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Down in the Dumps

Down in the Dumps

.

The numbing down.

The dumbing down.

The meds settle and my brain goes sideways.
I am so alone, most of the time.

I somethimes just like my own company.

The past 6 months were so busy and traumatic helping my elderly Mum into care, her fighting every inch of the way.

Now she is looked after, safe, a bit unhappy but trying to make the most of her new life situation.

Days and weeks spent being chucked into PTSD flashbacks. And bit by bit in fact learning that the person I was dealing with (the perpetrator of early abuse) is just a human being struggling too, and I hate that I hate that I saw his humanity. I feel SO conflicted. That I can be empathetic towards the person who caused me so much trauma... I just want to hate him, but I am finding I do not, but I cannot forgive him either, Its a hard thing.

Went to see a psychologist for a few sessions. Same old, Same old. First one, second one. Very down and anxious. All helpie and useful. Then flicked into a mild hypomania so arrived all bouncy and protecting my inner-core. She decided I didn;t need any more sessions, because of the way I presented. i couldn;t say - but I am actually hypomanic. Because when I am I don;t know, when I am IN it I don;t know. I just look and sound very together - but I talk fast and my thought flow and speech is quite different. But because these people don;t know me - they just see someone with a sparkle int he eye saying "I am going REALLY well" and they beleive me. Then the crash down, down. I have been crying every day, alone.

My poor partner had all her teeth out a month ago - from peridontal disease and she is trying to adapt to new dentures and I feel so very sorry for her - she supports us both the only person in our relationship who works and I feel so damned useless. I have taken good care of her preparing meals she can eat (soup, soup, custard, soup, scrambled egg) but she has to keep getting up and going to work putting her dentures in which hurt so much. Poor girl having to do that HAVING to do it so we can both survive.

I feel so useless, broken body, broken mind. She is going interstate for a week next week and I will be really ALONE then - and I am fearful of that. I can cope for the 8 hours she is at work, entertain myself do housework, do some grpahic design , flop about on facebook, read, watch TV, walk my darling doggie daughter, visit Mum (but I just need a break from Mum really!), shop etc - but really I feel right now that my life is such a waste of space.

I came on here with an intent to involve and read others stories see what I could do to reach OUT instead of just stewing on my own juices. I am reading other people's stries and it is jst crashing me down further.

My doggie-daughter is having her own dental today, she will be aneasthetised and have a tooth removed and scale cleaned, I have her on a very good diet, but her breed is prone to teeth decay. So I don;t even have her here breathing beside me. I know she will be beside herself at the vets she has such huge sepeartion anxiety. Poor girlie too.

Oh what a woe is me post this is! What shall I DO - to lift myself up and out? What? Suggestions welcome - it is cold and threatening rain so walk is not a possibility!

119 replies

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In response to: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@Former-Member thank you for sharing your experience. I crashed out of hypo-mania last week and that is always a rough time anyways, so typical of me to have a health crisis at the beginning of a depression. It's chicken and egg stuff which comes first. I have thyroid levels check three times last year following two slightly low, it returned normal levels in August. Will be interesting to see if it is hypo again now.

It is good to hear that the situation is manageable, I didn;t think I was overly anxious about it being as sanguine as I could bee, avoiding drama llama thinking about it. But my stomach acid is definately causing issues so have gone back on a med I was on last year until I see the doc on turesday.

Bloody Bodies can't live with 'em can't live without 'em.

@Shaz51 I feel physically a lot better today, I don't know what the issue was maybe a fibro-flare brought on by anxiety. I am stressing over the community involvement I initiated while at the tail end of my hypo - I have said to a group of local residents and in the bloody newspaper front page quoted as saying I am doing something - to combat a development but now I am bottoming out and have disordered thinking and feel very vulnerable and unsure of my ability to follow through. I am hoping if I give it a few days I will bounce again and feel like I can get my head around what I have to do. If I 'thought I could" while I was manic, I probably CAN do it, just need clear mental space and less anxiety to do it.

A perspective thing. A friend of mine has just been diagnosed with scleroderma and already involves her heart, she is devastated - and it is a life-sentence of a few years, so I am counting my lucky stars right now that whatever is going on is manageable. Funny how you can spend half your life wishing to die and then freak out if you think you are going to.

Thanks everyone for being here

In response to: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@MoonGal ..... I know scleroderma .....it took my mum before we realised that was what she had ..... it masqueraded as a series of miscellaneous minor illnesses ....

So glad your friend has been diagnosed and her condition will be managed. I didn't end up being able to say goodbye, but fortunate circumstances allowed us to spend two precious months by her side, with a pseudo-recovery amidst it that has left us with some bitter-sweet memories of precious moments.

Heart-hugs to you and your friend .... ❤️💕

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@Faith-and-Hope - hard yards lived and so glad you got to have some good time with your Mum before the end if not right there at the end. Isn;t life tenuous? I sometimes feel so angry at this mental illness I have - which no one seems to realise is devastating. Even this morning my partner said with exasperation 'What's the MATTER?" as I had tears running down my cheeks not long after I woke up feeling physically better but thinking, thinking, thinking about... what? I dunno. what was I thinking Just bleh, just mud. Tidal Flats.

My friend lives interstate and I so wish I was nearby for her to go do a bit of shopping or cook meals for her, She lives alone and is struggling with this on her own. Life is such a tough gig.

In response to: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

Send her things @MoonGal .... my mum was a real corresponder .... I don't know anyone else whose "letters" would arrive scrawled in the back of deposit slips from (written in) the bank, or flyers handed out at a shopping centre .....

My mum would stick a postage stamp on anything and send it ..... and it was always a joy to receive .....

Share the little moments with an image on junk-mail circled, or an article torn from a magazine ..... send her rainbow stickers ..... anything that says "I care about what you're going through ...."

❤️💕

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@Faith-and-Hope - oh yes! Good idea - I sent her a love package a few months ago before I knew she as ill, I will do something today! That will also get me out of the house with my darling doggit and down the street to the post office. ❤️ thanks for the suggestion!

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

Just wanted to say I hear you @MoonGal. Sorry things have crashed again. It never seems fair. I get the what's the matter too. It's a weekly occurrence for me even though I just have wildly swinging moods and poor emotion regulation so it spoke to me when you said your partner said "what's the matter now". Anyway I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you. I'm really glad @Faith-and-Hope her magic again (think she really does own a magic wand some days) and has given you something to feel good about. I'll leave you with this in regards to your community project

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

What a wonderful idea @Faith-and-Hope

How did you go @MoonGal xoxo my sister

I thought that was such a great Idea , I am going to do that too for my Aunty

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@Former-Member @Shaz51 @Faith-and-Hope @Former-Member @Former-Member @Appleblossom

So it goes like this. I have disordered thinking, but can see it. My brain goes black and white thinking. It is all bad and here is the bad bit and here is why there is a bad bit. I justify my own thinking. Over and over. It is a torrent of scoriating self-erasure.

When I am hypo - I also get little glimpses it is disordered but brilliant. The BIG flags the big klaxons are denied insight. "THIS THING (.... name new enthusiasm here) I AM DOING NOW IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE" and then when I fall out the other side "What were you thinking Moongal, you have no right/insight/talent it is all a lie, predicated on brain chemistry"

Oh, this bipolar life is such a hard road to ride.


😞 Insight ??? hahahahaha!!! What is the point of it if it does me no service? I seem to not be able to change anyways. <weep>

In response to: Re: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

@MoonGal

A torrent of self erasure .. would rock anyone's boat.

It helps me to think about such times as a thinking habit. Not really me, but a bad habit, which I may allow to go on for a while before the less critical side of me can catch it and turn it around.

The issues around talent and whether that is helpful or gives one a reason or excuse to be the way we are .. is tricky and a question for educators too.

I ended up choosing conversations around skills .. skillset and skill development ..

life long learners .. process oriented than

who actually owns the goodies .. of "talent"

you have the right cos you are you @MoonGal

In response to: Down in the Dumps

Re: Down in the Dumps

❤️💕 @MoonGal .....

Let your creativity define you Hon .... your goodness of heart .... and all the beautiful parts of you that ride these waves ....

When the surf's up, boogie with whatever brings you joy and helps to keep you as grounded as possible, and let the waves wash over you and beyond ..... you have calmer seas on other days .... never, ever forget it .....

Hugs n more hugs ..... 🤗😘💐
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