medeo | delicious juice dot com

My previous post about my mental health was really cathartic, even more so than the usual warm glowing warming glow I feel after getting something off my ample and amazing chest. It was (stupidly) difficult to get the words out, but having my brain laundry dangling all out there in the open (coupled with the support and encouragement lovingly foisted my way) has galvanized me into action. When you’re depressed, Taking Action is the single hardest thing to do – it’s Step One, and if getting there was easy, there wouldn’t be a mental health epidemic.

So, I’m pretty proud of myself for Taking Action. It took too long for me to admit the state of my brain to myself, but I’m glad I did: in an almost unprecedented turnaround, I already feel better. Was it the Taking Action? Is it just psychosemantic? Dunno! It could be all or any of the things I’ve done to fix my depression since Monday:

Admit to myself and the internet at large that I was feeling lousy and needed help
Made an appointment to speak with a doctor (thanks, Medeo!)
Bought myself a present
Had a long talk with Ed
Cut back a little on my caffeine intake
Tried to go to bed at a decent hour
Spoke with the aforementioned doctor, who didn’t dismiss my concerns as stupid or tell me to just man up
Looked into cognitive behaviour therapy via MoodGYM (which better come with a Pokemon badge)
Increased my medication
Had a 1v1 with my manager
Tacos

Obviously this is a very Kimli-specific list, and one I don’t necessarily recommend you follow for treating your own issues (except for tacos: everyone should always have many tacos). We’re all beautiful unique snowflakes, so what works for me isn’t guaranteed to have any effect whatsoever on you. Blah blah disclaimer blah small print blah butts – all I know is that I’m feeling better, and I’m grateful for it.

One thing I did do that I really don’t recommend for anyone (including myself, but we who write the rules rarely obey) was tinker with my meds. I’m on a particularly low dose of brain pills at the moment, but I had some pills left over from my previous mental escalation. They’re the tiniest of stepladders, but they really help when I need them .. and on Monday, I needed them. I took a tiny stepladder with my regular dose, and the next day I felt markedly better. Was it the additional medication? Was it the fact that I decided it was time to feel better? Tacos? I can’t answer that. While it’s true I arbitrarily decided “MOAR MEDS”, I did talk about it with the doctor (albeit a day after the fact), who agreed to prescribe me the stepladder so I don’t have to horde pills in the future. Increasing my medication, along with the other things listed above, should make things better. I am looking forward to feeling like myself again.

Also, you may be confused at the inclusion of the 1v1 with my manager, but today I got some feedback on my performance to date and it was great and I am awesome and everyone is still super happy they hired me, and that is lovely. I work much better when I get feedback, and positive feedback can make me light up like a teenage boy’s bedroom under blacklight.

ps: anytime you see the wrong word (ie: horde where hoard should be used), it’s on purpose. word play. homonyminal fun. a wizard did it. i’m teaching the world ’bout homonyms!

GUYS the most awesome thing just happened!

I’m three days away from being completely out of crazy pills, and I am far, far too lazy to go to the doctor to get a new prescription. I know it’s my health and putting on clothes is really a small price to pay for some of that sweet sweet Canadian health care, but it is seriously a huge pain in the ass to get done – an hour+ out of my workday, a random doctor who doesn’t really care (“are you sure you’re not just depressed because you’re fat?”), having to convince someone new each time that I’m not six years old and can handle more than thirty days of medication at a time, and so on and so forth. I’ll gladly (well, maybe not gladly but you get the point) go see a clinic doctor if something else is wrong – say, I’ve grown a third head or my kidneys fell out – but the amount of hassle for a routine prescription really gets my goat.

SO! Instead of promising myself I’d go to the clinic tomorrow or maybe Friday but FOR SURE before I completely ran out of meds, I decided to give Medeo a try. Medeo is an online health care system that allows you to see a licensed BC doctor right from your computer or smartphone, and it is completely awesome. I signed in today for an appointment, and was immediately talking with a super-helpful receptionist. She took some information from me then booked me in for an appointment: in 20 minutes I could talk to a doctor, and all I had to do was keep the window open. I was able to keep working (aka sending dirty tweets and arranging a trip to Seattle) while waiting to see the doctor instead of idly leafing through outdated fashion magazines and glaring at the clock; a pleasant change.

My appointment time came and I checked in, spoke briefly with the receptionist again, and was talking to a doctor a minute later. I had already provided my BC Care Card number and preferred pharmacy, so after chatting for a few minutes the doctor filled my prescription and sent it right over to the pharmacy – I can pick up my meds later today. The doctor also offered to help me find a regular family doctor, and when I told her about my current IUD issues, referred me to a local doctor on Broadway and Cambie who is “the best IUD insertion specialist in all of BC”. Both the receptionist and doctor I spoke with today were crazy awesome, and I couldn’t be happier with the speed and service and amazing convenience of Medeo. Seriously, if you’re in BC, give it a try*. So cool.

Oh! And I just checked my Medeo account, and the doctor’s notes are already there complete with my prescription, where it was sent and when I can get it, the info on getting a regular doctor, and the IUD Expert’s contact information. This is amazing! I am pleased! And so should you all be pleased, as this means I will continue taking my crazy pills and therefore not go on any kind of rampage anytime soon!

*: Obviously using Medeo is for things that don’t require a physical examination – otherwise I would have taken care of my IUD issue right then and there – so please approach with common sense. Don’t use Medeo if you’re currently on fire or bleeding heavily from the eyes or you’ve fallen and can’t get up. DO use Medeo if you need a prescription or you have a non-life-threatening medical concern or you’d like to have some tests done (seriously, they can email you the test form and you print it out and go to the lab for various fluid work or exams). Check the website if you’re not sure, or call 911 if you’re on fire. Don’t just go on Twitter. I learned that lesson the hard way.