Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Jose Ward4 said:Where’s the crew at?! What’s the word? How is everyone doing?

Things are okay for now, I guess. Life's just getting harder to manage—it feels like a constant uphill battle lately. Haven't managed to claim any of what's rightfully mine yet because I've been dealing with some major headaches... honestly, it's a mess right now.

How are things on your end?

Carol Barrett2 said:Things are okay for now, I guess. Life's just getting harder to manage—it feels like a constant uphill battle lately. Haven't managed to claim any of what's rightfully mine yet because I've been dealing with some major headaches... honestly, it's a mess right now.

How are things on your end?

I'm alright, though work is kicking my butt lately. Nothing is going exactly as planned, but then again, why would it? That’s just how it goes. Still, we Americans are resilient. I can't rush things right now, but things have to get better and move faster eventually😁. I need to figure a few things out first. Adaptation is coming.

Jose Ward4 said:I'm alright, though work is kicking my butt lately. Nothing is going exactly as planned, but then again, why would it? That’s just how it goes. Still, we Americans are resilient. I can't rush things right now, but things have to get better and move faster eventually😁. I need to figure a few things out first. Adaptation is coming.

To us, you guys represent the West. 😬 Honestly, I don't worry about you all that much. While you're over there listening to talk about potential tax cuts coming in the New Year, we're looking at taxes going up here. 👎

Hang in there. I'm out here fighting my own battles too—or at least trying to fight them as hard as I can.

I actually cut my Xanax down from 5 mg to 2.5 mg on my own; I'm getting less sleep now, but I still sleep plenty, and I feel way less groggy when I wake up or try to drift off. At my next checkup, I'm going to talk to my psychiatrist to see if we can officially move me down to 2 mg.

I've started eating more, and I've been having a spoonful of honey almost every day. I've also cut back on processed sugar, though I use a little saccharin instead sometimes just to keep things manageable. Things are slightly better—at least they aren't getting worse.

At the end of the day, we have to try to help ourselves as much as possible, while leaning on others whenever we can. 🙂

Listen, I have an interesting story to share with you all. I was being treated for schizophrenia, which led to me being prescribed Haldol and Seroquel, along with a long list of other medications and several hospitalizations.

In the end, it turns out I actually have Multiple Sclerosis. I don't have schizophrenia or any mental illness; I have lesions on my brain. That's just how things work in the States—they'll tell you something is normal when it's clearly not.

Rebecca Rivera3 said:Listen, I have an interesting story to share with you all. I was being treated for schizophrenia, which led to me being prescribed Haldol and Seroquel, along with a long list of other medications and several hospitalizations.

In the end, it turns out I actually have Multiple Sclerosis. I don't have schizophrenia or any mental illness; I have lesions on my brain. That's just how things work in the States—they'll tell you something is normal when it's clearly not.

What a disaster.🙄 Look, MS and schizophrenia don't exactly share the same symptom list—not even close.😲

Rebecca Rivera3 said:Listen, I have an interesting story to share with you all. I was being treated for schizophrenia, which led to me being prescribed Haldol and Seroquel, along with a long list of other medications and several hospitalizations.

In the end, it turns out I actually have Multiple Sclerosis. I don't have schizophrenia or any mental illness; I have lesions on my brain. That's just how things work in the States—they'll tell you something is normal when it's clearly not.

Oh man. I am so incredibly sorry you went through that, Rebecca Rivera3. You are perfectly sane. 😁 Honestly, we're all pretty much sane 😛. I mean, where did they even get that diagnosis from? It's like they take your specific symptoms, misinterpret them, and then judge your entire psyche based on just outward behavior. They slap a "schizophrenia" label on you, when really, you've got physical lesions. It's a total disaster. I swear, our healthcare system is broken. Who knows what kind of misdiagnosis I might be walking around with right now?

I feel for you, truly. 😢

I went through a similar breakdown myself—not even because I was seeing things, but just because my body was completely falling apart from God knows what. My vision is going, my liver is shot, being intersex means my hormones are all over the place, my bones are thinning... it’s a mess.

On top of all that, life has just been throwing constant family and personal chaos my way. Back then, I was taking Kefka, but now everyone knows how sensitive I am to it. My metabolism just doesn't process it right anymore.

I try telling my own people that I'm physically sick, but they just won't listen. Even when I was first admitted to the hospital, I told them I didn't know why everything was failing at once, but since I was being "difficult," they basically just brushed me off by dumping me in the psych ward.

I even had my doubts about having MS.

It's just the same old story in this part of the world where nobody listens to anyone else.

Take care of yourself, Rebecca Rivera3.

At first, I honestly thought this was all in my head. I felt exhausted, my walking felt heavy, and I had these strange mental lapses—almost like paralysis. It felt like everything was happening without any external trigger; nothing in my daily life was intense enough to throw me off balance like that. One minute I’d be walking fine, and the next, my brain would just shut down or I'd black out. Because I couldn't find an outside cause, I ended up seeking help through psychiatric care.

Then things took a turn for the worse. I collapsed and ended up in neurology, where they ran an exhaustive battery of tests—MRIs, spinal taps, EMGs, EEGs, you name it. That’s when they finally gave me the MS diagnosis.

I never once suspected I was dealing with MS or anything like it. To be honest, it was a total shock, and frankly, it still hits me hard every single day. On top of everything, the steroids I'm taking to manage it have started damaging my liver, and I'm also dealing with vision issues from neuritis.

How am I holding up through all of this? To be honest, after receiving my diagnosis and everything I've been through... I’ve never felt worse. Most of the time I’m struggling, even if it doesn't show on the surface because I’ve learned to value life and every single moment more deeply. I don't get worked up as easily; in fact, I rarely lose my temper now. I've started cutting people out—well, I already have—specifically those who negatively impact my mental health. Some people even walked away from me once they found out I was sick.

I have to admit, I often struggle with sleep because of the anxiety. I lack a solid support system and true understanding. I’m seeing a therapist, but I haven't been able to establish a deep enough emotional connection to really help me move forward.

Honestly, I don't even know what to tell you all; this is hell. Navigating this entire process has been physically exhausting, and the mental toll is beyond words. This will leave lasting scars on my heart. They might heal slightly over time, but the marks will remain, and I will never be the same person again.

Rebecca Rivera3 said:At first, I honestly thought this was all in my head. I felt exhausted, my walking felt heavy, and I had these strange mental lapses—almost like paralysis. It felt like everything was happening without any external trigger; nothing in my daily life was intense enough to throw me off balance like that. One minute I’d be walking fine, and the next, my brain would just shut down or I'd black out. Because I couldn't find an outside cause, I ended up seeking help through psychiatric care.

Then things took a turn for the worse. I collapsed and ended up in neurology, where they ran an exhaustive battery of tests—MRIs, spinal taps, EMGs, EEGs, you name it. That’s when they finally gave me the MS diagnosis.

I never once suspected I was dealing with MS or anything like it. To be honest, it was a total shock, and frankly, it still hits me hard every single day. On top of everything, the steroids I'm taking to manage it have started damaging my liver, and I'm also dealing with vision issues from neuritis.

I am so incredibly sorry. It's just devastating how the nervous system can turn on you like that. I've been doing some reading online just to try and wrap my head around the mechanics of it all. How are you holding up right now? Are you hanging in there?

Rebecca Rivera3 said:How am I holding up through all of this? To be honest, after receiving my diagnosis and everything I've been through... I’ve never felt worse. Most of the time I’m struggling, even if it doesn't show on the surface because I’ve learned to value life and every single moment more deeply. I don't get worked up as easily; in fact, I rarely lose my temper now. I've started cutting people out—well, I already have—specifically those who negatively impact my mental health. Some people even walked away from me once they found out I was sick.

I have to admit, I often struggle with sleep because of the anxiety. I lack a solid support system and true understanding. I’m seeing a therapist, but I haven't been able to establish a deep enough emotional connection to really help me move forward.

Honestly, I don't even know what to tell you all; this is hell. Navigating this entire process has been physically exhausting, and the mental toll is beyond words. This will leave lasting scars on my heart. They might heal slightly over time, but the marks will remain, and I will never be the same person again.

Oh man, 🙂. Hang in there, things have to get better. Maybe you just need to wait for your medication to kick in so you can find a way to live with this illness more easily. Just shut out anyone who irritates you or fails to support you. Those people are just dead weight. Run the other way.

Watch your backs, everyone.

Carol Barrett2 said:Watch your backs, everyone.

Let's 😢

How am I holding up? That’s a tough question. Every single day feels like a gamble. Some days are manageable, while others... well, there are days when I just wish I didn't have to deal with any of this.
Since it affects the neurological system, it manifests through both physical and psychological symptoms, and there is no cure. There aren't really "pills" for this—there isn't a real cure, other than steroids which just temporarily dull the symptoms before you're left waiting to see what hits you next.
I'm honestly at a loss for words.

Rebecca Rivera3, I know a girl who keeps her MS in check through macrobiotics. She was in a really rough spot before—seriously bad—but once she switched over to macrobiotics, she actually started seeing some real recovery.

I was just sitting here thinking about that old dog of mine, Njušica, and how much she reminds me of a certain kind of energy you only find in the heart of the Midwest. You know those dogs that just seem to have a nose for trouble? That’s her. She’ll be sniffing around the backyard, completely oblivious to the fact that I'm trying to enjoy my coffee, and then—boom—she finds a rogue tennis ball under the porch and suddenly the whole morning is a chaotic whirlwind of wagging tails and slobber. It’s funny how they can turn a quiet Saturday into a full-blown event without even trying. Makes you realize that sometimes, the best part of the day is just leaning into that little bit of unexpected chaos. Asks:
So, I wanted to share a little something with you guys—just a bit of my own history. I’ve been through the ringer dealing with schizophrenia, and man, it’s been quite the journey. I ended up being prescribed Haldol and Seroquel, along with a whole laundry list of other medications that I honestly don't even want to get into right now. On top of all the pills, there were also those stints in the hospital. It's been a lot to navigate, to say the least.

At the end of the day, I’m dealing with multiple sclerosis. It’s not like I have schizophrenia or some kind of mental illness; I actually have physical lesions on my brain. That’s just what life in the Middle East does to a person—it leaves its mark, and then people have the nerve to tell you that everything is perfectly normal.

From what I understand, doctors usually rely on a lumbar puncture or an MRI to diagnose MS. In actual practice, though, they most often run an EEG first—mostly just to rule out any underlying physical issues with the brain before moving forward.

By the way, Walmart actually got shut down because they were using marijuana to treat MS.

Of course I spent three weeks in the hospital undergoing an exhaustive battery of tests—everything from CT scans and X-rays to MSCT, VEP, EMG, EEMG, and BERA, followed by MRIs and a lumbar puncture. There were plenty of other diagnostics too, but I won't list them all here.
The lumbar puncture itself wasn't nearly as painful as people lead you to believe, but the recovery process is honestly pretty brutal. You have to stay completely still for a day or two, and once that's over, you're hit with an unbearable headache. The procedure involves drawing cerebrospinal fluid, and then you're stuck waiting about two or three weeks for the results to come back.

So, how did you end up getting an F20 diagnosis? 🤣

It’s actually kind of wild when you think about it.

I have no idea what an F20 diagnosis is; I don't know where you got that from or what it's supposed to mean. I've been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

I can't speak to specific diagnostic codes, but you might be thinking of schizophrenia. In my case, I dealt with paralysis, muscle spasms, tremors, sleep issues, and trouble walking—it was all pretty chaotic. It looked like a mental health crisis to outsiders, but once the physical symptoms intensified, my doctors at the Mayo Clinic confirmed it wasn't psychiatric; it was strictly neurological.
Naturally, my first reaction was pure, unadulterated fury toward the mental health professionals involved. How could they make such a massive oversight? That kind of mistake is no small thing.