BPD Seminar at the Giant - Mom sees Dr Goldberg again - My anti-lithium comment on psych site

Marsha Linehan, famous person w/borderline personality disorder. Read Times story here.

I love nothing better than putting on a special program at the Willow Grove Giant Supermarket. But, boy, those upstairs classrooms fill up fast.

Fortunately, we snagged Sat., Feb. 11, from 1 to 2:30 for our next presentation. The speaker is terrific! She and I gave a seminar one time at the Upper Moreland Public Library.

Here's the description I sent out to a dozen places who will then send it on to their large email lists:

Talya Lewis discusses her long struggle and ultimate victory over borderline personality disorder. This difficult condition includes self-injury, chaotic relationships, and fear of abandonment. Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Willow Grove Giant Supermarket, 315 York Road, Willow Grove, upstairs classroom. Free. Presented by New Directions Support Group.

Don't miss this candid and inspirational talk!

Talya presents workshops for mental health professionals in which she teaches techniques for understanding and responding to self-injury. A two-time guest on National Public Radio, she runs a support group for women with borderline personality. View her website here.

She is married and has three children.

I purposely missed Obama's State of the Union Speech last nite tho I did see excerpts when I watched the analysis on Charlie Rose. My god, how those liberals stick up for their man, and how the Republicans can't stand him.

Got an insight into my mother this morning, when Ellen and I drove her to the orthopedic doctor.

First of all, she wants to do things by herself. She doesn't want help. Very important to realize.

Goldberg gave her several diagnoses. We knew none of them and neither had her other doctors told her this. Goldberg is an orthopod, slang for orthopedic physician. Here's the def:

The branch of medicine that deals with the prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments.

Just by looking at mom walk, he knew she had neuropathy in her feet - peripheral neuropathy. Her small blood vessels had closed up and she couldn't feel when her feet were landing on the ground!

He said she wasn't too bad yet b/c she was looking straight ahead and not on the floor.

I asked him to write down her diagnoses for us.

Here's Goldberg dictating the results of his visit to mom's doctor Jim Foxhall. He recommended Physical Therapy.

Smile, Aunt Ethel, I said to mom. She looks just like my Aunt Ethel who died at 91 or 92. And guess who I look like? Yep, Aunt Ethel.

It's so important to have the very best doctors you can. Mom got a winner with Richard A Goldberg, DO.

Stayed up till about 2 last nite sending my short story "Estelle" to several places hoping to get it published.

I subscribe to Clinical Psychiatry News and left a comment about lithium usage:

In my opinion, lithium should not be used longer than 10 years, according to research I have read. I run a support group in the Philadelphia area for people w/bipolar disorder - NewDirectionsSupport.org. Ten of us - all over 60 - have either had kidney transplants or are on dialysis. There are numerous other drugs that should be tried first. Why risk the LIFE of your patient? - Ruth Z Deming, MGPGP