61
General Discussion / Re: OCD Walk Toronto
« on: June 15, 2018, 05:15:54 pm »
Thx for the info Peace. Take Care. paul m
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62
General Discussion / Re: Moving On Up
« on: June 15, 2018, 05:15:12 pm »
Congrats Peace. I'm sure that a lot of effort went into the course. paul m
63
General Discussion / Re: I'm now "geriatric!" (just turned 71)
« on: June 11, 2018, 10:18:55 pm »
Sorry to hear about your fall. One of the tough parts about getting older is losing our balance for no apparent reason or for reasons that are diagnosed. I broke my wrist in April when my right foot didn't move where I wanted it too. I knew the reason (parkinson) but it still didn't help with the pain. Fortunately it was a very minor break.
I wish you well on your medication change. Take Care. paul m
I wish you well on your medication change. Take Care. paul m
64
General Discussion / Re: Older brother (76 or 77) has bad prostate cancer
« on: June 11, 2018, 10:15:35 pm »
Hello Peter. I wish your brother all the best. Take Care. paul m
65
General Discussion / Re: What do people think about the current promises by polictical parties?
« on: May 23, 2018, 09:32:20 pm »
Hello Momfeelinglost. I haven't seen too many promises that even give mental health much money right away. Most of it is promised much later , some as late at 2028. Mental health seems to be a side note this election, at least that is my opinion. Take Care. paul m
66
General Discussion / Re: How is everyone doing?
« on: April 15, 2018, 11:07:25 pm »
Hello Dragonfly. I agree with you that this is a good place to post. In regards to my health, well I'm getting older and I'm not doing so gracefully LOL. It seems that every time I take a step forward something happens. Broke my wrist 2 wks ago and that seems to be how the last 6mths have gone. Nothing tragic or horrifying, just a lot of problems. The good news is that between the cancer (treated last fall) and the after effects of the treatments, I lost 45 lbs and it was weight that I needed to lose. So I guess that is the bright side. Take Care. paul m
67
General Discussion / Re: afraid of stroke or heart attack - expecting too much of myself
« on: April 15, 2018, 11:01:41 pm »
Hello Dragonfly. When you said
"I am my own worst enemy. I want things done yesterday. I have to take better care of myself or I am not good to anyone and mostly myself. I feel selfish when I don't pitch in. I guess I have to consider my age and my health problems. I can't do what they do. It is very frustrating to not do what I used to do."
I often feel the exact same way. While I'm slowly getting back on my feet after having cancer treatments last fall, I'm progressing far too slowly to suit me. My other ailments seem to be bothering me now as well, but at least I'm still walking so I guess I should be happy. Take Care. paul m
"I am my own worst enemy. I want things done yesterday. I have to take better care of myself or I am not good to anyone and mostly myself. I feel selfish when I don't pitch in. I guess I have to consider my age and my health problems. I can't do what they do. It is very frustrating to not do what I used to do."
I often feel the exact same way. While I'm slowly getting back on my feet after having cancer treatments last fall, I'm progressing far too slowly to suit me. My other ailments seem to be bothering me now as well, but at least I'm still walking so I guess I should be happy. Take Care. paul m
68
General Discussion / Re: hard time of year
« on: April 15, 2018, 10:55:33 pm »
Hello Dragonfly. April and even May have always been tough times of year for me. While it's a time of year when most pick up, I seem to run down. But I know that June is not far ahead and I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to camping. Take Care. paul m
69
General Discussion / Re: Older brother (76 or 77) has bad prostate cancer
« on: March 20, 2018, 09:53:41 pm »
Hello Peter. I hope that your brother responds well to treatments. Take Care. paul m
70
General Discussion / Re: How is everyone doing
« on: February 21, 2018, 06:50:04 pm »
Hello Mark. Peace has given you a pretty good answer. I'll try and add a little. My experience has been that everyone is different, but sometimes docs try and treat us all the same. It's been my experience that each doc has several medications that they prescribe first. That is fine as long as they are willing to change them up when they don't work. I would have gotten a lot better , a lot sooner if I had made my docs change my meds quicker when I was really ill. If a medication is going to work for you, you will generally show a large improvement in how you feel within 60-90 days from the time you reach maximum dose. I don't know how many times I went 6mths or even more than a yr(s) with a medication that only slightly improved my moods.
Basically if I wasn't suicidal my doc didn't want to change my meds. That can still leave a person feeling pretty low. In order to get better I had to try many different meds in a variety combos and I went with the "if I don't feel vastly better in 90 days I want something different " attitude and that helped a lot.
Of course I had to do some difficult things myself , like life style(exercise , sleep habits, etc) and diet changes (less booze, less sugars and chips etc) in order to make it all work, but changing my meds helped considerably.
Which ones to take? Unfortunately everyone is different, so what works for one won`t work for another, however it may help to try different classes of medication. For example Sertraline is classed as a SSRI, so maybe an NDRI (wellbutrin) may work for you. Each class of medications anti depressants works in a slightly different manner. That doesn`t mean that another SSRI may not help you (such as cipralex). Wikipedia has a not bad primer on various classes of antidepressants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant . It certainly is not the last word in antidepressants, but it may help. Take Care. paul m
Basically if I wasn't suicidal my doc didn't want to change my meds. That can still leave a person feeling pretty low. In order to get better I had to try many different meds in a variety combos and I went with the "if I don't feel vastly better in 90 days I want something different " attitude and that helped a lot.
Of course I had to do some difficult things myself , like life style(exercise , sleep habits, etc) and diet changes (less booze, less sugars and chips etc) in order to make it all work, but changing my meds helped considerably.
Which ones to take? Unfortunately everyone is different, so what works for one won`t work for another, however it may help to try different classes of medication. For example Sertraline is classed as a SSRI, so maybe an NDRI (wellbutrin) may work for you. Each class of medications anti depressants works in a slightly different manner. That doesn`t mean that another SSRI may not help you (such as cipralex). Wikipedia has a not bad primer on various classes of antidepressants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant . It certainly is not the last word in antidepressants, but it may help. Take Care. paul m
71
General Discussion / Re: Getting help for spouse
« on: February 02, 2018, 04:02:58 am »
Hello Jane and welcome. That's a tough spot that you are in, but you are taking the right steps. One of the problems with trying to diagnose bipolar is that heavy drinking will often hide the bipolar or it can inflame bipolar. That is , bipolar may only become a problem when alcohol is being used.
While I'm sure that somebody has gotten better while drinking heavily, I've never met anyone who had a serious mental illness and who got well while drinking heavily. (sorry to say)
In regards to stopping drinking quickly his doctor may be right, but unless your husband is a full fledged alcoholic, there is no reason why he can't slowly cut back over a couple of weeks.
I'm sorry that I don't have better answers for you,but until your husband is willing to seek it is a difficult situation. You are correct about seeking help for yourself.
I sympathize with your situation and hopefully his psychiatrist will be able to talk with him. If he does come down from what you suspect is manic high, that is the time to talk with him. Trying to talk sense to someone who is on a manic high usually only leads to arguments as they don't see any problem with their behaviours. Good luck and Take Care. paul m
While I'm sure that somebody has gotten better while drinking heavily, I've never met anyone who had a serious mental illness and who got well while drinking heavily. (sorry to say)
In regards to stopping drinking quickly his doctor may be right, but unless your husband is a full fledged alcoholic, there is no reason why he can't slowly cut back over a couple of weeks.
I'm sorry that I don't have better answers for you,but until your husband is willing to seek it is a difficult situation. You are correct about seeking help for yourself.
I sympathize with your situation and hopefully his psychiatrist will be able to talk with him. If he does come down from what you suspect is manic high, that is the time to talk with him. Trying to talk sense to someone who is on a manic high usually only leads to arguments as they don't see any problem with their behaviours. Good luck and Take Care. paul m
72
General Discussion / Re: Look for suggestions on how to deal with this
« on: January 31, 2018, 08:50:14 pm »
Hello Momfeelinglost. Unfortunately I have no good suggestions, but I can undertand how difficult this must be for you. Take Care. paul m
73
General Discussion / Re: How is everyone doing
« on: January 31, 2018, 08:47:04 pm »
Hello Dragonfly. I'm doing not to bad. 2017 was a bit of a bummer and it seemed like there were only downs and no ups. However 2017 ended in a good way with the birth of our second grandchild at the end of Dec. 2018 got off too a good start when I rec'd the Ontario medal for good citizen ship from the Lieutenant Governor in a recent ceremony for all of the volunteer duties I have preformed over the yrs.
I`m glad that you found the MDAO group interesting. Wish your son well for me, I understand that kidney stones can be very painful. Take Care. paul m
I`m glad that you found the MDAO group interesting. Wish your son well for me, I understand that kidney stones can be very painful. Take Care. paul m
74
General Discussion / Re: jury duty...
« on: January 12, 2018, 10:24:03 pm »
Hello Peter. The stuff that you have may be enough, but a letter from a nurse or doctor would be better. Good Luck with everything. Take Care. paul m
75
Family, Friends, and Supporters / Re: Husband won't seek help
« on: January 05, 2018, 10:03:53 pm »
Hello RiverNymph and welcome. Joining a Frap group is certainly a step in the right direction. I can understand both of your positions. When I was really ill, I didn't want to see a psychiatrist as I thought I would end up wearing a label and/or I would be mocked by my friends and/or a whole lot of other things including being turned into a zombie.
I also understand your frustrations as I have a son who wouldn't get help for a number of years. Plus I nearly drove my wife off of the edge with my own behaviours during my worst years.
I won't list my bad behaviours when I was ill as it would fill several pages, but if it's any consolation that our worse years were around the 20 yr mark and we have now been together for almost 43 yrs.
Like you my wife had to take steps to protect herself and our family, but it did eventually all work out.
In regards to smoking a lot of pot. I'm not a medical expert but I have talked to a lot of people who used pot and while it certainly does help some, I've never met anyone who smoked a lot of pot and got better(Or drank a lot of booze) . I'm not anti pot or anti booze, both can have benefits, but both are notorious depressants.
Please ask more questions or use the forum to vent. Trying to help someone get better can be a long and tough journey. Take Care. paul m
I also understand your frustrations as I have a son who wouldn't get help for a number of years. Plus I nearly drove my wife off of the edge with my own behaviours during my worst years.
I won't list my bad behaviours when I was ill as it would fill several pages, but if it's any consolation that our worse years were around the 20 yr mark and we have now been together for almost 43 yrs.
Like you my wife had to take steps to protect herself and our family, but it did eventually all work out.
In regards to smoking a lot of pot. I'm not a medical expert but I have talked to a lot of people who used pot and while it certainly does help some, I've never met anyone who smoked a lot of pot and got better(Or drank a lot of booze) . I'm not anti pot or anti booze, both can have benefits, but both are notorious depressants.
Please ask more questions or use the forum to vent. Trying to help someone get better can be a long and tough journey. Take Care. paul m