(no subject)
Hi guys! It has been a while, hasn't it? I wanted to update sooner but I was not able to, so I figured I would sit down and write an update today. I want to keep this journal alive, hehe.
Let me start by saying that I am finally off the diazepam (Valium). I last took it on October 31 and I have been free of it for 11 days now. I am really happy about that. I have been taking Zoloft for about 3 weeks, and it has definitely worked wonders for me. I have been doing much better compared to before, and even though I still have problems with rapid heartbeat, excessive sweating, and indigestion, I have been feeling much better. My mood has been better too. I am not as frustrated and unhappy as before. I had a therapy today and my therapist has also confirmed that there has been a major improvement in my condition in the past few weeks. I only recently started taking the full dose, so I can only hope that things will get better. Right now I am enjoying my life much more and I am happy and grateful although I have not recovered 100% yet and still have panic attacks once a week or so. Of course, now that I have said this, I am afraid of jinxing things. I hope not. *knocks on wood three times* -hehe-
Other than that, things are going okay. I went to my first camping trip a while ago. We went to the Joshua Tree National Park. It was also my first trip to the desert, and being the kind of person who hates too much heat, I have to admit I had a hard time during the day but I really enjoyed myself. The tent was too small for two people so we had a hard time, especially when I had to go to the restroom at 3 in the morning. :p .. But all in all, it was a great experience. I took lots of pictures and the sky was amazing at night. I had not seen such a starry sky in a while.
In other news, I met spasticandsassy on Sunday. So far, she is my second LJ friend whom I have met offline and it was really great spending time with her. We hit it off instantly. It felt really good and comfortable. Later on, I felt bad for having told her about my recent frustrations on our first get-together, but I hope I did not bore her too much, hehe. I am looking forward to seeing her again.
And in other other news, I had my birthday 5 days ago. I am now 27. *gulp* .. That sounds old. Luckily I look much younger, hehe. I got a portable CD-MP3 player as a gift. It also has a radio. I was already thinking of getting myself one so it was really nice of Jamin to pay for it. Actually, we had invested in a much more expensive gift: a portable CD-MP3 player which also functions as a CD-burner and DVD player. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the software so we had to take it back to the store. We should have known better though. It was a returned product. So I guess it is not a good idea to buy returned products. ;)
Umm… what else? Oh yes, I want to warn those friends of mine who are thinking of coming to the US. Make sure you have health insurance. Health care is extremely expensive here and having no health insurance, I have had a really hard time. I am supposed to pay over 500 dollars for the ambulance alone, and I have already told them I cannot afford it. So we will see what happens with that. Apparently the base rate is $480 and they add mileage to it. Can you believe it? I just wish I had called a taxi instead or something. I hope I will never ever have to call 911 again.
OK. That's it I suppose. Sorry if this has been rather random. I guess this is what happens when you have not written a real update in a long time and want to summarize all the important events that have happened in the meantime. Oh well… I will try to update more regularly from now on. Of course, try is the key word here, hehe.
Take care all! I love you! :)
Let me start by saying that I am finally off the diazepam (Valium). I last took it on October 31 and I have been free of it for 11 days now. I am really happy about that. I have been taking Zoloft for about 3 weeks, and it has definitely worked wonders for me. I have been doing much better compared to before, and even though I still have problems with rapid heartbeat, excessive sweating, and indigestion, I have been feeling much better. My mood has been better too. I am not as frustrated and unhappy as before. I had a therapy today and my therapist has also confirmed that there has been a major improvement in my condition in the past few weeks. I only recently started taking the full dose, so I can only hope that things will get better. Right now I am enjoying my life much more and I am happy and grateful although I have not recovered 100% yet and still have panic attacks once a week or so. Of course, now that I have said this, I am afraid of jinxing things. I hope not. *knocks on wood three times* -hehe-
Other than that, things are going okay. I went to my first camping trip a while ago. We went to the Joshua Tree National Park. It was also my first trip to the desert, and being the kind of person who hates too much heat, I have to admit I had a hard time during the day but I really enjoyed myself. The tent was too small for two people so we had a hard time, especially when I had to go to the restroom at 3 in the morning. :p .. But all in all, it was a great experience. I took lots of pictures and the sky was amazing at night. I had not seen such a starry sky in a while.
In other news, I met spasticandsassy on Sunday. So far, she is my second LJ friend whom I have met offline and it was really great spending time with her. We hit it off instantly. It felt really good and comfortable. Later on, I felt bad for having told her about my recent frustrations on our first get-together, but I hope I did not bore her too much, hehe. I am looking forward to seeing her again.
And in other other news, I had my birthday 5 days ago. I am now 27. *gulp* .. That sounds old. Luckily I look much younger, hehe. I got a portable CD-MP3 player as a gift. It also has a radio. I was already thinking of getting myself one so it was really nice of Jamin to pay for it. Actually, we had invested in a much more expensive gift: a portable CD-MP3 player which also functions as a CD-burner and DVD player. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the software so we had to take it back to the store. We should have known better though. It was a returned product. So I guess it is not a good idea to buy returned products. ;)
Umm… what else? Oh yes, I want to warn those friends of mine who are thinking of coming to the US. Make sure you have health insurance. Health care is extremely expensive here and having no health insurance, I have had a really hard time. I am supposed to pay over 500 dollars for the ambulance alone, and I have already told them I cannot afford it. So we will see what happens with that. Apparently the base rate is $480 and they add mileage to it. Can you believe it? I just wish I had called a taxi instead or something. I hope I will never ever have to call 911 again.
OK. That's it I suppose. Sorry if this has been rather random. I guess this is what happens when you have not written a real update in a long time and want to summarize all the important events that have happened in the meantime. Oh well… I will try to update more regularly from now on. Of course, try is the key word here, hehe.
Take care all! I love you! :)