SPRINGTIME in the VILLAGE (Support for all Mental Health Issues)

[NanaNina]

Thought I'd start a new thread what with it being the Spring Equinox and all that..........and there's another reason. I'm hoping to re-connect with people who used to be frequent village visitors, but like me, seem to have fallen by the wayside. Of course everyone is welcome in the Village, so I hope more recent visitors understand my post and will not feel de-valued in any way. The stigma of mental illness is alive and well I reckon so we all need all the support we can get.

SO - CALLING

Vicar (she started the Village thread some years ago and occasionally pops in) Edwinia'sRevenge SnowyMouse (where ARE you?) SilveryPussyCat CIQ (I know you were having a tough time) Lem (once a very regular visitor) Hoochymama Pyrrghena collardove Victrix Pulled Creamhearts (previously FDG) MentalPsychiatrist KeemaNaanAndCurryOn (miss you and your wit)
FaithLoveandGrace MySpideySenseTickles

Would love to hear how you're all doing. I'm much the same, up and down, mostly down this month.

I've probably forgotten lots of people, but that's all I can bring to mind just now.

I spoke to my Gp thanks. They have put my app. with the clinic where my pescribing dr. is forward. I have been coping a bit better. I can just feel the depression creeping back in so want to keep on top of it.

Why can't you take your dd out? Silly question, sorry you might have answered that already. A trip to the park sounds good. I find that I'm busier when I'm in indoors than when I'm out sometimes.

Hi all, wish I could say I'm doing well. Looking after the DCs day in day out is taking its toll. I'm utterly exhausted and DH is refusing to help me because the house is a mess (he "can't function" when it's messy)

I saw my MH consultant for the first time today, finally. It was supposed to be a meds review, but she hasn't changed anything. She needs to write a report to send to occy health because they won't assess my case until they et a report from her, and she wouldn't write a report until she'd seen me.(I've been medically suspended at the moment pending a new occy health report) Today was the first appointment she had, and I've been with the service for 5months now. It will take her 10 (working?) days to write the report so Occy health aren't going to receive it for another 3 weeks, then one of their doctors needs to look at it before they can write a new report. And occy health are ridiculously slow. I work in a school, an at this rate it's not looking like I will be able to start back in September. I've been off since June trying I get this sorted out. In gutted, I love my job, and I miss it so much.

I feel very flat after the psych appointment today.i was in there for an hour and a half and it was lots of questions. Did t help that I was flustered to start with as I couldn't find a parking space and ended up 10 mins late.

Planning to curl up with Ben and Jerry's and bake off in a bit. Hope that helps

Glad to hear you have managed to speak to someone loveis
I'm too scared to take her out on my own because my Mobility issue. If she runs off I can't run after her & that scares the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong she does listen to me but there are times she doesn't. She's ran in the middle of the road a few times and I guess that had terrified me. Tomorrow DH has taken the day off so he can come with us to the park or wherever we go.

mummy firstly Ben n Jerry is a wonderful idea and now I want some too. I'm sorry the report is taking so long but unfortunately that is how they all work. It is hard when you really just want to get back to work hopefully they will sort it sooner rather than later. Will the school allow you to come back mid term? Can they be flexible? For now just try taking this time to recover properly, u might as well concentrate on that as the other stuff is out of your hands.

School holidays are definitely a touchy when we have so much going on with our health. I'm trying to take each day as it comes but it's a lot of hard work. But the smile is permenantly fixated on my face as I don't want to spoil the fun for DD. I can be my true sad self here though

It must be hard taking your DD out and about knowing you would be unable to run after her pulled I find it hard enough having both DCs out and about. I had to abandon DD in her car seat in boots once as DS decided to make a break for it into the car park DD must only have been weeks old! I've also told DS to wait by the doors of the same boots (it's an out of town one) whilst I got DD out of the car. He was playing with the automatic doors and the staff started to wonder who on earth he belonged to! He was only a few metres away from me and in plain sight, but my car wasn't visible from the tills. I'll probably get banned from there soon!!

Ben and Jerry helped cheer me up a little. As did Bake off and an epic house marathon. However we've left it in the middle of a two part episode, major cliffhanger!

I would use the time off to recover, if I was actually ill. Thing is I was absolutely fine when the OH decided I was unsafe to be around children. I'd had absolutely no issues at work until then. The only thing making me ill at the moment is all of the stress caused by the OH scenario okay and the school holidays, the fact that it's summer... But OH is my biggest stress.

DS is at Nana's tonight, so hopefully we'll get a bit of a lie in tomorrow. DD tends to sleep in a bit when DS doesn't wake her up. DH is out cycling all afternoon, I might go to my mums with DD for the afternoon. That will be stressful in itself, but at least DD will be entertained

Hi been awol for a bit. Been slightly better recently, going out a bit. Have taken up jogging to see if it helps. Only on day 2 though. Will read through now

I've been trying to go jogging too mythical are you following the couch to 5k? I found that really useful to get me going last summer. I stopped for about 5 months and I'm just starting to give it a go again. Good to hear you're feeling a bit better at the moment.

Thanks. No Im not. My dsis has but Im just leaving the house and running down to the play park with the children beside me, letting them play whilst I circle them and watch and then we jog home. Im very slow but its better than nothing. I felt calmer the first day but not sure if it was just cos I was drained from the heat!

Hello everyone. It's loveisashadow with a new name. It's very quiet in the village, wonder if that's because of the school holidays and all of the extra demands on us?
Running sounds good mythical, sounds as though you are doing better with being able to do some things now- well done.
I went to psychology the other day, had a computer questionnaire thing with possible diagnoses. I've been wondering since my psychotic episode. I scored highly for major depression, ptsd and bpd. We are meeting again in a couple of weeks to talk about possible therapy.

How's everyone doing ? I'm rapid cycling a bit, hours and days rather than minutes like before though. Keep having intrusive thoughts andpost- psychosis nightmares, but I'm generally on the up.

Hi all, I haven't been for a while but coming to hide in here away from some of the utterly ignorant people on mumsnet. Feeling quite fragile at the moment as lots going on and out of nowhere (well not for them but for me it seems out of nowhere) a close member of my family has been getting suicidal thoughts :(

I thought I was getting my mental health back on track but out of nowhere it's starting to plummet. Things have been happening which I can't really discuss at the moment but I'm just not sure what's going to happen over the next few weeks and it's incredibly unsettling. I'm awful at dealing with change, particularly when it's the kind of change I have no idea about. I thought I'd figured things out had a clear path to follow and now it's all falling apart.

mythical and mummy how is the jogging going? I can't jog at the moment but am getting into swimming a lot more and I'm finding it is improving my mental health just being able to get out and do a bit of exercise.

Never I'm glad your cycling is over a longer period of time, that's something I guess. The intrusive thoughts and nightmares sound pretty terrifying. Glad you're on the up though.

Sorry to hear that faith.

The running is going ok, haven't been able to do as much as I hoped but difficult with the dc about and now as dh is unwell too. It's definitely helping me a bit though so I'm going to keep at it.

Oh no Mythical sorry to hear about your DH. Hope you manage to get out running again soon.

Everything's really getting to me today and I'm wondering if it was a bad move coming off my AD's. I stopped taking them 6 weeks ago and things seemed fine so I'm hoping the tears are just circumstantial rather than an indication of anything bigger.

Morning all, how are you doing? Sorry I haven't been around for a while. I've been mostly doing a little better. We've been doing a lot of DIY at home so that's been keeping me busy. I've been on a bit of a high whilst doing that, I crashed last night and am exhausted now

I accidentally took my night time meds (quetiapine & sertraline) this morning instead of my morning meds. Feeling very tired and spaced out. I need to go out in a bit, but I'm not actually sure I'm okay to drive. I've got DD with me today, if it was just me is risk it, but not with her in the car.

Hi all,

Managed to block my other acc somehow so here I am with a new unique username he he he no I just added some no's at the end of my username as I couldn't think of anything better.

How is everyone doing? I've been in a lot of pain and after waiting 6months or so for back injections they tell me they can't do it as they can't guarantee I won't react to the drugs because of my mental health medications I'm just confused by it all. Booked an appt with consultant to see wth is going on. I'm not holding my breath. Mental health stigma continues.

Hope everyone is doing ok. Thinking of u all

That sounds like a nightmare pulledapart [hug] glad to see you back here. Fingers crossed your consultant can shed some light, is the spot soon?

Hello, I am new to this thread, I hope it's ok to join in.

I am really struggling at the moment... I am on a lot of meds, not just MH ones, and earlier this year I came off Prozac because in combination with the other meds it what making me shake (process of elimination found it was Prozac). I was doing fine until I started shaking.

I was ok for a bit but have been feeling dreadful... for a while very angry and tearful, and now very anxious, all the time, and still a bit tearful. The thought of doing anything, however small, makes me more anxious. I feel quite frozen by anxiety. I really don't want to go back on ADs as am on so many meds, and it feels good that I am off one of them, but i am just not coping.

Have a few life stressors going on... DH away for work (he will be weekly commuting to another country for a while) and financial worries (though they will be improved by Dh's new job). I also have chronic pain, which is being exacerbated by a newish injury. I am trying to work (from home) but that is adding to my anxiety too.

Just don't know what to do. I take benzos and sleeping tabs at night and they take away the anxiety... it's such a relief to feel calm when I take them, though I can't always sleep because of pain. My sleep cycle is completely screwed. Wondering about adding in a dose of benzos during the day but worried they will make me too sleepy to function and increase my dependance (I am not in the UK btw and my dr is pretty free with the prescriptions).

Not sure what I want from this, maybe just a bit of support from other MH strugglers...

Thanks for reading/

Hello mountaindweller welcome to the thread

Feel free to post here whenever, everybody has been lovely and supportive towards me.

What times do you take all of your meds? I've found taking them earlier in the evening helps a bit more with anxiety levels so I'm calmer when I go to bed and I find it easier to sleep (not that I manage to do that these days, but I used to and it helped)

How do you feel about your DH being away during the week? Do you have DCd to look after?

Hi everyone I managed to lock my account and have only just unblocked it! Really struggling with PTSD , BPD rapid cycles and self harm today. Feeling really alone and out of it. Anyone around for a hand hold?

Thank you MummySparkle. I take most of my meds every 12 hours (slow release pain meds, nerve pain meds and blood pressure meds) usually at around 10.30am and 10.30pm. I take the anxiety meds and sleeping pill just before I go to sleep. I find if I take them and then read mn in bed they don't work so well. I will try taking the anxiety stuff earlier to see if it helps me sleep sooner, at least I might have a calmer evening! I feel like I need help in the day as well though :( Sorry you are not sleeping either. Sounds like you are having a tough time

It's pretty hard with DH being away... No DCs, which means I am alone a lot. He was away a week then back a week, and I noticed the week he was back I was less anxious. Unfortunately he'll only be back at weekends now (or I will go to him). He has worked away before but I was on ADs then.

Have Dr appt tomorrow for my injury, physio thinks maybe a torn muscle or tendon damage. Pretty sure the treatment will be rest, so not much help really but might feel better knowing what is going on.

neverletmego sorry no one was here. How are you feeling now?

I started my own thread not to worry . Still feeling quite low and battling rapid cycles. They have put me in for the doc later this month but it feels like too long to wait :(

Is this the latest village support thread?

I was looking for a general support thread, and didn't want to start my own, I remembered these village threads but couldn't find a more recent one than this. There's lots of short threads on the MH board at the moment. Maybe we could all be talking in one place :)

I just want to talk about today but a bit of background, I have severe anxiety - long history of recurrent depression & anxiety but recent episode mostly anxiety following a physical injury. I'm now recovering from that and back at work but anxiety is terrible. I'm currently on propanolol to control anxiety/panic symptoms, resisting any SSRI/SNRI drugs due to having horrible experiences with almost all of them in the past. I'm also just completing a 7 session "low intensity" CBT course (have been attending every few weeks since end of November) and today my PWP said she is referring me on to a 12+ session high intensity CBT, but there will be a 4+ month wait for that. I also had a GP appointment today and was all psyched up to discuss possibly going onto an anxiety medication, I wanted to discuss pregabalin given my poor experiences with everythine else. Unfortunately it was a locum GP as my usual lovely GP was sick. He was ok though, continued my propanolol prescription to last until my own GP is back, and just had a little chat asking me about various things, coping techniques etc and said it was refreshing to meet a patient with anxiety who was actively engaging in everything possible(!) and had good insight into what was going on. He also talked about bibliotherapy which is something I'll look more into, but he said basically directed reading/writing as personal therapy, which sounds kinda like morning pages which I've contemplated before but never got round to doing (I need the perfect notebook for it or there's no point, which sounds bonkers but is typical of my thinking).

I've had a bad evening after today, I think the PWP referring me on for higher level CBT just makes me feel like I've failed at getting better from the first level, although I can rationalise that she said that it as only worth referring me on because she felt I had responded to some extent and would benefit from more (certainly my scores have come down a bit but not near 'normal' levels yet). And surely its a good thing if I need more therapy that I will get it, eventually. But I still feel like a failure. And then on top of that development, my own GP not being there. I don't know when I can get an appointment with her, reception just said to try phoning again tomorrow as more would open up. I can see just from looking at the state of my flat around me that I'm not coping as well these last few days. I've spent the whole evening furiously trying to relax, trying to distract myself with a few things, building a lego model, colouring, writing to do list in my diary for tomorrow, but I just feel horribly on edge.
Going to take a sleeping pill now and try and get off. Contemplating pulling a sick day tomorrow because I just feel like curling up and hiding away. I know that's not a productive thing to do though and I'd feel guilt at letting people down.

Sorry for rambling on.