Black Dog Gang 5

Annie You read my mind I was thinking about a tens machine. I am seeing GP this week and I am going to ask for a MRI scan as it has gone on too long now.
I am meeting my daughter for lunch today, so I am looking forward to that. My anxiety is quite bad today but I am keeping busy to try to take my mind off things.
I wish everyone in Black Dog Gang a good or better week to come.

Hi all x

nonnie sorry you are having a down day, may I ask ? Are you
depressed ?

Going downhill badly today

rafichagran some years ago i had much pain with sciatica,
I used a tens machine, I am not recommended you do this but
perhaps a chat with your physiotherapist/ GP ?

Annie, I hope you are having a better day and taking everything as it comes like you said.
lavenderzen, glad you got your appointment to the hospital, yes it is some time away, read the 4 papers when you are ready with a nice tea/ coffee.
Nonnie glad you are seeing the bright side of things and the weather is not getting you down
My sciattica is bad today and it is pulling my mood down, but I am not going out now. I have my kindle so will read to try and take my mind off things.
Have a good rest of the weekend and I hope everyone is feeling better.

Hi all x

How is everyone?

nonnie thank you. Writing down and assessing works for
one problem but not for the number which landed on me on
Wednesday ! No connection between physiotherapy, diet,
new windows fitted, agoraphobia, council surveyor etc, I have to take them as they come. ?

annie I understand the stress of so much going on at once. Yesterday I had a long conversation with someone who has to take an exam in about a year. She had got so stressed about it she couldn't even start to study. I suggested she wrote down what was worrying her, which areas she was confident about doing, which were going to need more work and which were really hard. I think breaking things down into manageable bits is a great help to some of us and just writing it down helps me.

lavender been AWOL for a while so don't know what your appointment is, just hope it all goes well. Perhaps just read a little of the big document each day?

I am very tired today but not too negative for which I am grateful. All the rain isn't getting to me as it is to some, I seem able to focus on the evidence on spring well on its way this year. May well slob for the rest of the day as busy day yesterday and tomorrow. I am having to learn to pace myself.

Have a good weekend all.

Hello all.

You have had a stressful time Annie far too much to cope with all at once. When they ring for appointments make sure you space them out so they don't all come one day after another. As for the windows, we are in the middle of dreadful winter weather for goodness sake, and you don't want them yet. don't they understand that. Keep going and know we are thinking of you xx

Glad you are enjoying your job Salsa Queen, it makes such a difference to enjoy what you are doing.
Nonnie your animals will be a great comfort to you when things are difficult.
Thinking of all of you Flutterby1 Namsnanny your flowers are lovely, Joce and rafichagran and anyone else I have missed out.

My appointment came yesterday for the hospital and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the date - 30th March (its ages away thank goodness!) which is my mum's birthday - I wish she was still here to talk to. There are 4 pages of information with the letter, which I haven't got to yet! I could see on page one there was something about needle aspiration and that was enough!

Take care everyone xxx

Anniebach I can only imagine how stressful things have been (and still are) for you. All these people coming and going would be a lot for anyone to contend with. x

Joce So glad you're having a great time.

Nonnie You appear to have a natural affinity with animals. That's lovely.

rafichagran, Flutterby1, Namsnanny, anyone I've missed - hope your day has been going well.

Well, it hasn't stopped raining all day here in Nottingham. It's miserable but I feel so sorry for those people who have lost everything due to floods. I live on the top of a hill, and my house is up a slope from the street, but the bottom of my road has got huge puddles.

Hi all x

Namsnanny I love the snowdrop, thank you x

SalsaQueen it’s great you are enjoying your two jobs.

flutterby sorry CBT didn’t help you, I think face to face makes a difference.

nonnie because therapy didn’t help you it doesn’t mean you
are a failure.

Joce loved the photograph of Goofy, I am just so happy you
‘Did fly’ x

I have had rather a stressful two days. As you know I live alone,
have arthritis and agoraphobia and my only visitor is my lovely younger
granddaughter who calls every three weeks.

Had a visit from a G.P. Wednesday, she is arranging visits from
- physiotherapist, social services, district nurse and dietician,
the dietician called this morning . As if this wasn’t enough the council were on the phone on Wednesday too about fitting new windows.

I have been so stressed . It will pass

Salsa I am the unpaid cat sitter when our neighbours go away. One of them is friendly the other disappears as soon as I arrive. The friendly one is really bossy! Unfortunately they take the dog with them when they go away, it they didn't she would stay with us. Done that before for neighbours.

Thanks Curly we do feel that it is a love for animals which stops us having a pet but are always the first to volunteer to look after other people's. Dil is desperate for a dog but couldn't look after one so keeps suggesting we get one.

Have a good day everyone. Very wet here today but going to friends for lunch which is always good.

Hope you are having a wonderful time Joce

Just thought you would like a photo of goofy haha
Hope all is well in the black dog...

Good Evening Everyone,glad your heating is back on salsaqueen. Keep well and warm everyone.

Nonnie I've always had cats (3 at the most, just 1 now) and have never used catteries - I pay a cat-sitter to come in 2 or 3 times a day (30 mins minimum each visit) when we go away. It might be a thought.

My central heating and hot water were off all day - the boiler had a leak. (The cat was unhappy and cold!) Luckily it's still under warranty as it's only 2 years old. The engineer was due to arrive between 12 and 5pm - he came at 4.30, sorted it out easily, so I've had a lovely hot bath and put the heating on high .

Aw, Nonnie if you don't feel able to give a pet a home, it doesn't mean you are not 'lovely and selfless'! Dogs do need constant care and if you are out and about often, then it's obviously a non-starter.

Salsa that all sounds so positive.

Curly I don't think it would be fair to a pet to keep being put into kennels or cattery because we were off to see friends or family. We are often out all day at places we couldn't take a dog so, because I love dogs, I don't think I'm good enough to be an owner. Also, just at the moment, I don't think I could cope with meeting lots of new people, just not up to it. That's not a whinge, just feel the need to pace myself and give time to my existing family and friends. Perhaps I'm just not 'lovely or selfless' enough.

Nonnie you should think again about getting a pet - get a rescue, whatever little you can offer, has to be better than living in kennels/cattery. A cat is very low maintenance and a dog, which does need a daily walk, will help you meet other dog walkers and a brisk walk is really beneficial for mental health. Knowing you are giving a poor abandoned pet a loving home can't fail to make you feel more positive. It's a lovely, selfless thing to do.

I thought you might like this Anniebach, the last snowdrop in the garden

The cyclamen look so lovely at the moment, and cheer me up each time I look at them. I hope they do the same for everyone else too
X

How has everyone been today?

I did both my little jobs (I love them both), had smart meters fitted at home (not sure how useful they'll be, but we'll see). Saw my Granddaughters after school (with my eldest son, their dad), went to an indoor play centre then pub for dinner, before taking them back to their mum. Just waiting for the 3rd episode of the 4-part drama, Flesh and Blood, at 9pm

I think therapies depend on how you interact with the therapist, face to face relationships work or don't without it being anyone's fault.

I'm probably not very good at dealing with therapy because I challenge my own thinking and what I am told to think. My CPD didn't work because the therapist was trying to change the way I thought about what had brought me to the state I was in but I couldn't do that. Nothing could undo what had happened and there was nothing positive to be found.

Perhaps one to one mindfulness would work but I had to complete a sheet each day of how I was feeling and it didn't change much from day to day so I gave up.

Lots of people find these therapies helpful but for me they are just another of my failures.

Nanny how long before you open a cat sanctuary? I am glad they are giving you so much pleasure. I think a pet would be good for me but don't feel I have a life which would be good for a pet.

Yes, annie my trip out did me good. Little things, giving to the charity shop feels good, chatting to an elderly lady at the bus stop and on the bus, then bumping into someone I haven't seen for a long time. She used to be about 20-30 years older than me and looks no different now, I think I must be catching her up!

Hi Annie like everyone I love your poems too.
Regarding different therapies. I had CBT by telephone for a little while many years ago. It was after a bereavement and I had difficult time with anxiety. To be honest I don’t think it really helped that much but maybe face to face it would. At yoga we use mindfulness during our relaxation at the end of the session and this I do like. When doing it at home you really have to work at it. I listen to mindfulness you tube apps (lots to choose from) sometimes it helps other times not so much. I wish we could all find a sparkly magic wand.
I was delighted to hear of your granddaughters surprise visit - that really warmed my heart. That must give you such a boost.
I wonder how Joce is doing in Disney can’t wait to hear when she returns.
Nonnie I am so glad you are enjoying your new job.
Hope all you lovely friends are ok and have a restful nights sleep.
Oh by the way the weather here is still awful. Rainy and windy but on the other hand many people have been much worse with flooding etc. Must be awful.
Well night night all

Do Lavenderzen I read it to my granddaughters x

Anniebach How lovely to have a surprise visit from your Granddaughter.

Nanny2507 Aw bless Marshall, he knows you'll look after his little friend if you can.

Nonnie My new little job is very local, and a doddle and it fits in well with my morning job (and I love that job)

I hope everyone has been alright today.

Thank you Annie it actually brings tears to my eyes, it is such a lovely poem. I will copy it into a card and send it to my daughter xx