drugs and food

I was not wowed. Then again, I'm not really sure what he could have said to wow me. My mother's psychiatrist did tell us, however, that this impostor paranoia is actually rather common for brain tumor patients. When I asked for a diagnosis, he gave us "psychotic disorder due to a general medical condition." Or medication.

He gave us 3 likely causes:
1) The methylphenidate (Ritalin) prescribed to increase mom's attention and concentration. Rare.
2) Stopping the risperidone (Risperdal) which was prescribed a few months back when mom was in the hospital with pneumonia. I wasn't present when this was prescribed, and I'm still not sure why it was given to her. It's a mood stabilizer, but her psychiatrist was never consulted. He suggested we discontinue as he saw no need. Rare-ish.
3) The cancer. He was, I assume, intentionally vague about this, not wanting to suggest that it may have spread and could be affecting new areas of her brain. Makes sense.

So we're cutting the Ritalin and restarting the Risperdal. Regardless, we have an MRI scheduled in two weeks, so all his bases should be covered by the end of the month.



What's with the picture? For the last few weeks I've had no desire for food. That isn't to say I'm not hungry--I am! But there isn't a thing that sounds the least bit appetizing. I stock the fridge and cabinets with high-calorie snack foods to try to keep mom's weight up. Six months ago a house full of cookies and chips would have been a dangerous place for me. I can snack like nobody's business. Not anymore apparently. I drink a lot of sparkling water, but usually around 8 or 9 at night I'm too hungry to focus on anything. I force myself to eat a frozen lasagna dinner and then I have a couple beers. Thank you, Lean Cuisine and Brooklyn Brewery, for your sustenance.

Image: Vincenzo Campi's "Christ in the House of Mary and Martha," c. 1575, link.