Take good care, my friends
Masale.Wallah asked who Terry -- the guy who wrote the latest First Person, Singular (below) -- is. That's Terry Boal, and he's a faithful reader and writer for this site. He writes about his experiences with schizoaffective disorder, but whatever your diagnosis, we can all relate.
Unfortunately, Simon Nielsen -- another faithful reader and someone who has brought a lot of humor and joy into my life -- is having trouble much like Terry's:
sadly, this has been my existence for the last 3 nights. after such a long period of wellness i can feel myself slipping again. i foolishly stopped taking my medication 2 months ago believing i could go it alone and travel onward into the sunset sane and happy. now i'm spending night after night awake and mindlessly googling the hours away. my mind feels numb and disconnected. i'm isolating myself from everyone and yet believing it's okay. reading the above entry by terry reminds me i probably should see my psych. again.
Simon, I'm sorry you're going through this. How many of us have stopped taking meds because we felt better and believed we could go it alone? I know I have. How about the other readers here? I'll bet a lot of people.
But you are worth taking care of, and we're all pulling for you. Please do see the psych. again if that has worked in the past. The sunset will seem a lot closer.
[Photo by Melita]
Comments
I, for one, will raise my hand in response to that question.
Went off my meds at the begining of spring this year (yes, I was feeling better and felt I could go it alone. But also, I had had it with the side-effects, specially the interference with my short-term memory)
So far, it's been alright. I've substituted daily exercise for the meds and that seems to be doing the trick. But I know I will approach the darker months with an all too knowing dread.
Hang in there, Simon.
Posted by: Masale.Wallah | June 21, 2007 01:47 PM
If we're really going to take a poll of those who've stopped meds when feeling better, then all your readers are likely to write in. I have. I am now considering it again in order to get pregnant and am very afraid of what might happen without them. I wonder if your other readers have had this deliberation???
Posted by: Laura | June 21, 2007 01:55 PM
Too many times to count. It starts with just one then eventually leads to all of them...
Pregnancy was one conflict but then it turned out I can't have them anyway so that took care of that.
I've been compliant for 3 years now (longest stretch ever) and I don't drink anymore (longest stretch ever). I still hit highs and lows.. sometimes I ask for my meds to be jacked, up other times I let ride.
I'm a deep low now and I saw the doc Tuesday and didn't say a thing. I don't know why. All I said was fine, good, yeah that's cool, thanks bye.
Posted by: ttq | June 21, 2007 06:02 PM