Discovering a new online community for Crazies

Dah dee dah, dah dee dah.....................

Sweetbejaysus its another warm night here in Melbourne!


Enough for me to ramp up the Pepsi Max, stay up late while the crickets chirp and go trawling on a new site I've discovered:

http://www.crazyboards.org

It's been very enlightening to read up the threads in posts, particularly other peoples' experiences on medications.  Of course, what works for one person may be diabolical for another, thanks to our unique DNA.  I read a few people hail Abilify as a wonderdrug for depression and psychosis, whereas it made me wooden and paranoid, so there you go.

I'm lumbering out of a depression of sorts which had descended after Xmas: I last drank on Xmas day and it took over a week for my bashed up liver to process all the toxins I had poured into it for about a ten day bender from 15/12 to 25/12.  There was no major reason for my imbibing, just bored, lonely: they're the 2 main ones which see me seeking alcohol.  Anyway I haven't drunk since Xmas and hope to keep it that way as long as I can with the help of AA and New Life program and counselling.  New Life used to be called Women for Sobriety; it focuses more on the present and future than AA does, which I see as positive.

I've been lucky enough to be granted a Home-Based Outreach worker as referred to by my Psychiatrist.  Zoran comes and visits me at home once a week to help me with my goals, like self-care and self-management.
I'm lucky that I see him for gratis as I am a pension concession-card holder; thus it's funded by the government.  Zoran's been pivotal over the past month in encouraging me to use my C-Pap machine again for the sleep apnea.  It's worked for one night at least, I just have to get used to the mask, or face-hugger from Alien, ie:

Spot the difference??  Clue: one makes you wake up busting out of your skin, the other wakes you by bursting an alien out of your chest.....Still, an alarming similarity :(








Otherwise have put the jobseeking on hold while I am about to do a meds changeover: from Zyprexa to Saphris (antipsychotics).  My Psych said I could either go to hospital (private) for a week or so or have it eased in over a few months.  My initial reaction was Hospital; UGH: No Way, but I've since decided it might be the way to go, especially as I'm unemployed and don't have to take leave for it. I'd have to shell out the first $250 for the hospital stay but my health insurance will cover the rest (I pay $130 a month for private health cover which includes psychiatric hospital).  So I'm seeing my Doc on Wednesday and hopefully we can get the Saphris ball rolling.

My cousin is on Saphris and says she thinks a lot clearer than on her previous anti-psych.  I just can't wait for a drug that, unlike Zyprexa, doesn't make me want to load my fridge onto a dolly and tip its contents into my mouth!  I have put on about 10 kilos on the Zyprexa, although admittedly with good discipline I managed to get down to 75 kilos in 2009: I walked an hour a day and tried to limit the junk, which largely worked.  It's just tough getting the late night "Zyprexa Hungries" when you're in bed and are sleepy but are so hungry you have to get up and eat.  Occasionally I solve this by having a glass of milk but I tend to add it with chocolate or a museli bar.

Anyways, hoping to switch meds soon.  Happy Belated New Year to you and all that malarky.