Help with symptoms

[Bboo3]

My ex husband, who i still speak to, has been suffering from depression for maybe 6-8 weeks now. He's been on sertraline for 4 weeks. I'm worried about his health, he's off work again because he has these symptoms:
Feeling off balance, very tired, fatigued, can't focus or concentrate.
He's had these symptoms before he started the tablets, so it's not a side effect of them.
They have given him some anxiety tablets to start too. But they've also ordered a ct scan?
Anyone have any similar experiences?

If these symptoms occurred prior to medication. Definitely look into a CT scan. My partner had similar symptoms & the CT scan showed he had had a stroke! Unfortunately, 18 hours after discharge, he suffered a major stroke, that had lasting deficits. He was 54 at the time. However, the 1st stroke completely blindsided us, it never occurred to us that it was/could have been a stroke as he didn't have the classic signs! Just the symptoms that you had mentioned. 🙏🏻

Thank you. He is still waiting for his referral letter for his ct scan. It has been 4 weeks since he went to docs. I want him to go private but he won't.

Yikes!!!

If you feel that these symptoms appeared out of the blue & perhaps no explanations for him to be affected from a depressive episode & the symptoms are still present then...

I might suggest taking & monitoring his blood pressure. If it's above 170/100 then definitely take him to A&E & request a scan or monitoring his OBs! (Highlight his symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, confusion & his general change of conditions). It's easy for practitioners to fob you off with depression & anxiety! Etc!

I understand every situation is different, however, after our experiences, what I have learnt is, we have to listen to our gut instincts and advocate for ourselves.

Initially my partner was going to be discharged with vertigo!! 😖, when the fact was a stroke, which only showed up on the CT scan! (Then sadly we had no doubt with the 2nd stroke as he presented with all the classic signs)

we still feel cheated as the 2nd one could potentially of been avoided, if only they didn't discharge him so soon, especially knowing he still had a blood clot sitting above his brain stem! Basically he was just a ticking time bomb 💣 which 18 hours later went booooom!! & even then we had to wait another 24 hours for surgery as the stroke team only perform the operations Mon-Fri 8-4pm!!

Absolutely crazy, thinking life saving or life changing surgery can only be performed in less than the standard office hours!! 🤬🤯😖😫😔

Sadly, from numerous experiences, I have lost faith in the medical profession!!

You could present 10 different consultants with the exact symptoms & still get 10 different responses!! 😫😖🤯🤔 or they will fob you off with the usual... oh you smoke! Oh you drink! Oh you need to exercise more, or you need to change your diet etc, etc!!

Very rarely, do we find ourselves with a practitioner that actually chooses to carry out investigations to find a solution to a medical complaint!

I apologise for my rant!! 🫣😖 it's almost 3 years since our experiences and the grief remains so raw!

I would hate for anyone else to go through the same experiences. It has been very difficult & challenging!!

I wish you the best & would appreciate any updates 🤞🏼🙏🏻🫶🏼

I will keep you updated yes. They said H that it was vertigo, then anxiety and now depression. But all the tablets aren't changing anything. 🙄
I hope he decides to go private for ct scan just to rule out that really.

He has a scan booked in for 2 weeks time! Finally

It’s good that your ex-husband’s doctors are being thorough by scheduling the CT scan. Depression can cause symptoms like fatigue, trouble focusing, and feeling off balance, so it's reassuring that they’re also managing his anxiety alongside the sertraline. It can take 6-8 weeks for antidepressants to fully kick in, so hopefully, he’ll start feeling better soon. If the symptoms persist, it’s definitely worth discussing with his doctor. You’re doing the right thing by being there for him your support makes a difference.

Hes been on sertralins for 8 weeks now and no difference.
Unfortunately, I can't be there for him anymore. He has blamed the family for his depression, cheated on me, and left.

@Bboo3 I understand you're going through a tough time,but I hope you get the support you need.