General Chat

Ann in Glos, I stand corrected. The usual seasonal flu is a deadly disease but I was reacting to the panic here and it appears in the northern hemisphere over so-called swine flu.
Interestingly, an article in New Scientist points out why younger people get sicker than older ones. We probably have some immunity, not specifically to H1N1 but in general. I have been through the 1957-58, 1968, and bird flu epidemic of a few years ago. I had a dose some time in the mid 90s but can't remember exactly when.
William, I appreciate your comments about drugs, but there are at least two or three classes of anti-depressants. The SSRI type (Prozac and its successors) seem to have fewer side effects than the older tricyclics, but some of the SSRIs do appear to have serious side effects.
There were times in my life where antidepressants were almost literally a life saver. The first time was before Prozac was widely available, and I got doxepin (Sinequan). When the problem re-emerged, each time my GP (and psychiatrist) continued to prescribe the doxepin. It may not have been fashionable by then, but it worked for me with minimal side effects other than sedation. So I took it at night.
I did try hypnotherapy but rather to my regret found it was useless.
Hang in there, mate.
Greetings also to David who popped in a couple of days ago. Hope things are going OK with you.
Hello Liz, Carole (both of you), Hazel, Eileen, Ann and others I can't remember at the moment. I need a diary.

Hi Bill, good to see you posting on here. I agree it can work for some people, but not for others. For me it did not work. Why? Because I have pain 24/7 and it never goes away, some days are worse than others. I have had pain management and manage to not get to the bottomless pit much now as the strategies do work and have learnt it is okay if I have a very painful day to take my pills and not feel guilty that I have achieved nothing, I can always catch up when feel better. I also have post traumatic stress Disorder, PTSD, and have tried hypnosis, for me it did not work and was very expensive. For some it may. Sometimes, there is the fact that the chemicals in the brain are off kilter and the medication is needed to stabilise the chemicals, bring them back to normal. All of my specialists have recommended that I stay on my meds for the rest of my life, they also have the side effect of cutting down some of the nerve pain, so a double bonus. I take mine because they also stop me from wanting to jump off a cliff.

Hi to everyone, enjoying grandson visiting, he is now 16 months and quite a handful and hard for grandma to keep up with. He is such a joyful child, the other day we had some rain and he found a muddy puddle to play in, his mum and dad just let him play and lay down and splash and have a great time. He was filthy by the time he had had enough, I was also ecstatic that his parents let him do it as many now days do not and the child misses out. I remember having a great time in puddles.

Hi to Y/caz think about you and gentle hugs.

Love and hugs

Gail

Hi Bill nice to meet you. I thought about hypnosis but never tried it. My tablets work well and with CBT I'm doing well at the moment. My Dr said I would probably stay on the tablets for life then next visit he said three years so I don't know!

Hi Colin the leaflet I was given at the chemist with the tamiflu says coughing is a sign and Rem is coughing! He was up last nigh for a while and seemed better than earlier in the week.

Hi David how are you these days? Nice to see you pop in x

Going to CBT this morning wonder if I'll be discharged today

Well wasn't discharged I told him I was a bit worried to be left on my own. So I have another appointment and then will get discharged. The problem is 80% better. But I am still worried it will come back with no one to support me.

Just a quick hello from me..
Hope everyone is ok
Claire xxx

Hello Claire. Post my bedtime so will catch up later.

Hypnosis was the best thing I ever did.Wish I had had the benefit of it in my childhood and teens when I was dealing with my mother.

My hypnotherapist taught me to put myself into trance and I still sometimes do it when I need to relax.

If it does nothing else it does put you into deep relaxation for a time.

For me, hypnosis was helpful in learning to relax, and i still do it for dentist visits and so forth, but when I go down into a depression it just doesn't work. Intrusive thoughts and all that.
Yes Carole, I was wrong about the cough with flu. Perhaps it was the runny nose I was thinking of.

Just curious, often wondered about trying hypnosis - if you are able to put yourself into a trance, how do you break out of it? Have a fear of being stuck there.
Mary

Mary not that you put yourself in a trance, but using the techniques of being able to relax. Mine is floating in an enclosed blue lagoon with the sound of birds in the distance, the water is warm the sky a vivid blue. I just close my eyes and imagine this, it gets easier with time and practice. it has helped me through many panic attacks. Also helps on really bad pain days if I can concentrate enough, and focus. You are still aware what is going on around you though, so no chance of slipping into it forever. Pick your favourite place or and imaginary one, just bring a little at a time, the sound of a bubbling brook, then the splash of the water on the rocks, then imagine the look of the brook then the rocks and go from there a little at a time. Best to start when you can get some quite time and feeling well, as it forms it is easier when feeling down or in pain to then use it to relax.

Sometimes I sit on a stone wall with Sharron and Tinker, drinking coffee, talking and looking out over grassy meadows and gently sloping hills.

Hope that makes sence.

Gail

Thanks Gail, I just had visions of sitting,staring straight ahead, and remaining catatonic!!
Had a busy evening, doing basically nothing except ensuring I have signs etc all ready for the craft show on Saturday. This time we are going with about 50 of miniMary's bags, plus jugs of our homemade,"eco-friendly" laundry soap, plus a dozen jars of "Cafe mocha" mixture - a blend of instant coffee, chocolate drink powder, and powdered milk.
I love a hot mocha drink, and the mxture makes it easy to carry dry & just add to a cup of hot water. So we decided if I love it, perhaps people would pay to have some!!.
Such a relief to have begun to feel better. I was getting concerned that my mood was going to be down for weeks, but here I am, raring to go at 1:45AM. Where's Liz?

Off to bed now, because I must, not because I want to. My days and nights are mixed up!
Group hug,
Mary

Hey Mary pleased you are feeling lifted.
Gail how nice to be sat with you and Sharron by the water. x
Your bubble sounds like the relaxation method I use a lot. I lay on a very warm beach, by a gently rolling sea as it laps onto a sandy beach with pebbles at the waters egde. The sound of the water on the pebbles is lovely. The sky is a vivid blue with the odd cloud sailing by. The sound of birds and sight of them hovering in the blue sky is a pleasure to see. The beach is acually in a cove away from everything. Surrounded by high cliffs, very private. And I just build on this.

Spoke to Joyce last night she didn't sound so breathless I'm plesaed to say. Hospital here want her back for another look at her chest.

Taking R's car for MOT this morning, he is still feeling poorly but is much better

Everybody is in a hypnotic state at least twice a day. You know that time when you are just drifting into sleep and your thoughts kind of drift, well that is hypnosis. Likewise, when you are drifting awake or when you are operating on auto-pilot. It is when your active mind surrenders to your inner mind.

What's wrong with being in trance forever anyway?

With hypnosis you are always in control.

Absolutely NOTHING Sharron......
I'm in a perpetual state of hypnosis!!
after arguing with my computer, phoning my bank, then e-mailing GR, I finally found out why GR could not access my bank account to take my annual fee!!
My card had expired between the last time I paid, and THIS YEAR!
Do I feel a fool?
Well YES I do..... ;-0(
so I am back and will see you all later.
Deanna XXXX

Deanna, I had a trolley full of groceries once and my every day banking card would not work for the same reason, it had expired. I really gave the poor checkout girl a hard time and eventually used my credit card. That night at home I found it had expired, I did go in to the supermarket the next day and ask for the manager and the girl and apologised profusely. This was also before I could blame my disability as the reason why. You are not the only one to have this happen.

Gail

Message from Yorkshire Caz

Could you say hello to all my friends on depression thread for me please, Gail, Mary ,Col, Deanna oh you know them all no need to put all their names. I miss reading about their daily ups and downs but not been able to sit comfy at all. In fact I am starting to hurt in my hip already and only done this bit, no hope for me is there.

Where are you all?

Hi folks, here I am! Been a bit snowed under with the worry of o.h. and his diabetes diagnosis - he has to see the nurse this week to learn more about what he must and must not do/eat etc etc. He won't let me go with him, he has purposely made the appt for 9 am Tuesday morning as he knows I won't be able to tag along. He thinks if I go with him I will tell the nurse about his secret drinking and such. It's so hard shopping now that I have to think about what he can have altho he doesn't seem to bother and isn't reading ingredients properly on things. On Sunday, I slept for quite a long while as I was very tired and he had two crumpets for breakfast which he is allowed, but when I went down late afternoon he had not had lunch, he said he was busy fixing second dvd recorder to the new tv etc and couldn't think what to eat, so didn't bother! That is so typical of him and what with working shifts and having a job with no fixed meal breaks I think things are going to be very hit and miss, even with taking medication too. I don't really need the responsibility of thinking for him any more than I already have to, reminding him about his other meds for high blood pressure, cholesterol etc as well as all this. Thank heavens this week I can eat what I want when I want as he is on the late shift.

Mary, hope the craft show went well and you sold all your goodies. The Mocha sounds good and I am sure the bags were a hit. Are you known as the Bag lady yet lol?

I had to laugh when you were all describing your relaxation methods, as I used to go to a Stress Management course about 15 years ago, it was at our local college and I would go along after I had done some cleaning for my friend who worked full time. I would lie on the floor and listen to Carol, our tutor, wax lyrical about a beach and water lapping etc and the next thing I would hear was her saying 'it's ok, leave her' and realize she was talking about me, cos I had fallen asleep yet again! I never did dare ask if I had snored or worse, snorted lol
I rarely have a problem going to sleep and if I wake up and can't get off again I read for a while, and wake up with the light on and the book on the floor or somewhere in the bed! I did it a few weeks ago with a magazine and woke up with the coloured ink all over my face lol, gave myself a fright when I looked in the mirror.

Glad you are with us again Deanna, and so sorry I forgot to put up the Free Deanna thread when you were locked out of gr! I will have to make sure my card is the right one when I am due to renew in February.

Off to read some more threads, take care, all of you, and hi to those I haven't mentioned.

love and hugs
Lizxxxx

OH GAIL..... so comforting to know that I am not alone in silly things I do.
I did feel a fool though as I had told EVERYONE, PHONED THE BANK, and then e-mailed GR........
Ah well, if I am going to have a reputation.... it could be a worse one! ;-0)
I have had a stroke yah know!!!! That is the excuse I use at home..................

Poor (Caz) Carole.... she is not having a great time is she?
I know that she is ill and that must be SO frustrating for her.
We all know that being ill is no fun at all.
Tell her from me that I am still here and if she needs a friend..... she has a HUGE array to chose from. Give her my love too. XXX

BUT..... tell her not to rely on that LIZ ONE..... She forgot me, and left me in the wilderness all alone!!! MY FRIEND!!!;-0)

Well, off again to do another bit of packing.....
Roll on MONDAY!
love and hugs to ALL.
Deanna XXXXX

Sorry to hear that YCaz is still suffering so much p[ain. If you do look in Caz, I am thinking of you.

Gail, I often use visualisation which is what you describe, especially at the dentist or having minor ops etc at hospital. We learnt it when I used to go to Yoga many years ago.

Deanna, what are you like???? Not to worry I am sure GR are used to that sort of mistake, which is all it was.

Liz, I think you have to tell K that, he is responsible for his own life, if he wont co-operate you cannot be made to feel responsible.

Hi everyone, still have daughter her OH and grandson, a week has turned into five weeks now, they live so far away it has been great seeing him grow and running around everywhere. Had 375 photos to download on PC, have not done the videos yet. Grandma is tired and sleeping well for a change.

Deanna, I cannot use the stroke as an excuse, however, my brain did get juggled around a bit with my accident, I cannot use that as an excuse either as my shopping disaster happened before my accident. Had to buy some new batteries the other day and could not get my card to work, they have given me this new fangled thing that only works as a credit card but is my savings card, so had it denied 3 times then remembered the correct thing, credit. It is not a credit card it is a debit card, stupid bank, was all their fault.

Purple liz, do not know what you are going to do with him, meals are now so important drinking is a real no no, smack him up the ear and tell on him.

Hi Y/Caz ~~~~~~~~~~ to you and gentle hugs. Chickens are doing well and growing. Will send some more photos soon as I sort them.

Big Hi to everyone, have not forgotten you, just being a grandma while I can.

Love and hugs to all

Gail