Hospital Fun... what a week!
It's been "one of those weeks" or at least last week was. The Psych doc had put me on this new drug Viibryd which I'd posted about and liked initially. However, when I upped the dose to the standard dose, my blood pressure went up with it. So, I'd taken my first dose at 40mg on Friday (before last) and during the night I wake up to this sharp pain in my chest. I almost woke Paul up then, but I just kept hoping it would go away. After about 10 minutes of laying there breathing, it finally did. Then Saturday after I took the second dose I started feeling weird and my chest hurt. When I told Paul about it and what had happened the night before, he convinced me to go to the ER and get checked out. I was really hesitant because I figured it would just turn out to be a case of "chest wall syndrome" (aka chostocondritis). We got there and no sooner had I signed in than they had me in triage and then zipped me through to a room, and had me hooked up to all kinds of monitors and started running tests left and right. After a few hours of this the dr came in to tell me that he didn't find anything other than that my BP was high. He said he didn't think it was the new med, either.
Despite what the Dr said, I went back down to the 20mg dose on Sunday, until I could talk to the Psych, and oddly enough I did feel better. The Psych told me that she didn't think it was the med either and to go back to the 40mg dose but that if I continued to have problems that we might have to change it. Since no one seemed concerned I went back to the full dose on Monday. Monday I didn't get to check my BP because our monitor was broken. However, the chest pain was very much there. On Tuesday, I had them check my BP at PT and it was still high. The ER dr had recommended that I follow up with a cardiologist for a stress test. I'd scheduled it for Thursday, and was anxiously waiting to get some answers on this BP issue. Tuesday night Paul picked us up a new BP monitor and I started checking my BP regularly from then on. It pretty much was running around 160/110 for the next 3 days.
Wednesday, I got a call that my stress test had been postponed by 2 weeks because their equipment was down and then the Dr was out all this week. That left me totally hanging with no answers. I had no idea what to do at this point. By this time I was convinced that it was the start of Serotonin Syndrome. I asked Paul to look at the info on it and he agreed that it was definitely possible based on my symptoms. I had emailed the Psych earlier in the day and told her I was going to cut back on the Viibryd because of what I thought was going on. Wednesday night, Paul convinced me to call the Psych at her on-call # and ask her about this med, and tell her all that had been going on, rather than waiting on an email. So, I did. After telling her all that was going on she agreed that it might be the serotonin and told me to discontinue the Viibryd. I was good with that.
Thursday I didn't take it. The chest pain continued and the BP stayed really high. As I was reading about BP I saw that the numbers I was running were in the range of "seek help now", so I called my GP to see what to do. I ended up talking to his nurse and telling her what had gone on this week and she told me to go to the ER and get checked out because with BP that high for that long and the continued chest pains (and others) that it was possible that the high BP could do some damage to other organs. So, I did what I was told. Unlike the first visit to the ER, this one did not go as well. I probably shouldn't have told them what all had surpassed and they might have treated me with more rush (like they did last time), but since I told them everything, we waited for 3 hours in the waiting room. FWIW, when they checked my BP right after I got there it was 172/124 (my new record). When we did finally go back we ended up with a bitch Dr and crappy nurse. I know it's hard to find my veins, I deal with that a lot, but this nurse instead of sticking the needle in and maybe moving it once, decided to go on a fishing expedition for my veins (twice). When the Dr came in I told her all that was going on and why I was there. First she got all in my face about getting another referral to a different cardiologist. Even after I said ok, she was like looking at Paul and in our faces like we were disagreeing with her. Then she goes out and comes back with a handful of papers and says "This is what Serotonin Syndrome is and you don't have these symptoms. That's something we admit people for and you dont' have it. If you had it, we would be able to tell from down the hall". I knew I didn't have full blown serotonin syndrome (which can get to the point of seizures, among other things, but I knew I was at the beginning of it). IMO, if she could spot serotonin syndrome from down the hall, then she wouldn't have needed to go look it up. After all the mess with the nurse not being able to find my veins I finally asked if she could just give me whatever it was orally. Well, by golly yes we can. Go figure. They wanted to give me something to bring my BP down, and then (I'm guessing just for the hell of it) gave me a shot of something to relax me.
As I laid there processing all this, and the Viibryd was obviously wearing off (which I think had as much to do with my BP coming down as the med they gave me), I started to break again. I felt the sadness and the depression returning along with the desire to just go get everything ready so that Paul wouldn't have to deal with a mess when I was gone. As many times as I've had this thought, I've not once thought of how I might get gone (which I guess is a good thing). As with so many times before I was wishing I hadn't even come to the ER, that it really wasn't worth it. By the time we left my BP was down to about 140/100 which is about where it's stayed ever since then. I did not call the cardiologist she referred me to. I did try one other one that I knew and had dealt with in the past (with my grandma) but no luck getting in. So, it would be a wait. The Dr at the ER had given me a script for some sort of BP med. I really didn't want another med. I decided to wait until Monday and see how things were before I even considered filling it.
Friday wasn't a good day. I don't even remember much about it and it kinda melds into Saturday. By Saturday I was pretty much falling apart and a blubbering idiot again. I made the executive decision that if i was going to get through the weekend I had to do something. So, I upped my Wellbutrin (without permission from any of the docs). It worked. It killed my ability to sleep but it worked.
Sunday I was feeling a good bit better and spent the day hanging out with Paul. We went to the Cullman Flea Market (why?) and had lunch in Athens at the Catfish Cabin (yum), and all in all I can say I was just feeling better. I felt more like ME than I had in a long time.
So, yesterday (Monday) I decided to call my GP and go see him about the BP, before I got that script filled I wanted to know what he thought about it. I saw him today and he didn't feel like I needed to jump on another drug just yet. So, I'm watching the BP and keeping a log to send to the Dr. Since my GP was the one who originally gave me the Welbutrin, I commented to him that "I wish we'd known all it would take was upping the dose. It would have saved me the Psych visit and copay as well as a week's worth of hell. And, you could have just administered it". He agreed.
All that to say that while I was out today, getting groceries (with coupons), I realized that for the first time in a long time I really do feel GOOD. I feel like ME. I'd signed up for one class this fall and really didn't think I'd be able to take it, but today I think I might be able to. I'm hoping we can figure the sleep thing out, though. Otherwise, there are going to be some serious issues.
Despite what the Dr said, I went back down to the 20mg dose on Sunday, until I could talk to the Psych, and oddly enough I did feel better. The Psych told me that she didn't think it was the med either and to go back to the 40mg dose but that if I continued to have problems that we might have to change it. Since no one seemed concerned I went back to the full dose on Monday. Monday I didn't get to check my BP because our monitor was broken. However, the chest pain was very much there. On Tuesday, I had them check my BP at PT and it was still high. The ER dr had recommended that I follow up with a cardiologist for a stress test. I'd scheduled it for Thursday, and was anxiously waiting to get some answers on this BP issue. Tuesday night Paul picked us up a new BP monitor and I started checking my BP regularly from then on. It pretty much was running around 160/110 for the next 3 days.
Wednesday, I got a call that my stress test had been postponed by 2 weeks because their equipment was down and then the Dr was out all this week. That left me totally hanging with no answers. I had no idea what to do at this point. By this time I was convinced that it was the start of Serotonin Syndrome. I asked Paul to look at the info on it and he agreed that it was definitely possible based on my symptoms. I had emailed the Psych earlier in the day and told her I was going to cut back on the Viibryd because of what I thought was going on. Wednesday night, Paul convinced me to call the Psych at her on-call # and ask her about this med, and tell her all that had been going on, rather than waiting on an email. So, I did. After telling her all that was going on she agreed that it might be the serotonin and told me to discontinue the Viibryd. I was good with that.
Thursday I didn't take it. The chest pain continued and the BP stayed really high. As I was reading about BP I saw that the numbers I was running were in the range of "seek help now", so I called my GP to see what to do. I ended up talking to his nurse and telling her what had gone on this week and she told me to go to the ER and get checked out because with BP that high for that long and the continued chest pains (and others) that it was possible that the high BP could do some damage to other organs. So, I did what I was told. Unlike the first visit to the ER, this one did not go as well. I probably shouldn't have told them what all had surpassed and they might have treated me with more rush (like they did last time), but since I told them everything, we waited for 3 hours in the waiting room. FWIW, when they checked my BP right after I got there it was 172/124 (my new record). When we did finally go back we ended up with a bitch Dr and crappy nurse. I know it's hard to find my veins, I deal with that a lot, but this nurse instead of sticking the needle in and maybe moving it once, decided to go on a fishing expedition for my veins (twice). When the Dr came in I told her all that was going on and why I was there. First she got all in my face about getting another referral to a different cardiologist. Even after I said ok, she was like looking at Paul and in our faces like we were disagreeing with her. Then she goes out and comes back with a handful of papers and says "This is what Serotonin Syndrome is and you don't have these symptoms. That's something we admit people for and you dont' have it. If you had it, we would be able to tell from down the hall". I knew I didn't have full blown serotonin syndrome (which can get to the point of seizures, among other things, but I knew I was at the beginning of it). IMO, if she could spot serotonin syndrome from down the hall, then she wouldn't have needed to go look it up. After all the mess with the nurse not being able to find my veins I finally asked if she could just give me whatever it was orally. Well, by golly yes we can. Go figure. They wanted to give me something to bring my BP down, and then (I'm guessing just for the hell of it) gave me a shot of something to relax me.
As I laid there processing all this, and the Viibryd was obviously wearing off (which I think had as much to do with my BP coming down as the med they gave me), I started to break again. I felt the sadness and the depression returning along with the desire to just go get everything ready so that Paul wouldn't have to deal with a mess when I was gone. As many times as I've had this thought, I've not once thought of how I might get gone (which I guess is a good thing). As with so many times before I was wishing I hadn't even come to the ER, that it really wasn't worth it. By the time we left my BP was down to about 140/100 which is about where it's stayed ever since then. I did not call the cardiologist she referred me to. I did try one other one that I knew and had dealt with in the past (with my grandma) but no luck getting in. So, it would be a wait. The Dr at the ER had given me a script for some sort of BP med. I really didn't want another med. I decided to wait until Monday and see how things were before I even considered filling it.
Friday wasn't a good day. I don't even remember much about it and it kinda melds into Saturday. By Saturday I was pretty much falling apart and a blubbering idiot again. I made the executive decision that if i was going to get through the weekend I had to do something. So, I upped my Wellbutrin (without permission from any of the docs). It worked. It killed my ability to sleep but it worked.
Sunday I was feeling a good bit better and spent the day hanging out with Paul. We went to the Cullman Flea Market (why?) and had lunch in Athens at the Catfish Cabin (yum), and all in all I can say I was just feeling better. I felt more like ME than I had in a long time.
So, yesterday (Monday) I decided to call my GP and go see him about the BP, before I got that script filled I wanted to know what he thought about it. I saw him today and he didn't feel like I needed to jump on another drug just yet. So, I'm watching the BP and keeping a log to send to the Dr. Since my GP was the one who originally gave me the Welbutrin, I commented to him that "I wish we'd known all it would take was upping the dose. It would have saved me the Psych visit and copay as well as a week's worth of hell. And, you could have just administered it". He agreed.
All that to say that while I was out today, getting groceries (with coupons), I realized that for the first time in a long time I really do feel GOOD. I feel like ME. I'd signed up for one class this fall and really didn't think I'd be able to take it, but today I think I might be able to. I'm hoping we can figure the sleep thing out, though. Otherwise, there are going to be some serious issues.