liquid

Unforunately I don't think I can offer you much advice beyond what's been said, but I'd like to mention that the way you describe your condition really interests me.

You've been diagnosed as clinically depressed, for instance, and yet very few of the symptoms you describe seem to be purely psychological.

Having been depressed (but not clinically depressed I would say! just like most people are from time to time) in the past it's interesting to look back and see how it affects you in other ways.

Thankfully I seem to be exceptionally stable in my self confidence nowadays. It's more of mystery to me how that has happened than feeling down for a couple of months when I was in my teens! Good luck.

Actually, thinking about it, I suppose I could say eat well, drink plenty of water, get regularised sleep and spend time being social. Most people do none of those things consistently, and it's always more of an effort to do them than it sounds, but they do seem to make a big difference to people's wellbeing.

Kesric

Thank you for the replies.

I am 21 years old, and I still live at home. I don't have any personal medical insurance, but my perents have insurance which covers me. That means I must do their bidding. I would move out on my own, but in this condition, it is impossible.

I don't want to cause any strife in my family, and I love my mother dearly (even though she has some odd beliefs. She isn't to the point where she has crystals laying around- it's more of a light Christianity/new age influence thing.)

In reference to the other comments, I have had my thyroid checked, and it is fine. When I was a child, I have allergies to certain foods, but that has since faded away. I would grudgingly go on with this neuralfeedback "treatment," as long as she lets me get other opinions and treatments, but she can't seem to spend the money on mainstream doctors, while we spend money on this.

The heat wave we are having has worsened my condition, since I cannot tolerate heat at all. It feels like it stores up inside me, and radiates out, causing me to feel faint and even more non-existant than usual. I do drink plenty of water, though I must admit my diet could be better. I basically have no social life. With every life experience being dulled down to nothing, I have no interests whatsoever. Without interests, it is hard to make friends. I spend much of time just blanked out. Before, I would be in thought during these periods, but now my mind is silent.

Thank-you

Eric

liquid

Hmm, same age as me then. Got to say that I am surprised and not quite sure that you can't determine your own treatment. As an adult, you are almost certainly allowed to make your own decisions in law about your medical treatment regardless of the fact that you don't own the policy yourself.

You see, the policy is basically a contract listing the type of procedures that will be paid for and premium you must pay to maintain the contract. The owner of the policy, I am 99% certain, has no clinical control over any of the covered persons whatsoever. That is between the person and their doctor only.

Of course, they might remove you from the policy or refuse to fill out the claim, but frankly it would be unethical and pretty negligent if your mother would not do that for you. Would she really refuse you treatment if you pushed for it? You might even be able to claim yourself. Sure she might be concerned at first but frankly I think you are choosing the greater of two evils if you opt for not rocking the boat over treatment. If you have a clinical diagnosis, then treatment is the priority.

I feel sorry for you about the social aspect, it's a bit of a viscious circle. I could tell you to make the effort but I think you probably understand anyway. At least you are talking to us but it's not the same as real contact.

got to add a disclaimer that none of this advice comes from someone who is a doctor, lawyer or psychologist! It's just personal.

If I were you, I would make and attend another doctors appointment, saying what you have said here and also explaining the insurance situation. I'd contact a counsellor too. In fact, I'd be so strong as to say go and make an appointment now with the doctor, or at least when office hours open.

RoddyM

Kesric, if you have had your thyroid function checked it is likely that your blood sugar was also checked, and found to be normal since you would otherwise have been told.

If you have a problem with carbohydrate metabolism it won't necessarily show up as tested by a single measure of your blood glucose.

Someone who is diabetic, unaware of their condition and untreated with insulin or whatever, can experience the symptoms you describe yet will still have a normal blood sugar concentration some of the time.

I walked around in a fog, irritable and depressed for years, and then one day I bought some Glucostix from a pharmacy went straight to a toilet and turned a strip purple. (I'm still irritable and depressed.)

And I'm an RN. And for ten years I figured that feeling like shit was normal.

Kesric, it may not be diabetes, but for me it was and is. And again, I am not suggesting that your problem can be trivialized by medicalizing it. The "medical model" sucks big time but you can test your blood sugar without getting involved or becoming dependant upon "medicine" and the politics that goes with it.

LateApex was kind enough to commend my earlier post but demonstrated the common misconception. Undiagnosed hypoglycaemia is very rare. Hypoglycaemia occurs most commonly amongst people who have already being diagnosed and are using insulin.

The symptoms you describe are more likely to be those of chronic or frequent hyperglycaemia than occasional hypoglycaemia.

reprise

While I appreciate that you "don't want to cause any strife", we are talking about your health here. And we're talking about the possibility that any delay in the diagnosis and treatment of your condition could have lasting, longterm, consequences.

My first suggestion would be to absolutely refuse to consult with the "alternative medicine" practitioners your mother wishes you to see. If you aren't prepared to stand up for yourself on the issue of your health at the age of 21, I wonder on what other issues you will allow your mother to determine your course of action in the future.

Money is clearly not an issue for your mother, given the amount she is paying these woo-woos. The real issue is that your mother is not prepared to respect your choices in respect of your own health care. I'm sorry, but if you were a minor your mother's attitude would border on neglect. The fact that she will pay for your health care if you consult the practitioners of her choice but "refuses" to allow you to take prescribed medications sounds to me like a very conditional kind of love and concern to be imposing on an adult.

Quite seriously, it's time for you to take control of your own health care even if that means having to wait hours to see a qualified doctor at a walk-in clinic. And it's also time to let mum know that your aren't going be attending any future appointments with people who are not qualified medical practitioners and whose services to date have failed to accomplish any result other than depleting your mother's bank balance.

Good luck, and let us know how things work out.

deano

after reading your second post i can see that your problem is a mental one.

i promise you,if you go out there and start doing stuff you will feel normal again.

join a gym now, seriously now!,dont hesitate,do it now!

Kesric

I really doubt this is just a mental problem. It feels like something is horribly wrong on a fundamental level. I didn't shy away from the world for any reason other than the fact that I felt less "present" in the world.

It is difficult to get involved in anything, since years of little or no stimulation have left me a bland person without any passions. Up until a year or two ago, I could still muster the concentration to enjoy activities online, but now, even that enjoyment is pretty much beyond my reach.

I would exercise, but any activity causes heat to build up inside. If I continue much longer, I feel like I am about to pass out.

I don't know if this information helps, but I was on Celexa for depression until recently. My psychiatrist has prescribed Adderall and Providgil, but I am not allowed to fill those prescriptions. If anybody can dig up information on PhD Penny Montgomery of Kansas City, Missouri, I'd like to read it. That is who my mother makes me see for neuralfeedback "therapy". Don't ask me what her PhD is in, I don't know.

I would be out in the world already, but previous lofty dreams have been reduced to just trying to get through each day without passing out from the heat or losing awareness while driving.(I am considering resigning my driver's license) As long as I'm here, I guess I'm under my mother's control.

Thank you

Eric

deano

go see a doctor man,they have trained many years to answer these sorta questions!.

Godless Dave

What do you mean by "not allowed"? Does your mother have armed guards at the door of your house 24/7? Call a cab to take you to the pharmacy and have the prescriptions filled while you wait.

queue

Hello Kesric,

I am going to echo others who have said to go see a doctor. If you cannot do that for whatever reasons, you could try sending a PM to Dr. Rick and/or scigirl here at II. Dr. Rick is a doctor in Colorado and scigirl is just starting her second year of medical school in Colorado. I do not know if they will be able to do anything over the internet besides recommending that you go see a doctor, but it gives you something to try.