Well, I stayed 8 days in inpatient treatment in the stabilization unit of a psychiatric hospital. The program was for alcoholics and addicts who were detoxing, and persons at risk of suicide.
It was scary at first - crazy scary - but really turned out to be worth the expense and the time away from family.
They added a few words to my diagnosis, but essentially just very, very depressed with psychosis and panic attacks.
The new medicines seem to really work - effexor, abilify and xanax. I also learned a lot in the classes, groups and therapy (about
13 hrs each day). I honestly don't think I could have made the med transitions at home, anyway. It was pretty rough, physically.
The bad news is that I have an autoimmune disorder, related to the depression somehow (I haven't read all of the papers yet). I got pretty sick while I was there, so I went to my doctor on the way home from the psychiatric hospital. I guess my body wanted to prove to me that yes, I am chronically ill, because I have a lot of infections.
My left ear is infected to the point that my doctor said it would have burst my eardrum soon - it's draining and bleeding. I also have a sinus infection and a respiratory infection. My legs are swollen to the point of having to wear anti-embolism tights. I still have E Coli in my urine sample, as well as a new bacteria they were unable to identify. So, another round of yet another antibiotic (I'm afraid they're going to run out of ones to try! lol).
Along with the poor resistance to infection, I have a lot of muscle and nerve pain (have for years but tried to 'tough it out'), which they said would be a permanent part of the disorder. They said pushing through the pain just makes the depression worse, so they put me on flexeril 10 mg 2x daily for the muscle cramps. They'll be adding neurontin eventually, as I adjust to all of this.
Add the fact that I'm on cough syrup/expectorant with codeine, and I'm a pretty loopy girl right now.
The funny thing is - even though my body is pretty sick, I feel better than I have in over a year. I can't wait to see how I feel when I'm infection free with my new, effective medications and all of the great coping skills and information I learned in the hospital!
I missed all of you greatly! Hugs!
