thread in which the Mentally Normal sustain a stream of fascinating chat

[Mitchy1nge]

and die of being cold

I've done the same Millie, and I had to open it in front of DH and DD. Managed to get them to select the things they like so I could make something for each of them. This is wool I ordered when I couldn't find any to match my one fingered gloves. I've hidden the other parcel that arrived yesterday.

Mostly beads, some buttons and other bits :)

Has anyone else been watching the allotment challenge?

No, I havent, is it good? If I had the time/energy, I'd like to grow my own food and keep chickens :D My grandad used to grow lots and I'll never forget the smell of the tomatoes on his greenhouse. Dad used to grow quite a lot too

It's a lot like the great British bake off, or sewing bee, relaxing tv. Tomatoes growing reminds me of my grandpa too.

am trying to watch wolf hall, woke up late with a long list of ailments: headache sore throat earache extra-bad back painful hip

am enjoying lemon and ginger tea with honey and contents of paracetamol capsules emptied in to it

Mitchy, that's what I've had this week. My back pain was in the kidney area, and all over Joint ache. Getting slowly better now, but worse evenings and mornings.

I think I caught a bit of allotment challenge last week. Keep meaning to record it for DD, as she'd like to grow veg.

Wondering if psychiatrist would recommend I cut my dose again - not keen as last time on fast taper when I cut to equiv. 22.5mg a day I was getting warning signs for impending depressiveness and on returning to 30mg felt pretty good - like how it keeps me at normal to high normal unlike phen+lamotrigine combination I had before which kept me low normal, and of course complicated combos previously which kept me zombified, but 30mg while it has been fine since before Christmas with very little dancy singiness which seems to bother them so much appears to be juuust edging me into constant randiness/sparkly enthusiasm/talky mimbliness territory.

Confusing as it all is and much as i love my Nardil I'm keen to get off it BC of the weight aspect, but also loath to reduce because of the depression. I'm happy with feeling good but if it's at the cost of weight gain not sure what is best to do.

I'm also three days late for a period that since I had my implant removed has been as regular as prune juice at 26 days precisely with no significant change in diet/exercise/stress levels and the only thing I can think of is that I've finally kicked the ridiculous sleeping ten hours a night habit the phenelzine seemed to be inducing and wondering whether that would affect periods.

Sounds painful Mitchy.

I hate the smell of a greenhouse full if tomatoes; it's so horribly insectile and thin and reedy and yellow, blech; its why I'm not keen on raw tomatoes as they taste like my dad's greenhouse smells in a hot summer when the light is on the fruit all day.

Back pain in the kidney area needs checking out, doesn't it?

Millie what kind of bug is it?

Would really like to be able to have a chat with the psychiatrist about the best thing to do WRT antidepressants but don't have any appointments scheduled with him at any point. But as it is not exactly an emergency I guess what I can do is mention it to my care coordinator who I'll be seeing on Friday and see if she can schedule me a routine medcheck at some point as I need a long-term strategy for getting off the meds while maintaining a nice appropriate mood.

Psychological services might be able to help me with it I guess but I've been told the waiting list is several months, and I've just missed the WRAP course at my local charity as I apparently should've put my name down at the front desk if I wanted to do it and the person booking me in a while ago didn't tell me this because she thought I wouldn't be ready for it despite my saying that the WRAP courses were one of the primary motivations behind my social worker suggesting this charity to me in the first place. I will try and remember some CBT stuff - anyone have any experience with moodgym for selfmanagement and prevention of depression?

Thank you Ep! I did google and as it didn't hurt to pee and pee was normal colour I decided to wait. Pain came and went and is gone now, but did have me worried.

Have you had thyroid checked recently Ep? It seems to get missed/forgotten when docs are concentrating on depression & weight. Ive found a low dose of levothyroxine helps with both (a bit. Enough to make a difference.)

Knowing what my triggers are
Remembering to eat meals, see people, do things I enjoy.
Sleep.

There are probably others but I can't think of them right now.

Healthy exercise
healthy diet
sleep
seeing people
um...another one, could be interests?

um, in order I think, for me personally:

sleep/wake regular times with rare exceptions
lithium
running or other outdoor exercise at least one hour a day at least five days a week

social contact for me too,
music
moving around in general

Bug seems to be some kind of virus, feel bleugh -just achey and nauseous and..bleugh

I remember having a whole load of blood tests done by the psychiatrist when I fiest see him and I'm sure he mentioned that one of the things he was checking for was thyroid levels so I will try and remember to ask him about that next time I see him, although if they were dodgy I guess he would've mentioned it. Thanks for the reminder

I'm eating fairly healthily (if a little too much calorically), doing plenty of exercise, sleeping at least a few hours a night, doing groups run by a local MH charity to combat social isolation, attempting to do things with Mavis (my only friend locally, as opposed to acquaintance as I tend to withdraw for long periods of time when low and am socially awkward at the best of times (cf. referral for ASD assessment) and as I don't work or study have had few opportunities to make friends locally), following some of my interests (reading novels, watching TV shows, playing video games) so the only things I can think of that I could really do are some kind of creative manual activity as I've heard tjat physically doing things with your hands is superior for mood that similarly creative things which have no manual involvement, learning something new perhaps, to challenge myself, and possibly (shock horror) some kind of work or volunteering - but I don't want to get myself into my usual trap of overenthusiastically deciding I can do EVERYTHING and then suddenly crashing and burning in a big pile of depressed horribleness. My next aim is to get my contacts sorted and book a few refresher driving lessons.

I'm glad the pain sorted itself, Niamh

Achey nauseous lethargy sucks Hope you feel better soon

I'm wondering if I should ask for my citalopram to be increased, I take 20 mg.

Recurrent depression is a bastard of a disease as it can be so tempting to avoid taking on new things in case it all gets scuppered by a bout of depression as IME it usually does. But I have every hope that this has been my last depression and I can have a future without mental bloody illness. I have to hope that, right?

It's worth asking about, at least, IMO, Snowy, since you've been feeling so low lately.

I hope that this has been your last depression top enpo, it's so debilitating. I feel the same, that there's no reason for me to get psychotic again.

Yes, exactly! Thank you Snowy - I hope the same for you.

We all have to hope that, Ep. (I mean for ourselves, not just you/each other!)

Lithium can affect thyroid too, and other meds. Worth a yearly check.

Yes, I was looking at starting a college course ..by the time the prospectus arrived it was clear I wouldn't be right for it. So I'm busy with crochet.