Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Okay, y'all got me seriously scared yesterday so after reading a couple of the first responses on here I immediately took my regular dose of Lexapro and called my doctor back in Kansas. And guess what? He's out of town for a month! I told them I need to talk to him right away about side effects I'm experiencing. They asked if I'd like to talk to one of the nurses there. So I say yes and they transfer me to an answering machine! I leave a message and an hour passes before I'm called back.

The nurse was not helpful. She got on to me for not coming in for regular check-ups on my meds when I'm having problems. I told her I haven't been having problems until the last couple weeks and I wasn't scheduled to come in until October anyway. Plus I have moved and need a new doctor, but I wanted my old doctor's opinion on what is happening to me since he prescribed the drugs in the first place. She said she doesn't think it's Lexapro causing the trouble. I told her that those are some of the serious side effects listed on my prescription pamphlet for Lexapro. She still insisted that it wasn't Lexapro, and she was real haughty to me and told me she can't help me across the country. So I got an appointment with my new doctor (who happens to be within walking distance of where I live...convenient since I don't have a car).

My appointment was this morning at 9:00 am. She saw me right away, but guess what? She can't help me! She told me that she can't prescribe or refill mental health drugs and that I need a psychiatrist for that...which is weird cause my doc in Kansas was a regular family practice doc and he could prescribe those meds for me. I told her my problems and she said she really can't even talk to me about those meds. She said I will have to get a psychiatrist, and she told me that there aren't any psychiatrists in her building. I will have to find a different location and she gave me a number to call. She did check my vitals and she actually witnessed my twitching eye and facial tics during the test. Also she told me I have TBJ, I think is what it's called but that she can't help me with that and that I need to go to a dentist for that and get a mouthguard. I don't even know what that is! She told me my jaw is painful because I'm always clenching it constantly due to my anxiety, which is true. I told her about my nerves in my body going numb at different times, and she didn't know what that meant. She said my eye twitching could be caused by caffeine. I told her I already cut out all the caffeine and sugars from my diet weeks ago, and that I wasn't having those problems when I was drinking cokes. This is something new. She had me go get bloodwork done and I will find out my results in a couple days. I don't think I have any kind of disease. I just really believe my meds are going haywire.

So I get home and I call the number she gave me for the psychiatrist. And guess what? No one can see me until October 17th!! I told them I'm having trouble with my meds and that I can't wait that long. They said that's all they got but they put me on a long waiting list as well. What am I supposed to do in the meantime!? What if I am being damaged by my medication! I can't get anyone to talk to me, not even my old doc as he is on vacation for a whole month! I don't know what to do.

Now Joseph and I are wondering if this is typical healthcare for Massachusetts? Do all doctors here have to refer you to a specialist? Are there no regular family doctors who can prescribe mental health meds? Does everyone have to go to a psychiatrist for that or is it just that one place I went to that works that way? Joseph is going to ask his coworkers if their doctors work the same way. We've never heard of anything like that. Is that what it's like in big cities? And the waiting list for psychiatrists...I wonder if that is typical? What about people that really need help? What about people who aren't on medication yet and are suicidal...do they have to wait a month before they can get help? That's crazy!

Thanks for listening to my medical rant and thank you all for the prayers.  :hug: I still feel sick and dizzy, but better since I went back to my regular dose of Lexapro. Although now my twitching is worse again...which is why I believe it has to be the Lexapro. And my new doctor today didn't seem to know one way or another. My nerves don't feel numb right now but it comes and goes. I'm still debating about the emergency room since no one seems to be able to help me. I'm not sure where the nearest emergency room is. I will have to find out. Right now I got to go lay down as I'm even more dizzy and headachey since they did bloodwork. Uggg...

I was wondering if any of you are or have been on Lexapro? I've been experiencing serious side effects. Been on it for two years and suddenly it's gone haywire! I started experiencing nerve damage a few weeks ago. Like I had an itch and I'd scratch but I couldn't feel myself scratch...weird I know. It lasted for over a week then went away. Then a few days ago my eye started twitching and then I started getting facial tics. I looked up side effects for Lexapro and found that those are some of the more serious side effects. I'm on Xanax too but it didn't say that those were side effects for it.

So two days ago the twitching eye and facial tics got out of control and I couldn't stop for a whole day. I got scared and didn't take my dose of Lexapro nor my Xanax. I went through a horrible night of uncontrollable twitching and then my arms and legs started jerking throughout the night. The past two days I've been without medication. The twitching eye has definitely lessened but I'm still experiencing it on and off as well as the facial tics. And now I'm experiencing major withdrawal symptoms. Today has been horrible. I'm shaking and jerking all over, I'm dizzy, have horrible headache, my anxiety has sky rocketed, I have stomach cramps. I feel like a druggie coming down from a high. I feel so sick.

My doctor is back in Kansas and I haven't gone to my new doctor yet here in Massachusetts. I'm afraid to go back on my meds though because I feel I may end up with permanent nerve damage. I know you're supposed to wean yourself off of prescription drugs, but I'm too scared to take even a small dose. I've quit meds before cold turkey without having serious withdrawal symptoms, but this is definitely different.

I know what will happen if I call my doc back in Kansas. He will say I need to up my medication. That was always his solution to everything. I've been feeling like I'm overmedicated for a long time now. Every time I told him that he would up my dosage or put me on additional meds. I used to be on Seroquel as well. I got off of it due to it was controlling my life, putting me in a coma-like state.

I've been wanting to get off Xanax too because my body has become too dependent upon it for getting me to sleep at night. I know it's easy to get addicted too, but my doc said I'd be fine. I think my doc is nuts! And I've had other doctors just like him.

I want to see if I can live a more normal life without meds. I just want to get clear-headed. I've been in a fog of medication for 2 years now. I don't know how long these withdrawal symptoms will last and if my eye twitching will ever go away. This really makes me wary of getting on any other medication. When I was 14 I was put on something that started with a "P". It gave me hallucinations so I was taken off it. Then put on Zoloft which gave me major headaches for half a year until I got off it. I've never yet been successful with meds. I hope I can find some sort of natural remedy for depression and anxiety. I have been eating healthy and recently cut out all caffeine and sugars. Even my juice is now natural with no sugars. I want to get back to exercising. I tried jogging today, but ended up even sicker and more dizzy. I guess it is too soon due to these horrible withdrawal symptoms.

Well, I guess that's all I can say about this. Just curious if any of you have side effects with Lexapro or any other prescription med...and plus how long does withdrawal symptoms last when you get off them?

Jodi

So sorry to hear of your bad year. I know what you mean about how hard it is to create when you are sad. I have depression and some days it takes awhile for my medication to kick in and I just can't get motivated to create a new critter when I was just excited about it the day before. It can be very frustrating.

I hope things will pick up for you soon. I have something that may cheer you up...I will be sending it next time I take a load to the post office. 

You hang in there, and I hope to see some of your new creations soon.

Many hugs to you.... :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Thank you everyone for your opinions, including those who sent me pm's. It is good to hear both sides on this. I have decided to take a chance and send a couple of my bears for her Fall Show. I hope it will all go well. Hopefully, the exposure alone will make it worth it.

Thanks everybody!  :hug:

I've been contacted by a bear store called Bearpaths and the lady has sent me an email asking if I'd like to participate in sending some of my bears to be in her fall show this October...supposedly it is an online show. I don't know anything about it, really. This lady has bought 2 of my bears from me on ebay and has told me that doing one of her show's is by invitation only. Has anyone on here participated in this? Can you give me the scoop/details, how it works...etc. I've never even done a real show, let alone an online show. Would like to know as much as possible.

Omigosh! I am in love with little Pippin!
He's just darling! And what beautiful markings!
Take lots more  :photo: ! Aw, why can't they stay puppies forever?
Just too cute!

Omigosh! You're right...I haven't seen her in awhile either.
And I am actually working on a special something for her right now...since she helped me get my Harry Potter birdhouse started.

I hope she's okay.

Jodi, come back! We miss you!

Peta,

I think this bear is beautiful! Can't wait to see him finished! I love the blue eyes. Very colorful and unique. You're doing a great job!

Wow! That's cool and a great idea!

I won't be able to go to the ice cream social (cause my husband works late) but hopefully if all goes well I will show up to the show the next day. Hmmm...I guess I'll carry a Burlison Bear in my pocket so y'all will know who I am!

Good luck to all the artists participating in the show!

Here are the final photos!

These photos keep continuing....there are 27 in all.

Well, I finally have some Boston photos to share. We took the train to Boston yesterday. It was our 3rd visit since moving out here. We walked many miles through downtown area, including we walked The Freedom Trail. Got some nice photos. In the following there are various statues, including George Washington and Paul Revere and some beautiful fountains. The duck statues are from the 1940s picture book "Make Way for Ducklings". Always loved that book! The gardens in Boston Commons are gorgeous. So many everywhere. I love the pond there with the Swan Boats. Yes, we rode a Swan Boat too. You can see the little island that the ducks live on...plus two turtles climbing up the plank to the island! Many ducks, birds, and swans were swimming in the pond.
The big ship you see is the USS Constitution...it still is ridden today by tourists!
Enjoy the photos! Keep scrolling down...the photos continue on...many, many photos!

Oh, I just had a pang of sadness go through my heart after seeing this photo. Reminds of Twitch and Snitch, my baby squirrels I rescued. I miss those little critters.

This baby squirrel is absolutely beautiful...what a rich red color he has!

Congrats on the big move! I hope you're enjoying yourselves!

And I just love your adorable mini bears!!!

Hi Debbie!

Thanks for responding to all these posts. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

You're like me in that you appreciate the history and the surrounding beauty. You should come up here sometime. You'd love it. 

Debbie,

Haha! I didn't know Blossom was a horse!  :crackup: I'm sure Banny would be friends anyway!

Yes, Banny's a good sport. Good everything, for that matter! He is super intelligent, super friendly, extremely obedient, a quick learner of new tricks, very playful, a wonderful walker and hiker, very careful and tolerant of children, and he's got a great sense of humor!

You should definitely add a collie to your menagerie! You really can't go wrong with them. They're an excellent breed. The only thing about them is their fur is hard to take care of. Also, they are extremely sensitive dogs. You can't discipline them without them thinking you suddenly hate them. Also, my collie and other ones I know don't like to get wet at all...have a fear of rain and swimming. Strange. Banny won't even trot through a puddle in the road! Also, since collies are sheep herders they have the natural instinct of herding smaller animals and children in the house. They feel unsettled if everyone is not grouped together in the same area.

Wow! Gorgeous pictures! Looks just lovely there, and from the smile on y'alls faces it looks like you were all having the time of your life!

Boy, that teddy coat sure is strange...I'd like to see someone walking around in it...

Yeah, I loved the shops, Daphne! They were so cute...quaint, like you said.

Cool, I could have waved to your brother-in-law from where I was!

All right, Daphne! That movie was so cute! I'll have to watch it again soon...I'll see if the Walmart here has your Mimzy bunny. :dance:

Here are the rest of the Concord pics...

Hey y'all! It's me again....and yes, with more photos.
Concord is a beautiful New England town with a lot of charm and history. A lot of famous authors lived there. One house is the Hawthorne house, the grey house is the famous Orchard House of Louisa May Alcott's childhood....remember the movie Little Women? That's the house! And the white house with flag was Ralph Waldo Emerson's home.

We found lots of cool graveyards too. One was a nice hilltop graveyard.

Lots of tributes everywhere to war heroes of the past.

And of course, we tread the ground where the Revolutionary War took place. It's beautiful there with the bridge overlooking the water. People canoe there. Cool Minuteman statue there.

This is a two part posting cause all the pics won't fit.

Enjoy!

Idle Thoughts of a Wandering Mind

I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know
what to feed it.
~~~
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
~~~
I went to San Francisco . I found someone's heart. Now what?
~~~
Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
~~~
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
~~~
If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses
sidesaddle.
~~~
What is a "free" gift?! Aren't all gifts free?
~~~
They told me I was gullible and I believed them. < BR>~~~
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows
up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
~~~
Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
~~~
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
~~~
My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.
~~~
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
~~~
The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
~~~
How can there be self-help "groups"?
~~~
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
~~~
Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a
man who can't get his pants off.
~~~
Is it me--or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?

On The Lighter Side!

"A joyful heart is good medicine" Proverbs 17:20-22

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Call Stephanie.

AND THE BEST ONE :
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Debbie you and Blossom are welcome anytime!! Banny is always looking for new playmates! Banny thanks you for the compliments...he's sleeping at my feet right now.

Daphne, we are planning to go real soon to Walden Pond. We were just in Concord over the weekend. We walked the downtown area... so after 3 hours of walking we were too tired to go there. 

I'm posting some pics of Concord later today.

All right, this may be getting a little silly, posting local park pictures, but we found the greatest little park in our area in Massachusetts. We so love our move here cause we have found such great little treasures such as this wildlife conservation/park called Willard's Woods, but I have dubbed it "Fairy Tale Forest" cause it looks like something right out of Hansel and Gretel. It's gorgeous there and just a ten minute drive from our apartment. We've been taking our collie there for walks. Here are some great shots I got...some including me, Joseph, and our collie Banny.