1st appointment with psychiatrist - what to expect?

[outlander]

your on the pill i doubt it lol

im so happy for you @Former-Member i knew abit of thrat through my course but i did have to look up abit of it so i wasnt giving you completely the wrong advice

[Former-Member]

Hey @outlander and @Faith-and-Hope im sitting in the waiting room at the psychiatrists office and I'm really excited about seeing what he bloody looks like! I don't think I will tell him this though or he may take it the wrong way!! Ha ha.

Hoping to get some answers re: cortisol levels and I'm wondering if it's related to this new constant itching skin that's started or whether it's the change in meds or something unrelated...

Hope you guys are having a good day

Sorry @outlander I haven't been around for you in the evenings, I tend to go downhill around that time of day and just poke around the forum and not really write anything. I do care. It's just hard to concentrate or express myself in the evening these last few days

[Former-Member]

So @outlander and @Faith-and-Hope for your information he has grey/brown hair and kind of a small head and glasses and is thin! As soon as I saw him I knew him so all that worry for nothing. He said to me the my elevated cortisol levels is hugely impacting on my memory and concentration which explains ALOT. He said the tiny part of the brain (size of your pinky nail) that is in control of memory and concentration shrinks to a third of the size when the cortisol level is too high (or may have been copper, can't remember!!) so no wonder I'm so confused at the moment. He also said that your zinc level should be about 3 times higher than copper and mine is the opposite which is contributing majorly to anxiety. I still have to have further tests to rule out a pituitary tumor and then I guess go from there. I'm still a bit confused as to how my bloods got like this but I guess the further tests will tell more. I really like that he takes a holistic approach rather than just sticking me on a bunch of chemicals. He talked to me about gut health too (apparently my body is acidic rather than alkaline which is not great) and we're going to work on my diet after the tests come back. He still wants me to go to hospital and my mum still thinks that's no place for me (because I haven't had a "mental breakdown") I think she's embarrassed of me. I have to wait til July for my health cover to kick in anyway so see how I go. Miracles may happen! I'm feeling good today 😊 Hope you are too faith and hope, and outlander I hope you sleep well and wake up feeling good! xxx

[Faith-and-Hope]

💐💕 @Former-Member .....

[outlander]

hi @Former-Member

im glad your getting some answers about your health
lots of hugs to you and well done for that
your psychiatrist does sound pretty good and its good that hes taking a wholistic appoach for you as well

thats ok ive just started talking to my mum about hospital as well but I dont thinks shes happy about it either

[Former-Member]

How do I get help??

I've gone from being a "normal" happy person on nothing but the contraceptive pill to being miserable nervous and paranoid and taking 12 tablets a day in just a few months. Every blood/urine test I take shows something else wrong and I take more tablets that have more side effects. I want someone to show me how to do mindfulness or do some cbt with me. Do I need to shop around for a psychologist? The one I went to twice I don't like and her receptionist won't give me back my mental health plan.

I went into pathology with my big jug of 24hrs worth of wee for my high cortisol to rule out pituitary tumor and got told I had to have 2 more blood tests which I didn't even realise where on the form. I feel so out of control of my life and my body. Since starting some of the tablets my appetite has gone and I'm scared because I sort of like it and I can feel my eating disorder creeping back just so I can get some control. I feel like such a sadistic loser

[outlander]

ok @Former-Member take a breath

it is quite common for people to change psychologists and its important to find the one that you like and 'click' with. if you dont like this psychologist then try another one- there is not a problem with that at all.

your mental health plan they prob wont give back to you but your gp has it with them, so make an appointment with them and have a chat and say you would like to change psychologists and they can reccomend one for you and change it on the mental health plan.

i think that would be the best and first option for you- frustrating i know!.

then when you get into see another psychologist the first one will be similar to the first one you did with the  previous one but thats jsut tog et some background information off you which again is normal.

even in your first appointment with a new one state that you want them to teach you these methods not jsut suggest them, your allowed to do that remeber they are there for you not the other way around.

the tests are a great big pain in the a** but after these ones its likeley you wont need anymore after it- hopefully. what they are testing for obviosuly needs to be monitored or observed over a oeriod of time to see if its something else in your system affecting it  like your hormones.

you are not a loser! not at all!!!!!!!

and im in the same positon as you with the tablets, thougths feelings etc but we can help each other through this ok..?

you said your worried about your eating disorder coming back for control... maybe to reduce the risk of that you could try to think about it this way.....

despite you hating tests and shopping around for psychologists- your actually in control. your taking control of your health by getting thes tests done to make sure your your body is at the best it can be and if something pops up you can treat it. your psychologist- you have control over, you dont like the one your with change, go get your mentla health plan altered and you can even ahve your gp suggest one for you. you also have control over your sessions and if you ahve a good relationship witht hem then your able to open up and say 'hey can you teach me this or teach me that"

this is in your hands- your actually in control even if you dont feel like  it

sending big big hugs to you my little pancake buddy

[Former-Member]

Thank @outlander you are always so kind

I just feel really shite and I've started drinking again and restricting food and all this crap has happened at work where my boss made up some rubbish about me being stressed at work (when I had actually told her I have depression, she said no you don't, I can see it's work stress) and told our superiors that I'm not coping in my job. When they confronted me I said that wasn't true, luckily they believed me when I told them the truth about my MI but I was forced to tell them, it wasn't on my terms so I was upset about that, and they asked me to put it in writing (what my boss lied about to make me look bad) so I did and then they suspended my boss for that plus some other stuff, now I'm so scared she's going to come back and bully me for doing that. I can't quit because I'm in no way in the right place to start a new job. Everything is just too much

I feel like I'm on the edge of having this great life with successful career and great friends and everything and just CRASHING and giving in and just quitting life altogether, losing my job, isolating (I already am), eventually losing my partner along with friends and going broke and then... ?

[Former-Member]

She is such a bully, she has been taken to worksafe before for bullying complaints and fought them and came back. She is the most intimidating yet dense person I have ever met. She has the power to make you feel as pathetic and small as a cockroach in front of a room full of people, with words that don't even make sense or a statement about best clinical care that is clearly wrong to everyone. Part of me is terrified but the other part of me is god damn furious. There's a thread on workplace bullying I saw the other day... might have to head over there at some stage

I confronted her the other day and she still thinks she's right. Seriously if this was work stress I'd be like "hallelujah!" I'll just get a new job and be cured.

It's too late I'm just having my 3rd glass of wine but I promise I won't have any more after that @outlander

[outlander]

Oh posted before i finished....

You said about being on the border... thats also very common as well but you got to try to stay on the better side. Keep doing the things you like make sure you do the basic things like eating exercise sleep
Be with the people you love and who love you.

I know this would be hard but just as a suggestion make time for just you and your partner to do something together thats has nothing to do with MI.
Take the dogs for a walk and talk about the positives of the day, go see a movie, go out for dinner, go for a walk on the beach things like that. .