depression

has anyone being diagnosed with depression following the MM diagnostic?

 

I went through depression while going through my divorce, got on Prozac. During this time my MM got worse, too. Stress, etc. all add to MM. In January 2010 my Meniere's come on strong and has become chronic. I fought depression again, but was losing the battle. Got back on Prozac in May. Taking 10mg a day.

Helps me get out of bed in the morning

KT

 

Have not been diganosed , but I am depressed alot . I have a sister who is an RN and she always tells me don't worry about what people think , only if it makes you feel better . I am hard headed and it took me 3 years to come to terms with Meniere's , so I am figuring that it will take awhile to come to terms with depression . I do know that stress is a major trigger for me , and with me being on disablity I have alot of time to think about problems is my life , if I am feeling good that day . If I am feeling bad , then the house could burn down around me and I would not care . But I think that people with Meniere's can't help but feel a little depressed , it is a major life change , and for me I was so active never sat down sucked up every bit of overtime I could at work ran the kids worked 3rd shift and would go on 4-5 hours sleep a day . Now I don't work my family and friends help with the kids if hubby not here and I sleep about 14 hours a day , so I would say I would have a reason to be depressed .

 

Spinningwheels, yes, I am going through quite a bad time with this.

Are you suffering from depression following your diagnosis?

Jane

 

I did suffer with depression following my dx in 2006. Had to get on some medication for the first time in my life and it really helped. Living with a chronic illness of any kind can cause depression for sure.

 

My first doctor believed that I was depressed, and in fact, prescribed anti-depressant. But I didn't take it. Maybe I was depressed. But I thought it was a symptom aggravated by the fact that I was managing MM so poorly. I chose to focus on the treatment of MM over taking anti-depressant.

 

on a related note you might want to read the bellow link

B vitamins linked to lower risk of depression
09/09/2010

http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/Vitamins/b_vitamins_depression_0909101217.html

 

no but i believe i am right now - i go in and out of it during my bad spells. I remember being really depressed back when all this started 30 years ago too.

i don't want to take any drugs though. Stubborn i know but i hate drugs and side effects.

I get depressed when i can't drive and do normal things that's for sure. Or be around other people or help other people

 

Never been diagnosed with depression but I am sure I have been through it as when I was really ill with newly diagnosed menieres and recovering from a divorce emotionally and financially ( us poor men usually come off worse financially ) I would put everything off, do it later seemed to be answer for everything. I would actually step over things in the house rather than pick them up and tidy them away.

It takes time to come to terms with major events in your life like divorce, chronic illness, family death, loss of job, money worries, why me etc. All happened about the same time. I am alot better now and I'm sure it is due to things getting easier with time.

Frank

 

Well I sure am not myself.
The lack of support at home is what my doc. believes add to my stress level.
Which is a major trigger for me, like cafeine, or anything exciting it seems.
He met my spouse and sized him up right away.
I have to apologize for being sick, because he thinks I'm doing this to ruin his plans,
or get attention. The first words out of his mouth after teh ENT visit was
"who diagnosed you with this?" - Now I lost my job 3 weeks ago and really
I can't blame them for letting me go. I never called in sick or come in late or left early but
mu performance was poor. Couldn't concentrate, forgetting things, I had major brain freezes before starting cerc but
it didn't take all away and it was probably too little too late. I knew I wasn't the person I was even 18 months ago, and
this is a job I have excelled at for over 25 years!
I can't exactly dust myself off and look for work, try to sell my old self, when I know that person is gone.
More stress.
Now what? - My family doc and the ENT are speaking and to quote Dr Fagan "we can't leave you like this!"
My family doc thought I was depressed before MM and I tried different kind from Zyban to Prozac for about a year.
They all made me dizzy so I stopped taking them thinking there was an ingredient in all of them I was allergic to or something.
Then the tests started and it is MM, aggravated or brought on by stress.
I'm glad I could let it out - Thanx for the tips guys.

 

There is overwhelming evidence that most, if not all, cases of depression have a vitamin D deficiency component. Taking adequate amounts of vitamin D – which is not the ridiculously low and inadequate RDAs of 400 IU – can dramatically reduce or eliminate depression.

I have personally experienced this, as I used to get severe SAD, seasonal affective disorder, the “winter blues.” After taking 4000 IU of vitamin D3 (I now take 6000 IU), my winter depression is virtually gone, and life is much more enjoyable.

I’d strongly suggest that those with depression start taking vitamin D. It will cost between 5 and 10 cents a day, and will not only reduce or stop depression, it will reduce the chances of cancers, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and nerve and brain diseases by very large amounts.

Think not? Read what the vitamin D experts say at their website.

Start with the main page, for important background info:

www.vitamindcouncil.org

Then, go to the Depression page, and read the evidence and recommendations there:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml

Taking adequate vitamin D is an important first step in conquering depression.

And leading vitamin D experts are now stating that one should start with this formula. Multiply your body weight by 35, and then take the nearest 1000 IU of vitamin D.

If you weigh 100 lbs, that’s 3500, so take 4000 IU. If you weigh 150, that’s 150 x 35 = 5250, so take 5000 IU.

But it can take several months for the vitamin D to accumulate in your system, so be patient.

–John of Ohio

 

i take lots of vitamin D thats for sure but just down right now cuz i'm sick.

chris

 

Sorry Spinningwheels...sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now. Just try to remember there are better days ahead...and yell, cry or talking here will help...we get it.

Yeah..I have been told my Neurologist and reg Dr I'm depressed and gudgenly take Cymbalta... I don't see a difference really. Maybe I'm being stubborn (o.k. PROBABLY I'm being stubborn) BUT I get down sometimes, get over it and get back up again.

I don't think you could have this crap and not have a pity party once in a while.

 

I was Very depressed for like 3 wks then I snapped out of it.....Looked at all the positive things I had going for me

 

Depression is often a big part of a chronic illness. It can become a viscous cycle of illness and deeper depression.
It can wreak your career, relationships and increase your risk of other diseases. It makes whatever you are fighting a million times worse. It can be subtle as the first snowflake of an coming blizzard or as deadly as a freight train and any and everything in between.

Often, the first few bouts with leave leave spontaneously but it's like virus in that it can lay dormant just waiting for a trigger to bring it to life again. Eventually it will wear a person down and the pendulum swings between depressed and almost normal aren't quite so broad. It gets more dangerous then because hope fades.

Unfortunately, any mental health issue has a stigma attached to it. Doctor's pass out AD meds too easily but I do think they can have a place in treatment for some people. I also think they mask the real reasons for depression/anxiety.

Depression is a symptom that something is wrong in life. It could just be the illness or it could be the cumulative effect of many actions, decisions we make or don't make, choices we have made, regrets.
It ends up being a huge mental bezoar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bezoar).

It can be a chemical imbalance, it could be the result of unbalanced hormones. Omega 3 fatty acids are often beneficial for general health but have been shown to help balance mood. It takes a substantial dosage though, around 4 to 6K per day. I use Nordic Naturals, 6 per day plus 2K of Borage seed oil along with many other supplements.

There is good reason to either ask your doctor or somehow find a therapist, preferably one with more than the normal amount of experience working with patients with chronic illnesses, who can help you learn how to cope and develop skills to manage your life with this illness.
We all know, MM comes and goes but never leaves. It's up to you to find the ways to make the most of your life and a skilled mental health counselor will be an important tool in helping your reach your goals.

Just as it was important for you to find the right person to diagnosis and treat your ear disease, so it is for your emotional state. Having a healthy state of mind will help any of your physical illnesses, without it we have a much harder fight.

 

I go through spells of pity parties. Usually getting on here and playing some of the games (I love the banning one and the lie about the person ones) and then talk with my support group here has helped a lot.

Carolyn, Joy, Tara (not), Prima Donna, Papajoe, Mcdizzy, Lulu, Carribean (any post is a good post), Roko (love his jokes) (I am missing a few and am sorry) will usually make you laugh when your down and can bring some cheer to your life. Sometimes the people here are the only thing that can help me make it through the day.

 

Life is full of ups and downs and we as humans get to go for the ride. Sometimes we end up thinking too much and playing mind games with ourselves and it is during those times that we lose control of our rational thought process. This is when we suffer from depression. I have learned to maintain control of my mind by differentiating between things I can change or control and those which I can't do anything about. I therefore am focused on changing what I can, if it is important to me, and not worrying about the things I can't do anything about. Meniere's is something we can't change, we can focus on improving the symptoms but we need to be careful in not getting our expectations too high.

Piggy

 

Very well said Dizzy Little Piggy!

 

I looked up this thread because I'm totally depressed w/ Meniere's disease. I'm kind of a chronic case. I'm pretty much deaf now and have tinnitus and fullness bilaterally 24/7. But the worst part is I have daily vertigo. I also have irritable bowel disease and migraine related vertigo. So I pretty much always feel terrible. I still have to work too, and now it is a physical labor job because I can't hear enough to communicate very much, answer a phone, or anything like that. I've gone from managing offices to being the janitor. Meniere's has pretty much ruined my life. I hide that I'm puking in the sink so I don't get docked on my hours.

I used to be a very outgoing social person, involved in volunteer activities and have three children and many animals. Over the course of the last three years I've progressed to the point that I am totally dependent on my husband and children, the youngest of which is 14. Music used to be my passion, as well as talking on the phone and listening to talk radio, movies, etc. Now I'm a hermit.

We are also very strapped for cash as my doctors, who have delayed my deafness a long time, have cost a lot of money. I also have kidney problems and those bills mounted, and my husband has epilepsy so those bills mounted. We are in a world of hurt financially and even purchasing the correct foods for my diet is a challenge. Lately, everyone seems tired of my problems, tired of seeing me having vertigo attacks, tired of repeating themselves over and over so I can understand. I really don't want this life and I want m old one back.

 

Interesting thread. I applied for disability last October based on Meniere's. I had reports from my GP, my ENT and my psychologist. When the insurance company sent me for an independent analysis, I expected an ENT. Instead they sent me to a psychiatrist. Based on that report (depression) i was approved.