Tired

    Doc changed things a little the other day. I think the change is helping. 

    It's hard to keep faith in today's world. There's a lot of hatred out there. I try to stay focused on being kind. That's not always easy to do. Agendas run around, there's always someone recruiting for some kind of crusade. I want to write some stories to entertain and hopefully make people laugh. I think the world could use some clean, healthy laughter. It's a beautiful thing. It helps bring people together, helps them relax. Life gets confusing which people running in different directions, looking for someone to pull along for the ride. I hope to write some more funny stories. I love to make people laugh with some clean humor. 

    I worry about the agendas. Always someone trying to sign me up for something. If they're not signing me up for something they're pigeonholing me and telling me what I believe in a kind of, if you're not with us, you're against us thing. As if we're all on teams fighting against each other. That's how I got into the whole 'sides' thing. Then they were calling me paranoid. Maybe I just don't want to sign up for the latest crusade. I don't understand the running around. All this activity, so frenzied, as if a PTA drive is life or death. 

    Give me a reason to fight and I'll fight, but mostly I see a lot of chaos of different people with their pet causes going on the warpath. Ready to run me over because I don't agree that XYZ cause is the end all and be all. So much division, and people just chomping at the bit for more and more of it. 

    That's why I'm saying, count me out. I'm not going to fight people just to make a point. I'm not going to run around just to make a show. So eager to sign me up for a half dozen different things just to keep me running around, consequences be whatever, so long as there's action, never mind the end result.

    I don't know if I'm the only one who finds the chaos of modern life disorienting. I yearn for the clarity of a pure cause. One that is not tainted by special interests or pet projects. I don't know if I would call it corruption, but there's always undercurrents, unspoken goals, vague nuance, read-between-the-lines activity. 

    Growing up, everything seemed so much simpler, purer, cleaner. Now life is one big ugly mess in motion, dressed up to look like something else. I'm always looking for hidden motives, not because I'm paranoid, but because people literally don't mean what they say and I'm not quite as naïve as I used to be. It's impossible to have a conversation without getting hooked into something. Where are all the clean, respectable role models? Where are the good people? All I'm seeing are the every-man-for-himself types and the hypocrites, the jackals and the con artists. I wish I could say different, I really do. It makes me sad inside. 

    I need to keep my peace. The next crusade is just around the corner. I don't want to get swept up this time. I don't want to be played. I don't want to be a pawn in some man's game. I want to mind my own business. Everyone else is out getting theirs. I need to have something for myself. I never wanted to see it that way. I wanted to believe. That ain't worked out so well. I need to keep my peace. This world can run people over in a heartbeat. Best not attract attention. I hate to say it. I really do. But I don't know how to please people these days. I feel tired inside. I feel weary in my soul. 

    It took me a while to see. I was delusional. But I see now. And it makes me sad inside. This world can run you over. You might never see it coming. I'm broke. I'm tired. And I'm getting old. I'm pretty sure most everyone has already decided whose fault that is. And I can't change their minds. 

    It's always, what the hell is wrong? Why can't you? And I'm just tired of arguing. Can't teach the blind to see what they don't want to see. They're too busy signing me up for the next crusade. They've got me all figured, I'm just tired of playing along. 

    There have been a few people that have truly seen me. Not just pretending to, not seeing what they want to see, but seeing the real me. I think in recent months I could count those on one hand: 2 friends, 1 counselor, 1 nurse, and one lady I ran into at an appointment. Five people. In a metro area of over a million. 

    Honestly, I don't even get the feeling that the doc understands. He gets close to understanding, close enough to do the job. He tries. He gets close. I know he wants to understand. But I feel like we're different. He understands all those medical people that I don't get. He's able to fit into the frenzy. I'm the part that keeps bumping up against all the other parts until the whole process jams. I'm the voice that never quite knows what to say in the moment, and then the moment passes by. I'm the one that comes to in the middle of a conversation realizing that I haven't the slightest clue what people are talking about or worse, I simply do not care. 

    I came into this trying to resolve issues and I'm coming out with a fist of pills and no answers, just detours and revisions. They gave me the option to whittle down my list of labels. But honestly, I could only eliminate two: drug addict and bipolar. I'd like to eliminate more but that seems factually inaccurate to attempt. 

    I even tried to donate blood. It was going to be two birds with one stone: 1. I would help people 2. I would make a little money. Nope. They wouldn't take me. Spent all that time. A couple hours. Told them from the very get go I had a VNS implant. They wasted all my time only to turn me around and say, we don't take people with VNS implants. Well, why the hell did you waste all my time? I told you from the get-go. Felt like such an idiot walking out of there. I told them the minute I walked in. Makes no sense. 

    I'm tired of talking to people with closed ears. Now, it's like message in a bottle. Not going to waste my voice. VNS already gives me a sore throat; I'm not going to waste my voice. It's just pointless. 

    I do enjoy some things. I enjoy my peace. It's nice at home, no one to please or entertain or deter. Just me and the cat. This world is so weird. It can't all be me. 

    I really like the Walmart+, but not what you think. It's not the saving a trip to the store. The store is just 5 minutes away. That doesn't bother me. No, I love being able to pick exactly what I need and the software saves what I pick so instead of going around all the distractions and trying to make sure I get everything I need and just what I need and almost always getting something I don't need or forgetting something, I always get exactly what I need. Yeah, they goofed up a couple times. Couple times they left things out. Then sometimes I have to substitute so I get a different brand. A couple times they gave me stuff I didn't order for free. But I've gotten it down to a system and I always get what I need. That is priceless. Not having to worry about traffic is an added bonus. I can't afford an accident. 

    I need an editor to help me with some quality control and what not but unfortunately, I've been too far past the point of caring. It's true what they say though: it can always get worse. I just hope it gets better. Tired of the medical and people trying to fix me. I'm honestly not sure exactly how the VNS helps me but I don't need any more setbacks. I'm leaving the thing alone. 

Side Effects of Spravato and Ketamine

    While I will never regret trying ketamine, these medications have certain side effects that can be quite scary. The biggest one that I've encountered is the one that landed in the hospital: sudden changes in heart rate and blood pressure. That will freak you right the hell out. I don't know if these medications can cause heart attacks or strokes, but you feel your heart going like a percussion set on steroids, you feel the surge of the pressure, you're going to be calling 911 like I did. If you have any sense, that is. 

    When I left the spravato center, they didn't check the vitals. I remember feeling off. I remember refusing to answer questions. And then I ended up in the hospital. These things can be dangerous. But at the same time, they have helped me so much. That's why I advocate for really well controlled access in controlled conditions to these medications. So that people can get relief in safe ways. I should have stayed at the center longer. I should not have left before they thoroughly checked me out. 

Labels

    I'm trying to keep a cohesive memory. So, I've been spending time reviewing what's happened. I'm actually surprised the ER visit went so well. I did have some intrusive thoughts on the way out. But I found them easy to ignore. It was just some of the anger coming back to me. They were nice though. 

    I guess when I was little, they really were like family because my dad worked there. I felt like they liked me better before I grew up and developed mental illness. I wanted to be successful so that they would be proud, I guess. Part of me still looks for them to be proud. I feel like life is supposed to look different when you come from a doctor's family. People expect it to look different. 

    It was weird to see dr. darcy again. They asked me about Bipolar and paranoia again. I'm tired of talking that stuff. The whole point of these labels is to describe people's problems accurately so that they can deal with them better. But if the damn meds don't work and the label becomes a regurgitating talking point, what the heck is the point? Anyways, I take the meds. I can't reinvent the wheel every 6 months. 

Gender Conformity and Ableism

 

   I think two forces that have had major destructive impacts on my life are Gender Conformity and Ableism. Ableism is a big part of mental health stigma, but they are not the same. 

    Ableism is the belief that people who are nuerotypical (don't have things like autism, Down's Syndrome, retardation, mental illness, etc) and physically normal (not in wheelchairs, etc), are superior to those who are different. This goes back to Asperger, Nazism, and medicalized perfection. See the Nazis wanted perfect people too, all blue and blonde haired and strong and perfect. Only America takes it in a different direction. Instead of overtly trying to genetically perfect the population, we use other means. We stigmatize people who are different ("We're going to have to ship him out of state", jail threats, put downs, denial of accommodations) we use means to "thin out the herd". 

    We're not that much different from Nazis in some ways. The Nazis performed human experimentation to try to find ways to perfect humans. They gave amphetamines to soldiers, performed unethical medical experiments on Jews, they had a vision. I try to tolerate people who are different and find things to appreciate in them. Because I know what it's like to be medically perfected and examined from every angle to find faults. 

    Gender conformity is slightly different in that it's about the idea that men and women have distinctly different roles in society due to their biological differences. Some common ideas are that women should not work and that men are supposed to be strong and silent and all about their careers. It's very black and white thinking applied to genetic differences. Like Ableism, it fails to take into the account that humans are imperfect living organisms that do not conform to schematics. We were not designed, we were formed or created as imperfect beings to live in harmony, not to destroy one another. 

Post ER Visit

    It feels good to be getting Pristiq back in my system. I was really relieved by the difference in the ER staff yesterday. They were much more receptive. 

    I think I need to reduce my mychart messages more. I get frustrated with the doctors and some of the staff. I'm trying to increase my trust and improve my regulation. I may have called the doctors something like jealous incompetent idiots or something like that and I believe I told them that some people should rot in hell. Maybe a bit abrasive. Maybe I'm oversensitive. I'm trying to take this in a more positive direction. Because I believe that rather than fantasizing about guns and explosives that I should focus on trying to treat them the way I want to be treated. So that's what I tried to do. I was actually there for about 4-5 hours, not 2. I lose track of time. 

    So now I just need the rest of the pristiq. And to stay positive. Be me. The best me I can be.

Damaged Trust

    Trust is a delicate thing. It can be so powerful when it is well formed and treated with respect. I feel like going to the ER helped restore my trust. Because it was nothing like last time. There were no threats, there were no sides, there was no Elle, there was no talk of drugs... this time, they focused on the problem and the solution(s). That's what medicine should be like. That's exactly what it should be like. It gives me hope. It makes me think I can trust the ER. 

    I want to believe that the system can work! I hope this is a new leaf!

Medicine

    I feel like what I'm learning about medicine is that it is fast paced. The workers don't necessarily have the time or the patience to help, especially with autism, especially with poor communication, especially with symptoms that don't clearly match a defined illness with a defined treatment plan like these bumps that come up on my skin or emotional dysregulation or memory issues. Life isn't that simple and who has time for some disabled guy that's hard to understand and unstable when there are people with jobs and clearly defined problems and good communication. 

    I'm simply not important enough or likeable enough or with problems that are easily resolved, and it's much easier to blame delta 8 or Spravato and say screw the patient let's jail him rather than solve a problem that isn't easily solved. I'm glad my counselor has a different perspective, or I truly would be screwed. Not because they don't want to help, they simply don't know how. And with my lack of sleep and poor boundaries it's not like it's easy. I just struggle to know what to do when my body hurts, I'm tired, I have trouble keeping up, and I literally have trouble remembering and communicating. 

    At least most of the doctors don't threaten me. That's a plus. 

I honestly don't know how I would keep going without writing. It's really the heart of me. My faith has been badly shaken since 2019-2021. The way I look at the world is so different. Theres this gnawing sense of despair. Because I did idolize prichards. It wasn't realistic. It never truly was. It's a shattered illusion of some 20+ years. There was a sense of safety that never truly recovered.

They did the mash! They did the monster mash! They did the mash! It was a psych ward smash!

 

$20 on the patient! $60 on dr. Psych! Nono! $80 says she pins him!

    I've been a little stuck on the things that didn't work out. I'm trying to focus on the things that do work as well as the new things I can do that I didn't do before. Hopefully, that's enough. Sometimes the alternative to "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is "if life gives you unhappy endings, write new ones"

Di internist is so berry pwoud! Lowest blood sugar on record. Woohoo!

501(c)(4)

     I decided to launch an effort to maintain Friends of Upstate Healthcare as a 501(c)(4). Maybe this will help me to move in a positive direction with my advocacy. It's all too easy to get lost in negativity. If anyone wants to join, please email ashesndust@outlook.com. Note this is intentionally a separate entity from Accountec LLC, which is a for profit business. 

Clozaril

    The thing about Clozapine is that it numbed me out really good. Which had both positive and negative effects. It desensitized me so that I wasn't as aware. Which is bad. But made me numb to so many negative emotions. Long term, it was not working. I wasn't processing and developing the keenness of insight that I needed to be effective. 

Why i think processing is important

    I think processing is important because it helps me to be more deliberate about decisions. To look before I leap. Looking back, what I should have done before calling 911 was to take the Ativan. Or if I could have managed the er triggers better, I could have peed and gone home. Either way, stopping Spravato was necessary. Definitely. That stuff surprised me. I definitely feel more cautious about medication. But I'm glad to have more of a say in it then I used to. That sense of control is a relief. 

Medications

Medications can be a lot to deal with. But we're almost where we need to be. If we get this stimulants fine tuned, then the only remaining issue is to see if the propranolol can be discontinued so that I can do immunotherapy for my allergies. Then I want to write about my experiences with thc and spravato. Spravato was particularly alarming in some of its effects. It was more different from ketamine then I anticipated. I don't think I will miss it. Do I regret trying it? 🤔 Maybe. It definitely changed my perception. But that's a story for another time.

Ritalin

The ritalin seems to be making flashbacks worse. But it helps me focus. Catch 22.

 🫂🫂 

Spidey peel bedder 🌞 🌈 

"Oh great, he wants to be studied"

     I know Arson pretty well. I'm pretty sure I know why he said that. I'm not so great at communicating in person. I know some members of the mental health community check this blog. Sometimes it's awkward. But overall, I'm glad. It's like having people watching over me. I worry what people think. Sometimes they jump to conclusions. But a reasonable person, taking what I say in whole, gets a pretty decent picture. My BP was initially 154 or so over 94 at the internist. Then it was 124 over 70 something. It jumps up and down in health care facilities. Does that all the time. But it's nice to be home. 

Balance

 

    I'm trying to find a balance. While also making my own choices. Hopefully I'm getting there. I have some taxes to study, entries to create, medical appointments, business appointments, etc to do. Hopefully we're learning.