Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
Greetings and Hallucinations...
I joined DS in 2011 and joined two support groups at that time - Chronic Pain and Depression... Well, I started posting in the Chronic Pain group and never got any dfurther than that... I tghought that I should introdsuce myself here now that it's five years later... One of my biggest problems currentlyis with my hands... they're both numb past the wrists and ache and burn... (STILL waiting for someone to explain THAT one to me!) Anyway, the upashot is that I do most of my typing offline and copy and paste mostof my posts... if I don't reply right away or things seem delayed, don't worry... I'll get there eventually... :)
My Depression has been worsening lately as my Pain increases and I've been dipping down into the deep, dark, black pit of despair more and more... I have nearly constant thoughts of suicide running through my head all day every day but that's been going on for decades now and I have a shrink (well, a psych. nurse practitioner who's terrific) and I have lots of coping strategies in place and no active plans... yadda, yadda, yadda... I dfigured it migght be a good time to check out this group to seek and offer support... moving, of course, at my usual glacial pace... lol... I'm a big fan of quotes and have a huge collection of them clogging up my devices... my most often cited quote lately is:
"Tryin' to find some kinda way to cope,. You've got to admit, It ain't the despair that gets you... It's the hope." - Todd Snider, "Big Finish" - Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables
Other than that one, my other favorite that reminds me that silliness is a good thing and exists where you would least expect it is:
"I don’t like spinach, and I’m glad I don’t, because if I liked it I’d eat it, and I just hate it." - Clarence Darrow
I'm looking forward to meeting new folks here and hopefully getting a better handle on my Depression... OK, on to my standard, canned brief bio...
I am a 50-year-old Disabled / Semi-Pseudo-Retired Chronic Pain Patient, Future-(Hopefully)-Semi-Celebrated Blogger, and Full-Time Recliner-Jockey; I am also husband to the love of my life, and father to the 11-year-old light of my life. I have been living with (and in spite of) Chronic Pain and Severe Depression for over 24 years and Severe Tinnitus since the Summer of 1978. My wife and son are the only reasons I still reside on this side of the grass here on Planet Earth.
I used to sing a lot when I was younger and more able, until years of dry-mouth and loss of breath control from opioid painkillers and muscle relaxants took over... I still try to do my best from time to time and some of those efforts can be found on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DYoungTab/videos
Prior to being disabled, I was a self-employed Web Designer and Developer and a freelance Programmer working from home. I am keeping my website -- http://www.youngwebdesign.com/ -- active in the hopes that my son will be interested in taking it over some day.
In March of 2014, I began writing a Blog about living with and in Chronic Pain. The name of my Blog comes from a quote I found online:
"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience." – Julius Caesar
Please read my Blog, "Enduring Pain With Patience", at: https://enduringpainwithpatience.wordpress.com/
Peace,
Dave
OK, I'm fixing more typos than accomplishing actual tytping which is my sigfn to quit before mty hands revolt completely... Hoping everyone is doing as well as possible... I'll xclose by pasteing in some more favorite quotes...
"The early bird may well get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
- Anonymous
"Most of the time, I don't have much fun. The rest of the time, I don't have any fun at all."
- Woody Allen
"Never raise your hand to your children; it leaves your midsection unprotected."
- Robert Orben
"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
- R. Heinlein
"Every time I think I've hit bottom, someone throws me a shovel."
- Jim Davis (Garfield Cartoon)
"We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict."
- Jim Morrison
"People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend."
- Jim Morrison
"God is a concept by which we measure our pain."
- John Lennon
"The greatest evil is physical pain."
- Saint Augustine
"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience."
- Julius Caesar
"The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain."
- Aristotle
Peace,
Dave
- Robert Orben Love it!
I am a 50-year-old Chronic Pain patient, husband to the love of my life, and father to the 11-year-old light of my life. Along for the ride, the mind-bending Chronic Pain's partner-in-crime, is the soul-crushing big, black, deep, dark pit of Severe Depression... at least it helps break up the monotony of the constant pain. Then there's also a variety of other conditions and ailments, which all work together to make up the required daily pharmacopoeia that I manage to choke down and inject at various intervals every 24 hours.
Music helps me deal with the pain and I've also found quite a bit of help with Brainwave Entrainment, Binaural Beats, Isochronic Tones, Meditation, Guided Imagery, Hypnosis, and Self-Hypnosis. When you live every day with Chronic Pain and Severe Depression, you'll seek out relief by any available means, so you're bound to find some things that help along the way. My list of successes above was culled from more failures than I care to recall, but then again, I've done a lot of seeking in more than 20 some odd years of constant pain.
I used to sing a lot, solo in church and at weddings... side-effects from pain meds, muscle relaxants, et. al. caused killer dry-mouth, lost muscle/breath control, so no more voice.
I used to garden a lot, dig beds, plant and grow... back couldn't bend, legs couldn't lift, hands couldn't feel nor control, so no more gardening.
I used to work online, telecommute, and was a self-employed programmer and web designer/developer... back, neck and hands couldn't take sitting, typing, working at computer anymore, so no more working. Finally had to file for Disability in 2005.
I used to volunteer/worship/pray/believe... back couldn't take the drive to church nor the hard pews anymore, no face-time and nothing for the collection plate quickly (surprisingly fast!) dried up any remaining ministrations from pastoral professionals and staff, so I took off my cross and left. I guess my religious status could currently be described as Seeking Agnostic with strong Atheistic Tendencies.
I used to sleep at night... used to socialize... used to travel a bit... used to make it through the day without weeping... used to smile and laugh and actually mean it...... well, not so much anymore. :-/
Peace,
Dave