Night Shift

Hey @Former-Member 😊

You picked up my tag ....

There's often someone floating about here at all hours of the night.

Sometimes just touching base with someone else to say hi and chat for a while helps to settle you back off to sleep.

Hi @Former-Member, welcome to Night Shift. Yes, please do join in anytime! For now, hope you get a good night's sleep tonight and look forward to seeing you back here again. 🙂

@Angels333, your husband sounds like he has had it much worse than me with his IBD. I've had Crohns for 36 years but it's treated me relatively well since having a couple of surgeries to remove badly diseased sections of intestine. But I'm never normal with the gut nonetheless, just a lot less pain than I used to get when it was acute (that was agonising almost all the time for many years on end). I was into any alternative therapy I could find and afford when I was suffering extremely like that. I've found that diet makes no difference with Crohns Disease. Medical research supports this. Except that when suffering acutely, low residue diet can help make it easier for food to pass through intestine. I also find it helps to eat smaller sized meals, eating a number of times a day if necessary. What have been your husband's experiences in this regard? It must be really hard for you to see him suffer with it. I really feel for what my different partners went through with me when I was acutely ill with it.

@Former-Member, so lovely that your son took some care of you like that. Hope you feel up to moving from the bed tomorrow to take a bit more care of your lovely self. I know the feeling well though and understand how it can seem just impossible sometimes to move ourselves out of those places. I think you were referring to mood stabilising medication as a possibility in a couple of weeks. That sounds like it could be really helpful for you. It made a huge difference in my life when I started that once I was properly diagnosed with bipolar in 2008.

Hi @comet, I think it's great that you sent out a special shoutout to the men. There are so many alone and struggling. My dad was one of them after my mother and he split for the last time when I was 15. Though they were both alone after that, my father always seemed to suffer more to me, partly I think because he felt far less free to express what he was going through and had no support network at all. I don't think that's uncommon. I too support some special thoughts for the men. Hugs out to all reading who might want them (thinking of you too, @Jacques with a hug, hope you are doing okay).

@Mazarita It was mood stabilising medication that has been suggested. It was actually my first phams meeting after learning a bit about me they asked if I was on them. It kind of triggered things for me and so I saw my GP and therapist to get their opinions and both concurred there is room to explore it. However the psychiatrist doesn't want me on any medication and so I don't like my chances and since he is the the only one allowed to prescribe me anything (as I haven't played nicely with medication before). I am still on an antidepressant though. I'm really glad it made big diffeence to you. 💜😊

@Former-Member, I can see the 'Catch 22' you are in with medications. Fingers crossed for you that the best outcome is achieved. Hugs.

Are you guys around for a bit @Mazarita @Faith-and-Hope I could do with some distraction.

Yeah @Former-Member .... I am 💜

I'm exploring this paper craft .... it's so clever, and very beautiful.

@Former-Member, I was thinking of heading off soonish, but here for a little while longer yet. Will just get myself a cup of herbal tea, maybe you and @Faith-and-Hope might feel like something like that too. Then a good old fashioned womens' round table (I imagine us sitting around one of those cosy old kitchen tables in a warm room). 🙂

I feel like I need a good news story if you have any. Not sure if you ever saw the Hamish and andy skit about the fantasy hotline for fathers it was hilarious telling blokes about their days as a childless man. I think I need something along the lines of what people actually do with their lives when they are out of bed, sad but true. Needing some inspiration 💜😊

i should add it was all the simple stuff in the skit like getting up at midday and watching a whole game of sport etc rather than changing nappies no sleep etc

Sounds great @Mazarita. I haven't done anything like that for so long, too long.

Well I'm here at the table too ... 😊 thinking about my walk down at the river this morning. Didn't see any fin-babies 🐬 but there was a Willy-wagtail dancing across the tables at the coffee-shop. My D1 is over her hissy-fit last weekend .... managed to talk it out with her without too much dragon-fire ... so grabbed a coffee down by the river for a little while.

They have had a lot of trouble with seagulls there. They have become bold enough to try to raid people's plates while they're eating .... so some smartie worked out that if you put a couple of large ornamental garden owls on the wall the surrounds the al-fresco area, the gulls nick off .... owl sentries we have there now !!