It is earlier than I expected - but she sounds so much better than she did on Sunday - so hopefully it is not too soon. It is a heck of a drive for follow-ups, though.

Nope. He's talking about abortives and pain meds. "This one causes mood changes." "This one is dangerous and shouldn't be prescribed outside of the hospital." "This one I just don't like." There aren't any he'll allow me to take.

Whoa, there. Full stop. "This one I just don't like" is NOT a legitimate medical reason to not prescribe a drug. EVER.

If your psychopharm isn't "allowing" you to take meds for other medical conditions -- what if he wasn't keen on your asthma medications? steroids cause big mood changes, after all -- then I think you need to either switch to a new psychopharm who will actually care for you as a whole patient, or you need to tell him that leaving your migraines untreated is NOT an option, and he'd better figure out what migraine med he can live with you taking.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm so irritated right now from The Boy's pharmaceutical ups and downs. There's this big amount of bullshit around his providers not writing an Rx for his Ritalin, because they think someone else should do it -- like, the NP at his therapist's office thinks his PCP should do it, and his PCP says that the NP needs to do it. I, not surprisingly, flipped my shit and told him that *I'd* call both of them and tell them to get their heads out of their asses and stop denying psychoactive medications to someone who has a legitimate medical diagnosis for which those psychoactive medications are needed. He said no, he'll call today; I told him he'd better be channelling my rage when he calls them.

Sorry. Sidetrack. Anyway, vw, I feel the same way about your psychopharm -- he has NO business denying you access to drugs that you legitimately need.

If you want, I can look up interactions and so forth with potential migraine meds, if you tell me what you're currently taking.

Yay Suzi's mom! So glad she's doing so well, Suzi.

It is a heck of a drive for follow-ups, though.

That kind of sucks, though.

Yay Suzi and Suzi's mom! That's fantastic! I'm so pleased for both of you.

If you want, I can look up interactions and so forth with potential migraine meds, if you tell me what you're currently taking.

I just might have you do that, 'cause I get overwhelmed when trying to do the research. And, in his defense, the "I just don't like that one" is also a "I don't think it's going to do anything, because it's not actually a migraine medication." He's going to be talking to my PCP (or having an e-mail conversation, at least), and she REALLY goes to bat for me, so I'm not completely out of hope yet. It's just frustrating, you know?

Of course, this is extra frustrating, because I feel a migraine coming on. Just got back from the chiro, though, and the neck moved well. I'm hopeful that that will help keep it at bay.

If you want, I can look up interactions and so forth with potential migraine meds, if you tell me what you're currently taking.

I just might have you do that, 'cause I get overwhelmed when trying to do the research.

You can either e-mail me a list of what you're taking, or just post it here quickly and then delete it -- whatever you prefer.

I'll send you an e-mail in a minute, Steph. Thanks.

Suzi, that's great news about your mom. I hope that her recovery speeds along!

vw, everyone has already said anything I would say, but it's still good to see that with Teppy's information you are going to be very well informed when you talk to your shrink.

After my 12.5 hour day at work yesterday I have decided I'm leaving early today and getting a facial. I predict I'll fall asleep during it.

Today's Miss Manners, to which I say "phooey!"

Dear Miss Manners:

We are taking a vacation to England this fall, and I have a tiara I wore with my prom dress. What places can I wear it out in England? I know they use them a lot there.

No, not a lot. Not nearly as often as Miss America wears hers, for example.

Elderly British duchesses have been known to get fed up waiting for an opportunity to wear theirs, despairing that when their saucy daughters-in-law inherit them, they will pluck out the gemstones to use for heaven knows what. Probably bellybutton decorations.

This is because tiaras are worn only for full-dress occasions, which nowadays pretty much means only grand state banquets or ceremonies, and the occasional full-scale royal wedding. Perhaps Miss Manners had better explain that full dress means something more than prom wear and the full-scale wedding means something more than a royal second wedding you may have seen on television. In any case, the days of private balls and grand opera nights where tiaras were worn seem to have faded away. Furthermore, tiaras are not supposed to be worn by unmarried ladies, with the exception of those who are being married within an hour of placing them carefully in their hair.

Miss Manners hopes she hasn't spoiled your vacation. You may find there a daring young lady or two who doesn't care about the rules governing tiaras as a sign of rank and wealth and plops something sparkly in her hair to go out dancing. It is just that you are no more or less likely to do so than in the United States.

Besides, tiaras are a nightmare to pack.

Well, she's right about tiaras being a nightmare to pack. And she doesn't say don't do it, she's just saying "these are the usual places." What I love about Miss Manners is she'll often say "This is why you shouldn't, and if no one else will be harmed and my eyes are officially averted elsewhere, here's why you should."

I had no idea there were rules about that. Seriously. But I suspect I'm in a far different class than MM.