s not possible that I could get much happier!
Happy Pills! I’m not making fun as I know depression can be a very serious disease (it’s touched my extended family too) and medicines do help a lot of people, but I had to laugh when she told me which pill. My GF’s/neighbors and I get together now and then for a girl’s night out, or more likely for a girl’s lunch out. We have a running joke when one of us is complaining about our kids, teens, husbands or we’re stressed out that we need some ‘Happy Pills’…and hey, two of their husband’s are doctors…they could be our “Happy Pills dealers’…OK, just kidding, again…maybe you had to be there to think it’s funny. We’re planning a girls holiday lunch out soon and I can’t wait to tell them I’m on Happy Pills…they‘ll have a good laugh!
OK, I AM wondering if they’ll help me even a tiny bit through those stressful moments with my extended family (remember the holiday drama)…or my teens…DS1 is coming home for the holidays soon and it’s been ‘his turn’ in life to be the argumentative one…I’m predicting a few stressful moments over the holidays now that he’s had a dose of having freedom to be his own boss at college.
If I tell you I had no stress over the holidays…you’ll know for sure it was the pills.
So watch out folks…if you thought I look at the world through ‘rose colored glasses before’…well, I can’t even imagine LOL.
Look you can get some too...in candy flavors...
...or camoflaged as a first-aid kit!
Total Comments 6
Comments
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I have experience with both HRT and anti-depression meds, I would caution you that both increased my appetite. ;)Posted 12-04-2009 at 09:53 AM by nawlinzlady
- The above comment can be true. But prozac and the SSRI' s generally don't increase your appetite. Actually some of them like Wellbutrin and Effexor can decrease them. I know a lot of women taking low doses for hot flashes.
BG did you go off your Estrogen completely?Posted 12-04-2009 at 12:15 PM by bjr5150 -
INCREASED APPETITE? HE!! TO THE NO!!!!! I hope it's not true, but now I'll be more aware in case, thanks. Barbara- yep, off it completely...the one he gave me last year was both of them in one pill and I was getting suddenly getting whacky side effects, which I assumed related to the pill. Both my PCP and now the new OBGYN said with my sister/history of stroke I shouldn't be on hormones without a really good reason...bummer...I keep hearing great stories about woment 'turning back the clock' with the estrogen...oh well, at least with the weight loss I'll only feel like a 50 yr. old instead of an 80 yo. Do you have any advice? -BG
PS- I just went and looked at the Rx and it is for Effexor...YAY...she said it was like Prozac and she gets the best results with that one.Posted 12-04-2009 at 12:29 PM by Band_Groupie
Updated 12-04-2009 at 12:33 PM by Band_Groupie -
I started menopause last year. I was on Bio-identical hormones for awhile this year and I loved them. They really helped with the hot flashes but did not help with libido issues. I stopped taking them a couple of months ago because they are expensive and insurance won't pay for them.
Oddly, I started my period immediately following surgery. My first one in over a year. That was weird.
Anyway, I found that Anti-Ds were the most helpful thing. I take Lexapro and wellbutrin and it keeps me from running folks off the road. (a true story that I may have to tell some time) but they don't make me any hungrier.Posted 12-04-2009 at 10:21 PM by Electrawoman - BG, The first time I started Effexor I lost a lot of weight, (25 lbs) without trying. I just wasn't interested in food. That was years ago when it first came out.Then for whatever reasons I went off it. Then I went back on it and have had good results. I didn't loose a lot of weight because they change the med. to time release. It delivers the medicine slower and longer. I also had a full hysterectomy in 2006. I take perarin 0.45 mg. Its second to the lowest dose according to my dr. The lowest dose I was still having the unbearable hot flashes. I went on this dose and zero hot flashes. I am grateful not to have them. I would love to on on the Bio-iden. but for the same reason, I hear they can be quit costly. I haven't ruled them out, I just am so content with the dose of Premarin I don't want to mess with anything.....
One last comment BG, one word of warning I know from Effexor is when the time comes when you want to go off of them, they have a not so fun withdrawal, "serotonin syndrome zap" thats what I call it.....its describes as brain zaps, feels like vertigo. But it does pass. You just taper off slowly. Anyway, its been a good medicine for me. Take care.Posted 12-05-2009 at 03:50 PM by bjr5150 -
BG,
LOL I am just laughing so hard at this!! Go read the email I just sent you!! I need some of your happy pills!!!!Posted 12-05-2009 at 08:51 PM by TxMomof4
