Tales from the front: Sleep? What sleep?

Menopause is Mother Nature’s way of telling you that both sleep and clothes are overrated. — Amy Yannello 5/24/10

More tales from the newly-initiated: Third night in a row that I didn’t get to sleep until 6 a.m.

I caught a few zzzzs from 6 a.m.-11 a.m., but I’m quickly tiring of this routine of staying up all night in my chair. And, yes, I take nighttime meds to assist me in sleep already — so this is clearly a horse of a different color.

As for the hot flashes, they’re not typical — at least not yet. They’re more like hot & cold flashes. I layer up, then strip down. Bundle up, then peel off. It’s a royal pain.

Recent labs revealed that I am woefully low on Vitamin D — I knew my avoidance of the sun would one day bite me in the ass, but this reading was ridiculous. I basically had trace elements in my system. So, it’s mega-loading the D, starting about 20 min. ago — so I should be feeling like a new woman in about an hour.

All joking aside, supplements do take time, but my doc says that Vit. D is one essential that kicks in quickly and is noticeable, so I am hopeful. What we’re looking for is an increase in energy.

Also just finished my first week of ERT (Estrogen-replacement therapy), and will stay on that for another three weeks before seeing my doc and discussing whether it’s doing any good. So far, I’m not noticing any reduction in the adverse symptoms I’ve been experiencing, but it’s only been one week, and I’m on a really low dose of the Vivelle Dot (an estrogen patch). In other words, there’s wiggle room. (The good news: I’m not having any adverse side-effects from the patch — unless not sleeping is a side-effect. NOTE TO SELF: CK THIS.)

I have no energy for anything these days it seems, which goes a ways to explain why I haven’t posted anything here in quite awhile. I just haven’t had the gumption.

But, I did manage to finish a new piece for the SN&R last week (publishes this Thursday) on the Sacramento County Animal Shelter, so hopefully that will help get the word out on their “Save Our Shelter” campaign.

I must go forage for food. My internal schedule’s off, and I’ve waited too long to eat again. Must rectify this.

Until next time.

Keep the faith.

AY

Clock is ticking for mental health clients

Disability Rights CA is considering suing the county on behalf of mentally ill clients who will be losing their services and switched to as yet unformed mental health services, run by the county. Even the county admits “many” people will fall through the cracks. Lives WILL be lost and the setbacks will be wide. Read here in SN&R.

As countless mental health workers have told me throughout my reporting, there is great doubt that the county can replicate services, and get all 6,500 displaced county mental health clients to their respective new clinics, by July 1.

For the clients, of course, doubt brings great fear. As many of them will readily tell you, before establishing with their Regional Support Team, (a mental health clinic to you and me), their lives were unmanageable, unfocused, and dominated by their illness. After receiving proper medication support, regular visits with their case manager (or service coordinator), availing themselves of specialized groups, etc., their lives began to turn around. Their illness — once so prominent in their lives, began to ebb. Perhaps the voices diminished. Perhaps they learned to become more social. Perhaps they gained employment. Whatever their personal goals, they became reachable.

And now the county aims to tear that away and pluck them down in an as yet unknown system, with new workers, in as-yet-to-be-decided locations.

Will some make the transition will little problem? You bet.

Many more, however, will have so much difficulty that they will drop out alltogether. And, when their illness resurfaces as it will, they wil overcrowd our ERs, which are illequipped to help them. They will roam our streets, homeless. They will become victims of crime. Their families will ask law enforcement to intervene. They will commit suicide.

It all comes down to dollars, folks.

But it’s not over yet.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are elected officials — the folks in the Department of Behavioral Health are not — and right now, those are the folks who are driving this movement. The Supes have yet to vote.

You still have time to make your voice heard. Find out who YOUR supervisor is and lobby.

The supervisors represent OUR interests. Is it in our interests to know that we’re personally responsible for setting back the gains made by 6,500 seriously mentally ill individuals who are working diligently to get their life on track? Is it in OUR interests to increase the homeless population? To overflow the local ERs? To increase the suicide rate?

There’s got to be a better way.

Until next time.

Keep the faith.

AY