Patient One

   It all started in May 2000. I was in high honors, cheerleading, FBLA, yearbook, Spanish Club, field hockey, PSAT classes on Wednesday and Thursday, plus working three days a week at a video store. During the summer I continued with all activities until August, which is when the symptoms started: extreme pain, nausea, throwing up, not being able to eat. I went to my family doctor. He ordered blood work. My cheerleading advisor started giving me a hardtime for feeling sick and missing fifteen to thirty minutes for a doctor's appointment. I started the beginning of school in all accelerated classes as I tried keeping up with clubs and cheerleading. I constantly had severe pain and nausea. In the middle of August there was an accident during cheerleading. I was holding at the bottom of the pyramid and the girl fell from the top and fell on the girl that was backing the pyramid.

   The Advisor singled me out because she, like some of the other girls, felt it was my fault. My parents made an appointment with the Guidance Director and the cheerleading advisor. At this point it was said that I was seeing a clinical psychologist for depression and anorexia ( it was reported by some teachers and students).

   My family doctor suggested that I go to a therapist and psychologist. I then went to a psychiatrist and was put on Zoloft and Klonipen. He thought I should go and see an adolescent clinical psychologist for depression, too much involvement, and needed organizational skills and to work on relationships. By this time my grades started dropping. I was seeing the psychiatrist every two weeks and the clinical psychologist every week. (Ninety dollars each visit). There was no change in my symptoms and then I changed schools returning back to the public school. The reason I changed was because I couldn't handle the cheerleading advisor anymore. The thing that finally broke everything was the one Thursday I had PSAT classes and I was late for cheerleading practice. The classes were at the school with the guidance director. In front of the cheerleaders, the entire playgroup, and some school administrators, she humiliated me. She "heard" I was outside smoking (which I don't do) and hanging out with friends. She falsely accused me of this because she felt I was just anorexic, because I was missing fifteen to thirty minutes of time just from being sick.

   At the end of October, I was still seeing the psychiatrist every two weeks and the clinical psychologist for depression and anorexia. I was still taking Zoloft, Klonipen and now had an ultrasound of my gallbladder and an upper GI x-ray ordered by my family doctor and was being treated for acid reflux. I was also on Zantac, Maalox, and was still being treated for depression. I was not able to stay awake after school due to the Klonipen and I was sleeping from four to ten o'clock in the evening, then trying to catch up with classes and work missed at my previous high school. In November, I lost fifteen to twenty pounds and I was still on all medication. I went to the psychiatrist and the diagnosis now was depression with panic attacks and eating disorder. My medication was changed to Prozac 20mg. and Klonipen twice a day. I was unable to keep up with friends and school and social activities. My grades went from high honors to a C-D student. I was spending a lot of time at home, sleeping alot, in pain, and throwing up. I returned to the psychiatrist and my medication was once again changed to 40mg of Prozac and Xanex four times a day. I was still on Donnatal, Maalox, and Zantac. My diagnosis was depression, severe panic attacks, and eating disorder. I was still seeing the clinical psychologist once a week.

   One night at work, "Mr. Smed" ( my biology teacher at my previous high school) who I would go to for sympathy and help, came into the video store and yelled at me for not going to see his father, Doctor Smedley. My Mom fully agreed with me and my parents called Monday morning. My first appointment with Dr. Smedley I discontinued all my medications, stopped seeing the clinical psychologist and the psychiatrist and started the Saint-Anthony Low Fat Diet and had a CCK stimulation test of my gallbladder (which was positive). On December 18, I had my gallbladder removed.

   Since then I haven't had any pain. I have eaten pizza, wings, McDonald's, Burger King, a ham sandwich, kielbasi, junk food, junk food, junk food and more junk food. No medication, no psychiatrist, no clinical psychologist, no anorexia. And now I am trying to rebuild my academics, my friendships, and my faith has been renewed that there are doctors that actually listen to you.