A sample pack? Yep - just what I thought!

Tell that fool of a doctor to READ what they're handing out to you, instead of just believing the gumph told to them by the pharmaceutical sales reps.

And I'm with you about the coffee - any drug that interferes with my daily caffeine consumption needs to be flushed down the toilet ;)

Now, seriously. It's not a surprise that you've been diagnosed with extreme stress and with depression. Medication will help depression, but there are much better ways to manage stress than to numb it with a pill.

I have to run - someone's knocking at the door. But I'll be back to finish this train of thought :hug:

I definitely had to go to the doctor and TELL them which antidepressant to put me on - easier since I'm a nurse and I know which one worked for me before. Don't feel bad about asking questions about the chemicals going into your body.

I've had a good start to the week. After crazily riding my bike to PT yesterday (and then swearing I'd never do it again while hiking up the hill on the way home...) - I'm gonna do it again tomorrow morning if I get up in time.

I ate well within my calories yesterday (actually, only 707 net cals after my exercise frenzy) despite eating a lot of healthy food - lots of veggies and lean beef stirfry. Also ate well today, and about to cook tonight's chicken dinner. Had a gentle bike ride and walk on the treadmill today.

Hey Kylie. I agree with Gen, Don't feel bad about asking questions... **** I even queried the panadol dose the Dr prescribed the hospital to give to my baby..... AND REFUSED IT. If the doubt is there or even if you want to know more, trust me, you are better off being open about it than accepting!

I learnt the hard way... My eldest was prescribed Maxalon (she was 14) and had a severe DELAYED allergic reaction. They were just about to call in the helicopter to have her transferred to Brisbane when the THIRD dose of the antidote or whatever they call it finally started to work. I thought I was going to lose her.

ASK ASK ASK

OK - I'm back. Kylie, I hope you don't think we're ganging up on you - I for one am annoyed with your doctor.

The first thing that is important to realise is that a *pill* is a tool to help you overcome depression - it isn't the cure. If the doctor pulled a sample pack out of the drawer, and didn't talk seriously to you about counselling/stress management/relaxation - let alone give you a range of options for which medication to take, I'd be banging their door down and demanding a refund.

It's perfectly OK to go to a different doctor, tell them you've been diagnosed with depression and ask them to a) give you a second opinion and b) discuss the range of treatment options with you.

I don't know what it's like in SA, but here you can now claim visits to a Clinical Psychologist on Medicare. I'm also pretty sure that there is REALLY cheap counselling available at Uni, or at any women's health care centre - or Family Planning Association.

It sounds like you've got a LOT going on, and it doesn't help that you're struggling financially either.

You be very gentle with yourself. I really wish I could do something to help you… but I'm thinking of you, and am here for you if you need a shoulder.

:hug:
Ani

You guys are awesome! :hug:

Thanks for being so concerned. I don't like to rock the boat...but this sounds important. I guess I just deferred to her authority. I am on the waiting list for a subsidised psychologist ($10 instead of $80), but it will be weeks before I can see one, and I knew I wasn't coping on my own.

I will think about getting a second opinion. I feel like I'm undermining her? I know that's silly. I will definitly talk about some different options with her, like a 'softer' pill, or if there are any other options available.

I really appreciate this - this is a whole new ball game for me, I'm glad I have you girls to help me along.

Hi Ladies

I'm on day 2 of taking the new meds - citalopram this time. I'm feeling pretty good so far, it's just this damn chest infection that's bringing me down at the moment.

Today is the first day in over a week that I feel like I can be at work for the whole day so here's hoping it's a quiet one so that I can ease myself back in.

Yoga tonight which I'm sure will help make me feel better.

Keep on keeping on ladies ......

Kylie, you're not undermining your doctor. You have the right to make informed choices about your own body and life - and GPs are not experts in any particular field of medicine. She can't be expected to know everything - and if she gets annoyed that you're questioning her, that isn't your problem.

I refused to pay a doctor for a consult last year. I told her I had come to her for a service, which she was too arrogant or incompetent to provide - and I wasn't paying for something she didn't give me. She wasn't happy - but I threatened to lodge a formal complaint against her and she backed down.

Little Kiwi it's good to see you hanging in there. I really hope things start to get better for you too!

Lindor - where are you? I'm feeling optimistic that you're so busy getting that pedometer up to 10,000 steps every day that you don't have time to sit at your computer :p

I'm having an OK week. Really hoping to record a loss again this week.

:)
Ani

LittleKiwi, that's the one I'm on as well. It's pretty good - I get a lot of benefits with only one adverse effect (the night-time teeth grinding). It has not negatively impacted my weight loss efforts at all. I hope it works for you.

I'm off to Sydney until Monday - so I'll see you all soon.

Keep it up girls - you're all my inspirations!

Kylie

So far so good for me this week. Honestly, I don't know why I don't write down what I eat all the time - it makes such a difference to my weight loss when I can see how many calories I'm eating, instead of "taking a guess" :)

My favourite pair of jeans (which were too tight to wear last November) are almost too loose to wear now - and that makes me feel really good. It shows that I am making progress, even though there are lots of days where I don't see it. And I am now able to fit into clothes I couldn't wear last winter (or for the last five winters, for that matter).

It seems really quiet in here - where is everyone?

:)
Ani

I'm here :wave:

I set my alarm to wake up at 5:35am today as I planned on going to yoga at 6am. Lay in bed a few minutes too long as when I got down to the yoga studio, they'd locked the door!!

Rather than do the sensible thing and go to the gym, I went back home and got back into bed for another couple of hours sleep that if I'm honest, I didn't need.

I'm off to Wellington to visit my sister for the weekend, leaving tomorrow after work and I'm really looking forward to that. Will take her to try Bikram yoga while I'm up there as I'm sure she'll really enjoy it, already being something of a yogini :yoga:

I'm so sick of not losing any weight. No matter how much I exercise or try to eat right, I just don't seem to be able to shift it. Next week I'm going to try doing a blitz of very strict dieting and exercise and see if it works.

:twirly: :twirly:

Well done Ani - isn't that a great feeling? ALthough it gets expensive to buy new clothes! Then again, I have so many old clothes that I haven't fitted into for 5 years that I can now wear, it's almost like recycling my own stuff!

I got my spunky new phone today, so I'm happy haha. Also got my orthotic insoles, so looking forward to getting some healing happening on the achilles. Have booked some osteo for next week, so I'll see if massage helps.

Also my brother in law had an operation today to get a fistula to commence dialysis, and it all went well, so that's a relief. Poor bugger, only 42 and suddenly has total renal failure requiring dialysis for no apparent reason.

Have been okay today, although TTOM led me to a slight icecream frenzy last night. Will make up for it when I ride to training tomorrow though!

Never mind LittleKiwi, at least you planned to go! They do say it's the thought that counts... heh. At least twice per week I think I'll get up on my non-training days and do something really early while it's quiet... I never do. My brain won't let me get up while it's dark unless I have to!

Great news Ani. You 'sound' so happy and I'm happy for you too. Isn't the feeling marvelous?

Hmm, now I'm gonna have to get moving this week as so far I have eaten nothing but crap and drank not ONE glass of water.

I can't get my head around studying the format of this STAT exam. My other half and I are going through a do I or don't I time. The first ever and it's really doing my head in. Part of me thinks that he is being like this on purpose to jeapordise my chances of being accepted.

Anywho, you guys don't really need to hear all the woes. I won't be on again till Sunday or Monday. I am trying to study today while baby in bed (and thats not long) and have exam tomorrow. Sunday I guess will be spent trying to get him to open up and tell me the truth about what he wants.

Good luck to all with the weekend being a happy healthy eating and exercise w/end!

Yayyyyy ANI

Vonni xxx

Time for a new thread, ladies :)