Retail Therapy: Mostly Shoes and Boots

August 4, 2007 in Boring Posts, Facts About Patient Anonymous, Uncategorized

Wow, Mac Guru and PA really blew some dough today. Kind of unintentional on PAs part…not sure who spent more. Maybe he did as one of his goals when visiting was to make some purchases. PA usually just tags along. However, this time she decided to join in on the fun. Maybe she just needed to stay awake. But PA hates shopping. But PA really needs new clothes. PA has a conundrum on her hands.

So the order of the day was for Mac Guru to buy some new boots–well at least one thing he wanted to get. PA has needed some new boots too–her Blundstones look like crap and she really doesn’t like them. Blech. They both wanted some new Dr. Martens. Actually, PA has been thinking about some eight-holes for a really long time. So…time for some eight-hole Docs!

But oh to PAs surprise!!! One store–well, a couple ended up with some lovely shoes that were Dr. Martens as well that had pointy toes! Yes…PA has a thing for shoes with pointy toes. Always has, always will. No matter what fashion dictates–pointy toes rule the world! Well, sorry…pointy toed shoes…not pointy toes.

It’s been a long time since she’s gotten her hands (erm…feet?) on/in some nice Docs like that! They are really hard to find as they were big in the 80s or so. She found a pair of black ankle boots in the US with Mac Guru (hey…maybe he’s her Dr. Martens good luck charm!) and they were great but wore out. Well, let’s be clear: the strap with the buckle wore out; the sole of course did not.

Anyway, PA now has five pairs of Dr. Martens footwear in some shape or form now. Yes…hmmm. She’s not quite sure what that means.

She also got a really nice and spiffy pair of black trousers/pants that look rather…? Well, they’re fairly tight fitting and tapered. Yes, quite. Again, enough of that flared bottom crap. Things need to be tailored for PA. Well, at least certain things. Lord knows when she’ll wear them and if she does gain more weight they’ll be out the window but they were cheap. What the hell.

Oh, and she tried on some PVC pants in case she gets back out into the Fetish Scene with Mac Guru but well…always time to pick those up–and any other necessary attire. Not worth spending money on that until she’s committed to going back into that territory(?) And she’s still got at least something to wear in the mean time…

She’d like to get a pair of leather pants too…oh, that’s been on her mind for years.

Again, when and where the hell is she going to wear this stuff *laughing*

Well, she guesses she could just wear it around whenever and wherever she wanted too. PVC and leather are cool and look pretty snazzy! Oh, yeah…

Well, time for bed…been a long day…PA’s pretty well gone. I can’t believe it’s only 2230hrs here.

Concerta Update

August 4, 2007 in ADD, Facts About Patient Anonymous, Meds

Alright, I know this is pretty fast as it’s only Day One but whoa. I’m just sort of staring at my computer screen right now…feeling rather out of it. Everything’s kind of funny, though. Or not. I seem to be fluctuating a bit between giggling at random nothingness or becoming a bit zombified. Heh. Meds are really too much.

I was just taking a glance at my entire previous med list (you can find the link on my About page) and trying to recall what other meds have made me feel like this. Certainly none of the Anticonvulsants? Zyprexa/Olanzapine for sure but I took that at bedtime not during the day. Probably several of the Antidepressants but they were so long ago who can remember.

What else? I’m a bit dizzy but that’s okay. Tummy? Actually not so bad! A bit of discomfort but certainly nothing that I’m not used to or hasn’t been as bad with the current gastro problems. At least pain wise. I am a bit nauseous–perhaps more so than usual. Again, I’m sure this is all temporary as side effects usually tend to be.

There have only been two meds I have ever had to stop immediately–no three–due to unbearable side effects:

1. Remeron/Mirtazapine. I developed peripheral oedema with this Antidepressant. This is quite a rare side effect but my ankles swelled up so terribly that I could barely walk and it was unbelievably painful when I did. Ridiculous beyond belief but I’ve had a few freaky side effects with some meds.

2. Serzone/Nefazodone. Oh dear. I say Ser”zone” indeed. It is an Antidepressanted that has since been pulled off the Canadian Market due to potential hepatic (liver) problems. It was used a lot for its sleep promoting effects. It would really knock you out–or at least it did me. It carried over so far into the day I could barely move. Goodbye Serzone!

3. Evil, Evil Strattera/Atomoxetine! Alright, this drug did the worst damage to me behind “Evil, Evil, Evil Effexor/Venlafaxine!” We got into this a bit in the comment section about my new Concerta. It’s a non-stimulating treatment for AD(H)D. It was originally developed as an Antidepressant but failed miserably so somehow ended up being used as the former. Sounds bizarre, I know.

However, Concerta has also been said to be used to treat Depression and Narcolepsy but it’s in a different class so fine. And it also works differently. Strattera is in fact an Antidrepssant–a Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor. You’ve also got Effexor and Wellbutrin/Buproprion but they block uptake of Serotonin too. And no one knows how these things work anyway… But I doubt they’d be too effective in treating AD(H)D. Okay, I take that back. I see some anecdotal evidence out there.

Anyway, original point being, I went off Strattera because it just about killed me mood wise and body wise. I was reduced to a complete mixed state cycling mess and gastrointestinally I thought I was dying. The pain was awful and I couldn’t eat at all. It was like now but even worse and it happened immediately–not slowly over time as these current problems have sort of progressed. It was like, WHAM!

So I was a little concerned with the Concerta, even though it is a stimulant. Well, so far things are okay? It’s a holiday weekend here so a good time to begin a new drug. I have three whole days to feel like crud if I need to. Although I do need to go out and do some shopping. Hmmm.

Mac Guru is coming to town so we’re meeting. I need some help with the software on MacBook that he installed. Boy, thank Zeus he has a car. I don’t know if I could master public transit right now… PA’s a little tippy over at the moment.