(no subject)

[urocyon]

I started a similar entry yesterday afternoon, but got sleepy enough that I had to go take a nap.

The intake visit at the GPs' practice went reasonably well, all things considered. For some reason, I had in mind that the appointment was 45 minutes earlier than it was scheduled--and I showed up early for my version of the appointment time--but I didn't have to sit around and wait. In fact, when I returned from taking a little walk and getting something to drink at a newsagent (nearly getting run down by an accellerating BMW in the process), I almost missed being called back half an hour early.

Being off my meds for weeks had the anticipated effect; the nurse who did the intake interview managed to get me worked in to see one of the doctors that morning, without my so much as giving a broad hint. :)

That is where things went iffy. The man obviously thought my prescribed medications were odd*; he obviously hadn't seen many rapid-cycling bipolars who don't do well on lithium, which is basically all of them. And, apparently, the practice has particular views on prescribing antianxiety medications for any length of time, no matter the individual patient's needs. Yep, I'm the raving buspirone junkie! :)***

He was nice enough about things, but if my choices are (a) taper off two of my three medications, or (b) stick with a combination of meds which has proven very good for long-sought-after stability after trying scads of other options, I really do think finding another GP is a good idea. I was tempted to make a comment about the desirability of my actually leaving the house, but didn't.

Ah well. I did get prescriptions, also a referral to a psychiatrist; the guy realised he was out of his league, at least. I was a bit surprised that the Xanax, the way it's scheduled, isn't covered by the NHS. I'm rather proud of myself for not continuing to put the whole thing off, as much as I dislike dealing with medical professionals by now--now I not only have meds, but am signed up with the NHS for future needs.

Now I will likely nap a lot this weekend, starting back on the Topamax. Ah well. :/


* I wondered what he'd have made of the meds my cousin Tracy is on now. I recently learned that her nutball psychiatrist has her taking 21 tablets a day for a type of bipolar disorder pretty similar to my own--besides having her afraid to sleep alone in the house with her little boy because she sleepwalks** and might harm him!

** Has done all her life, though it's exascerbated now by all those meds.

*** Quick quote from here:
What are Some of the Facts About BuSpar?
* It is not addictive.

Comments

[reddragdiva]

"the guy realised he was out of his league, at least."

Yeah. Some GPs here can be, uh, fun to deal with.

[urocyon-c.livejournal.com]

That's nothing new to me, at least. :/ My last GP in the States (an internist, to be fair) was obviously put off by dealing with anyone suffering from a mood disorder, and actually dropped my mother--after 10 years--after she started blubbing in his office. The excuse was that that she'd missed appointments without notification, which wasn't true. Even better, his wife is a psychiatrist. *shakes head*

Just a rather extreme example, but I've run into some doozies.

[astrogeek.livejournal.com]

How come you can get NHS treatment - I thought Americans had to be resident for 7 years before they could get treatment on the NHS?

[urocyon-c.livejournal.com]

The regulations may be very different for people who come over here to work--they do seem to be in a number of other areas. I was extremely relieved to learn through an expats group, though, that people on fiancée visas are theoretically eligible under the NHS as soon as their planes touch down.