Reduction!

Song: “Fun, Fun, Fun” by The Beach Boys

Mood: 7

Nightmares: 0

Ghosts: Lots

Today was one of those days where I’m not sure where it went. It was very dark and gloomy this morning, and around mid-morning it started to rain. Drizzle at first, then a steady but light rain for most of the rest of the day. Cool and damp. I still wore shorts, though!

I went through my morning routine, had breakfast, and sent out a round of texts, then put on some music and started puttering around the house again. I thought today was Thursday so I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t get all of the printing that I want done for Friday, but it’s going to work out.

I spent some time tidying things up around the house (good gawd there’s something stinky growing in the kitchen sink drain pipe) and did up a couple of lists. I did an online grocery order last night so I checked it again this morning to make sure it still looked good.

Then I got to tinkering again. I had to chase some ghosts today but it wasn’t as bad as some of the other days recently have been. Most of the stuff I’ve been tinkering with can sit for a while with no problems, too, so even though I was standing in the basement trying to figure out where a particular sound was coming from, the thing I was working on would still be there when I got back.

A couple more parcels came today. I now have more shirts, whoo!

So, today’s big news – I had an appointment with Dr W and we have officially started reducing my medications! We talked about it for a while today and I decided I was okay with taking the plunge. First up is the quetiapine, which tonight I’m taking 300mg of (down from 400mg). This represents not just a lower dose, but the lowest dose of this drug that I’ve been on since I was started on it in 2016. We will see how things go over the next few days but I hope that this is the beginning of a new trend.

Aside from the big news, the appointment was a long one. Usually they go for about five to ten minutes, but today was about 40. I had some questions for Dr W and he had a lot of questions for me. He was pleased to hear that I’m playing around with stuff I’ve been afraid to touch since I bought it 15 years ago, and he encouraged me to keep going. He is a staunch proponent of using physical and mental activity to help treat mental illness, and he is very encouraging when it comes to activity (sitting is better than laying down, listening to music is better than staring at a wall, walking is better than standing… that sort of thing).

I also asked him what he thought about me doing some more writing/blogging and told him my concerns. His response was pretty much exactly what Dr C said. He told me that he very strongly encouraged me to do it, and that I should try not to worry about my insurance being cancelled. I have his support and if anything happens with my coverage, he will contact the company. So… I’m still a little wary about it but I think I’m going to give it a try. J and I talked about it a little while and, as usual, she had some very down to earth, common sense thoughts on the matter.

This evening J and I were both so occupied with the things we were doing that we lost track of the time, so no TV show tonight. It’s still nice to just be in the same room as she is, though. She brightens up the room and makes the world a better place just by being around. I’m a very lucky fellow.

I texted a bit with FA and she might be coming over Friday afternoon. That’ll be fun, I would like to show her some of this stuff I’ve been working on, and she’s always got good stories and/or capers up her sleeve.

Tomorrow is Thursday, and I don’t have any appointments. I plan to get a bunch more stuff done around the house, do some more cleaning, figure out what’s growing in the kitchen sink and kill it… that sort of thing.

I think tonight is going to be a good night. Fingers crossed!

Stay safe.