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Light Hearted Brain Chatter
2 years ago
Hello folks! I've been a bit more active on here (at least trying to be), so I thought I'd share a bit of an update that might explain why.
I was on Lithium Carbonate to treat my bipolar for years, which eventually caused some kidney damage. I knew that was a possibility and was routinely getting lab work to test for it, but I didn't expect it to hit me so hard. My kidney function was pretty awful. I felt sick most of the time from it. Lithium also made eating a chore, cause I had to eat a LOT directly before taking the meds or else it would liquify my guts. I also had to take them within minutes of eating or I'd get really sick, as if I never ate. I was very weak very often because of this, for years.
I stopped taking them back in December under the recommendation of my doctor. My kidneys are currently back to normal and my health has improved so much!
Even though I'm currently unmedicated, my mental health is doing pretty well. Way better than before since I'm not feeling sick all day anymore. Im supposed to be on new meds but they tranquilized me pretty hard so my doctor just thinks I'm taking them. Shhh.
My new dog, Chiquilin, is about to turn 3 years old next week and he's been a god send for me. I'm also diagnosed with schizophrenia (or schizoaffective depending on which doctor you ask, I've had many), which is separate from my bipolar and always present.
He helps ground me to reality and lets me know when I'm hallucinating or if something is real. He soothes my paranoia and checks rooms for me before I enter, investigates things I ask him to, and overall calms me the fuck down. He's incredibly in tune with my emotions and mental state, so having him with me makes being unmedicated much easier than if I was doing it alone. My previous dog, Baba, had the same role. Chiki has a very different personality but does a great job in his own right.
I still have to be really careful with the bipolar since my doctor told me I've most likely gotten brain damage from my past "episodes". I'm at risk for more damage if I let myself have more in the future, so I have to be really careful with my moods. He's also recommended scans to see what my grey matter looks like, but honestly I'm not curious enough to eat that medical bill to see it.
Right now I'm feeling pretty good and more active with art than I was able to be before. Theres a lot of personal projects and stuff I'd like to work on in the future. I'm trying to get stuff out my system now while I have the energy.
If you read all of that, thank you so much! I'm just trying to put this somewhere since I haven't really told anyone. If you got through all this, what's your favorite animal companion? Mines been the American pitbull terrier! That's what Baba was and Chiki is.
I was on Lithium Carbonate to treat my bipolar for years, which eventually caused some kidney damage. I knew that was a possibility and was routinely getting lab work to test for it, but I didn't expect it to hit me so hard. My kidney function was pretty awful. I felt sick most of the time from it. Lithium also made eating a chore, cause I had to eat a LOT directly before taking the meds or else it would liquify my guts. I also had to take them within minutes of eating or I'd get really sick, as if I never ate. I was very weak very often because of this, for years.
I stopped taking them back in December under the recommendation of my doctor. My kidneys are currently back to normal and my health has improved so much!
Even though I'm currently unmedicated, my mental health is doing pretty well. Way better than before since I'm not feeling sick all day anymore. Im supposed to be on new meds but they tranquilized me pretty hard so my doctor just thinks I'm taking them. Shhh.
My new dog, Chiquilin, is about to turn 3 years old next week and he's been a god send for me. I'm also diagnosed with schizophrenia (or schizoaffective depending on which doctor you ask, I've had many), which is separate from my bipolar and always present.
He helps ground me to reality and lets me know when I'm hallucinating or if something is real. He soothes my paranoia and checks rooms for me before I enter, investigates things I ask him to, and overall calms me the fuck down. He's incredibly in tune with my emotions and mental state, so having him with me makes being unmedicated much easier than if I was doing it alone. My previous dog, Baba, had the same role. Chiki has a very different personality but does a great job in his own right.
I still have to be really careful with the bipolar since my doctor told me I've most likely gotten brain damage from my past "episodes". I'm at risk for more damage if I let myself have more in the future, so I have to be really careful with my moods. He's also recommended scans to see what my grey matter looks like, but honestly I'm not curious enough to eat that medical bill to see it.
Right now I'm feeling pretty good and more active with art than I was able to be before. Theres a lot of personal projects and stuff I'd like to work on in the future. I'm trying to get stuff out my system now while I have the energy.
If you read all of that, thank you so much! I'm just trying to put this somewhere since I haven't really told anyone. If you got through all this, what's your favorite animal companion? Mines been the American pitbull terrier! That's what Baba was and Chiki is.
I tried abilify for a while but it was back when it was still patented and had no generics. My insurance wouldn't cover it so that was maybe $300 out of pocket every month. I think it worked pretty well but I couldn't afford it anymore. I hope it's working well for you!
I was on Lithium for maybe 5 years. It was surprisingly the easiest medication for me! I've tried over 15 different medications and lithium had the least side effects so that's why I stuck it out even though I knew it would eventually cause kidney damage.
Pretty in love with my sheltie mutt, even though all my animals are wonderful. So i'mma have to go with Milo! Shh, don't tell the others.
Milo always sounds like he's such a sweetie. I can easily see him being the star!
Thanks for sharing your work (and other aspects of your life) with us. Hang in there and take good care of yourself.
Have you ever been put on Risperidone before? I had a friend who is schizophrenic and it keeps him from hallucinating and I don't think it can kill you, although it can cause a person to gain a lot of weight. Diet and exercise should help with that though.
Dogs are amazing and can be so helpful, i'm lucky to have my friend and his huskies in my life they helped a lot in the past years with getting through some bad work environment and my mental health when I was in a bad state myself, so i'd say there my favorite.