I will always remember Thursday, 17 April 2008, as a turning point in my life; I may have to make it my little personal holiday: “Get Your Life Back Day”
not only did I wait for less than 10 mins after I arrived at the clinic (it may even have been less than 5 mins), but Steven Jones, the practice’s NP and husband of Dr Dianne Farley-Jones, spent close to AN HOUR w/me, discussing my symptoms and what treatments I’ve tried so far, and teaching me not only about human physiology but also about formal medical education and how it shapes the “standard of care” for the vast majority of medical practitioners… I’m pleased to say that I’ve learned so much over the last 6 mos that I felt more like it was a conversation where Dr Jones (what does one call an NP, anyway??) validated both the findings of my independent research and my instinctive knowledge…
I’m now officially off anti-depressants, and I intend to stay off them. (YAY!!! 
) I have a whole slew of nutritional supplements that I have to discipline myself to take now, but if they help my body function properly, I’d much rather gag down 17 pills a day (to the tune of ~$100/month — this stuff ain’t cheap!) than pay ~$5-7/mo for pharmaceuticals that are wreaking havoc on my brain chemistry, ergo my body, my emotions, my attitudes and actions, and negatively impacting my family, particularly my relationship w/my DH… I also now have a supply of Rx-strength progesterone cream, compounded by a local pharmacy; Dr Jones said that Natpro is one of the brands of OTC progesterone cream they do recommend, but sometimes it’s just not enough for some women, depending on the severity of their hormone imbalance, and since the Natpro worked very well for me but ONLY when I was also on the ADs, he didn’t have a problem w/trying me on Rx-strength progesterone cream…
we also did blood work (again): I just had my thyroid levels tested by my other doc back in Jan (or somewhere around there; it was at least a few months ago if not longer) and they came back “normal”; well the whole problem w/that is that there’s “normal,” and then there’s “optimal.” Dr Jones explained that “normal” is determined across the medical community by taking the results of every thyroid test ever done and lopping off the bottom 5% and the top 5% of results, and the remaining 90% is considered “normal,” even tho’ the results range from 0.3 to 5.5 — quite the spread, that… Dr Jones recognizes that OPTIMAL thyroid levels are around 1 — anything lower than that needs to be supported; anything higher than that needs to be tempered, so we should find out the results of my thyroid tests in the next week or so, and we’ll be able to go from there… obviously I won’t be upset if my thyroid levels come back around optimal, but I’ll certainly be surprised, b/c I really think that’s a big part of the reason why I frequently feel so fatigued…
it’s definitely going to take some time for me to establish new habits, esp w/all these supplements (I think I need to write up a chart of what I’m supposed to take when, how, and how much — there’s that much stuff to try to keep straight, and I just can’t carry all of that around in my head), but I’m very encouraged by my initial visit and look forward to seeing how well my body starts responding to this new treatment approach…
Monday, 26 May 2008 at 11:21
Good job, off the antidepressants. Join the small majority. I believe they are absolutely needed for some very clinically depressed people and I’m glad they have a savior. For the rest of us, let’s muddle through, visit out local
health food store and figure it out. You are smart and I hope it all works out for you.
I myself am struggling with hormone levels in perimenopause and it’s so hard at times, but it ‘is” part of the normal aging process and we all react differently. Since I needed to talk about it and see if anyone else out there felt like I did, I started a web site to exchange all our experiences. Please check it out and I’d love to hear your personal experience.
It is: http://www.ourperimenopause.com
Thursday, 19 June 2008 at 12:37
i think it is important to check out all avenues, and find what works for you. i would caution, however, that the whole slew of nutritional supplements you are using are chemicals – just as much as the antidepressants are – and they have side effects, maybe much more than those associated with SSRIs. Treatment for depression should be individualized but realistic! Thanks and good luck
Saturday, 21 June 2008 at 16:40
“i would caution, however, that the whole slew of nutritional supplements you are using are chemicals – just as much as the antidepressants are – and they have side effects, maybe much more than those associated with SSRIs.”
au contraire, mon ami — nutritional supplements are NATURAL substances like minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids, etc., NOT synthetic chemicals like pharmaceutical drugs, and there certainly aren’t any side effects associated w/taking something that my body actually NEEDS to function properly, like calcium or Omega-3 EFA… thx for your concern, but you’re totally off the mark here…
~~tlr
Wednesday, 15 April 2009 at 08:38
This topic is quite trendy on the Internet at the moment. What do you pay the most attention to while choosing what to write about?
Wednesday, 15 April 2009 at 08:54
I actually don’t pay much attention to what topics are trendy; I’m simply writing from my own personal experience, and I’ve found that there are a TON of women out there who can relate to what I’ve been through and who find hope for themselves in reading about my journey to wellness… ~~T