My Bac Adventure

[Isolde]

My Bac Adventure

Aww, Grom, what a great post!! It gave me a big smile and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. :l
Even with "no news", we still all miss you too and love to hear from you! Thanks for checking in and sharing.

[Grommet]

My Bac Adventure

You all are the best! I'm too tired to do the multi-quote, cut and paste thingy. But I'm not too tired to do a long, boring post. So its just going to be a call out (I'll try to keep it in order):

Bleep - brother I always know you're there. The BP is the same and stabilized at 140/80. Not stroking out territory but I have never been above a 120/80. Just going to stay the course until my physical w/EKG etc. I am convinced it is not Bac related. Maybe, just maybe, it is the fact that I am STILL doing all and everything around the house and my safety net is STILL not weight bearing (well duh, this would make Lance Armstrong's BP rise as well!)

Grat - I wouldn't call it willpower. More like changing a bad habit. When I was leaving our house I wrapped a piece of my son's hockey tape around my index finger. I wanted to remind myself every time a hand was dealt of where I was and what Bac had done for me. So I consciously had water mixed with a beer the first hour or two, but I did not have the "go" instinct. Then later in the night I was "shit, this is really good beer, I need to take advantage" I had 2 of the 3 in the last hour. All I can say is Bac pre-switch, pre-indifference just takes the edge off. Thats what happened to me. Way cool.

Lady - So my post was inspiring? Your reply was much more inspiring. Sunday morning and your looking to get the day started!?! For me the last I don't know how long Sun mornings have been something to just make through. I now have a taste of what you are talking about and it tastes GOOD!

Neva, you now have an Avatar that is exactly how I have pictured you. Tough, straightforward but with a soft sense of caring and being there for everyone. You pass my liferaft test. (a level deeper than a foxhole).

Bruun - I think of YOU every time I take my BP (no shit, I'm serous). I grew up in SoCal (San Diego) and your diatribes about not cleaning your pool for a whole 7 days in mid-January really doesn't sit well now that I live in a frozen NE US hell. Although I DO love pool girls, so keep the updates coming!

Is - you are the Queen of posts that make everyone feel "warm and fuzzy". I don't know you, but I get the sense that you're one of those folks that never says anything bad about anyone (well...at least publicly ) I may be wrong, but that's what comes through in your posts and its a great quality. That being said, still think you would have no problem giving someone a swift kick to the noggin' if so deserved...

[bleep]

My Bac Adventure

Ok, that's good. I know looking after a whole household would give me a stroke, regardless of BP, so I reckon you're doing alright!

Physical in just over a week if I recall? Are you getting straight bac on the bus? Will be an easy way to tell if it is the baclofen causing it...

[Bruunhilde]

My Bac Adventure

Grommet, I moved to cold country for a few years, but found the lack of sunshine so depressing, I had to move back. It's hell on my finances here, but it's sunny more often than not. The pool vacuum is broken, new one ordered yesterday. Damn pool is more trouble than fun.

Great to hear your voice, and bleep's, and Is, and LLush, and Ne, and Grat. Cheers up a Monday morning, for sure.:h

[beatle]

My Bac Adventure

Oh thank God for this thread! It saved my day!

I was so outraged and depressed reading Ne's thread over there (not directed at YOU Ne, and you know it). Really ruined my day. Or at least the last 5 hours of it.

But then after walking around with a knot in my stomach and rushing home to rewrite the very long post I had already written earlier without posting, and then being calmed and cajoled by Karen into letting it go, I finally came over here to cool my engines... and my day was saved!

Thank you all and I love you. (I guess I don't have to tell you that that is not an easy phrase for beatle to say/write. Even harder than the "f" word... but it feels so much better.)

:h (also a hard emoticon for me, but there you have it.)

[Bruunhilde]

My Bac Adventure

O Beatle, I'm so sorry about the knot and the upset, I wish we could all learn to let go a bit more. I think I'm getting there, but even so, I relate so well to your post, but I have to say, at least today, I'm letting things go a little better. Of course, I'm not in the midst of gnarly SEs, just white knuckling my way....

[Grommet]

My Bac Adventure

I'm back in the game. Just went back up to 175 mg yesterday after being at 150 mg for 4 weeks.

First the preliminaries, then I'll get to the details about my showdown with my GP yesterday.

First and foremost, Mrs. Grommet's broken ankle is healing well. She got the green light to walk (with a boot) on Monday and she started driving yesterday. This is HUGE for me.

Second, my annual physical went well. Bloodwork all normal, EKG normal, and my BP came out at 132/82. This is higher than my typical 120/80 but the Doc was not concerned given what has been going on in my life (she is Mrs. Grommet's GP as well). No follow up.

I brought up the Bac issue at the very end of the appt. I'll try to recall the conversation as best I can:

Me: "There is one last thing I want to talk to you about. I have this friend that was drinking an average of 85 drinks a week for the last couple of years - drinking every day. He started self-prescribed baclofen and within a matter of weeks the alcohol cravings were greatly reduced. Also, his anxiety and nervous energy were in control, and he no longer was clinching his teeth and tensing up when he slept. Most important, for the past few months he is drinking only 20 drinks a week with almost no effort. He's on 150 mg of Baclofen now. What do you think about that?"

Doc: "Well whatever your friend was dealing is no longer an issue and I would say he does not have a drinking problem now. I doubt the Baclofen had anything to do with it."

(WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! I have played this conversation in my ahead 100 times over the past few weeks trying to come up with every possible response to my hypothetical and I never dreamed of this one. I figured I needed to start over.)

(btw she knows I talking about myself at this point - big surprise. But is playing along)

Me: "But Doc, you have to keep in mind this guy has been drinking his whole life, tried to stop many times, was successful for some stretches, but always went back to the bottle. Now things have changed for him and the only thing different is the baclofen."

Doc: "I understand. I do know about Baclofen being prescribed for addiction, but I would not be prepared to do that."

(Strike out. But I decided to try to salvage things)

Me: "Well the anxiety and nervous energy have me interested. And if it reduces alcohol cravings thats an added bonus".

(I have never told her I have a drinking problem even though she's been my GP for 10 years. I have complained about anxiety and tense muscles when sleeping, which was a dead give away that I was talking about myself. This was planned.)

Doc: "Give me a few minutes"

(She was gone for what seemed like a half hour but was probably only 10 minutes. She came back with a prescription in hand.)

Doc: "Here is a 60 day prescription for Baclofen, 80 mg a day. It is for anxiety and nervous tension. I want to see you in 30 days and we'll see where we go from there."

I wanted to ask a million questions but also didn't want to put her in a difficult position. She played along, prescribed Bac, and that was that. Its not the dose I need, but at least its in the open if I ever have a medical emergency. She is a very opened minded GP and really into new treatments. She's also not afraid of prescribing. I just think she did not have a deep enough understanding and just went with the safe 80 mg script for the time being

So, I just placed a refill order with Goldpharma. I am going back up 25 mg a week. I was really close at 225 mg, so I am hopeful.

By the way, if any guys out there hate their annual prostate exam, my advice is to switch to a female GP and take your Bac dose about a half hour before your appt...

[bleep]

My Bac Adventure

Wooohoooo!

Welcome back Grommet! Hopefully the BP stays normal this time. And with the GP relatively on-sides, what an added bonus. Let's hope your friend gets it right this time!

Things are looking up, it's really good to have you back in the game, you've been missed!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My Bac Adventure

OMG!!!
I've been waiting around for you.
And what a great post.
And what a great approach.
And what a great doc.
congrats.
welcome bac!

[_serenity_]

My Bac Adventure

Hooray, Grommet! I'm glad that you pushed your doctor to prescribe it, and I'm doubly glad she went ahead and did it! YAY for doctors who prescribe bac!

[bleep]

My Bac Adventure

Grommet, if you'd be so kind as to add your location to the "doctors who prescribe baclofen" thread, we would all sing songs of praise about you until the early hours, and then collapse in a giggling heap.

Although it maybe sounds like she might be using you as a test case, so isn't sold yet? You can decide.

[TracyA]

My Bac Adventure

Grommet, congrats! I love how you handled the conversation.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

My Bac Adventure

Gromm, what's the news?

[bleep]

My Bac Adventure

Grommet, how are things going over friend?

[PbarE]

My Bac Adventure

Grommet;1073371 wrote: I wanted to ask a million questions but also didn't want to put her in a difficult position. She played along, prescribed Bac, and that was that. Its not the dose I need, but at least its in the open if I ever have a medical emergency. She is a very opened minded GP and really into new treatments. She's also not afraid of prescribing. I just think she did not have a deep enough understanding and just went with the safe 80 mg script for the time being

Excellent! I believe there are a quite few docs like this out there. We just need to find them and ferret them out.