I have two degrees. I have a bachelors degree in organizational leadership and a mba in human resource management. But, I been out of work since 2007 because of sick kids and the pain I been in. I was officially diagnosed in 2010, but I got ER records far back as 2001 with MRI with " low lying tonsilis" which are code words for chiari.
I been on topomax for since August of last year. I have no side effects except weight loss which I love, but my psychiatrist sad I was depressed and put me on lexapro which did nothing. It works wonders for my 14 year old, go figure. So he changed me to cymbalta. Now that I am on topomax and cymbalta, I feel like a freaking idiot,. I cant remember crap. I was driving around for an hour a couple weeks ago until I started crying because i couldn't remember where I was going. I had to call my kids and ask them. It is so embarrasing.
I went back to see the psychiatrist. I told him that it's not that I'm suidcial. I'm actually more homicidal. It's like people irritate me because I am in PAIN!!!! I don't have tolerance for BS. So, if you come at me the wrong way, you will get dealt with because I have lost my ability to just let it go. I have a friend who is a social worker who works in mental heath, she told me that I need a mood adjuster because I have a tendency to get easily agitated. I told her that I was researching and thought that I would do well on wellbutrin, she agreed. My psychiatrist doesn't want to put me on that because he told me that it will raise my blood pressure. And I am like, but I take blood pressure medicine!!!! So my psychiatrist increased my dosage from 30 mg of cymbalta to 60 mg of cymbalta. so my dumb self have been taking two pills instead of two until I realized last night, that I have been taking 120 mg. (My 19 in memphis takes 60 mg too but they give her 60 pills of 30 mg so I thought I had the same thing)
I went for a follow up with my NL on 1/20. They had me to fill out a questionaire. The next day, a nurse calls me and tells me that I'm bi-polar and that I should not be taking cymbalta and that they discontinue it in my file. And I'm like WTF!!!!!!!!! So it seems me and the psychiatrist got a lot to talk about on 2/17
My neuropsychologist told me that Chiari can influence cognition in a recognizable pattern when it comes to Chiari - kind of like someone who has had a concussion and is now easily irritable going through life. My understanding is that those with Chiari are less able to filter out and process environmental stimuli, get over-loaded resulting in crankiness and fatigue.
Social settings are the hardest as listening to people, reading their faces/body language, and planning responses is one of the most difficult cognitive activities there is.
For me, the big residual effect is difficulty with divided attention (listening to the news and trying to bake or listening to someone and trying to remember what you want to say).
Of course, then there are all the annoying people who are less than helpful when trying to navigate the healthcare system.
Hope you get some answers with the bipolar question and have a good psychiatrist who can make an accurate diagnosis. I just had a friend be diagnosed with a rare type of bipolar in her late 30's. She had a history of going bonkers on typical anti-depressants which is normal for bipolar folk. She has finally found okay relief with medications.
Nikki, I think it’s normal to have mood swings when you are in pain and that normal criteria for diagnosis of bipolar probably isn’t a good fit for that! Doctors are so frustrating. I work for a mental health clinic and I swear they diagnose every one as bipolar it seems…
Rebecca… Your description of being in the car sounds like I could have written it. I hate road noises and chatter and too loud radios. I love heavy metal and I’m probably the only person who listens to it at such low volumes! lol
Yup... everything becomes too much to all take in. Concussion information on reducing external stimuli is helpful. When I found out that my brain only has so much capacity for filtering out what I see and hear, I can now be more purposeful in choosing what is around me so that I am not so cranky with my family.
Also with the memory issue. I found out that Chiari folk do not typically have memory problems - no exactly anyways. What happens is that with have problems with divided attention, we don't even MAKE a memory in the first place. There is no memory to retrieve as we did not have our full attention on the matter to make a good memory. if something is important, I have to decide that it is than give it all of my attention or it doesn't register.
Crazy! Good luck with the family dynamics!
Rebecca said:
ABBY ABBY ABBY! " My understanding is that those with Chiari are less able to filter out and process environmental stimuli, get over-loaded resulting in crankiness and fatigue."
EXACTLY. That is what I tell my husband all the time. I tell him that I am sooooo over stimulated. To much noise, to much talking. To much of my kids/animals/objects touching me. He doesn't understand why I can't handle his car radio up loud like he likes it. He tries to talk to me, the kids are talking, their cell phones are going off, the tires and road nose, the wind around the car.. ughhh..
I used to be a fairly good multi-tasker (even thought studies say no one is a good multi-tasker). But I at least had the patience and the organization to do it. I think this is why I forget so much as well. Too much hits me at once and I am just not able to process it anymore.
I so relate to this discussion. This is exactly how it is for me too! My poor husband has been driven crazy with me forgetting things and leaving keys and my wallet everywhere and anywhere. Thank God I married such a patient and kind man.
I could tell you so many stories about random places I have left my cell phone. Thank God for the I-Phone finder app on my computer! I just need that for my wallet and keys, and then I'm all set.
This is such a funny journey in some ways. Thanks for your great humor. I really needed that.