Depression

I still think the best one was
A naked geriatric couple. She's on her hands and knees in frog of his dangly bits with a hair dryer
He's saying ' that wasn't exactly what I meant by a blow job'

Front not frog.

I said to Mrs P whilst in bed this morning that I was feeling very stiff but if I dangled it out of the bed and waggled it about a bit, it felt much better. Not sure why she laughed, obvious I was talking about my knee.

Pompa!!

My DD aso bought me a packet of "Jellyatrics" - like jelly babies but shaped like elderly folk with their zimmers.

It is so bad this morning - I can see no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no hope of treatment for the depression because of the heart arrhythmia, so I have no hope to hold on to. I cannot bear what this is doing to my OH (who has PD and a heart problem of his own) but I have no way of making myself better - I have tried so hard for weeks now and have no energy to try any more. I am not sure my GP realises how bad it is, but I also understand how his hands are tied and he cannot risk setting my heart off. It is a total catch 22 and this morning I do not have the strength to deal with it any more.

Mishap I'm so sorry to see how despairing you are feeling now. I don't know the answer, but I do hope there is something that can help with your depression. Maybe your GP needs to take some advice about balancing the depth of your depression with treatment for your arrhythmia. Sometimes the risk can be managed in favour of imoroving your mood. I really hope so

Not all antidepressants are contraindicated.amytrptylline and citalopran increase the Q-T interval but not all have this effect. Your GP could speak to a cardiologist and ask his advice as to what you could take. You should be seeing a cardiologist anyway.

Mishap Be kind to yourself. The advice you give on here is sensible and helpful to a lot of people. You are obviously a lovely good person. I hope you can find a solution to your problem.

Hello there Mishap, so sorry to see how low you're feeling this morning. Galen and whenim's suggestion that you see your GP speak to a cardiologist sounds good to me

Be kind and gentle with yourself

Mishap I always look for your comments to read on Gransnet as they are wise, witty and full of common sense.

You need to ring your GP and help yourself now. Don't hesitate.

Have you got someone who can add a bit of power to your elbow, Mishap? It's one of those times in life when the strength to push things along and get the support you need is a bit difficult to argue for, and a friend or relative might be useful for you.

Poor Mishap, difficult to know what you can do other than contact your GP and emphasise just how depressed and hopeless you feel. Have you tried to find any help groups on the internet.

So sorry to hear how rotten you are feeling Mishap just wondering is there anyone who could telephone the GP for you? I find sometimes a very concerned third party can get the point across better than you can yourself as they are not quite so easy to fob off.

Dear Mishap I'm another who always looks for and values your wisdom and I'm so sorry you are feeling so low.
I too think your GP should be consulting with either your cardiologist or a Psychiatrist to find some suitable meds for you if he can't manage your symptoms himself.
Agree with when's suggestion too - ask your DDs for help. It's your turn now.
and a ((hug))

Mishap you really do need to wait until you have been to the arrhythmia clinic and had the result of the echocardiogram before you get too down about your heart. You never know, it could be down to anxiety. It happens. Anyway, once they know more they will be able to treat it, and then, hopefully, give you successful treatment for your depression.

Once you are over these physical things, the depression might well go away. Sit tight for now. Wait and rest.

It would be a good idea to get back to the doctor and tell him you need to know what is going on before mid December. That is over a month. Not good enough.

I can't add anything to all the above advice, Mishap but I do hope you will be soon be feeling better.

Mishap I do hope you will get some help soon. I had a bit of a "crash and burn* on Monday, so have been signed off for 2 weeks, and prescribed new medication, plus an offer of referral for counselling. One of the common listed side effects of the new tablets is "significant weight gain" . Just what I need.....

Mishap - I had a severe bout of depression a few years ago so I can empathise with what you are experiencing. I hesitate to give advice but I would like to make a couple of suggestions.
I was fortunate to have a couple of very good friends who I could talk to but who understood that there were times when I simply could not communicate with them at all. I remember asking them 'not to give up on me' and they didn't. I had a very supportive family but sometimes it is easier to unburden your feelings onto friends.
A good GP should offer counselling. Mine never did but I know a couple of people who found CBT very helpful. It can be arranged privately if you were in a position to do so.
Finally there is a website you might find helpful - www.nomorepanic.co.uk which has an excellent article on depression. May I wish you well.

Thank you so much for your kind messages and very helpful suggestions.

Yesterday was truly dreadful - I cannot think that I have ever felt worse in my life and it was a very frightening experience indeed to feel so out of control of my own well-being. I was in tears all day and barely able to shuffle around.

This morning was not good, but I managed to have a shower (which wiped me out) and my DD and GS have been here for a short while. I am extraordinarily weak, but not non-stop weepy. I think the weakness is probably a backlash from yesterday.

I emailed my GP yesterday to try and get across to him the severity of this problem. His concern is, quite reasonably, to avoid precipitating a further arrhythmia, but I think he underestimates how bad the depression is, and I tried to get this across to him. He plans to talk to the psychiatrist who visits the surgery each Friday, and has promised to get back to me with any suggestions he has as to a safe treatment for me.

Your kindness and support have been much appreciated. This is a bad patch in my life and I have to hang on to the idea that this will go away in time, but it is quite hard to believe it at times.

I am very lucky to have such supportive family and friends - and kind gransnetters.

I hope the psychiatrist is able to prescribe something suitable for you, Mishap. I get the impression GPs are restricted in what they can prescribe.
Hang on in there, you will get better

You really are bad, aren't you Mishap?

I can't help thinking it is a reaction to the operation, and all that went before it. You had a fall early in the summer didn't you, and you haven't been right since then. You have had a lot to contend with for a long time now. It may take a long time to get over it all, too. But you will. You hang on there. [cake]

Thank you so much. It is very striking that there is no-one on here who is a member of the "pull yourself together" brigade and it is very heartening that people now understand the nature of mental illness so much better.

One disappointment to me in the last few weeks has been a close friend who thinks I just need "cheering up." She was once a GP, but I feel that she may not fully understand the nature of this illness - but to be fair, maybe I did not fully grasp all the ramifications of it until it struck me.

I don't think I did Mishap, until a couple of years ago when a dear friend was hospitalised with severe depression for several weeks.
I also saw Ruby Wax doing her show 'Losing It' at the Edinburgh Fringe last year. It was very moving. She has done a great deal to increase understanding of the condition amongst those whom she terms 'non-depressives'.

Mishap Can I recommend the power of music to lift the spirits? I don't suffer from real depression, such as you are in the grip of, but since my dear husband died I have often felt pretty down. Playing a CD of music that I love can make a difference. It works directly on the brain and emotions without any conscious effort. Worth a try.