How You Can Help!

Because I have some of the best friends in the world, I've received lots of offers to help out. I've been thinking about types of support that would be helpful for me. If you want to help out, here are some things that would be good.

• Hugs! Big fatty friend hugs are pretty much the best.
• Cards. I'd love to have some cards to hang up in my apartment. I can get really anxious sometimes, so it would be nice to have a bunch of cards to serve as physical reminders of all the wonderful people in my life. You can send me an email or private message for my address, or you can leave it in my school mailbox.
• Lunch dates. Right now my rituals keep me housbound from around 4pm-onward during the evenings. OCD can be pretty isolating, and I don't want to get cut off from my friends. I'm going to try to schedule some lunch dates with every one to make sure that I maintain social contact. 
• Food is really good. I'm trying to put some weight back on, so I need to eat eat eat. I'll try to write a list of specific stuff that I like. 
• Jigsaw puzzles. For some reason, I've found that doing jigsaw puzzles helps me relieve anxiety and keeps me entertained. I usually buy 1000 piece puzzles at Target, Half Price Books, or a toy store, and would love to have more. 
• I also have an Etsy Wish List with pretty little trinkets.

March 20 Status Update

So, I haven't done a recap post in a while with pertinent info about my health stuff. Here's a quick update about where I'm at right now.

Rituals: I've been able, little by little, to start pushing back against my rituals. They start around 4pm in the afternoon, but I've been working on pushing that back. Yesterday I stayed out of the house 'til 4:06! I know that sounds like baby steps but any progress is good. There are a lot of "avoided activities" that I have. But, I am able to cook and clean for myself again, and I am going to work. For some reason, my OCD also made me feel afraid to eat certain foods, but I'm incorporating lots of new stuff into my diet and am eating more.

Medication: (Big knock on wood here) It seems like we've found a good combination of meds for me. I'm on a higher dose of an SSRI called Zoloft, and another drug that amplifies the SSRI called Seroquel XR. The crying jags seem to have stopped.

Complications: The new meds that I'm on are supposed to make me hungry, and they do. I'm pretty OK with this side effect, and I'm trying to eat as much as possible. I've also noticed some uncontrolled muscle movements in my legs (small muscle jerks) that I need to speak with my doctor about.

Treatment:  I'm going to start working with AustinOCD. I'm very hopeful about working with the people there, although I'm also nervous, because it will be hard work. Thankfully, my insurance will cover part of the cost, and my parents are going to help out.