Health Expert Marcia Purse shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/687619/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/687619/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/687619/index http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/159833/feeding-depressive-episode Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:56:00 -0400 Marcia Purse I've talked before about having diabetes. Although type 2 diabetes does run in my family, I'm wholly convinced that the reason mine developed is that I gained SO much weight from psychiatric medications. I never had high blood pressure or high cholesterol before gaining this weight, and I never had blood sugar problems, either.   Another telltale piece of evidence is that when my cholesterol first jumped up, after I gained 30 pounds from... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/159833/feeding-depressive-episode http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/159487/thing Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:03:00 -0500 Marcia Purse As my depressive episode bounces from moderate to light and back again - two infections in a row have made things even more difficult - I keep looking for ways to pull myself out of the moderate periods. I have to get to a state where I am productive again.   My house is in complete chaos. My work is only slightly better. I must, I must, do something to jump-start productive activity.   In the past, I've frequently used lists to help... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/159487/thing http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158934/don-care-ah Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:51:00 -0500 Marcia Purse Last month I wrote about how a deep depression was summed up for me in the three words I don't care. After that, I saw my psychiatrist and she decided I should increase Seroquel (quetiapine), which had worked before for me as an antidepressant, from 50 mg to 200. Although I have my worries about weight issues and blood sugar with Seroquel, I didn't hesitate to go along with this.   And then I got cellulitis again. Briefly, this is a skin... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158934/don-care-ah http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158450/deep-depression Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:05:00 -0500 Marcia Purse Things are bad. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out what was going on until the day after I saw my psychiatrist. We focused on stress and how my blood sugar problems were affecting my meds. I guess I need to call her Monday.   In the meantime - it all started with the deadlines I mentioned in an ealier SharePost. I decided to hell with the housework, I'm at the computer only. I stayed up all night a few times trying to finish up several... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158450/deep-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158107/diabetes-mixing Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:42:00 -0500 Marcia Purse I had a rather frightening experience recently. I wasn't scared at the time, but when I look back at it - I shiver.   I developed Type 2 diabetes after gaining 80 pounds on psychiatric medications. I have to admit, I do a poor job of maintaining a proper diet. There have been days lately when I had nothing to eat but sugary drinks and foods.   If you're not familiar with diabetes, it isn't just a matter of high blood sugar, it's a... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/158107/diabetes-mixing http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157990/obsession Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:45:00 -0500 Marcia Purse As I wrote earlier this month, I'm facing some pretty tough deadlines. Two affect how much I get paid. One keeps me from getting YELLED at. And one is critical to my education. I'm behind on all of them.   I made the decision to give up most of my roleplaying - something so dear to my heart that it takes big chunks of time every evening (okay, call it an obsession). I gave up housework. And at first it went really well. But without... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157990/obsession http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157866/deadlines Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:55:00 -0500 Marcia Purse Health-wise, this has been perhaps the worst year I've ever had. Serious illnesses in February, April and July left me weakened for several months after that, and depressions coincided with or overlapped the physical issues. Needless to say, my work suffered.   When you're a freelancer as I am, you don't have the luxury of taking a leave of absence from work - not if you want to get paid. I struggled to meet my quotas each month, not always... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157866/deadlines http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157618/comorbid Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:59:00 -0500 Marcia Purse Comorbid, in medicine, refers to a disease or condition that occurs at the same time as another illness. Dictionary definitions differ: Some say comorbidity refers to two or more illnesses that occur simultaneously Some say it refers to one or more illnesses that occur at the same time as a primary condition. Some say it refers to two or more conditions that are present at the same time and independently of each other. In bipolar disorder, the... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157618/comorbid http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157586/bipolar-disorder Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:24:00 -0500 Marcia Purse Have you wondered about this? I have, on occasion, but usually I think my diagnosis is correct. If you're wondering, though, here are some things to think about. Have you had a complete physical examination that includes looking for other illnesses that can cause mood swings and, if relevant, hallucinations or other psychotic symptoms? Do you have periods when your mood is normal but you are having hallucinations or delusions? You might have... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157586/bipolar-disorder http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157457/makes-tear-hair Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:35:00 -0500 Marcia Purse I'll tell you what makes ME start tearing my hair out - computer problems.   Today I need to scan some pages into PDF files. No problem, huh? My scanner has software that can do that. Right?   WRONG. I have a new computer, and I have to reinstall the scanner software to make this work. No problem, I'll just download an updated driver. Solves the problem... NO. The driver and utility don't contain the software needed to scan to... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/687619/157457/makes-tear-hair