Ms. Happy Pills

Hola.  A LOT has happened since the last post.  I was actually able to get into an internist group last week, and I was REALLY excited about it because we had an appointment with a doctor who was supposed to be pretty awesome.  Unfortunately, I've learned that having an appointment with a doctor means that you might just end up seeing their PA instead. We're going to call this PA "Ms. Happy Pills." You'll understand...

First, the nurse came in and took my temperature with an oral thermometer... after I had been drinking nice cold water RIGHT in front of her, so it said it was 98.2.  So... I decided to check my temperature with my thermometer that goes in my ear while she was gone. 99.8. Buuutt... Ms. Happy Pills walked in right when I was doing that... yeah, we were off to a good start.  She told me that my thermometer was wrong and that I needed to return it. I told her that I drank cold water right before she stuck the thermometer under my tongue.  By then, we were at a point where she thought I hadn't actually had a fever at all this entire time, and that everything was mental.  She went on to offer me free anti-depressants and said that she was pretty sure she was right, but if she was wrong, all I would have to do is get off the meds. She apparently decided to skip right over the fact that if I wasn't actually chemically depressed, the meds that she was about to hand over to me could do REALLY bad things to me (especially because I'm only 20, and the size of a 12 year old...) and most likely cause other physical problems... which are the things we're trying to figure out and get rid of.  I told her that I understand that depression can do a lot of things to your body, but that the only reason I've been depressed is because I've been sick for over 2 years.  After a not so pleasant 30 minute chat, she said "take these pills, and everything will get better." I asked her why she would say that without referring me to counseling first if that's what she thought, and she said "oh, it's too late for counseling, you need the pills." If I had a recorded dialogue, you'd think there was some illegal drug action going on. It was nuts. I was about ready to go nuts, but then she decided that she was going to check my temperature with my thermometer in case I did it wrong (I didn't think it was that complicated...). Mine was 100.3 by that point. She was frustrated and decided she was going to check her own temperature to prove my thermometer wrong.  Before she checked it, she asked me if I knew where to stick it. I really wanted to say some type of wise remark about me thinking that it was supposed to go up my butt, but I didn't.  She checked it (without changing the already used disposable covering... AH!), and said "SEE! It's... oh, 98.4" That's when she told me that I could go and that I could come back next week to see the doctor.  That was a very shortened version of what happened, but it was horrible.

Mentally, it's been a little rough after that appointment.  My dad told me that she was being inappropriate and that I needed to completely erase it from my mind .  Unfortunately, my memory is one thing that still sort of works (sometimes), so I can't.  Oh, and just to make it clear: I have nothing against anti-depressants. They can help people out a lot. But, I do have something against a doctor seeing a sick, 20 year old girl that she had never met before, and jumping to the conclusion that it was all mental and that those pills would solve the problem... and then handing them out for free like they're candy.

I do have some good news! Yesterday, my family went out to Rochester for a Christmas party at my brother and sister-in-law's house. It was fun, and Christmas + family = a much happier me.  I also met with some people with Lyme Disease on Saturday morning to help start up a support group for people with Lyme Disease and other weird/undiagnosed chronic illnesses (I'm the weird/undiagnosed one). I'm pretty psyched.  This morning, I visited my friends church... and somehow ended up teaching Sunday School because the normal person couldn't.  It was very random. My friend and I did it together (she actually knew the kids, seeing as it's her church), and thankfully there were only 5 kids because the church is pretty small.  I randomly decided to read them the Christmas story from one of the children's Bibles in the room while they drew pictures of the story (and Marie attempted to control the one who wouldn't stop talking). The kids ranged from 6-11 years old, which made things a little difficult, but we survived.  We were just forced to learn that 11 year-olds don't want to do the same things that 6 years old do the hard way, which explains why we were begged to end the day by playing heads up seven up and 4 corners if they had to sit through me reading to them.  The weekend wiped me out and I accidentally fell asleep for 2 hours when I got home from church, but it was well worth it. :)