The shrink's advice. Take Benadryl to help sleep and don't think about being stressed out

Your shrink sucks. I mean, yeah, benadryl can help with sleep, but it's clearly a bigger problem for you. And "don't think about being stressed out"? Oh, okay! How many years did he go to school to dispense that radical groundbreaking advice?

askye, can you get a new shrink? Maybe one with a real medical degree?

As my mother says, somebody gets a C-.

Hooray, chemo! Cancer, GTFO and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

I love when I see a jump in posts then find it is great news. Are you getting any more energy back, Ginger? I know that it has been a very tough year, understatement.

Here's the deal, the shrink is mostly anti medication. I'm seeing him because he's literally the only one I could find in all of Chittenden county that didn't have a wait list.

I was going to start in Jan, but starting next week I'm going to ask my therapist if she has any suggestion for different psychiatrists where I can get on a waiting list.

If I hadn't moved out of St Albans I would still be seeing my awesome psychiatrist, but I can't move back there it's just not feasible. He worked at a federally funded health center and they only serve 2 counties. There's a federally funded health center here but it's got a huge waiting list and almost all the psychatrists in the area work with them.

I'm having stress related dreams and I told him that I'm not getting any rest becuase I'm stressed in my sleep and when I'm awake. He's big advice was "don't dwell on them." I don't actual dwell on them, but when I'm asleep and trying to scale an ice ledge or drive my car up a hill that has a 90 degree angle, or any of the other impossible taks my brain creates for me I can't actually stop it until I wake up. And then I don't feel rested because I'm having these types of dreams.

I'm giving the Benadryl a week. If it doesn't work I'm calling him back, if he won't see me I'll call my GP and see if they would be willing to prescribe Ambien. I think a slight bump in my klonopin would be the best thing, just until Jan - which is just a few weeks away - but that's giving me more prescription medicine and Dr. C doesn't like that.

There's also the issue of finding someone who takes my insurance. Before I found Dr. C, I called places and was told about waiting lists "We can't give you a time line, but a good guess would be at least 6 months" another place acted like I was a bitch for even asking and said there weren't any psychaitrists in the whole state taking new patients.

My insurance covers Drs in New York and I may branch out and try to find someone, I was kind of deserapte this summer but I'm not now. And I'm willing to drive across the lake once a month if I can find someone who isn't anti medication.

Why is someone a psychaitrist anyway if they don't like prescribing meds? I don't want to be over medicated, but just the right amount would be enough.

One of my coworkers sees the same guy and hates him and is actively looking for a new shrink. My therapist is aware of Dr. C's short comings and knows I have issues and that he has a shitty bed side manner.

askye, I'm sorry, but definitely get on one of those waiting lists as soon as possible. Also someone should tell your psychiatrist that for some people taking benadryl on a regular basis increases their depression.

So, my sister and her hubs have been fostering a 17 year old. Which is cool, and I figured would be interesting at Christmas, getting to meet her and all, she's apparently awesome. Bought her presents already. But kinda figured she's old enough that it wouldn't change things THAT much, y'know? We can take her wherever we were going to go or to see whatever we were going to see (like shopping or movies). ...but now she found out she's getting a 3 year old tomorrow. Which is totally going to change things. And I'm excited for her (they could potentially adopt the kid) but also a little freaked out that Christmas is going to be SO different--you definitely can't do the same stuff with a 3 year old!! So I'm guessing a lot less shopping, and a lot less sister-time, and probably no to our sister-tradition of going to the movies (2 or 3 of them) on Christmas Day (we'd already been discussing which ones to go to). Which makes me sad. And I feel guilty about that.

I'll call my GP and see if they would be willing to prescribe Ambien.

Would your GP be willing to prescribe the meds your shrink prescribes (or doesn't prescribe, as the case may be)? When I had a bad experience with a shrink and mentioned it to my primary-care doctor, he said he would prescribe my antidepressant for me, and that's what we did from that point on.

The cancer is responding to the chemo! It's shrinking! Go, chemo, go!

Fuck yeah! Yay, Ginger!