DISCLAIMER: One of the things I am struggling with right now is illness. If you have subscribed to my blog and are reading this private post, please do so knowing it has nothing to do with law school and is part of my personal journal. Thank you.
you know you are in for it. 
The neurologist (who, btw, asked me why I was calling her instead of my PCP when she finally returned my call today. Why? Why? WTF?) decided not to increase my Cymbalta dosage to handle the returning neuropathic pain. Nooooo. Instead she offered me Amitriptyline (extreme weight gain is one of its most significant side effects) in one-a-day dosing or Neurontin in three-a-day dosing (causes facial edema, but apparently less weight gain). Since the reason I’m in this mess in the first place, I will now confess to the world, is as a result of my Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery several years ago, obviously extreme weight gain is not something I’d like to have to deal with. As it is, between the prednisone and other medications, I’ve already gained 20lbs since May. 
That’s after SIX YEARS of maintaining my 97-lb post-surgical weight loss. Boo! Had I understood that even with taking all of my vitamins every day, I would end up having to spend years giving myself B-12 shots, waste the good part of last summer in a cancer center undergoing IV iron treatments, and now take 12 pills a day trying to force my re-routed stomach to absorb any trace portion of vitamin it can, I would probably not have had the surgery. Had the lap band been more widely available, I would have gone that route. Morbid obesity is no laughing matter and no way to live. It runs in my family and three of us have had the surgery, but I am the only one suffering from these complications.
Now that you know that I basically did this to myself by having this surgery at age 21 
, I’ll get back to the pharmacist. Apparently when my mother picked up this huge bottle of 300mg Neurontin pills (3x/day), the pharmacist literally came out, walked around to the drive through and expressed her concern to my mother. Apparently this medication, although very helpful for treating my neuropathy, will cause extreme fatigue and depression of my central nervous system. She thinks the dosing is way too high. She said if I take three pills tomorrow, I will be on my butt unconscious on the couch — forget driving. She suggested that my mother have me call the neurologist and make sure she didn’t mean to prescribe the 100mg tablets 3x/day. Neurologist said, “Nope. The medication is used for different reasons and other specialties may prescribe less, but not neurology. Take the 300 3x/day. Individual side effects vary and you may have a few bad days.” Sooo… we’ll see what happens. It’s kind of a catch-22. I can’t live in constant pain, but it appears that the very medication that will help my pain may cause similar fatigue, dizziness and confusion as the narcotic medication I was on before. I’m really bummed about all of this. Hopefully it won’t be as bad as it’s described online and in its own drug pamphlet. I guess I’ll find out tonight. This is really not what I need heading into exams, but as I type my legs and feet are on fire and my pinky finger is vibrating with electricity. Can’t live that way. 
P.S. She told me to stop the Cymbalta cold turkey. 
No FREAKIN’ way! I definitely need to find a new neurologist.
