mental illness

  • A Flat Affect

    A Flat Affect

    These meds work too well sometimes. Things were pretty bad on depakote, I still ended up in the hospital, but this combination of abilify with lamotrigine makes me have a very flat affect. I look like a robot. Internally I am both depressed and not depressed. Depressed enough to notice that I can’t do anything…

    Read more →

  • Song Settled!

    I settled on a second song. Remember Black Mirror? In particular, the second episode titled 15 Million Merits. It featured a singing contest and the character in the show sang Anyone Who Knows What Love Is, by Irma Thomas. It’s old. And unsettling. Black Mirror would continue to feature the song as an easter egg…

    Read more →

  • Mental Health Thoughts

    Mental Health Thoughts

    Mental health is a funny thing. It varies depending on culture and language. There are all these mental disorders in the Western world. I think other cultures have their own version of what poor mental health looks like. Inevitably, there is a breakdown in functioning. Here in the US, a patient may stop their meds,…

    Read more →

  • I Have a Mass

    I sort of feel like I am trying to slog through mud. I’m tired. Everything feels so heavy and difficult. It does not help that I am at work, loaded with around 25 patients because I’m the only CNA. The nurses helped out a lot with vitals but there are a lot of them, and…

    Read more →

  • Burnout

    Burnout

    My sense of burnout is strong. I’m sick of patient care. There, I said it. I have a show coming up next week, that’s the only thing to look forward to right now. The wildfires that tore through my city left a lot of damage and heartbreak. I’m taking part in a fundraiser to benefit…

    Read more →

  • Tough Choice

    My voice is still gone, and it hurts to swallow. Which sucks. Shows are coming up. I went ahead and agreed to Garland Pride singing and have until the 22nd to get my voice back. I’m calling my doctor when I get off work. There are also shows the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the…

    Read more →

  • Regret

    Regret

    People who say they have no regrets are liars. Everyone regrets something, everyone wishes for a chance to fix that one mistake… I get down on myself hard sometimes, dwelling on mistakes and regrets. My bipolar brain has me remembering all my efforts, sometimes driven by manic urges and delusions, and I’m left with this…

    Read more →

  • So, I haven’t been able to sing since I nailed My Heart Will Go On on the cruise ship. And I did nail it too. My version of pneumonia started about a day after mom’s, when we got off the boat and made it to the hotel. I had puking, fever, coughing, headache. That was…

    Read more →

  • Way Too Long a Post

    I haven’t talked to my brother, but I did send him a strongly worded text after he sent me one: “ready to talk?” He didn’t reply. Then tonight mom and I sent him a Walmart order of groceries and water. He had texted her, asking for some food. He’s so absurdly broke and I feel…

    Read more →

  • Betrayal

    Betrayal

    My brother has betrayed me. I got a phone call from my mom while at work last night, at VA. She never calls me at work, and in fact, if you do, it means it’s an emergency. That’s the code. She told me George was flailing about the house, screaming and carrying on, and most…

    Read more →