It's a Baggy life.: Shocking news.

Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.

Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Yellow.
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 2.
Tears: Nope.

As promised, a doctor called Baggy yesterday evening to discuss her anaemia. The news was a little shocking to say the least! Firstly, Clever Bird decided to ask what the blood test results had actually shown her thingamajig level to be . The doctor hesitated. 'Well, they were rather low.'
'Yes, I understand that they've got worse, not better.'
'They have.'
'How much worse?'
'They were 106; they're now 99.'
'Oh! Heck!'
'But you're not showing the symptoms of that severity of anaemia, are you?'
'Well, put it this way, I've just been asleep for the last three hours.'
'That's not good.'

'You don't say?' thought Clever Bird.
'The gastroscopy showed you had a weak stomach lining and an ulcer.'
'Yes, they treated the ulcer at the time, and I have a follow-up gastroscopy to check it's healed at the end of the month.'
'Ah, that's good. Are you still taking the Sertraline?'
'I am.'
'Do you think you could manage without it?'
'I'm not sure.'
'Well, I'd like you to come off it. I believe it's what's causing the problem.'
'Oh, okay.'
'One of the major side effects of Sertraline is stomach problems, and it can cause internal bleeding.'

While Clever Bird tried to digest this information, Freda Fretter wondered how Hormonal Hannah was going to feel without her happy pills, although by all accounts, in helping her mental health, they've seriously damaged her physical health. Then she got her second shock.

'I'd like you to stop taking the Sertraline immediately. Normally, I wouldn't recommend coming straight off it, as there will be withdrawal symptoms, but I think it's important to get you off it, so your anaemia doesn't get even worse.'

The first thing that Clever Bird did when she'd put the phone down, was to dig out the leaflet that came with her happy pills. Shock number three - well a few more actually. Although Clever Bird did read the leaflet before she started taking them, she'd not read it since!
"Stop taking Sertraline immediately if.....' there then followed a list of rare side effects - of which Baggy has had about four, for months. Sigh!

And another shock! Do not take Sertraline 'if you are taking medicines to treat excessive stomach acid, ulcers and heartburn.' Well!!! She's only been doing that for the last six weeks! Freda Fretter started to have a baby meltdown, then decided to stick with the positives:

If this really is the cause of the problem, that's great news, as it's way better than the alternatives!
Clever Bird has been wanting to get Hormonal Hannah off the happy pills for a while anyway.
Thanks to trying to be a blood donor, her anaemia was spotted and is being dealt with.

So, today is day one without any happy pills! Furry Mama was on the beach at 7.00am, and is going to work with the rest of the gang to keep Hannah happy, and to try to keep the black cloud away!