Depression 2

Tiny steps, tiny steps in the right direction mishap I too had noticed you 'posting' and felt that you were making progress. I'm so glad your feeling a little better. to give you courage and hope.

Mishap That is good to hear. I had noticed you were posting more. May you continue to feel better.

I will keep everything crossed for you. (((hugs)))

Good news Mishap, you're getting there

Thank you.

I had a bit of a weird night unfortunately as I tried (as instructed) to up the dose of the anti-depressant a bit and it caused some unpleasant side effects - strange feeling of being unable to keep legs and arms still and I was awake with that for ages.

I will put the dose down a tiny bit again tonight, as I have been OK on that in the past and seem to be very sensitive to it. That will mean I am back on the dose that I took for years (and suddenly stopped for the operation) as a means of preventing my migraines and IBS. It may be that, even though it is a small dose, it is right for me. Time will tell.

Phoenix - will be thinking of you and hope GP is able to help on Tuesday.

Mishap I have a very low threshold for drugs therefore it takes me a while to get the balance right. DH on the other hand needs a quantity of analgesics for instance, that would knock out a horse .

Hope the dose you have returned to does the trick.

Hope all goes well for you on Tuesday phoenix

Yes agus - I recognise that scenario. Some people think I must be nuts when I tell them how small a dose I need of various drugs (and how problematical it can be if I take a "normal" dose) - luckily my GP has seen what happens and fully understands my situation.

Mishap hope you get the dose right soon. Good you have a GP who listens. Let's hope your GP can help on Tuesday Phoenix. for you both. Would send you some if I could find some anywhere. Life is so much better when the weather isn't so gloomy.

Good news Mishap. Keep going in the right direction. &

Had 2 appointments today - the first was with the CPN and she was encouraging about my progress, even though things went a little backwards today after 3 good days. I had not slept well and this always leads to a worse day. But I am sticking with the treatment and it does seem to be kicking in. She says it will be a while before I feel the full benefit. More patience required! I feel very nervous of any relapse as the symptoms are so very unpleasant.

I also saw the orthopaedic consultant, who examined my hip in detail and said that all is well, and the pain that I am getting is likely to be soft tissue pain. He has sent a note to the physio about this and hopes she will be able to help me. He has OK'd a bit more movement and bending etc (e.g. trying to tie my shoes - dare I?!) which is encouraging - but slightly daunting - there is no way I am going to risk anything that might make me require further surgery - no way could I go through all this again! I do wish the pain would stop - it is partly that that keeps me awake - but it is reassuring to know that it does not stem from anything serious.

I just want to feel well for a bit!

Well done Mishap you're sounding so much more positive. More good days than bad days, which is really encouraging

That's really good to hear that Mishap, even if progress isn't as fast as you'd like you are sounding much brighter! to you! x

It must be reassuring to know that your hip is doing ok and that the CPN is happy with your progress!

Reassurance from a professional is excelent medicine. Hopefully the pain will dull to discomfort soon.

Summer's on it's way!

I am going to have a rant now - please ignore it as you see fit - it may make me feel better.

I have had irritable bowel for the whole of my life and it has been a total blight. Needing the loo urgently up to 10 times a day whilst trying to hold down a job and bring up a family required every ounce of my determination and bloody-mindedness. Waking every morning with nausea that lasts till about 1 pm, and still trying to carry on a normal life is no joke, take it from me, especially when it drags on decade after decade.

It has all been thoroughly investigated over the years so there is no doubt that it is a motility problem, and I just chuck down imodium by the bucketload. How many times was I told that it is JUST irritable bowel? - sometimes I felt like screaming at them, as the word just seemed distinctly inappropriate in the context of the life that I was having to lead.

With my hip op, depression and heart wobbles I have just got to the point where I feel I cannot cope with the bowel problem any longer. I wake up every morning feeling sick as a dog and then engage in the battle of the bowels for several hours. It has reduced me to tears this morning - whatever spark of life that helped me to fight this damned thing has been wiped out by all my other problems and I cannot fight it as a used to - I do not have the oomph to rise above it any more.

Maybe tomorrow.

Rant over.

Rant away Mishap! IBS certainly isn't "just" IBS, it's incredibly debilitating and wearing - not to mention inconvenient! - and alters your entire way of life and the quality of it. Doctors should know better than to refer to it as "just". I don't know how you managed to keep working, you must be exhausted. [Flowers]

Mishap (((hugs))). I think the fact that you had a bit of a backward step after three good days has taken it's toll on you and understandably left you feeling totally peed off at the whole blessed situation.

Rant away as much as you want, this too is good medicine until suddenly something positive happens and you feel back on track.

I will welcome that "something positive" with open arms!

I have to keep reminding myself that although today is not a good one, it is better than I have been a few weeks ago - so I will hang on to that.

I am seeing the counsellor this afternoon, and I need to try and pin her down as to what she is doing and what direction she is aiming at, as so far it is painful on the purse with no actual benefit. It also means my OH has to drive me there and back which is a nuisance for him - we live so far from civilisation.

DH has a sort of ulcerated colitis with IBS overtones so I have an idea of what you're going through. He's even considered having a colostomy. Luckily he's now found a concoction of various medications which more or less control it. Most of the time.

What infuriates me is people who have poor eating habits (eating at speed on the move sort of thing) who claim IBS when it's really just indigestion.

IBS is a very prevalent and very debilitating illness. At its worst I weighed about 7 and a half stone - not much as I am quite tall. The medical profession dismiss it because it is not cancerous - once they have ruled that out, you are more or less on your own and left to struggle.

The only help that ever came my way was a complicated test that showed that I did not absorb bile salts normally and I was put on Questran which worked so well I blocked to the eyeballs so I was taken off it to prevent me getting obstructed. It was either one thing or t'other!

I am sorry that your OH suffers in this way, but glad to hear that there is a cocktail that suits his needs.

Mishap......you have my full understanding and support. Remember this, nothing stays the same for ever, there WILL be change for you and it will be positive given all the love and support you have. Be kind to yourself, do the things you like, plug yourself into the iPod with glorious music to fill your mind. Be gentle with yourself, you are a obviously a very special person to many.

Take care

I know I'm still in evangelical mode about it but I've started having a 'nutriblast' again each day. It's a way of getting lots of nutrition into your body with as little strain on the digestive system as possible. I then just eat a very light meal later in the day knowing that I've had my 5 day + already. I don't think I've had full blown IBS but I've certainly had tummy trouble for most of my life [and can't go anywhere without imodium].Mine is a Nutribullet but there's a cheaper version on the market called Cooks Professional multiblender. Can't promise that it wouldn't make IBS worse but it has certainly worked for me. They say it can help recovery time for certain illnesses and a friend of my daughters who is a nurse says that a lot of her patients use them.

Don't apologise for rant Mishap!
I have had IBS for years, luckily fairy mild most of the time (fingers crossed), but flares up when ever stressed and usually at the very least convenient time, so do have some idea of how you feel.
Take care and (((hugs))) to you x

Wow, Mishap, you have more than enough on your plate to deal with. No one would blame or censure you for ranting - rant away! It makes me feel very ashamed to be so feeble after a few days' gastroenteritis. It must be infuriating not to be taken seriously by the medics - damn them! How is it possible for people to suffer like this without adequate support or help? (That's a rhetorical question, btw).
As I've grown older my bowels and digestive system seem to react unpredictably to certain situations or foods. I too never go anywhere without Immodium and also spare knickers in the car boot, just in case! I don't know whether this is related to IBS and I don't know much about the condition, but I'm guessing that is very mild compared to what Mishap and others are living with daily.

Surely, surely there is research being done on this, somewhere?

Many thanks to all for your kindness. You are my ports in this storm.

Tegan - how does this thing differ from an ordinary blender?

Questran is one of DHs options - but only taken for a couple of days at a time. Imodium doesn't seem to have much effect!