Stress and weight loss

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

Hi all, I hope you're doing as well as you can be. I am not, I don't think.

I've been so stressed out over the past two month, on and off. My dad's health scare did not help and the increasing words of transphobia from both my dad and my bosses isn't helping things either. Thankfully their hate isn't directed at me but it's still painful hearing it from people I care about.

I've been watching my weight for the past two weeks and it's slowly declining. I woke up one day and noticed my belly was a little flatter than usual which why I checked. The last weight I recall having prior, maybe three months ago, was around 128. I'm now 122.

On the days I'm watching mom, I can hardly eat. I just feel so ill, shoving food in me to keep up my strength to care for her. If I don't eat, I feel miserable. It's a terrible cycle.

I'm thinking of calling my insurance provider to see about getting a pcp after years of not having one. I want to address this anxiety I've been having and think having a med plan and therapy would be good for me, but perhaps meds first because mom needs me now and my only stress coping mechanism isn't work anymore (deep breathing).

I've never gotten a doctor by myself before and I'm super nervous. My insurance provider is some weird company that no one seems to have anything to do with so I'm anxious on where I'll have to go to be in their network. I only got the insurance plan back when you were fined for not having insurance and got the cheapest one because it was what I could put up with financially. I've been doing some light research into getting a different plan from a more well known company but it's slow going.

I have no time for anything anymore and it stresses me out further.

SusanB-dil

Could you maybe check their website for a provider?  Or - check local providers and then see if they will take your plan. You can often do so on their websites. 

Sorry you are so stressed. You are not alone. None of this is easy. Glad you are aware of it and taking care of yourself, though.  That is important!

Would those Protein/vitamin drinks help at least somewhat? Might be easier to get them down if you are having difficulty eating.

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

Thanks Susan. I loathed the thought of having to call people and found out that my insurer just revamped their website. Last time I was trying to find a practice in their network, the site was more catered for b2b and not the people who were insured. That put me off for a while.

It seems like the practices that denied my insurance before hand now accept it, both insurer website and the practices website say they do. I'll have to make a cold call or something to double check new patient status and to confirm that they do accept it. Maybe for good measure I'll also run the practice through the local LGBT+ group to see if they recommend them.

And thank you so much for the reminder about the drinks! We've got a few on hand for mom when she needs them, so I can just take one and get more later. The thought of me having any never crossed my mind. It was simply "this is mom's." I'm glad there are others who can see the forest and not just the trees.

CatsWithHandsAreTrouble

If anyone wants an update, I've set a reminder in my phone to call the office of my previous pcp tomorrow. I plan on asking them if they still have my old information, if they would still see me as a patient there, and then if they take my insurance. 

They didn't the last time I was there and they didn't let me pay out of pocket. I had to wait about half a year for them to mail my insurer, my insurer them, and then them to me. It as so stressful; at the time mom (pwd) was hoarding some of my incoming mail for what I think was because our names are visually similar and she was getting confused. Mom doesn't touch the mail now unless we give it to her so I don't think I have to worry about that anymore.

I've checked both company's website twice now and it does seem like my insurance is now accepted there, but I will confirm with a phone call before going in.

Re eating: I seem to only have trouble eating during the times I'm watching mom, eating fine when my family is here or while at work. I haven't tried the protein/vitamin drinks yet but I am working up to it.

SusanB-dil

Glad their website seems to be more user-friendly, now.  Yes, check with the group, and also reviews - never hurts to get recommendations. We ended up with a quacker-doc a while back because we didn't check.  also good to get some more of those drinks on-hand.  At least you'd have that for some nourishment when needed.

AyaanWhitney

I always check for recommendations. As for me, it's important to feel the support.

Brigv

Thanks for sharing your experience! I also faced health issues due to stress. I noticed that my weight fluctuates by about 10 lbs in a day. At first, I read about it here https://betterme.world/articles/why-does-my-weight-fluctuate-10-lbs-in-a-day/ and understood that I needed to address a doctor. It turned out that I have hypothyroidism. I'm also thinking about addressing my insurance provider. So, I'm glad that you shared your story and I found it.