Lupron

[terebi_me]

Hey, anybody ever had Depot-Lupron therapy? It doesn't sound fun at all, but it is a relatively effective, aggressive treatment for endometriosis. I may well have actually taken it before, but I don't remember the name of the medication I was on my first semester at Reed, which didn't work out at all. Even if so, this would be injections of Lupron

Comments

[aestel]

I've never done acupuncture myself, but friends I know here in Portland go to Working Class Acupuncture's clinic which has a sliding scale of fees, to help everyone afford it.

http://www.workingclassacupuncture.org/clinic

[terebi_me]

I've been wanting to check them out - they're kind of far away bus-wise, but definitely worth an attempt. I just have to get off my ass and schedule an appointment - one of these days when I have money. (Yes, I just got paid today, so maybe I'll set aside a couple of hundred bucks specifically just to pay for acupuncture and/or therapy.)

[marymayblood]

I had an endoscopic laparoscopy in 1995 for endo where they lasered out so much scar tissue in my abdomen that they had to use sponges to keep my ovaries in place, followed by 6 months of depo lupron. The surgery was no big deal, but depo lupron was a nightmare. My gyn neglected to mention that one of the major side effects of being put into complete chemical menopause is depression. In addition to the joys of temperature fluctuation and night sweats and the other menopausal symptoms, I spiraled into my first hardcore depression (though not, sadly, the last). I almost failed out of college because I couldn't leave my apartment. I sat and rocked on my sofa or I paced my studio apartment, but I was completely unable to function & I didn't know why. Easily the 6 worst months of my life and my gyn's response was to put me on a series of SSRIs that just made my skin crawl, but had no effect on the depression. I would have surgery again tomorrow, if my gyn thought I really needed it, but I would never take lupron again

[terebi_me]

I've been on chemically induced menopause before (that first semester at Reed) and certainly my depression then wasn't any more profound than it usually is in general, and probably even less so - mostly due to being in a new environment and stuff. Certainly I wasn't getting along with my roommates, and I broke my glasses and couldn't see the board in class, but I wasn't really depressed

[marymayblood]

Unfortunately, I can't recommend my therapist because she's leaving her practice to go to India (presumably to study with her guru). I'm totally bummed and I have to find someone else before the rains come. I so love the dark and the rain, but my body does not.

If she's able to recommend someone good, I will definitely let you know.

[xaos23]

I swear by http://www.tensegrityhealth.com/
which is my friend Kim Knight. I've been seeing her since the whole TM thing kicked in. You probably even know Kim if you've ever been around the OTO here in town.....

[absinthe_satori]

I have a wonderful TCM acunpunturist/herbalist. But she's here in Denver. However, try out this approach with the clinics others have recommended. TCM is strange, and not great at everything, but it can do some things Western medicine can't, or do some of them more efficiently and reasonably. A nice thing too about TCM, in my experience, is its much less "ivory tower" attitude. Much more "user friendly," as it were.

[terebi_me]

I've actually done TCM before and it was the shit. Seriously. It did wonders... up to a point. I don't remember what led to me stopping - I think it was when I moved away, and/or quit my job, so I couldn't afford it anymore. I was going to the TCM clinic on Clinton St. for acupuncture and herbs because I had to stop taking my psych meds and I wanted something to help manage the physical symptoms of withdrawal. With the herbs, I had no withdrawal symptoms at all

[absinthe_satori]

Most good TCM people will tell you, in cases of serious illness, to at least let the Westerns co-diagnose you, and to let them treat certain things in the Western manner, but they also will often advise against some of Wetsren's more extreme approaches. In my case, I had gallbladder/pancreas problems. Had a big ol' gallstone, and the Westerns wanted to chop out my gallbladder. Judy and her school (she's since graduated and gone into private practice) successfully treated it with herbs and acunpuncture, and left my Western guys shaking their heads in wonder when my ultrasound showed no trace left of the stone. I've recently had problems again, but can't afford Judy. (She's a good friend and would probably treat me for free, but she and her hubby - another dear friend of mine - are going through some shit times and I can't bring myself to impose

[terebi_me]

They just wanna look at your tongue! :)

My new gynecologist is unbelievably cute and sexy, though. I can't wait to see him again. He's not super gung-ho about putting me under the knife, though he doesn't shy away from it either (he's also a surgeon) and his discussion of Lupron actually showed some good procedural skills, and he did warn me about the side effects, and he very much wants me to start getting help right away, but that it's very much up to me what I want to do. I like that approach.

I might end up going back to the clinic on Clinton if it's still there. You know what's fucked? It would probably cost me less money to get surgery than to keep up a course of TCM and acupuncture, since the surgical option would be covered under health insurance. If I try TCM and it does the trick, I have no choice but to get a second job, and keep it for the entire course of the therapy. Goodbye, friends, goodbye, writing, goodbye, TV! AARRRGH!

about Heroes

[aquamarcia]

I've been very poor about getting you DVDs of season 2. If I can get my shit together, perhaps I can make DVDs of every few episodes of season 3 as they air and mail them to you on a regularish schedule as the season progresses...

Re: about Heroes

[terebi_me]

Well, yes, yes, you have. I'd appreciate that - the fact that I haven't really felt like hitting my VHS of season 2 speaks volumes both about VHS and the season - but season 3, regular-like, would be real neighborly.