Doctor visit - back on the meds

I went to the doctor yesterday. When I originally made the appointment it was for two reasons: 1) To see if I could get something for this lingering cough and throat issue, and 2) to ask about my right knee (if I needed to see an ortho doctor or not). Well, after I made the appointment Monday morning I went to the counselor Monday afternoon, and things changed. I got the results of all my tests and evaluations and things and he said I was on the verge of needing hospitalized, so I needed to "run, not walk" to my doctor and get on some medicine. Then I don't know if it had anything to do with that cheery report or something else, but Monday night I started to itch all over and broke out with a rash on the trunk of my body. So those two issues became a little more of a priority than the original two.

Well, I had a 2 pm appointment, and it must be right after lunch, because it wasn't busy or backed up at all. I wasn't there very long, and the doctor was real nice about the number of things I needed addressed. He actually said three of them could possibly be taken care of with one medicine. He put me on 10 days of Prednisone (5 mg) for the throat, rash, and my knee. He thinks my knee is possibly just Bursitis. Then he put me on Zoloft (sertraline 50mg generic) as a "mood stabilizer." He explained how the saratonin works in the brain and apparently I have a chemical deficiency and this should "smooth things out" for me. I say hallelujah! I don't really like the possible side effects of either drug, but I am really looking forward to leveling out. I hope it works. He thought it should be kicking in by the time I get back from Texas. Btw, the Prednisone was only $4, and the generic Zoloft $10.

I was bummed that my weight was up (157 fully clothes; which would be 153 how I normally weigh myself), and my blood pressure was high. I knew it would be (because I was so stressed). But the nurse wouldn't even tell me the numbers. She said the top was 140-something. The doctor just brushed it off... not an issue, he said. I'm sure he could recognize how tense I was from the itching and the other stuff. Plus I haven't been running. My pulse, however, was fine (but I don't remember the number).

I suppose that's more information than many people think I should 'put out there' on the interwebs, but I don't care. This is probably the most hopeful I've felt in a long time, and if it helps someone else make a move to get help, then so much the better. So... let the healing commence...