Tag Archives: doctors

my two cents

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Well, wouldn’t you know it– I wrote up a whole blog entry, and it somehow vanished.  I think I might be due for a new laptop soon.

It’s been so interesting to read the comments on the last post– MLP, keep it up and one of these days you’re going to coax me away from my Prozac and onto a Maximized Living chiropractor’s table!

Let me be honest (and brief, since I’m annoyed that my post disappeared): what do I know about anything?  I don’t consider myself an expert at all.  Meds have been terrible to me and wonderful to me.  Luvox stole my energy for a time.  Salagen gave me a spasm in my back that dropped me to the floor of my apartment.  Paxil made my mind throw up on itself.  Going off of Clomipramine sunk me into a depression.  An allergic reaction to Propranolol almost sent me to meet my Maker.

And  yet the lovely little cocktail I’m on now– Prozac, Effexor, and Risperdal– seems to be going great.  I will say that I believe that the successful completion of cognitive-behavioral therapy, along with a year and a half of successes, has probably done more for me than meds ever will.  (Successes accumulate, you know, tearing away at OCD’s ridiculous pride– I love that it isn’t in charge anymore!)

I thought everyone made such good points!

I will say this one quick thing.  My body reabsorbs serotonin so quickly– is it wrong if I “level the playing field” by taking a pill to slow that down?  I don’t think it’s wrong.  I feel like it is bringing me back to “zero.”  I believe that God can and does use medication to lift sick, broken people in a fallen world out of their deficit and back to square one– in some ways, a “redemption.”  It is, afterall, His business, is it not?

Love to hear your thoughts!

PANDAS

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The PANDAS that I’m talking about has nothing to do with these guys …

 

 

 

 

 

… and everything to do with childhood strep throat.

PANDAS = Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections

Say what???

PANDAS describes a set of children in whom an ordinary bacterial strep infection can turn into a neuropsychiatric disorder.  The strep seems to cause the body’s immune system to build up antibodies that – who knows why – turn traitor and attack the basal ganglia in the brain.

In other words, a simple case of strep throat gone to hell.

Sometimes a child gets strep throat, and the body gets confused– instead of fighting off the bacteria, it attacks the basal ganglia … which leads to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The first time I had an intake with a psychiatrist, she asked about my past medical issues.  “Ummm … I broke my elbow twice,” I said, thinking how a broken bone had nothing to do with my head issues.  I reached: “And I’ve had strep throat like a million times.”  I felt a little stupid and way too thorough.  Keep it to related issues, I thought to myself.  Duh.

But my psychiatrist perked up.  “Did you know there’s a strong connection between strep throat and OCD?” the doctor asked me.

Apparently, this is a little controversial, and some doctors aren’t convinced.  But come on– how many cases of strep-followed-by-rapid-onset-of-OCD do you have to see before you raise an eyebrow at the connection?

My doctor– Dr. Suck-Won Kim, the absolutely brilliant OCD expert at the University of Minnesota– believes there is a strong correlation, and I’m in his court.

A scene cut from my book:

“You have heard of PANDAS?” he asked.

            “I have,” I said, although I couldn’t remember at the moment what it stood for.  “It’s when kids get strep throat and then OCD.  Or something like that.”  I realized that I probably sounded stupid, explaining PANDAS to an OCD expert.

            “So many PANDAS studies … it has to be solved because far more OCD cases are strep-linked than people know.”

            “Yes, I had strep a lot as a kid.”

“YOU DID? YOU SEE?!”  Dr. Lee became animated as if a moment ago I’d said no such link between strep and OCD existed but now he was proving me wrong.

“The first time I met with a psychiatrist, she asked about my medical history.  I didn’t have a lot to share, but I happened to throw it out there that I’d had strep throat a lot, and she said it was probably connected.”

“She knew that?” asked Dr. Lee, impressed.  “That is uncommon.  Most doctors have no clue.” 

For more information on PANDAS, feel free to check out

I think I had strep throat nine times as a child.  Can anyone beat that?  Leave a comment!