Depression

Agus I sympathise! I get so cross with myself that I can't do things like sail a yacht (Cunard, somehow is not quite the same) or even walk round a supermarket. I can't visit the wonderful cathedrals in the cities I visit as the medieval builders seem to have had a passion for building them on top of a mountain of steps which neither myself or my Luggie can surmount.
Archaeological sites are similarly a no no!
[grumpy] emoticon!

You are quite right agus - accepting life's limitations is a lesson we all have to get a grip on as we age.

I am sorry you have had such a rubbish year.

Pompa. That gave me a much need chuckle and I will show it to DH. Right up his street as one of his phrases, to name but a few, is, 'behind every cloud, there is another one'

Supposedly, a good hearty chuckle can lift your mood for three days as it boosts endorphins.

DH and I are searching to find anything to laugh about after a hellish year health wise.

I sustained a broken back in March, due to a negligent builder. Housebound for 3 months then as I was finally able to get out a bit, DH had 2 heart attacks. The main difficulty is coming to terms with the fact that our lives have changed so much, no longer an active couple and accepting we have limitations that we never had to consider before.

Crafting. I hope the worrying news you had turns out not as bad as you expect.

Unfortunately depression does kill people, so you are right nellie to detest that stupid phrase.

I sat in the car today and established that I can work the pedals safely so that will be another thing to try very soon - I will wait till they have finished doing the drains at the bottom of the drive as there is a rather precarious set of steel panels to drive over; and a rather large hole to fall down if you get it wrong!

Oh Nellie how I agree regarding that statement. I find it is usually spouted by people who have had very little trouble in their lives.

(((((Hugs))))) to you all who are feeling down.

I do agree about the benefits of good sunshine or similar spectrum lighting. I find dull days really lower by energy levels which lead rapidly towards a gloomy mood.

Several times recently I seem to have heard that B** stupid expression about stressful times, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

If I hear anyone saying that near me again I shall give them a good slapping!

Constant unavoidable stress, is very wearing indeed and although you can often hold things together for while there is usually a payback when the immediate stress lessens. Too many stress hormones are very damaging.

Slept through with no heart episodes - thank goodness. But got that slight sinking feeling that heralds a low - I am fighting it. I have started a file on my desktop called "Achievements" in which I chronicling the smallest steps forward to remind myself that it is not all backwards and I am slowly geting somewhere.

pompa

pompa your 5 rules for life have brightened my day!

Absolutely nothing to do with this thread, but it made us both laugh, and that must be good for depression.

FIVE RULES FOR LIFE :-

1. Money cannot buy happiness but its more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle.

2. Forgive your enemy but remember the bastard’s name.

3. Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you when they’re in trouble again.

4. Many people are alive only because it’s illegal to shoot them.

5. Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.

Pompa glad you are over your constipation albeit in such a violent manner .

Thanks to all for your messages and for the jings. Holding off from seeing the doctor at the moment. Hoping to deal with it myself. I am low but not without reason. Had some really worrying news in the last few days which may affect the rest of our lives and am struggling to get to grips with it. I usually panic for days then get so worn out I calm down a bit so hoping I will eventually find a way of coping. All your kindness is helping though. Knowing that others are going through the same sort of thing but still manage some words of comfort makes this thread a bit like a virtual support group. Mishap sorry you had such a bad night. What a shame you had such a reaction. As you say, it's the last thing you need. Hope everyone has a good night sleep tonight and wake up to a sunnier day tomorrow.

Mishap We used to be fortunate in having a military hospital only ten minutes drive away. It also served the local community and had an excellent A&E. Unfortunately it closed down and is now a minor injuries unit so we would have to drive to Addenbrookes which is 40 mins away.

DH was constantly in and out of the RAF hospital. There were a couple of occasions where they had to stop and re-start his heart which was terribly scary and I remember one weekend when he was rushed in on the Friday night, came home on the Saturday and was back in on the Sunday.

It was eventually discovered that the medication he was on for asthma was speeding up his heart rate so he was given beta blockers which made him wheezy.....and so the fun went on.

Verapamil suits him down to the ground, it doesn't make him wheezy and his inhalers no longer cause his heart to race. He's been fine for years so we're hoping nothing changes.

Side effects can be such a bummer!!!

I have halved the dose on co-codamol I was taking, pain in knee and hip no worse for it (now have a pain in foot that I didn't have, DOH). Will cut down to just two tablets a bedtime tomorrow. Has instantly solved constipation problem, several passing crows dropped out of the sky !. This will save a fortune in dried figs, which I've been eating non stop.

Iam64, nothing would stop me commenting on Botox if I had something constructive (or perhaps humorous) to say. As I'm sure you saw on another thread.
I will seriously keep the yoga in mind, but I'm hoping for a less energetic solution. (Goop)

Mishap, well if "What? tickle my f***y!" doesn't shock you back into a normal rhythm I'm not sure what will.

What did you do merlot when the middle-of-the-night strategies did not work? So far we have managed to trigger it back, but I do not want to have to trek to hospital every time it happens.

It is still a bit all over the place today - fine one minute then doing something very odd the next. It seems to be recovering from the night's chaos. I am also slightly wheezy.

I am glad that your OH has something that keeps it at bay - this is what I am hoping for. Or at least something to take when it gets started.

Ironically I do not feel so depressed today - but I am no doubt speaking too soon!

DH used to suffer bouts of SVT when he was given the wrong medication for athsma and anxiety. This was back in the eighties and it took the GP a long time to get it sorted. He's absolutely fine now but has to take Verapamil daily to keep his heart rhythm on an even keel.

His prescription was due in today but the surgery rang this morning to say their suppliers no longer stock it so I've just had a half hour round trip to pick it up from a different pharmacy.

GAH!!

I don't blame you for being wary, Mishap. DH used to wake up in the early hours with SVT and it was very scary. We used to try the 'gagging' trick as well as holding pepper under his nose to try and make him sneeze, also straining as though you're constipated. Nothing worked.

Verapamil has been his lifeline for years so I'm hoping we can continue to get it so he doesn't have to change his medication.

Take it easy

GP said to stop taking it; and if I was feeling exceptionally brave to try again with a tiny dose in a week. He thinks there is likely to be a causal relationship. I am disinclined to try again - just knowing that I might trigger off heart problems negates any value that taking it might have.

I am between a rock and hard place, and really need to get the heart investigations sorted before risking taking anything else. It is very trying.

Just put off DD and son from coming round because they have colds - I feel bad about that, but I think that getting a cold would be the last straw at present.

Crafting - are you feeling any better this morning? I do hope so.

Mishap - how are you and what did your GP say?

(That was to Crafting)

Have you seen the doctor about it btw?

Crafting virtual from me too.

Definitely try to keep food intake up. Getting weak from lack of food will not help.

Update - took a small amount of the sertraline yesterday at mid-day and woke in SVT (bad heart rhythm) at midnight - we managed to get it back into a normal state (splashing cold water on me, sticking fingers down throat to make me gag etc. - all great fun), but I am having small runs of SVT all the time this morning. Sertraline was the only anti-d that was deemed to be safe with my funny heart, so it looks as though I will have to try and battle this through some other way - I cannot risk setting my heart off as it is so very unpleasant and stressful which is the last thing I need.

However, there is humour to be found anywhere I guess - I woke with the problem and poked my OH and said "Ticker is dicky" and he roused himself from the depths of his sleeping-tablet induce slumber and said "What? tickle my f***y!" Hmmm.

I found yoga helped me when I had a particularly painful bout of sciatica. It was worth getting up an hour earlier before work to do the excercises and make plenty of time for showering dressing etc.

Hope everyone feels better this morning.