Thanks Thanks:  22
Likes Likes:  55
Page 5 of 10 First ... 34567 ... Last
  1. #41

    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    New Hyde Park, NY
    Posts
    81
    Post Thanks / Like
    I am amazed, and saddened also, that so many of you suffer from major depression, too. It can be a debilitating disease. I work full time and many days, it's so difficult to just face the day. I take 3 different medications for severe depression, and they help me immensely. I've been on antidepressants for over 20 years and I'm so grateful for them, and for my excellent doctor. I've also been seeing the same counselor for the past 10 years, on a regular basis. She's been a godsend for me, and I love her dearly. She's seen me through a lot over the years. I am a firm believer that depression medication and counseling go hand-in-hand. For those of you who do not have a counselor, I highly encourage you to see one. It could make a huge, positive difference in your life.

    Hi Shelley, I was thinking the same thing regarding so many of us suffering from depression. I think we tend to turn to something we enjoy to help make the "pain" go away. I have a room in my house that has many versions of works in progress, jigsaw puzzles, my sewing machine and more patterns than I can ever complete in my lifetime. Oh, and of course my stash of yarn. That room is my safe haven.

    I swallowed a handful of pills a little over a year ago. I ended up in the hospital, etc, etc. Something wonderful came out of that desperate act. I met my psychiatrist and my therapist. They have helped me more than I could ever imagine. For many years I resisted seeking help, I was on antidepressants from my primary care physician, but I needed so much more. I meet with her once a week. To be honest they all tell me twice would be better, but considering that my copay is $35 I've told her that we have to make once a week count. You are so right, Shelly. Medication and therapy do go hand in hand. I am sooo much better than I was a year ago. I still have my issues, but I know that on Thursday at 10 am my therapist will help me make sense of things.

    I always say that when God closes a door, He always opens a window. I learned a hard lesson and I was lucky to come out alive. Lucky to realize how much my family loves and needs me. Lucky to have found a forum like this where so many people like me turn to being creative instead of destructive.

    Thank you, Shelley, for starting this thread and to everyone else who shares their stories.

    Donna

  2. #42
    Pixieglitter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Spartanburg, SC, USA
    Posts
    2,277
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by DonnaB View Post
    I am amazed, and saddened also, that so many of you suffer from major depression, too. It can be a debilitating disease. I work full time and many days, it's so difficult to just face the day. I take 3 different medications for severe depression, and they help me immensely. I've been on antidepressants for over 20 years and I'm so grateful for them, and for my excellent doctor. I've also been seeing the same counselor for the past 10 years, on a regular basis. She's been a godsend for me, and I love her dearly. She's seen me through a lot over the years. I am a firm believer that depression medication and counseling go hand-in-hand. For those of you who do not have a counselor, I highly encourage you to see one. It could make a huge, positive difference in your life.

    Hi Shelley, I was thinking the same thing regarding so many of us suffering from depression. I think we tend to turn to something we enjoy to help make the "pain" go away. I have a room in my house that has many versions of works in progress, jigsaw puzzles, my sewing machine and more patterns than I can ever complete in my lifetime. Oh, and of course my stash of yarn. That room is my safe haven.

    I swallowed a handful of pills a little over a year ago. I ended up in the hospital, etc, etc. Something wonderful came out of that desperate act. I met my psychiatrist and my therapist. They have helped me more than I could ever imagine. For many years I resisted seeking help, I was on antidepressants from my primary care physician, but I needed so much more. I meet with her once a week. To be honest they all tell me twice would be better, but considering that my copay is $35 I've told her that we have to make once a week count. You are so right, Shelly. Medication and therapy do go hand in hand. I am sooo much better than I was a year ago. I still have my issues, but I know that on Thursday at 10 am my therapist will help me make sense of things.

    I always say that when God closes a door, He always opens a window. I learned a hard lesson and I was lucky to come out alive. Lucky to realize how much my family loves and needs me. Lucky to have found a forum like this where so many people like me turn to being creative instead of destructive.

    Thank you, Shelley, for starting this thread and to everyone else who shares their stories.

    Donna
    Donna, I understand the desperation you felt a year ago, and I also believe that when one door closes another opens for us. I believe there are life lessons in everything, to be learned, and that it's because of the hardships we've endured we are shaped into the wonderful beings we are today. If we hadn't been through the trails we've overcome, we would not be the women we are in this moment.

    Hugs,
    Shelley

  3. Likes Susan2014 liked this post
  4. #43

    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    744
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by DonnaB View Post
    I am amazed, and saddened also, that so many of you suffer from major depression, too. It can be a debilitating disease. I work full time and many days, it's so difficult to just face the day. I take 3 different medications for severe depression, and they help me immensely. I've been on antidepressants for over 20 years and I'm so grateful for them, and for my excellent doctor. I've also been seeing the same counselor for the past 10 years, on a regular basis. She's been a godsend for me, and I love her dearly. She's seen me through a lot over the years. I am a firm believer that depression medication and counseling go hand-in-hand. For those of you who do not have a counselor, I highly encourage you to see one. It could make a huge, positive difference in your life.

    Hi Shelley, I was thinking the same thing regarding so many of us suffering from depression. I think we tend to turn to something we enjoy to help make the "pain" go away. I have a room in my house that has many versions of works in progress, jigsaw puzzles, my sewing machine and more patterns than I can ever complete in my lifetime. Oh, and of course my stash of yarn. That room is my safe haven.

    I swallowed a handful of pills a little over a year ago. I ended up in the hospital, etc, etc. Something wonderful came out of that desperate act. I met my psychiatrist and my therapist. They have helped me more than I could ever imagine. For many years I resisted seeking help, I was on antidepressants from my primary care physician, but I needed so much more. I meet with her once a week. To be honest they all tell me twice would be better, but considering that my copay is $35 I've told her that we have to make once a week count. You are so right, Shelly. Medication and therapy do go hand in hand. I am sooo much better than I was a year ago. I still have my issues, but I know that on Thursday at 10 am my therapist will help me make sense of things.

    I always say that when God closes a door, He always opens a window. I learned a hard lesson and I was lucky to come out alive. Lucky to realize how much my family loves and needs me. Lucky to have found a forum like this where so many people like me turn to being creative instead of destructive.

    Thank you, Shelley, for starting this thread and to everyone else who shares their stories.

    Donna
    Dear Donna! my name is also Donna and reading your post was very touching! What a brave woman you are to survive your ordeal! I have not the trial of deep depression but I have a son that needs help and he can't get it right now because he sleeps all day and then struggles all night with sleep problems. He has Chronic fatigue syndrome, he's not awake to go to therapists or doctors and we can't seem to get him to switch his sleeping habits! Pray for him his name is Brian and I worry that he will try taking his life. Our faith teaches us not to end our life ! I pray that somehow this trial of his will end on a good note like a miracle?

  5. Likes Susan2014 liked this post
  6. #44

    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    New Hyde Park, NY
    Posts
    81
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by DonnaPBradshaw View Post
    Dear Donna! my name is also Donna and reading your post was very touching! What a brave woman you are to survive your ordeal! I have not the trial of deep depression but I have a son that needs help and he can't get it right now because he sleeps all day and then struggles all night with sleep problems. He has Chronic fatigue syndrome, he's not awake to go to therapists or doctors and we can't seem to get him to switch his sleeping habits! Pray for him his name is Brian and I worry that he will try taking his life. Our faith teaches us not to end our life ! I pray that somehow this trial of his will end on a good note like a miracle?
    Thanks, Donna. I will be praying for your son. It's awful to feel so tired that you can't make sense of things and it's very difficult to change your sleeping habits. I do know about our faith's teaching about ending our lives. To be honest, when I look back I realize what a selfish thing I did. Tomorrow can never be better if we decide to end our lives today. I'm lucky and I will pray for Brian with all my heart.

    Are there any support groups for Chronic Fatigue? You might get suggestions from people to suffer from the same disorder. I hope and pray you can find an answer somehow. When your child is suffering, you suffer as well. I understand.

    Donna

  7. #45

    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    New Hyde Park, NY
    Posts
    81
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by Pixieglitter View Post
    Donna, I understand the desperation you felt a year ago, and I also believe that when one door closes another opens for us. I believe there are life lessons in everything, to be learned, and that it's because of the hardships we've endured we are shaped into the wonderful beings we are today. If we hadn't been through the trails we've overcome, we would not be the women we are in this moment.

    Hugs,
    Shelley
    Thanks, Shelley. You're a sweetheart!!

  8. #46

    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    744
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by DonnaB View Post
    Thanks, Donna. I will be praying for your son. It's awful to feel so tired that you can't make sense of things and it's very difficult to change your sleeping habits. I do know about our faith's teaching about ending our lives. To be honest, when I look back I realize what a selfish thing I did. Tomorrow can never be better if we decide to end our lives today. I'm lucky and I will pray for Brian with all my heart.

    Are there any support groups for Chronic Fatigue? You might get suggestions from people to suffer from the same disorder. I hope and pray you can find an answer somehow. When your child is suffering, you suffer as well. I understand.

    Donna
    Dear DonnaB, this is so ironic! my last name is Bradshaw so we will really confuse other's with our responses won't we? I don't know if there are any support groups where I live but that's a good suggestion. I will look into it right away! Thanks for your prayers! I believe that praying does help. Have a great day and thanks for your concern. Donna Bradshaw!

  9. #47

    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    North Ridgeville, Ohio
    Posts
    1,466
    Post Thanks / Like
    I used to think that I was the only one that had to fight depression because of fibro, rheumatoid arthritis, osteo arthritis. There are too many little side illnesses to list that come with fibro. My two daughters were diagnosed with fibro before me. Both have rheumatoid arthritis, also. I am now recovering from an ankle replacement, and I wish I had it done months ago. It feels better that it did years ago. My who right side hurts. I had rotator cuff surgery done years ago by the Cleveland Indians team surgeon. It is now retorn, It is because of the RA. I give myself injections, but it is so sever it doesn't help much. I finally have my depression under control with meds and a wonderful counselor who has a therapy dog. Animals and my crochet and other hobbies have been my sanity. Of course, so is my family. My wonderful, wonderful family. God love them. And, of course, finding CT. Thank you, Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Hugs and Love,

    Judy







    g

  10. #48
    Pixieglitter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Spartanburg, SC, USA
    Posts
    2,277
    Post Thanks / Like
    Quote Originally Posted by nicholasdaniel View Post
    I used to think that I was the only one that had to fight depression because of fibro, rheumatoid arthritis, osteo arthritis. There are too many little side illnesses to list that come with fibro. My two daughters were diagnosed with fibro before me. Both have rheumatoid arthritis, also. I am now recovering from an ankle replacement, and I wish I had it done months ago. It feels better that it did years ago. My who right side hurts. I had rotator cuff surgery done years ago by the Cleveland Indians team surgeon. It is now retorn, It is because of the RA. I give myself injections, but it is so sever it doesn't help much. I finally have my depression under control with meds and a wonderful counselor who has a therapy dog. Animals and my crochet and other hobbies have been my sanity. Of course, so is my family. My wonderful, wonderful family. God love them. And, of course, finding CT. Thank you, Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Hugs and Love,

    Judy







    g
    Sweet Judy, gosh you're dealing with a lot of physical pain. I'm so sorry you have to go through all this. I don't have the physical issues like you do. I've battled depression since I was a child. I remember when I was really little, and feeling so very sad. After I went to my first funeral at age 32, I realized that was how I felt all of the time. Just sad and hopeless. I've also been through a lot of trauma in my life. Luckily, I have wonderful doctors and a fantastic long-time counselor. I'm on a combination of 3 different meds to treat my severe depression. The meds help me to live in a world of color, instead of black and white. I have Bipolar II, which means I don't have manic episodes. It just causes deep depression. Not very many people are familiar with Bipolar II. But the meds help me tremendously!

    Hugs,
    Shelley

  11. #49

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Posts
    70
    Post Thanks / Like
    Ladies,
    it's easy to see how we all live in a world of hurt and have to find ways to deal with pain, illness and our darkest depressions. I've written in this post before but have to write again... I too agree on meds and therapy! I was with a therapist for 6 years and 2.5 months before the program was cancelled due to gov't cuts, so I have lost not just a therapist but a best friend and extremely understanding and helpful woman. I have to start over with another one and am not sure I can at the moment... after so long with my therapist, I was at home, trusting and able to share the darkest parts of myself and was feeling the healing. If you are with a good therapist, try to keep him/her and work hard even if it hurts, for you must go through the pain of what is inside you before the mental injury can be healed. It is like a cancer... the therapy is surgery and the meds are the healing process. Sometimes it takes time to find the right mix of meds but hang in there, you will get there and start feeling more human again. That and my wonderful Psychiatrist is all that is helping me hang on at the moment, along with my fiber crafting and writing.

    Donna with son Brian - I am an atheist so i do not pray, but i will be thinking of you and your son. If he tries, he can reset his sleeping clock by using an alarm. Go to bed 20 minutes later and rise 20 minutes earlier every three days (five, if he has trouble adjusting to three) and keep repeating until he has reset his sleeping back to a regular time setting. I know this works because a friend of mine had the exact problem and this was what his doctor had him do. It takes a while to do but it is possible, but HE has to work on it. If he doesn't, there is another problem going on and you should do your best to wrestle him to a Psychiatrist as soon as possible. He needs help! I am hoping this is of some little help.

    As to suicide; I first attempted at age 10, my homelife was so bad. I tried every three or four years until age 17 when I met the man who would be my husband (he turned out to be an abuser too, after we wed and it took almost 15 years to get me and our children away from him) and I attempted suicide several times as an adult but always something stopped me - getting caught and hospitalized or a thought of someone who needed me, like my kids, who would go to their abusive father. Back then i didn't have fiber crafts for soothing, i had been told as a young child that i was too stupid to learn it. In a desperate need for something to do with my fingers, I picked up a crochet hook from the second hand store and some yarn and read instructions on how to crochet and started at age 50. I have been crocheting for 6 years now and it is a wonderful help to me in times of depression, when I can get myself to pick up the hook and start. Once I've started, the magic flows and I begin to feel better after a bit. I highly recommend you keep doing fiber crafts, whether it is crochet, loom knit, or knit, sewing or what ever else there is along with medication and therapy. And I got my first tattoo, a semi-colon. Look up the Semi Colon Project. It has this meaning - in a sentence, a semicolon (simply put) is where a writer could have chosen to end a sentence but didn't; they chose to continue it. In life, a semicolon is where a person could have chosen to end their life but didn't; they chose to continue it. My tat reminds me daily I choose to go on. If you don't want a tattoo, put up a picture of a large semicolon in your house where you can see it and remind yourself you choose to go on. It is a wonderful help for us suicide survivors and suicide survivor supporters.

    Thank you for listening to my rant. Crochet and live on!
    ~ Patt

  12. #50
    Susan2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Mpls,MN
    Posts
    5,049
    Post Thanks / Like
    Judy, Read your message and wishing a person can do more to help! Glad you have a counselor & Family. God Bless. Love to hear about your crafts you do when time. Happy FALL!!

    Susan2014

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Log in

Log in