I saw a new doctor last week on Thursday and she was very thorough. Dr Cook has an accent so sometimes she was a little hard to understand but she seemed to care about my issues and was actively trying to get to the root of the symptoms, which is great. I told her about everything I could think of. OCD with intrusive thoughts, PCOS, IBS and food intolerances, getting tired easily etc.
She saw my inflammatory markers from my blood test, which are usually always high. And I mentioned it's probably inflammation in my digestive tract due to my IBS and frequent tummy issues. And so, I have a referral for a gastroscopy and endoscopy at the hospital in Brisbane to follow up on. Last time I had to drink that stuff that clears you out, near the end I threw it back up and passed out, so I am very not keen to repeat the experience. But maybe it's worth doing to check things out since the last one I had was probably 13+ years ago. At least I'll have my mum and siblings for support if I have to travel to Brisbane.
She also gave me some antibiotics to try, to see if my IBS is caused by an imbalance of bad bacteria. I've tried it a long time ago, back when I was still in highschool and remembered it just gave me an upset stomach but I took one today and will try to take them for a week as instructed, to see if there's any improvement. I took one with breakfast and am feeling a bit sick on and off, with some bloating and pains. Though I can't tell if that's just my usual symptoms flaring up or a result of the antibiotic. Hmm. I guess taking the 2nd pill with dinner will tell. They are horribly bitter and hard to get down because they start dissolving bitterly the instant you put them in your mouth.
The other thing she addressed with me was the side effects of the clomipramine (weight gain, shaky hands, being hot all the time and sweating a lot on my face when hot, dry mouth, bladder retention, mild heart palpitations etc etc). She really wants to put me on something else but I'm pretty anxious about trying new meds with no support and ending up in the ER due to bad reactions again. It was scary the last two times. Not only that, but if it's a med that makes it impossible to write, I'll be frustrated and depressed. I don't like feeling zoned out like that. It took me about 2 years before I was able to write and imagine freely again with Anafranil/Clomipramine.
But...she did point out that I could always ring my mum or siblings if things go wrong. Which I DID do last time when things went haywire but...I dunno. The ER is a scary place sometimes.
Kasumi Roseglimmer Community Member 
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