And More ...

The reason I named my blog and my Facebook page Schizophrenia And More is because my primary mental illness isn't the whole story. As I have mentioned before, I am actually schizoeffective, which means that I have schizophrenia plus other brain disorders - bipolar, anxiety, OCD, and depression. But even that isn't the whole story.

In addition to my brain disorders, I also have a host of other health issues. I have multiple autoimmune disorders, including Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, autoimmune-triggered chronic urticaria, progressive protein intolerance triggered by the celiac gene, and Reynaud's syndrome. Basically my thyroid doesn't work; I have constant hives because my immune system is attacking my immune system; I cannot eat any meat, dairy, gluten, or nuts; and I painfully lose all circulation in my toes and fingers if I get too cold. I also had polycystic ovary syndrome, but that was obviously cleared up by getting a full hysterectomy. For the others I have to take two different thyroid supplements, I have a very strict diet, and I am on anti-rejection medication to keep my immune system from attacking itself.

To add insult to injury, I also have system-wide osteoarthritis. This includes bone spurs in my shoulders and my neck vertebrae. There isn't much I can do about it except try to keep moving. The special pain meds that are on the market are all sulfa based, which I am allergic to, or they are opioids, which trigger my schizophrenia. The pain clinic I go to uses steroid injections in my joints to help with the inflammation, which is marginally effective.

The past 2 or 3 weeks have been rough. I have had no motivation to do anything. I couldn't get myself to do any yoga or other exercise. I have basically been switching between being totally stagnant and being frantic. I couldn't focus on anything and I was constantly nauseated.

It finally sunk in that the reason I couldn't focus was that I was in extreme pain. I have had chronic pain for so long that I just blank it out. By the time I realize I am in pain, it is at a 7 or 8 on the pain scale of 1 to 10.

I called the clinic and got in to see my specialist. It turns out that I hadn't had any injections for more than 6 months. Oops. He got me in the next day for injections in my neck. They do four on each side in between the vertebrae. The first couple days after the injections are rough. I ended up with a migraine. But it is finally settling and my brain is starting to clear. And my nausea has subsided.

My "and more" is no minor thing. It is maddening trying to figure out which condition is causing my depression, nausea, mania ... whatever is going on at any given moment. It is an impossible balancing act.