Insurance. The new treatment center I'm working with is "out of network" for my health insurance. This means that Blue Cross/Blue Shield will only cover part of my medical expenses. However, the people at AustinOCD suggested I try to get an exception granted to me since they're the only real specialists in town who treat OCD. I made lots of phone calls to BC/BS, and after speaking to many corporate bureaucrats, I've created an official request for them to cover my treatment costs. The people I spoke with said that there was a good chance for me to get coverage, so I'm optimistic.
Medication. I'm in the process of making my last medication adjustment. Two weeks ago I reduced my Ativan dosage by half, and right now I'm stepping off the medication entirely. Because of the difficulty of all my previous medication adjustments, I was very (very) nervous about this final one. I've also been informed that the withdrawal from this type of chemical, called a benzodiazepine, can be particularly hard. I really don't want to lose any of the progress I've made, so I was bracing for impact with this med cessation. My anxiety has definitely been higher than usual, but I'm staying strong to get through this last withdrawal period.
Here are some things I'm looking forward to:
- My body chemistry being in balance again so I can start working on CBT/ERP with full force
- Getting to work again on my dissertation
- Watching Dancing with the Stars tonight with my mom (she's a big fan).
- Spring
Sarah, I hope the insurance covers your treatment. What a headache it can be to have to deal with it!
ReplyDeleteOnce you get the meds straight, I hope you'll feel better and more like doing the CBT/ERP. I know when I'm in the midst of heavy-duty anxiety, it's hard to even care about CBT.
What is your dissertation about? Many moons ago, I was a doctoral student in English. I didn't finish, but I remember how fun but intense it was to be in the academic environment.
Take care,
Tina
Tina,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your encouraging comments! It's nice to meet other people going through similar challenges, even if it is a virtual connection.
Actually, I'm a doctoral student in English, too. I study women's literature and performance, and my dissertation is about representations of anger in women's theater of the 20th and 21st centuries.
I'm so curious, what was your specialization in graduate school?
Best,
Sarah
Oh, your focus sounds interesting! I specialized in contemporary fiction. My master's thesis was on the novels of Joan Didion, and my dissertation topic was the work of Alice McDermott and her place in literature during the period after 1945.
DeleteIronically, I always loved Joan Didion's essays and other nonfiction more than her fiction. Now I write nonfiction. I wish I had focused more on it in school! :-)
Hi Sarah. Wow, your dissertation seems really interesting. I do a little stage acting and some directing as well, so this is an interesting subject to me. When I first attempted my Bachelor's degree a few decades ago, I started out as an English major. Funny.
ReplyDeleteUgh, insurance! I really hope it goes through as "in-network" for you. I'm glad AustinOCD gave you that suggestion. Great idea.
My anxiety in general rose when I started CBT (of course, it's much, much lower now!). It's possible that that could account for how you're feeling as you stated that you did make some progress on rituals. Anyhow, you sound determined and that is always helpful.
Take care. : )
Wow! That's so cool, I'm glad we have a theater connection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice - it's really helpful to hear from others who've conquered OCD. It's so good to hear that you're doing well now and that it's possible to make progress.
Best -
Sarah