The Jumble: April 22, 2026

In December 2024, my longtime general practitioner retired. My new GP was unwilling to prescribe me anti-anxiety medication even after a full decade of taking the medication successfully. The fact that the therapist I had been seeing for years believed that I needed medication was given no weight.

With no medication to relieve my symptoms, I was having panic attacks every day, sometimes multiple times per day. I was not sleeping consistently. I was having nightmares. I took no joy in living. I was grinding my teeth so hard in my sleep that I broke a filling. And I was dealing with daily headaches, which persisted for more than a year.

My GP informed me that I needed an allergy medication that blunted panic attacks as an off-book use, a mouth guard for the teeth grinding, and to quit my job, which was obviously the source of my headaches and my stress. So I did that. I quit being an attorney. I left a law firm that I loved, and a partner spot I worked hard for. I took her pills. I got a mouth guard. I saw my therapist twice per week.

Nothing changed.

After a lengthy PA visit that felt like I got a new primary care provider. The first thing she did was give me headache medication, which helped. We tried some different, daily medications for my mental health — sadly, those did not help. But unlike my last doctor who was certain she could mold me like clay, this provider respected me.

For example, when my bloodwork showed that my hormone levels were in range for my age, but I was sure my headaches were hormone related because they had started as monthly headaches the day before my period, she put me on a prescription estrogen cream. She reasoned it wouldn’t do much harm if I was wrong, but would be worth a lot if I was right. This was all I wanted from a doctor, someone who was willing to give me some agency over my own body.

Fast forward three months since that day and I’ve had two headaches in twelve weeks, both the day before my period, both easily managed with medication. I started a GLP-1 to help lose the 25 lbs I gained while deep in my depression, which also blunted my desire to spend money allowing me to get completely out of debt. I haven’t had a panic attack since last year. And I’m hoping that I can restart anti-anxiety medication to complement my visits to my therapist.

All of this is to say that, in your 40s, you need a good doctor. You need someone who listens to you and respects you. You need someone who doesn’t decide your entire course of treatment within 10-minutes of meeting you and refuse to change course even when you are clearly getting worse after months of consistent visits and taking every recommendation.

So how did I find this incredible primary care provider? I asked my daughter’s pediatrician which doctor she went to, reasoning that, as a medical provider, she would select only the best for herself. After all, I wouldn’t go to a crappy attorney if I needed expert advice.

My provider works with a company called Kinwell, but if you need a local recommendation, I suggest asking your trusted dermatologist, OBGYN, dentist or pediatrician who they see. Quite candidly, it saved my life.

+ What the hell is a menopause coach? (Hello Gloria)

+ I loved this Mother Science serum so much, I bought it for my husband.

+ A Korean-inspired burrito sounds amazing. (The Endless Meal)

+ In my dreams, I only wear Staud to work and parties.

+ It takes two to make a baby, but all of the infertility pressure falls on women. (Cosmopolitan)

+ How is this denim jacket both relaxed and fancy?

+ “You’re priced out of ‘looksmaxxing,’ that’s the point.” (Money with Katie)

+ Spring Outfit: a brown button up + ivory denim + a cool belt + great sandals.

+ Feeling despondent about American democracy? Watch this video. (Today Show)

+ Finally replaced my favorite gel eye liner — buy the purple, you won’t regret it.

+ Welcome the Rise of GenX Beauty. (Elle)

+ Ann Taylor is having a 30% off sale. I snagged this lightweight, beachy sweater.

+ The growing appeal of silent retreats for women. (Self)

+ Try this hair mask that tones color, hydrates, and repairs damage.

+ Buy less stuff and bond with your neighbors through sharing. (WaPo, gift link)

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