HPF looks pretty excited in the FB pictures.

I hope it goes well, Laura. Sounds difficult but also like she might be willing to listen.

Well, from now on, for any trip longer than 24 hours I will get a petsitter to reassure Percy he hasn't been entirely abandoned. He's the calmest cat ever when I'm home. When I'm gone I suspect he just hides.

Yeah, it was a definite change for me but it is what works with Puppycat so I just need to accept it.

Laura, my mother is not a hoarder, but she has had huge difficulties over the last 10 years or so cleaning and keeping up with the accumulation of crap. It's like a perpetual shame cycle, the worse it gets, the less able she is to deal with it, and the less able she can manage it, the worse it gets.

I spent some time telling her that what is going on is not something she needs to be ashamed of, that there are professionals that can help and no one will judge her. I got her hooked up with a professional organizer (found through the Professional Society of Professional Organizers or some such) and they've spent some time building a trusting relationship and it's a process that takes some time, but it's happening. This is her site, it gives you an idea of the scope of professional attributes to deal with these kinds of issues. [link]

So about 1 1/2 hours before my pdoc appointment I got really anxious and worried and kept rehearsing justifications for why I think I need what I need.

Of course that wasn't needed. Dr W is a really nice doctor and we talked about different things. Although I didn't really get to bring up my concerns about SAD because time got away and I was so nervous about other stuff.

Anyway, he wants to see if my anxiety is fueling the depression. So I've got a prescription for .5 mg of Klonopin to take every night. I'm staying on Seroquel and I have an appointment to see him in a month. If things don't get better or if they get worse I'm supposed to call him and he's going to start me on Celexa.

I'm also going tomorrow to get full blood panel and tests for my thyroid, Vitamin D and B12 levels and I think iron levels.

So, I have a game plan and I feel better.

So, I have a game plan and I feel better.

askye, Good! I'm so glad you've gotten a good doctor.

Askye, glad to hear!!!

sounds like you have a good doctor who is thinking about attacking your depression through some creative means. I'm glad.

So, I have a game plan and I feel better.

It is good to hear things went well. It sounds like you have a good doctor.

So I walked to my sister's house to be there when she got home from work. And she worked late! So I got a ride home from my step-dad because it started raining and I didn't want to hang at her house for a couple hours waiting. Tomorrow is another day.

Yeah I think I'm getting a better level of care here than when I was in Tally. Mostly it's the way this counselling center is set up - to see a shrink you also have to be in counselling . If the therapist thinks you don't need to be then that's fine, but if you don't regularly meet with a therapist then they cut you off from the shrink.

Also there's a 24 hour line to call for help. You get an answering service but someone calls you back. My previous experience was the option of trying to get through to the staff or dialing 911.

And the 2 read each others notes and stuff. Partly it's the change in technology - it's easy to send notes from the shrink to a primary care or vice versa.

The small town aspect is in play. This is the counselling center for the region but it's still a lot fewer people than live in Tally.

askye, I'm so happy that you are getting good care. That is huge. And again, I am impressed by your self-awareness.

Laura, best of luck, my dear! You know your sister best, but here are things that help me: putting on a timer and/or choosing a set number of things (Flylady calls it a "27 Fling Boogie," and does 27 buy that might be too much to start), putting on music... also, if it is a mobility thing, maybe you can go room by room and bring her a few things at a time. Have bags/boxes ready to go for donations/ebay/trash/recycling and take it out of the house when you go. Start with what's easiest for her - pieces of paper, old magazines, whatever - let her get a taste of success and freedom.

Anyway. I hope you're not feeling overwhelmed with advice. You're a good sister and a brave one.

Fuuuuuck, working for ten hours is haaaaard. I kind of forgot. My neighbor is coming to fix the ceiling in the evenings starting tomorrow, which is good but going to be odd having someone here.