I had an appointment yesterday with my med provider. We talked about the usual: sleeping (um, no), appetite (eh, I guess), mood? Bad.
“Are you taking your meds as prescribed?” she asked
“As prescribed? Sorta. Sometimes. No, not really” I confess.
I have a pharmacy that packages my pills for me now. It’s been a Godsend. Anyway, three pills come in a square. I have nine pills to take in the morning, so three squares. The third square contains a 100 mg pill of Provigil, a 200 mg pill of Provigil and a Naltrexone. The Provigil I take for “excessive daytime sleepiness” and the Naltrexone was prescribed shortly after Natalie passed to help with any possible impulsiveness.
Generally speaking, I’m not supposed to take the Provigil after 2:00 pm as it will disrupt my sleep. More and more I’ve found myself forgetting to take my day pills until well after 2 and have gotten into the habit of taking the day and night pills at bedtime, with the exception of that third breakfast square. Better late than never, right?
Well, it turns out, the Wellbutrin can also give a boost of energy.
She takes my blood pressure with the electronic monitor and frowns at the results.
“I’m going to take this manually”
I shrugged and rolled up my other sleeve.
After several minutes, she furrowed her brow and asked if I was on any blood pressure medications.
“Three, I think”
She looked back through my chart.
“Lisinopril, Metoprolol and Hydrochlorothiazide. I wonder if that’s too much?”
I shrugged again.
“Then again” she said “if you’re not taking your Provigil and not getting that stimulant, you don’t need as much blood pressure medication…”
“What is my blood pressure?”
“95/60. I have patients with readings in that area but… that’s not your normal and the people with numbers like that are in their 90’s. This would explain why it’s felt so much harder to do things. Low blood pressure means less circulation, less oxygen, less energy. Let’s not add any new medications, let’s just figure out how we can get you to take your meds when you’re supposed to. How can I help with that?”
We came up with a plan and I left relieved to have an explanation for why I was feeling SO MUCH MORE miserable than ever before.
I mean, I am still grieving. I know that. I’m not expecting to be back to “normal” or even a “new normal” quite yet.
I’m missing Natalie. And Noah. And my friend John who recently moved 2,000 miles away. I struggle with how to grieve and celebrate and honor them.
I’m still talking to Natalie and getting signs from her. Still angry and full of hurt but I keep her around. Around my neck. Literally.
One thing that helped with Noah was a baby blanket… Shar made a blanket for Noah.
And John? We’ve been friends for so long…
It’s a great opportunity to brush up on my pen pal skills!
Yay life and loss… (eye roll and pom-pom cheers)
Striving For Sanity 