Doctor, doctor, give me the news.
What's the best birthday gift a girl can give to herself?
A Pap smear! Woo!
I had my annual "well woman" exam this morning and why I accepted an appointment on my birthday is beyond me. I might have been addled that day. But, because the appointments generally take a while (my doctor, she's not so prompt), I took the whole day off from work. So, I've been able to spend my birthday running errands and getting some things done that I hadn't had time for.
I had a very short list of things to discuss with my doctor, and during the 49 minutes I sat alone in the exam room reading a publication devoted to asthma (a condition I happily do not have), I talked myself out of bringing them up. Then I talked myself back into bringing up one of them, if for no other reason than I didn't want to catch heck from my mother for not addressing it.
I've been having a lot of anxiety lately. I've always been pretty anxious and had little bouts of depression and in my late teens and early twenties, I had panic attacks. Those lessened over time, but lately, I've been feeling like I'm on the verge of them again. And as anyone who has had panic attacks can tell you, just remembering those feelings is enough to shake you to the tips of your toes. So, I talked to the doctor about it, I answered her questions honestly (which is really hard to do because I don't like to admit to some of the thoughts and feelings I've had), and she decided that I would benefit from some pharmacological help. I generally eschew medications unless absolutely necessary, but she seemed convinced that I could greatly benefit from taking something. And honestly, the idea of feeling not keyed up and not nervous and not blue all the time? Thrills me. So, I accepted the month's worth of Lexapro® and scheduled another visit in a month. She's also recommending counseling so I can get some tools to help me cope, but because of an insurance switch January 1, we're going to address that on the next visit. So, for now, I'll be medicated. We'll see how it goes.
I'm kind of nervous (Ha! Shocking!) about taking something like this, I am also happy to think that maybe I don't have to live life the way I have been. That maybe I can rejoin the world and not hide out so much.
And now I'm off to research side effects. As long as there's no oily discharge (best pharmaceutical side effect of all time!) in my future, I can probably live with most anything.
A Pap smear! Woo!
I had my annual "well woman" exam this morning and why I accepted an appointment on my birthday is beyond me. I might have been addled that day. But, because the appointments generally take a while (my doctor, she's not so prompt), I took the whole day off from work. So, I've been able to spend my birthday running errands and getting some things done that I hadn't had time for.
I had a very short list of things to discuss with my doctor, and during the 49 minutes I sat alone in the exam room reading a publication devoted to asthma (a condition I happily do not have), I talked myself out of bringing them up. Then I talked myself back into bringing up one of them, if for no other reason than I didn't want to catch heck from my mother for not addressing it.
I've been having a lot of anxiety lately. I've always been pretty anxious and had little bouts of depression and in my late teens and early twenties, I had panic attacks. Those lessened over time, but lately, I've been feeling like I'm on the verge of them again. And as anyone who has had panic attacks can tell you, just remembering those feelings is enough to shake you to the tips of your toes. So, I talked to the doctor about it, I answered her questions honestly (which is really hard to do because I don't like to admit to some of the thoughts and feelings I've had), and she decided that I would benefit from some pharmacological help. I generally eschew medications unless absolutely necessary, but she seemed convinced that I could greatly benefit from taking something. And honestly, the idea of feeling not keyed up and not nervous and not blue all the time? Thrills me. So, I accepted the month's worth of Lexapro® and scheduled another visit in a month. She's also recommending counseling so I can get some tools to help me cope, but because of an insurance switch January 1, we're going to address that on the next visit. So, for now, I'll be medicated. We'll see how it goes.
I'm kind of nervous (Ha! Shocking!) about taking something like this, I am also happy to think that maybe I don't have to live life the way I have been. That maybe I can rejoin the world and not hide out so much.
And now I'm off to research side effects. As long as there's no oily discharge (best pharmaceutical side effect of all time!) in my future, I can probably live with most anything.
posted by Megan @ 3:03 PM
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