is this possible??

[karenanne]

hi all
where to start lol i cant remeber the last time i was happy,content and not feeling low.last year was the toughest of my life and to be honest i only got through it because of my kids.its caused my realtionship to break up and finally ive been to see the doc.

hes the unbelievable part.my gp reckons ive had slight pnd since my dd was born 5 years ago!!!!it was so slight that he reckons i just got used to it and then in dec 03 when my son was born it increased it then the personal problems i had last year made it worse.which then caused me and exdp to split which has got me to here.
ive just changed back to this gp after moving back to the area .he said he needs my notes which should take a couple of days before he can prescribe me any ads and i have to go back friday to see him.
he also says my contraceptive pill i was on has made it worse.

just wondered if anyone has any opinions on this ,its hard to get my head around having pnd for such a long time without realising.

sorry hun, no advice but hope you get sorted, it must be such a shock to find out you could have been getting help all this time and the awful consequences it has caused.x

Sorry to hear about how you are eeling. I had PND for a short term, but couldn't imagine having it that long wihtout realising. I think the point about the contraceptive pill is a good one. I can't even take very low dose ones without getting depressed. Maybe you should consider tryign a different form of contraception, but be careful - that's how I ended up preg with twins

How interesting.
I know very little about PND but there will be loads of people who do know first hand so you will get loads of replies to this.
On some days i feel down and for now particular reason, 18 months after having ds so i have always thought it too far down the line to be PND.
I will watch your thread with interst.x

i'm so sorry you've been feeling so low. i guess it is possible to have pnd for a long time - i don't know. I haven't felt like 'myself' for the last 2.5 yrs (i'm pretty sure i had slight pnd at birth of son then) - i don't have any contructive thoughts or advice though, except to say it's hard work isn't it and i'm sure you're not alone.

Dear Karen - I think it is very possible. For some people (like me) PND is very severe and there is no way that you could carry on without knowing it. But I think for others a low grade depression where things just aren't 'right' can just go on and on. This is then intensified by a second pregnancy or family problems for example.
Well done for going to the drs. Whatever they suggest - AD's / counselling/ CBT - I hope you feel much better soon.
Kizziex

thanks so much for the replies ...i feel better even before i get the tablets now knowing whats wrong with me.got to go back tomorrow for tablets and then im just looking forward to getting better.
exdp has been great ,very understanding which for him without a sympathetc bone in his body is a miracle in itself.lol
i know theyll take some time to work and it may take time to get the right ones but im feeling alot more positive now ive admitted i need help.its taken me along time to admit it ,wish id done it sooner

{{{hugs}}} karenanne. I was diagnosed with PND a year after ds was born and I know that this is not uncommon. Now that I am ok I can see that I'd been depressed for a long time before that - maybe even before my first child. Like your GP said- I just got used to feeling low and accepted it as normal. Strangely it was listening to another mum discussing her PND which was far worse than mine that made me realise that i was depressed. For some reason on that day all I heard was the similarities between us and not the differences. Good Luck with the ADs.