Depression

[Roker Mackem]

I find my mood is great after a coffee first thing. When it wears off though

 

[NewAdventuresInWiFi]

 

[Baloo]

I’m not a prolific poster on this thread by any means, very rarely dip in and might drop the odd PM, but if your GP tells you to take meds, please do. I can understand that after some time you may not find they are working, which you can deal with by going back to your GP/specialist, but don’t stop taking them because someone on a football forum tells you to.

Just because someone else hasn’t benefited from treatment doesn’t mean that you won’t.

 

[becs]

Just thought I’d update everyone. As mentioned before, I’ve been suffering from PMDD for several years. It started off quite mild but got worse as time passed. It’s a female hormone disorder that causes severe PMS. There are other effects like heavy bleeding, sore boobs, stomach cramps etc., but I’ll spare you the details about that! My crohns would kick off in the second half of my cycle too and I was getting severe pain down the left side of my abdomen.

The depression was the hardest to deal with. In my case, it was like a switch was being flicked just after I ovulated mid-cycle, and I’d plunge into a really low mood, sometimes with suicidal thoughts for about two weeks until I came on. I just hated myself and getting through each day was a struggle. I had here though as my safe space where I could pretend everything was fine and that helped a lot.

The first line of treatment is hormone based contraceptives. They can level the hormones out for some women. It’s always “try this and give it a few months and see how it goes.” I tried different combined pills, the mini pill, the depo injection and the Mirena coil but all made the symptoms worse. I was really frustrated that nothing was working. They decided I was sensitive to the progesterone, so contraceptives were no good for me.

The second line of treatment is SSRI’s. Some women take them continually. Some take them for two weeks a month to coincide with the PMDD symptoms. I tried three but reacted badly to all of them! Mirtazapine made me way too sleepy. I felt like a zombie and I didn’t feel safe driving. Sertraline gave me chronic migraine like headaches and I kept having to lay down until they passed. Fluoxetine gave me a rare skin rash so I had to stop that.

The third line of treatment is GNRH analogue injections. That’s a pellet injected into your belly (ouch!) every four weeks. They work by chemically shutting down the ovaries so no hormones are produced and your body goes into a drugged menopause. These were brilliant! All the symptoms vanished and I felt great! My crohns went into remission as well. The only downside is they seriously deplete your bone density, so you can only have them for six months at a time otherwise you are at much higher risk of osteoporosis and broken bones.

My six months finished in the summer. As the injections wore off, my ovaries fired back up again big style and I was plunged into a massive low. I really couldn’t cope with anything. I was getting a lot of hassle on here and my safe space was gone. I still wanted to join in the footy chat as it was just before the World Cup, so I changed my name on here and used a blokes name as a woman would have been easily spotted. My safe space was back again. I’m genuinely sorry to all who I worried during this time, but I had to do what was best for myself.

After discussions with gynae I was left with the options of GNRH injections on a six months on and six months off basis or surgery to remove my ovaries. I would have had to have the injections for another approx 12 years until I reached natural menopause. This would mean the six months of feeling well and six months of being poorly, plus the hassle of going to the hospital every four weeks for the injections.

I decided surgery was the easiest option in the long term, so I had my ovaries removed in December. I’m doing really well now. All the symptoms, including the depression have gone and my crohns is barely noticeable. Once they got inside me, they discovered I also had endometriosis which would have been causing the pain so that has all been cut out as well.

Hopefully I’ll stay well now and I’m just enjoying being able to live a decent life again

 

[back_to_winning_ways]

Just thought I’d update everyone. As mentioned before, I’ve been suffering from PMDD for several years. It started off quite mild but got worse as time passed. It’s a female hormone disorder that causes severe PMS. There are other effects like heavy bleeding, sore boobs, stomach cramps etc., but I’ll spare you the details about that! My crohns would kick off in the second half of my cycle too and I was getting severe pain down the left side of my abdomen.

The depression was the hardest to deal with. In my case, it was like a switch was being flicked just after I ovulated mid-cycle, and I’d plunge into a really low mood, sometimes with suicidal thoughts for about two weeks until I came on. I just hated myself and getting through each day was a struggle. I had here though as my safe space where I could pretend everything was fine and that helped a lot.

The first line of treatment is hormone based contraceptives. They can level the hormones out for some women. It’s always “try this and give it a few months and see how it goes.” I tried different combined pills, the mini pill, the depo injection and the Mirena coil but all made the symptoms worse. I was really frustrated that nothing was working. They decided I was sensitive to the progesterone, so contraceptives were no good for me.

The second line of treatment is SSRI’s. Some women take them continually. Some take them for two weeks a month to coincide with the PMDD symptoms. I tried three but reacted badly to all of them! Mirtazapine made me way too sleepy. I felt like a zombie and I didn’t feel safe driving. Sertraline gave me chronic migraine like headaches and I kept having to lay down until they passed. Fluoxetine gave me a rare skin rash so I had to stop that.

The third line of treatment is GNRH analogue injections. That’s a pellet injected into your belly (ouch!) every four weeks. They work by chemically shutting down the ovaries so no hormones are produced and your body goes into a drugged menopause. These were brilliant! All the symptoms vanished and I felt great! My crohns went into remission as well. The only downside is they seriously deplete your bone density, so you can only have them for six months at a time otherwise you are at much higher risk of osteoporosis and broken bones.

My six months finished in the summer. As the injections wore off, my ovaries fired back up again big style and I was plunged into a massive low. I really couldn’t cope with anything. I was getting a lot of hassle on here and my safe space was gone. I still wanted to join in the footy chat as it was just before the World Cup, so I changed my name on here and used a blokes name as a woman would have been easily spotted. My safe space was back again. I’m genuinely sorry to all who I worried during this time, but I had to do what was best for myself.

After discussions with gynae I was left with the options of GNRH injections on a six months on and six months off basis or surgery to remove my ovaries. I would have had to have the injections for another approx 12 years until I reached natural menopause. This would mean the six months of feeling well and six months of being poorly, plus the hassle of going to the hospital every four weeks for the injections.

I decided surgery was the easiest option in the long term, so I had my ovaries removed in December. I’m doing really well now. All the symptoms, including the depression have gone and my crohns is barely noticeable. Once they got inside me, they discovered I also had endometriosis which would have been causing the pain so that has all been cut out as well.

Hopefully I’ll stay well now and I’m just enjoying being able to live a decent life again

So glad you got sorted Becs. A drastic solution but it looks like it's worked for you x

 

[Keawyeds]

So maybe write a list of your strengths and weaknesses and see if you can find a job that fits...

Things like, Do you deal well with the public ? Phones ? Computer skills etc...

I'm having a go at this now.
I know I have transferable skills, but I suppose they're so transferable I could do a number of things, but I could do with narrowing down my field!
It's like trying to date yourself!

 

[chopsfc007]

How we all getting on

 

[Abu Dhabi Red and White]

It's like trying to date yourself!

Pure carbon marra.

 

[rudd]

This was me at my worst. www.tryingtobreaktheloop.wordpress.com

The one thing I've learnt and that I'd advise anyone is to keep talking and reach out, no matter how you feel, people care about you.

Has anyone had much experience with CBT, either good or bad?

I'm due to have my first appointment next week in relation to depression & anxiety and I'm still not entirely sure what to expect from it. I had been doing an online CBT course a few months back, but I didn't feel as though I was gaining anything from it, or even learning anything that I hadn't already found out online before.

I'm hoping being able to actually speak to someone face-to-face might make me feel a lot more engaged with it, but at the same time I'm a bit wary it might seem similar to the online course which felt a bit like 'stating the obvious'.

It can be a very useful tool and sometimes just hearing someone else "stating the obvious" can be enough to make a change in your behaviours and thoughts. (CBT is more that that though). Hope it went well.

 

[Keawyeds]

Pure carbon marra.

Que?

Also, while I'm in here, it's #TimeToTalk day.

It's important to have a somewhere or someone to talk to about how you're feeling.
The SMB has it's fair share of dodgepots, but this thread is a brilliant example of how supportive people can be to one another, when they may have never even met them.

 

[Deleted member 559]

Feeling it this week. No work so far, and doing my nut in. Car MOT coming soon isn't helping.

 

[chopsfc007]

So Im getting sent for gastrophy, ultra sound scan, xrays and maybe blood tests I also have diabetic screening coming up, when all that's done with I think I need an appointment about the anti depressants.

 

[Keawyeds]

So Im getting sent for gastrophy, ultra sound scan, xrays and maybe blood tests I also have diabetic screening coming up, when all that's done with I think I need an appointment about the anti depressants.

The joys of Scanxiety.
That's a word I picked up yesterday. They're all there to help you be as healthy as you can be. Hope it all works out

 

[chopsfc007]

The joys of Scanxiety.
That's a word I picked up yesterday. They're all there to help you be as healthy as you can be. Hope it all works out

Sounds daft but I actually hope something comes up on the tests Iv been ill in various ways for over 2years

 

[Summer Bee]

I've been really, really low for the past 2 months with Christmas being exceptionally hard. Money has been a massive contributor to this, I don't think I've ever been in such a bad place financially, and there's no real let up. I've went days without food and had to sell things that would generally be considered essential to have, just to get by from payday to payday.
I've started counselling last week and I'm due to move into a cheaper place any day now, so hopefully things start to even out a bit because I can't deal with another 2 months of things being this way

 

[Deleted member 5265]

This was me at my worst. www.tryingtobreaktheloop.wordpress.com

The one thing I've learnt and that I'd advise anyone is to keep talking and reach out, no matter how you feel, people care about you.


It can be a very useful tool and sometimes just hearing someone else "stating the obvious" can be enough to make a change in your behaviours and thoughts. (CBT is more that that though). Hope it went well.

I’ve read that, thank you so much for sharing your story. How lucky are we that such an amazing, thoughtful, talented guy is making it through and is with us xx

 

[Uncle D]

Just thought I’d update everyone. As mentioned before, I’ve been suffering from PMDD for several years. It started off quite mild but got worse as time passed. It’s a female hormone disorder that causes severe PMS. There are other effects like heavy bleeding, sore boobs, stomach cramps etc., but I’ll spare you the details about that! My crohns would kick off in the second half of my cycle too and I was getting severe pain down the left side of my abdomen.

The depression was the hardest to deal with. In my case, it was like a switch was being flicked just after I ovulated mid-cycle, and I’d plunge into a really low mood, sometimes with suicidal thoughts for about two weeks until I came on. I just hated myself and getting through each day was a struggle. I had here though as my safe space where I could pretend everything was fine and that helped a lot.

The first line of treatment is hormone based contraceptives. They can level the hormones out for some women. It’s always “try this and give it a few months and see how it goes.” I tried different combined pills, the mini pill, the depo injection and the Mirena coil but all made the symptoms worse. I was really frustrated that nothing was working. They decided I was sensitive to the progesterone, so contraceptives were no good for me.

The second line of treatment is SSRI’s. Some women take them continually. Some take them for two weeks a month to coincide with the PMDD symptoms. I tried three but reacted badly to all of them! Mirtazapine made me way too sleepy. I felt like a zombie and I didn’t feel safe driving. Sertraline gave me chronic migraine like headaches and I kept having to lay down until they passed. Fluoxetine gave me a rare skin rash so I had to stop that.

The third line of treatment is GNRH analogue injections. That’s a pellet injected into your belly (ouch!) every four weeks. They work by chemically shutting down the ovaries so no hormones are produced and your body goes into a drugged menopause. These were brilliant! All the symptoms vanished and I felt great! My crohns went into remission as well. The only downside is they seriously deplete your bone density, so you can only have them for six months at a time otherwise you are at much higher risk of osteoporosis and broken bones.

My six months finished in the summer. As the injections wore off, my ovaries fired back up again big style and I was plunged into a massive low. I really couldn’t cope with anything. I was getting a lot of hassle on here and my safe space was gone. I still wanted to join in the footy chat as it was just before the World Cup, so I changed my name on here and used a blokes name as a woman would have been easily spotted. My safe space was back again. I’m genuinely sorry to all who I worried during this time, but I had to do what was best for myself.

After discussions with gynae I was left with the options of GNRH injections on a six months on and six months off basis or surgery to remove my ovaries. I would have had to have the injections for another approx 12 years until I reached natural menopause. This would mean the six months of feeling well and six months of being poorly, plus the hassle of going to the hospital every four weeks for the injections.

I decided surgery was the easiest option in the long term, so I had my ovaries removed in December. I’m doing really well now. All the symptoms, including the depression have gone and my crohns is barely noticeable. Once they got inside me, they discovered I also had endometriosis which would have been causing the pain so that has all been cut out as well.

Hopefully I’ll stay well now and I’m just enjoying being able to live a decent life again

I've shed a tear reading that, see you soon my dwarf porn lover.

 

[becs]

So Im getting sent for gastrophy, ultra sound scan, xrays and maybe blood tests I also have diabetic screening coming up, when all that's done with I think I need an appointment about the anti depressants.

It'll put your mind at rest one way or the other when you get the results of the tests. Try not to worry about them too much in the mean time xx

I've been really, really low for the past 2 months with Christmas being exceptionally hard. Money has been a massive contributor to this, I don't think I've ever been in such a bad place financially, and there's no real let up. I've went days without food and had to sell things that would generally be considered essential to have, just to get by from payday to payday.
I've started counselling last week and I'm due to move into a cheaper place any day now, so hopefully things start to even out a bit because I can't deal with another 2 months of things being this way

Sorry to hear that. It's tough when you are struggling like that. Have you done a financial workout? Have a look on money saving expert as they have some good articles on budgeting that might help you get things in order. Nobody should have to go without food.

I've shed a tear reading that, see you soon my dwarf porn lover.

Can you drop the dwarf porn thing marra? It's getting tiresome. Ta xx

 

[Summer Bee]

Sorry to hear that. It's tough when you are struggling like that. Have you done a financial workout? Have a look on money saving expert as they have some good articles on budgeting that might help you get things in order. Nobody should have to go without food.

Yeah, I've done a few things like that but it always seems that something unexpected crops up that knocks me further back. It's just one of those things. I'm juggling depression, anxiety and a few other bits at the minute which is probably why I'm finding it so hard. I've had more severe depression before than what I have now and pulled myself back from it, just never had to manage it with other things on top. Ill be fine though, think I just needed to write how I'm feeling as a form of catharsis

 

[Deleted member 5265]

It'll put your mind at rest one way or the other when you get the results of the tests. Try not to worry about them too much in the mean time xx



Sorry to hear that. It's tough when you are struggling like that. Have you done a financial workout? Have a look on money saving expert as they have some good articles on budgeting that might help you get things in order. Nobody should have to go without food.



Can you drop the dwarf porn thing marra? It's getting tiresome. Ta xx

Nice to see you back. Glad you're in better health xx