Messages

346

General Discussion / Re: winter blues

« on: December 05, 2014, 12:47:59 am »

Hello Dragonfly. SAD lamps don't work for me either. For a lot of people with bipolar(not all) it seems that the success rate of SAD lamps is less. Take Care. paul m

Hello CanadianEM.  If the only reason why you DL was revoked was for medical reasons you shouldn't have to go to court as a first step. You can file an appeal with the MTO. It still costs money, but not as much as going to court. The MTO will want proof that you are safe to be driving. More info can be found at the website that I have listed below. Take Care. paul m P.S. the procedure is a major pain in the butt and takes forever.
http://www.sse.gov.on.ca/mohltc/ppao/en/Pages/InfoGuides/Complaints_A.aspx?openMenu=smenu_Comp

 Hello Everyone. I'd just like to rant abit about the MTO. It is the law that if a doctor feels that a person would be a hazard driving a car then they must report that person to the MTO and the MTO then decides whether or not to suspend the drivers lic.

 According to the way the rule is written literally anyone who has had major surgery plus a lot of other things should have their lic suspended. However it never seems to work that way. But I've seen people who were given an antipsychotic at the hospital, suddenly deprived of a D/L. I've even seen people who were suicidal deprived of their D/L after an over zealous doc decided that they might run their car into someone. In some places they have a method to temporarily suspend your D/L, rather than the all or nothing here in Ontario.

 It ticks me off to know that if I end up in the ER for a physical problem and I tic off the doc, then I could lose my lic. if the doc reports that I'm not mentally stable. (Not that any doctor would file a report like that just because you called him an a**hole.) Meanwhile the guy who has had 3 heart attacks , smokes like a chimney and is 100 lbs overweight never gets reported to the MTO . I mean it's not like that person may have a 4th one while driving or anything.  OK my rant is over. Take Care. paul m

347

General Discussion / Re: Praise for a Social Organization

« on: December 02, 2014, 11:29:59 pm »

Hello Peace. Thx for sharing your story with us. Take Care. paul m

 Hello CanadianEm. Groups and couselling vary and what is a perfect for one person, the next person may not like. However it is a very bad group that judges people and they are rare. More often they may run out of space and have to limit your sessions or some groups can be kind of clickish. However it doesn't usually cost anything to try and if you don't like it, then move on the next one. Take Care. paul m

348

General Discussion / Re: dermatology/slap the Dr. and others around....LOL

« on: December 02, 2014, 11:21:51 pm »

Hello Peter. I'm glad that your skin is OK. In regards to what is paid for by OHIP etc, usually the docs want their fee right at the time of service. So if you didn't have to pay,you should be ok. Take Care. paul m

349

General Discussion / Re: Introduction

« on: December 02, 2014, 11:18:51 pm »

Hello CanadianEm I can't speak for anyone else, but for a long time I took so much flack over my mood that I just hid my emotions.

Example. Why aren't you going to school/work/etc today? Which if I was honest and said "I just have no energy, I feel too sad, etc etc" brought up the next area of conflict  Why don't you have any energy, or you have to go , or just shake it off or your just lazy etc.  Those criticism could come from family, friends even doctors.

 So I learned at a young age to lie about how I felt and in the process I started hiding my emotions. When people are constantly judging us or painting us as failures, it's hard to show emotions as we just have too much hurt bundled up inside. (at least for me)

 Good to hear to you are trying to work through everything. There used to be a well used saying kicking around that we used a lot. "You are not alone" took me a long time to realize that was true. You aren't alone either. Take Care. paul m

350

General Discussion / Re: winter blues

« on: December 02, 2014, 11:03:02 pm »

Hello CanadianEm. Th only quick changes that ever happened to me were bad ones LOL.

 One of my pet peeves when I do get a chance to argue with the medical profession is that nobody ever deals us that some things may take a long time and the longer you have been ill, the longer it takes to get better.

 I know that both statements are generalities, but generally speaking LOL.

 Good for you getting it out. I hope that it helps you a lot. Take Care. paul m

351

General Discussion / Re: winter blues

« on: December 01, 2014, 10:47:43 pm »

Hello CanadianEm.  Good luck trying to find that SAD Lamp. I always seem to think I put something one place and eventually find it somewhere else.

 Or else I catch the dreaded tomorrow disease. "I'll look for that tomorrow" which is usually followed by the "I never got round to it", which is then followed by the by " what is wrong with me" guilt trip. LOL.

 Just kidding, but I found that often as I worked on my recovery I was my own worse enemy. I shouldn't have been, as I now know that depression makes me put off doing things and the the longer I put off doing something the more guilty I feel, and the more guilty I feel the more depressed I got. Being a little older these days I know enough about myself to know that some days(weeks) I have to just roll with the punches. Take Care. paul m

352

General Discussion / Re: MDAO Comedy Show - my jokes!

« on: December 01, 2014, 10:31:11 pm »

Hello Peter. Try and open this attachment. Take Care. paul m

353

General Discussion / Re: Introduction

« on: December 01, 2014, 10:23:30 pm »

Hello CanadianEm. I'm glad that feel welcome and comfortable. I've been around this forum(or it's predecessor) longer than anyone except Peter and probably Rich and for the most part I've always felt safe and comfortable posting about my problems on here. Plus people have been supportive and helpful over the yrs.

 In regards to your pdoc(psychiatrist) dropping you, that's unfortunate fact of life these days, however it sounds like your family doc is on the ball. (I was never that lucky).

 In regards to your substance abuse problem, that happens to a lot of people. While I wouldn't expect you to take pride in that fact, your pdoc should also bear some of the blame. I mean, you went to see a doctor to get better and it doesn't sound like your pdoc did a very good job of getting you well.

 We all bear some responsibility to getting better, however so do our doctors.

 Anyways I wish you luck. I never had a substance abuse problem, but I did plenty of other things that I feel shameful over. Take Care. paul m

 

354

General Discussion / Re: dermatology/slap the Dr. and others around....LOL

« on: November 25, 2014, 11:30:48 pm »

Hello Peter. One of the reasons some hospitals don't have a dermatology dept any more is lack of specialists in that area. It's almost impossible in my area to get an appointment to see one any more for anything less than something major.

 You were wise to make an appt as skin cancer can start out mild and worsen if not treated. (which you probably already know)Good luck with your appt. Take Care. paul m

355

General Discussion / Re: Anybody 50+ with BPD?

« on: November 25, 2014, 11:21:24 pm »

Hello WRW1955 and welcome to the forum. Why are you still so depressed, good question and if I was like one of those TV shrinks I'd ask you a couple of questions and have you all fixed up in no time(plus I'd be rich LOL).

 Unfortunately depression can strike us whether we shouldn't have a care in the world or not. I have bipolar as well and I struggled for a long time with the depression side of it, long after the major manic episodes had ended.

 One thing to do is get a very complete physical. I can almost guarantee that even if you have had a recent physical that your doctor didn't ck for a lot of things that can contribute to/or make depression worse.  Problems with any number of glands(thyroid, adrenal etc), lack of the bodies ability to properly digest a variety of vitamins and many physical illnesses can cause increased depression. Wikipedia has a not bad primer on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_(differential_diagnoses)   

 As we age we get struck with more and more of these problems and for some reason they are often not linked to increased depression.

 You may also be taking a medication that has worked faithful for years and has suddenly stopped working for reasons unknown. They even have a name for it now, SSRI poop out (seriously and it's not limited to SSRI's) The Mayo clinic has article on why depression may worsen and even they refer to medications quitting working as poop out. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/antidepressants/faq-20057938  of course the medical establishment has a correct name for this type of occurance (tachyphylaxis), but I can't pronounce that. More studies are showing that this poop out effect is happening more frequently than realized.

 Even something like sleep apenea can cause depression. Plus I haven't started on exercise, diet or sleep habits, all of which may affect our depression. I can't speak for anyone else, but I find that as I get older it's harder to exercise, sleep well and eat properly, not that I was ever an expert on any of those things LOL. Good luck with your job hunting and keeping your car running. Take Care. paul m

356

General Discussion / Re: Touched by Fire

« on: November 25, 2014, 10:23:09 pm »

Thx Dragonfly and LuckyLou. Everyon on here has helped me a lot too, so thx for being here for me as well. Take Care. paul m

357

General Discussion / Re: winter blues

« on: November 25, 2014, 10:21:20 pm »

Hello CanadianEm. If you can afford it a S.A.D. lamp (seasonal affective disorder Lamp) can be really beneficial to some. They, unfortunately, run between 2-300 bucks and are not covered by OHIP. Used ones can be bought cheaper, but you have to be careful as only a true S.A.D. lamp in good condition will bring you any benefits and  there are a lot of fakes out there.

 Writing on here can be theraputic and if you can get out all attending peer support groups can help as well. It seems like it's been a loooong fall already and I can get around. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery for your ankle. Take Care. paul m

358

General Discussion / Re: Introduction

« on: November 25, 2014, 09:49:53 pm »

Hello CanadianEm and welcome to the forum. Depression and anxiety are well documented illnesses. Suicide, which is usually caused by depression, is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 yr olds(behind accidents) . It also ranks about 9th overall as leading cause of death among the general population every year. Only slightly behind auto accidents and in front of kidney disease.

 So depression, anxiety and all mental illness are pretty serious. As too whether we need to take meds or not, that is any individuals choice.  I know a lot of individuals who say they never use any kind of medication, but when they go to the dentist I seldom hear them tell the dentist to go ahead and pull the tooth without freezing or when they have an infection refuse to take antibiotics.

 Having a mental illness isn't a choice that we make. Accepting treatment for any illness, mental or physical is a choice that we can make.  If taking meds means enjoying life and living longer, then it is certainly your right to take meds.

 Having said all of that, just like if I have a kidney or heart disease and have to watch my diet, plus take my medications and try and live a healthy life style, there are things that we can do to help limit the effects of a mental illness. Cognetive Behavioural courses have been proven to help some people reduce or eliminate the amount of meds that they take. Living a healthy life style can be beneficial. That doesn't mean that I'm being critical of anyone's life style, I try too eat healthy and exercise, but that can be hard when I don't get out of bed for a week due to depression. Plus for me, I could be the most fit person in the world and I still need to take my meds.  Take Care. paul m

359

General Discussion / Re: MDAO Comedy Show - my jokes!

« on: November 22, 2014, 12:47:38 am »

Hello Peter. Great Jokes, I know that you will do well as always. Take Care. paul m

360

General Discussion / Re: Touched by Fire

« on: November 22, 2014, 12:46:40 am »

Hello Dragonfly. To be honest I don't really know. I do know that for many years people with a mental illness who have a creative side to them have been said to have been touched by fire.

 Although it has often came to mean someone with bipolar because of  Kay Redfield Jamison's book Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. However the term originated long before that and certainly can be attributed to any mental illness.
 
 In the case of the art show Touched by Fire, it was started by John Burghardt  whose daughter had the potential to be a brilliant artist and who suffered from bipolar.

 John talks about his daughter and at one point says " Gradually, the demons in her life overcame the happy times and the creative moments. In July 2005, Rebecca chose to end the battle by taking her own life.  see  http://www.touchedbyfire.co/1607-2/ 

 I have often heard of demons of hell touching those of us with a mental illness. Is this how the term touched with fire got started? I don't know, I can find no specific reference to it.

 For more about John's and Rebecca's story, please also see http://mymentalhealthmap.com/MDAO/Stories.aspx#Story_2    Take Care. paul m p.s if you click on the last link and then scroll down the page some you will find an interesting guy LOL.