please recommend a self help book, therapy, drug...

[staceyv]

LabRat, if you had read my previous posts in this thread, you would find that I get low blood sugar at work if I excercise on work days. After work? I'm so tired I run home and take a nap. Days off? My muscles still hurt the next day and while I'm at work I'm hungry and achy...I tried going to the gym with this job, those were the results. Stop telling me to snap out of it, deal with it...Because if I want that kind of advice, I'll go talk to the girl I work with that started me writing this whole thread. Like Briana said, I found my solution, okay? I don't need you kicking me in the ass anymore, all set. Are you SURE those happy pills are as good as you say? They certaintly don't instill empathy or kindness...

[Clodfobble]

I really think Beestie's got an even better solution than exercising though--look for a new job. Waitressing sucks even when you're not depressed. Sign on at a temp agency and get yourself a good desk job. My experience is the jobs are often far from temporary, and you usually get to spend most of the day reading a book in between answering the occasional phone.

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by Troubleshooter

One possibility though is that the increasingly unhealthy nature of americans is leading to the rise in, unfounded isn't the word but it fits even if poorly, cases of depression. It's not that people are realy depressed, it's more like they are simply not healthy enough to deal with day to day life.

I agree, and wanted to say something to that effect, but couldn't find the words. I believe we are seeing more transient depressive states due to overall ill health. The depression is real, but the cause is different. Like I said, I believe I have a 'real' underlying physiological defect due to the fact that even when I am taking care of myself, and everything seems to be going well in my life, all of a sudden I find myself in the fog of death . (how I try to explain it to my husband)

[LabRat]

OMG, anyone else feeling a craving for cheese to go with all of the whine around here?

"LabRat, if you had read my previous posts in this thread, you would find that I get low blood sugar at work if I excercise on work days. After work? I'm so tired I run home and take a nap. Days off? My muscles still hurt the next day and while I'm at work I'm hungry and achy...I tried going to the gym with this job, those were the results. Stop telling me to snap out of it, deal with it...Because if I want that kind of advice, I'll go talk to the girl I work with that started me writing this whole thread. Like Briana said, I found my solution, okay? I don't need you kicking me in the ass anymore, all set. Are you SURE those happy pills are as good as you say? They certaintly don't instill empathy or kindness..."

I NEVER told you to 'snap out of it', I believe I said do something about it. --talk to a doc, change your lifestyle, do MORE of what seems to work for you, whatever. You're last comment shows massive ignorance on your part, and since you have decided to start slinging mud, I'm outta this playpen to go play with the adults. Good Luck.

[warch]

here's another interesting book:
Better than Well: American Medicine Meets the American Dream. By Carl Elliot.

[wolf]

Stacy, you've got a bunch of different things that are going on and impacting you ... stress is cumulative over time. You might not be in the midst of a crisis point now, but your body and brain chemistry can react as though you are.

I'm a big proponent of folks getting an uninvolved professional third party ... find a therapist, who may also choose to refer you to a psychiatrist to discuss medications. You've indicated you're kind of medicine sensitive, so it might take a couple of tries to get the meds right. There are a lot of them out there ... some will be great for you, some not. And they don't work overnight.

But start with talking.

Also, make sure you are paying close attention to yourself, your regular patterns ... are you sleeping about the same as always? Or have you had some dramatic changes ... sleeping all the time or not at all? Changes in your appetite with unintentional loss or gain of weight? Problems with your concentration? And are you noticing that stuff you really liked to do doesn't seem as much fun anymore?

Oh, and I know you didn't say anything ... but thoughts about killing yourself or urges to cut or burn yourself should be treated like a big neon sign flashing Go get help

[Autumn]

I just wanted to say from one sensitive soul to another that when people talk smack about you it is from their messed up lives. I have gone to seek advice on such matters and I was enlightened by a word called codependancy. It is hard not to take these peoples remarks personally, but if you step out of your emotions long enough to get a good look at where the comment is coming from it is not worth letting them have controll over your well being. Looking at what you wrote in the relationships thread, it might not be such a bad idea to check out codependancy. It gave me alot of freedom, maybe it will you too. There are also alot of support groups on this subject to see others struggling up the same path as you. Just a suggestion.

[dar512]

I want to pitch in another vote for getting a checkup. First make sure your body is working properly. If it's not, you won't get your head on straight.

If that doesn't do it, then your doctor can recommend where to go from there.

[lumberjim]

WOW. It's just like the good old days. 'cept I'm not the one being mean to stacey this time. guess it's cuz i realize that tough love doesnt really work for her. you'll be fine stacey. you may find some good advice in a book, but what you really need to do is change your habits. OR....if you're not willing to change, then you just have to deal with the stress.

I'm having some similar issues at present.

[elSicomoro]

I'm on my way up to CVS to pick up my new prescription...

Percocet, take me away!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Do lots of methampedamine and if anyone gives you any crap just snap out on them. I guarantee within two weeks nobody will bother you any more.

[staceyv]

LJ, you know me well. No, tough love doesn't work for me...I'm just going to stick with my job for one more year and take it day by day. My cramps keeping me out of work for a week every month is a blessing in disguise. I can look forward to those little breaks, and in a year, I am going to quit my job, go to the gym everyday and maybe get back into a band, volunteer at the animal shelter I used to work at... I don't have suicidal thoughts, because I do have hope...
Even though I have multiple food intolerances and chemical sensitivity, every doctor I go to says I am in good health.
I would like to have a good therapist so I could just vent and get everything out of my system, but I don't want them pushing drugs on me after two visits. I'll look into therapy, I just need to figure out how to come up with $25 a week for the co-payment.
But yeah, you guys are right, I could benefit from a good therapist

[mrnoodle]

This is normally the point where I come in and push my religion on people.

However, I've been depressed myself for about the last, oh, 4 years or so. I feel "old, stupid, ugly, untalented, God hates me, I hate everyone, I don't want to go outside of the house, where's the vicodin" about once every couple of weeks, and it lasts for a day or two. It's not that my life is bad, I have been pretty successful career-wise, of late. Not looking for a relationship, but I have a few friends and things to do in my off time. Kind of a normal life. I have rheumatoid arthritis, which has left me unable to bowhunt (for the moment) or do hard physical stuff. I don't take as much "medication" as I used to, and nothing illegal anymore, so my blood should be pretty clear. But the symptoms come and go without any warning, and I've sort of gotten used to it. I hide my "cyclical depression" well, too - I've got a kind of class-clown reputation among people who know me. Rode the Wellbutrin train for a year or so, didn't see any major difference. I think I'm just "arty".

Or maybe I just *think* I'm depressed ....gonna go take that test...

[staceyv]

Aww, Noodle, we have almost the same score! Do you feel like now is one of your depressive periods or are you in between?
A lot of people never look into the possibility of food intolerance as a cause of depression. I found out I was gluten intolerant about 6 years ago and when I cut wheat and other gluten grains out of my diet, I felt SO much better! If you think I whine A lot now, you should've seen me then! The thing is, when I started going to the gym every day, I used to eat wheat sometimes and it didn't affect me nearly as much as it used to. It was almost like working out "cleansed" my system or something...But I haven't touched wheat in years...I did test positive for dairy allergy and I put cream in my coffee, and I also tested positive for potatoes, which I eat every single day, so I 'm sure these allergies are contributing to my total load of stress and making me feel down, lowering my susceptibility to stress....
BUT, I eat the damn potatoes and cream because I don't have a strong physical reaction, and almost every other food on earth gives me some kind of reaction, like headaches, muscle aches, red face and ears, foggy headednesss, etc...
I know from experience that if I worked out every day, it all wouldn't affect me so much, it's like the all purpose medication...
I thought of this for Labrat's case, because she said she goes into "the fog of death" for no apparent reason. She might want to look into the possibility of food intolerance/ allergy, but I kind of ruined our relationship, so I guess I can't help her...

After doing some research, it looks like I have a ton of symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. Unfortunately, there's no cure for that one, but I guess it would be nice to get diagnosed with SOMEthing...I'll bring this up when I see a therapist.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

However, I've been depressed myself for about the last, oh, 4 years or so. I feel "old, stupid, ugly, untalented, God hates me, I hate everyone, I don't want to go outside of the house, where's the vicodin" about once every couple of weeks, and it lasts for a day or two... Or maybe I just *think* I'm depressed ....gonna go take that test...

I know you stated that you have rheumatoid arthritis and that is probably the reason for the vicodin, but long-term narcotic use can bring on symptoms of depression as well as the fact of the arthritis itself. Have you looked into other drug therapies? Just a suggestion. For some people narcotics are the only thing that eases the pain...kind of a Catch-22.