Depression over health problems, continued

lindsay,

diet is soo important! in therapy there is a saying H.A.L.T for when anxiety hits, H: hungry? A: angry L: [I can not remember] and T: tired?

It is a way to remember to listen to what your body is trying to tell you and good part of CBT. I still suggest you look into CBT or mindfulness to help with the anxiety.

I am glad that you are getting some clinical things setteled, but you anxiety is still controlling you.

I wish you peace

Trina

It is easy to eat healthy. Buy mainly fruits and vegies. Some meats. No processed foods. I eat grapes a lot. I love them. Instead of icecream which I love too.

I know it has been mentioned to you a lot, but you don't really respond to the mindfulness. It is so important in order to heal. You have to be in tuned with yourself. It isn't hard. Just takes practice.

I hope that you try it.

Hugs, Karen

Just checking in... I'm doing pretty well so far today, and ended up feeling much better yesterday after drinking a little caffeine. Since I've been sick I've cut back majorly on it (I used to drink an energy drink or two every day along with diet soda) because it makes me too anxious but sometimes it helps me lift the brain fog.
I freaked out a little last night because I realized what I thought was a blood vessel on my neck is actually a small, moveable lump that's been there for at least 5 or 6 months. Went through the classic "I have cancer" panic but then realized if it was cancer the lump would be getting bigger and I'd probably be feeling worse all the time instead of having good days and bad days. So I'm thinking the lump is either tied to a virus or mold exposure.

Thanks. I already drink water all day long, maybe I need to try for even more.
I'm still worried about the lump in my neck but at least I have a doctor's appointment on the 31st so I can tell her about it then.

Shortly after I posted my stomach got more upset and now I'm having severe gas pains. Ugh.

Thanks, I'm really grateful for this website since I can vent AND talk to people with the conditions I might have.
I'm also feeling thankful for the fact that I do have some good days. There are a lot of people who are way worse off than I am. It's awful that I can't work, go to school, or see my family but at least on the days I feel like it I can get out of the house and for now I'm still independent.

Today was good. I went to class which is always a big achievement. The professor told me I really should drop since I'm pretty behind but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get caught up and stay caught up. I'm hoping I'll keep feeling a little better. It seems like I've felt good for most of October except for about a week in the middle of the month.

Well the bad thing is if I drop a class I will have to pay back some of my financial aid, which I can't afford at all right now. But he did say if I get some valid medical excuses I might be able to get an incomplete and make it up, so that's something to think about. I'm also thinking about switching my major to history since there are more online classes in that than anything else and I won't have to worry about taking classes on campus (I was a Spanish major, and either way I'm going to get a master's in education so I can teach).
And thanks, I think the antidepressant is helping a little, maybe even with the physical symptoms. I also decided to stop taking my birth control pills (using backup contraception, don't worry) just in case they were messing with my emotions or making me feel worse physically. I feel like I'm taking all the steps I need to to get better and that makes me feel more in control and allows me to have a better attitude.
Today's pretty good so far... my stomach's a little upset but I ate some junk food I shouldn't have last night so I'm not worried about it. I'm glad I don't feel lightheaded/spaced out today since I have to finish a book and write an essay about it by midnight.

Well I had only been on them for about 4 months. I stopped them about two weeks ago and haven't noticed any bad changes. I mentioned stopping them to a nurse practitioner I was seeing a little over a month ago and she said it should be fine

Lindsay, watch out for the junk food. the sugar can send you into emotional wirl winds.

Stay strong.

Trina

Today's been pretty good but I keep getting lightheaded, which is very annoying. I'm wondering if my blood pressure is getting too low since I'm taking passion flower and I think some other herbs I take might lower it as well. I need to get a blood pressure cuff or something so I can see if there's a correlation. My BP is usually around 115/70 but once when I went to a clinic they said it was a bit low, so I think it fluctuates.

I'm not on blood pressure medication but I am on an antidepressant and taking some herbs. I have mentioned the lightheadedness to doctors but they just think of it as nonspecific along with all my other symptoms. I'm also wondering if stopping birth control might have anything to do with it since the pill can raise blood pressure.
Maybe I'll try to add some more salt to my diet (my sodium's been checked so I know it'd be safe to do).

Yeah, I think I'm going to cut out the garlic (I've been taking a lot of garlic supplements because of its antiviral properties but it can lower blood pressure quite a bit). I also have been cooking with garlic a lot in the last couple days. I'm going to keep taking the passion flower for now until I can refill my hydroxyzine. I'll definitely have a talk with the doctor about all the herbs since I have an appointment on Wednesday.
Today's a pretty average day... I don't feel great but I'm not too bad. Hoping I can shake the spaced out feeling so I can do school work. Also hoping I don't lose electricity from the hurricane winds and possible snow storm... West Virginia weather is crazy!