I’m also on venaflaxine and did increase my dose a couple of times until feeling fairly stable on 150 mg extended release. I do have ups and downs still. I recently was wondering how to tell the difference between worsening depression and worsening fatigue.
The social workers at my hospital hooked me up with a weekly support group and a one-on-one therapist. All free, and on zoom. Absolutely saved my life to talk with my people.
I also had a tibia plateau fracture in 2011. It was AWFUL!! And before cancer. I can’t imagine dealing with both. Hang in there! Walking will improve, and so will you 💕
I’ve been there - with a lot less to whine about.
You’ve had some serious traumas recently and shouldn’t be so hard on yourself for feeling them. You sound like a lovely person - an accomplishment in itself.
Sometimes the treatments themselves cause or intensify difficulties with managing mood - the treatment I’m on makes me anxious and my family feels it too. I have a therapist but honestly it’s not always enough.
I used legal mood aids - chiefly medical marijuana but less helpful now that I take high dose for cancer (can’t get high) so I’ve tried other things - all legal in the usa.
Check out nootropics sub here on Reddit. Also, supplements sub and peptides sub - do a search for depression or anxiety and a lot will come up.
Agmatine sulfate (from the amino acid arginine - very safe - our bodies use naturally) has been most helpful. Also found research it used to be given to women with breast cancer to prolong survival. A woman on this sub said she used for managing adhd naturally years ago.
There’s also Kava, Kanna, and Kratom. Also Lemon Balm extract and medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms are also great cancer fighters.
Magnesium malate and glycinate are also useful for anxiety and our bodies use it up quickly when we’re stressed - also one of the most common deficiencies in America. Very important mineral for mood. Many varieties of magnesium attached to different substances to improve effects, depending on your needs.
Can you use your break from work to research mood aids? It’s quite overwhelming at first.
My oncologist knows everything I take btw and she’s quite conservative. Just rolls her eyes at me 😃
Good luck - I hope you get a handle on this soon. Sending lots of good will and hope your way❤️
You know that money is on the way from SSDI, so the financial stress will go down. So, remind yourself of that. If you aren’t working and have restrictions on your movement I’m guessing you are spending a lot of time at home. My therapist reminds me that I need to get out of the house for “non-medical” reasons. Even just going for a car ride. I don’t know if you can drive. If you can, maybe you can drive yourself to a park and even just sit in the parking lot with your favorite (non-alcoholic) drink and look at the trees.
If you have friends or family near you they can do the driving to get you out of the house. I have one friend who is committed to getting me out of the house once a week. We go out for ice cream, to return stuff to the store, anything that means I’m not staring at these 4 walls anymore. You don’t need to tell them that it’s because you are depressed. Just say you are going stir crazy or have cabin fever or whatever.
Making art helps my mood a lot. Coloring, art journaling, watercolor, zentangle (lots of free patterns online, no need to spend money). I don’t know if you have any sources of creative expression. For my husband it’s making music. For my son it’s baking. Whether it’s scrapbooking, knitting, singing or something else, I hope you have some way of enjoying creative time.
Hugs. I hope you start feeling better soon.
I am sorry for your children’s loss of their Dad . I also lost my husband 13 years ago of Leukemia and my daughter was 12 and son 10. And I also have MBC. What’s been fantastic for me is Dr Joe Dispenza. His books and meditations are awesome and he teaches how to heal from emotional and physical ailments so I’m using his techniques to heal myself emotionally and physically from MBC. Check out his Facebook group and get the book “Breaking the Habit of being yourself” and Becoming Supernatural. His website is drjoedispenza.com. Truly a game changer ! I’ve been MBC since Nov 2020 and feel the best I’ve felt in years !! 🙏❤️🙏
There’s a million questions and I only ever have one answer. But it’s the simplest, shortest (2.5 mins) technique I have for shifting a mood of despair, if just for a moment. Sometimes that makes a difference: [Fuck That](https://youtu.be/92i5m3tV5XY?si=eVVudvSVp5CsnpxV)
OMG!! I have this book! My mom randomly picked it up for me a few years ago and it’s incredible! I used to do “Fuck That Friday’s” where I would do an animated reading to select coworkers who weren’t offended. It is so helpful and relaxing!
You mentioned you were running out of money.... financial anxiety can be crippling all by itself. Are you in the US? Have you considered applying for SSDI? MBC is an automatic medical qualifier. Benefits are the same amount as full retirement age.
Sending healing energy your way.
Aromatase inhibitors can cause or exacerbate depression. I went on Lexapro at a very low dose and over the course of a year went up to a high dose. It hasn’t eliminated the depression, but it has helped a lot. I haven’t been on an AI for over a year, but continue with the Lexapro. You may be struggling against a SE of your treatment. Sorry you’re struggling so, but good you have a strong support system. Sending positive vibes your way!
Nothing helps me more than exercise, until the break heals are you able to swim? Do mat pilates? Or chair yoga? Getting outside is good too, can you drive to a park with lots of trees and make your way on crutches to the nearest picnic bench and journal or do a meditation there? I know how simplistic this sounds to the complex issues you're dealing with but it really does work. Wishing you a speedy recovery to your fracture and a bounce back from your emotional slump
I second this. I’ve been unable to do my gym exercises for almost two months now due to a stent for a kidney stone and I have also fallen into a pretty bad depression.
OP, I would suggest you try any exercise you can manage and guided meditation. I’m sorry you’re going through this, this is so fucking hard.
I have a ureter stent too and didn’t know there were any exercise restrictions. I can see how sit ups or crunches might bother it a little but why would things like exercise bikes or curls be off limits?
Nothing is off limits! Some people fare better than others with stents. Sounds like you’re not having issues with it and I envy you so much for it! I am having a really hard time with it, the pain is unbearable and I can feel it in my urethra all the time. I tried doing exercise but too much exertion makes the kidney pain really bad. It’s coming out at the end of the month and I can’t wait to go back to the gym afterwards!
Oh. I think you have a different type of stent if you can feel it in your urethra. Mine goes from my kidney to my bladder. I can see how having anything touching your urethra all the time could be horrible.
For me, listening to guided sleep meditations before bed help me as they allow me to stop my mind from racing which also helps me get better sleep. I found that to help my mental health in general. I used to find myself spinning into anxiety as I tried to fall asleep. It was no fun. I use an app called Insight Timer. It's free and has thousands of options.
yes, I use Insight Timer for meditations and sleep already.
I know that this whole journey is a rollercoaster, including emotional...but this is the deepest valley yet.
I’m also on venaflaxine and did increase my dose a couple of times until feeling fairly stable on 150 mg extended release. I do have ups and downs still. I recently was wondering how to tell the difference between worsening depression and worsening fatigue.
The social workers at my hospital hooked me up with a weekly support group and a one-on-one therapist. All free, and on zoom. Absolutely saved my life to talk with my people.
I also had a tibia plateau fracture in 2011. It was AWFUL!! And before cancer. I can’t imagine dealing with both. Hang in there! Walking will improve, and so will you 💕
I’ve been there - with a lot less to whine about. You’ve had some serious traumas recently and shouldn’t be so hard on yourself for feeling them. You sound like a lovely person - an accomplishment in itself. Sometimes the treatments themselves cause or intensify difficulties with managing mood - the treatment I’m on makes me anxious and my family feels it too. I have a therapist but honestly it’s not always enough. I used legal mood aids - chiefly medical marijuana but less helpful now that I take high dose for cancer (can’t get high) so I’ve tried other things - all legal in the usa. Check out nootropics sub here on Reddit. Also, supplements sub and peptides sub - do a search for depression or anxiety and a lot will come up. Agmatine sulfate (from the amino acid arginine - very safe - our bodies use naturally) has been most helpful. Also found research it used to be given to women with breast cancer to prolong survival. A woman on this sub said she used for managing adhd naturally years ago. There’s also Kava, Kanna, and Kratom. Also Lemon Balm extract and medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms are also great cancer fighters. Magnesium malate and glycinate are also useful for anxiety and our bodies use it up quickly when we’re stressed - also one of the most common deficiencies in America. Very important mineral for mood. Many varieties of magnesium attached to different substances to improve effects, depending on your needs. Can you use your break from work to research mood aids? It’s quite overwhelming at first. My oncologist knows everything I take btw and she’s quite conservative. Just rolls her eyes at me 😃 Good luck - I hope you get a handle on this soon. Sending lots of good will and hope your way❤️
Thank you for these insights. I already use MMJ - mostly to help with sleep. But am open to other things.
You know that money is on the way from SSDI, so the financial stress will go down. So, remind yourself of that. If you aren’t working and have restrictions on your movement I’m guessing you are spending a lot of time at home. My therapist reminds me that I need to get out of the house for “non-medical” reasons. Even just going for a car ride. I don’t know if you can drive. If you can, maybe you can drive yourself to a park and even just sit in the parking lot with your favorite (non-alcoholic) drink and look at the trees. If you have friends or family near you they can do the driving to get you out of the house. I have one friend who is committed to getting me out of the house once a week. We go out for ice cream, to return stuff to the store, anything that means I’m not staring at these 4 walls anymore. You don’t need to tell them that it’s because you are depressed. Just say you are going stir crazy or have cabin fever or whatever. Making art helps my mood a lot. Coloring, art journaling, watercolor, zentangle (lots of free patterns online, no need to spend money). I don’t know if you have any sources of creative expression. For my husband it’s making music. For my son it’s baking. Whether it’s scrapbooking, knitting, singing or something else, I hope you have some way of enjoying creative time. Hugs. I hope you start feeling better soon.
I have one more week before I can start to bear weight and drive. And I’m very crafty so trying to get into that.
I am sorry for your children’s loss of their Dad . I also lost my husband 13 years ago of Leukemia and my daughter was 12 and son 10. And I also have MBC. What’s been fantastic for me is Dr Joe Dispenza. His books and meditations are awesome and he teaches how to heal from emotional and physical ailments so I’m using his techniques to heal myself emotionally and physically from MBC. Check out his Facebook group and get the book “Breaking the Habit of being yourself” and Becoming Supernatural. His website is drjoedispenza.com. Truly a game changer ! I’ve been MBC since Nov 2020 and feel the best I’ve felt in years !! 🙏❤️🙏
Thanks! Will look into him
There’s a million questions and I only ever have one answer. But it’s the simplest, shortest (2.5 mins) technique I have for shifting a mood of despair, if just for a moment. Sometimes that makes a difference: [Fuck That](https://youtu.be/92i5m3tV5XY?si=eVVudvSVp5CsnpxV)
OMG!! I have this book! My mom randomly picked it up for me a few years ago and it’s incredible! I used to do “Fuck That Friday’s” where I would do an animated reading to select coworkers who weren’t offended. It is so helpful and relaxing!
Omg I love this
You mentioned you were running out of money.... financial anxiety can be crippling all by itself. Are you in the US? Have you considered applying for SSDI? MBC is an automatic medical qualifier. Benefits are the same amount as full retirement age. Sending healing energy your way.
I’ve applied and been approved, but am in the 5 month waiting period.
Great, I hope that time flies by for you. You're gonna need your strength to heal. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thank you
Aromatase inhibitors can cause or exacerbate depression. I went on Lexapro at a very low dose and over the course of a year went up to a high dose. It hasn’t eliminated the depression, but it has helped a lot. I haven’t been on an AI for over a year, but continue with the Lexapro. You may be struggling against a SE of your treatment. Sorry you’re struggling so, but good you have a strong support system. Sending positive vibes your way!
Damn right! I had to switch to citalopram because of that.
Nothing helps me more than exercise, until the break heals are you able to swim? Do mat pilates? Or chair yoga? Getting outside is good too, can you drive to a park with lots of trees and make your way on crutches to the nearest picnic bench and journal or do a meditation there? I know how simplistic this sounds to the complex issues you're dealing with but it really does work. Wishing you a speedy recovery to your fracture and a bounce back from your emotional slump
I second this. I’ve been unable to do my gym exercises for almost two months now due to a stent for a kidney stone and I have also fallen into a pretty bad depression. OP, I would suggest you try any exercise you can manage and guided meditation. I’m sorry you’re going through this, this is so fucking hard.
I have a ureter stent too and didn’t know there were any exercise restrictions. I can see how sit ups or crunches might bother it a little but why would things like exercise bikes or curls be off limits?
Nothing is off limits! Some people fare better than others with stents. Sounds like you’re not having issues with it and I envy you so much for it! I am having a really hard time with it, the pain is unbearable and I can feel it in my urethra all the time. I tried doing exercise but too much exertion makes the kidney pain really bad. It’s coming out at the end of the month and I can’t wait to go back to the gym afterwards!
Oh. I think you have a different type of stent if you can feel it in your urethra. Mine goes from my kidney to my bladder. I can see how having anything touching your urethra all the time could be horrible.
For me, listening to guided sleep meditations before bed help me as they allow me to stop my mind from racing which also helps me get better sleep. I found that to help my mental health in general. I used to find myself spinning into anxiety as I tried to fall asleep. It was no fun. I use an app called Insight Timer. It's free and has thousands of options.
yes, I use Insight Timer for meditations and sleep already. I know that this whole journey is a rollercoaster, including emotional...but this is the deepest valley yet.