The Ward

[Neutral Corner]

You might try stretching. Warm out of the shower, sit on the floor or bed, and fold a bath towel in half. Drop the fold over your toes and pull back to stretch. Go slow and don't bounce or tug. Slow and steady, try to relax into it. If it gets irritated by this, discontinue.

Anti-inflammatory drugs can help also, maybe call your doc.

 

[OscarMadison]

Nope. We have an LCSW we work with independently, but he obviously can't prescribe medication. So the psychiatrist does that, even though she doesn't ever speak to the LCSW and meets with my son for a half-hour every three months.

As I'm sure you can imagine, finding a medication that actually worked for him was a painstakingly long process filled with trial and error. Sometimes she'll recommend something having completely forgotten that we've already tried it to no avail.

And her answer to everything is more pills. This drug is working but keeping him up all night? How about he takes one of these other pills to come down?

Luckily, we found a med that works and has very few side effects, and he's been on it for two-plus years. Now she's laying the groundwork for putting him on a second med when he goes back to school.

Your experience reflects the norm in mental health care. While many get happy over the team approach in theory, it is so fragmented that the reality seems to work best on paper. It's a testament to the strength of patients and their families that they get better. There are caring clinicians, but the system they work in is broken.

 

[Dyno]

Anyone got any tips for plantar fasciitis?

I've got in both feet and it sucks. What works for you depends on the structure of your foot. I have extremely high arches and insoles/orthotics won't work for me, but are a godsend for others. Cortisone shots are a last resort. Incredibly painful but they can help.

Here's something simple to try - rolling your foot over a frozen water bottle. It helps with inflammation.