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S.A.D. - It's that time again

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Posted 10/7/2014 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't been by lately. Lots of life changes... Same old fibro. Just want to remind those of you in the northern climates to start using your "sun" lights if you need them to stave off that dumb autumn depression. I have been able to find inexpensive desktop lights at Ollie's and gave one to a friend. Turns out he doesn't have SAD but his parrot has started growing feathers again since he put it next to his perch. 😊
Posted 10/7/2014 6:00 AM (GMT 0)
We are getting cool to sit out....i miss my natural vit d : (. Supplements are just not the same.
Posted 10/7/2014 6:12 AM (GMT 0)
I'm the only one who benifits from less sun on here. ;-)
Sunshine makes me sicker.

I do hate the weather changes though. It gets in my bones and causes a ruckus! Ugh!
Posted 10/7/2014 9:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jeannie!!!

Great to see you post!!! Are you still baking cakes???

Take care and have a good day. Yes, lack of sunshine can really effect us...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/7/2014 10:43 AM (GMT 0)
We're on a weather rollercoaster here. Sunday was breezy, cloudy, kind of dark and chilly. Yesterday, there was a nice warm south breeze and sunshine. I try to hold onto every bit of warm weather that I can because I know what's coming and it's not cozy! shocked smhair rolleyes

Yesterday I brought out more warm clothes to layer, and does that ever feel better than nasty chilliness.  Dressing in layers really helps keep the warmth in.  But yes, the sun helps in so many ways, too.

Hope you have a warmer, brighter day today! Yes, bring on the sun!!  :-)

Posted 10/7/2014 11:33 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jeannie. Nice to see you back. :-)

Thanks for the reminder. It's also a good idea to try to stay on top of Vitamin D levels during the fall/winter.
Posted 10/7/2014 11:51 AM (GMT 0)
I'm glad this post was started. I know it's not just me now. Thursday was 80 and warm. Friday morning it was in the 30's and snowed, hailed then rained. Body is a hot mess of pain. JEANNIE , I have an Ollie's by me. Are these lights specifically for SAD? I would like to try one. Wishing you all better days ahead.

Michael
Posted 10/7/2014 11:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hellooo, Stranger! I love seeing you here.

I lived in the frozen north most of my life but moved to sunny Florida 17 years ago. I was floored when I started realizing how much happier I was in Florida...because of the sun! My home has soooo many windows so it's light and bright and all of that helps with moods.

I had no idea I suffered from light deprivation when I was up north. So I highly suggest people look into these light boxes if you suffer from depression and live up north. I know the light box helps you, Jeannie. Thanks for reminding everyone.

Sherrine
Posted 10/7/2014 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
Got my daughter a light box when she worked in an office with no windows...it helped her til she could get to an office with natural light coming in...she gets sad every winter.
Posted 10/8/2014 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Jeannie,

So good to see you post!! Hope all the life changes have been good. Loved the story about the parrot. Wonder if he has FMS? lol

When they show the weather forecast for this wk, they have these large dark clouds over a small sun. Yet, our weather has been ok this wk. The temp has been in low 70's, slight breeze, and some sun. Not perfect, but so far NO snow - so I'm happy. :)

The weather forecast for this winter is saying really cold & snow. A horrible repeat of last winter. I'm getting toooo old for this weather.

I put most of our summer clothes away & got all the fall/ winter things ready. Oh joy. Not!

Now we all need to go down and visit Sherrine, for the next 6 months. ;)

God bless. Alice.
Posted 10/8/2014 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
I love my sad light! I have already got it out and in use. I bought a big one that has 4 huge bulbs. It lights up your whole room. My dr. told me not to buy the little desk ones because I needed much more. I did pay $300 for mine, but worth it.
Posted 10/8/2014 5:47 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for the nice welcome back. I'll try to answer questions... Yes, I'm still baking cakes. Have cut back so that I can take two weeks off each month in the summer to go to Northern Michigan and the Leelanau Peninsula. Sun, beaches, old boat, wine tours, old trailer, campfires and all those things that help keep fibro at bay. Winter is a different story. We were without power last Christmas for 9 days after the ice storm. Heated the house with our old gas oven and went to bed when the sun went down. THAT was a challenge.

Yes, the lights I got at Ollies are called HappyLights and are for the treatment of SAD. My desktop one is about the size of a box of Kleenex standing on end. It is the amount of broad spectrum light that hits your cornea that influences your seratonin production for those with SAD. HappyLights are designed to hit your eyes while you are working so you don't really notice that you are exposed to them. I have a large one in my work area in the bakery and the smaller one in my office. Doctor also put me on vitamin D a few years ago. Don't really notice anything different while being on it but my blood levels are better so she is happy.

Some of you may remember my daughter who was paralyzed with the birth of her child (seven years ago already!) She did receive a miracle and against all medical predictions did learn to walk again along with her little girl. When they lost their home she, hubby and baby came to live with us. It's been a blessing!

Thank heavens that Peter started this site. I have learned so much about fibro from all of you and how to live better and stronger and happier than I ever would have on my own or from some of the quacks on the web. Unfortunately that knowledge has made it possible for me to see the fibro in both my daughter and my granddaughter. AND fortunately the knowledge has helped us cope and helped us find ways to show the little one how to help her pain and keep up her spirits.

The people here helped me learn to be kinder to myself and to stop beating myself up when the pain stopped me in my tracks. Having a fellow fibro living with me, taking the lion's share of the household tasks has been so helpful and because of what I learned here I'm able to graciously say "thank you" and accept help when it's offered.

Love "seeing" you all again. I'll try not to be such a stranger.
Posted 10/10/2014 8:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reply Jeannie,

I am so happy to hear your daughter is walking again. That is so awesome!!! And happy to hear you still make beautiful cakes. Leenenau peninsular, that is awesome!!! It is a beautiful place...

You sound good. So happy to see you back.

Take care friend...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/11/2014 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
Been researching online re: what kind of lights are best & where to purchase
so that I do not again just stay inside due to SAD.

Anyone have recommendation, tips, advice re: purchasing one? (
Posted 10/11/2014 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
Mojave, it must be your particular body. Many get help with these lights. Jeannie lives in Michigan and another member that uses these lives in Alaska and they both get help from these.

Also vitamin D3 has helped a lot of people...even people who don't have fibro. I know it has helped me a lot.

Sherrine
Posted 10/12/2014 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
DianeB if your looking for a great sad light the one I have is called ultralux 10,000 . I love it because it produces lots of light. My Dr. Says you have to becareful with the small ones because they really don't give enough off to be effected. You can see it on line. It cost more. But worth it. I have had mine for 5 years and I haven't burned a bulb yet. I run mine all day long in the winter to get the bright light effect. It lights up my whole living room. You can buy a timer for it to mimic a sunrise. Lol
Posted 10/14/2014 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
DianeB, I use Happy Lites from Veralux. It's not just the amount of lumens that helps with Seasonal Affected Disorder, it's how close to the light you are, also. My desktop is about a foot from my face and my big lamp is mounted on the wall in my workspace in the bakery, about 25 inches from my eyes. I use both of these lights routinely so that I'm getting about 2 to 4 hours of extra bright broad spectrum light every day. The light affects the production of seratonin in the brain which in turn affects our pain perception, mood, appetite, especially for carbohydrates, circadian (sleep/wake) cycle and a bunch of other stuff my fibro brain can't remember. These lights are most effective for people of Northern European descent.

The first year I got my light (before I even knew I had fibro) I redid my bathroom, wall paper, ceramic tile with new sub-floor and new toilet. I used to drag myself through winter and now I can stay alert and active. Lucky for me my doctor has SAD and when she diagnosed me she asked me, "Do you want to have a big bowl of mac & cheese and just go sleep in a cave?" She knew exactly how I felt and gave me the tools to fight back.

If we were living in an ice age right now those of us with SAD would do very well. We would hoard grains and cook porridge, dozing by the fire in our caves till the warm spring arrived. The diminished light availability lowers seratonin levels, making us crave carbs to ramp them back up. The carbs encourage restfulness so we would rest, conserving energy in a form of semi-hibernation, until the longer days of spring arrived. It was a great survival mechanism which we no longer need.

Look for a big light with 10000 lumens for your first one. I believe I found mine on eBay. It was about 10 years ago and I paid about $250.00 for it. So very worth every penny! I just found my identical light on eBay, search= (Verilux Happy Lite Deluxe Sunshine Simulator S.A.D Light Therapy NEVER USED NEW) for under $100.00.I like that one because it's easy to clean when I get icing on it :) Good luck with your search.
Posted 10/16/2014 3:30 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for the specific info - exactly what I need!

Jeannie
Your 'cave' analogy fits me I think..
after a couple of days of gray skies & rain I am sitting here w/ my carb of choice - (plain) popcorn!
Posted 10/16/2014 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
DianeB - another thing to ask your doctor... After I got the lights and became more active, even with an anti-depressant (seratonin reuptake inhibitor) I still had many days that felt like I was trying to walk through wet cement. Doc did a thyroid check and sure enough, my thyroid was low. The addition of thyroid meds really gave me back my life. Turns out I was really fighting an uphill battle with the SAD, depression and hypothyroidism against me. Ask your doc about that if it might be an issue. Simple blood test and very inexpensive medication if you need it. (I didn't have any insurance at the time.) Good luck with this.
Posted 10/16/2014 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Jeannie:

Nice to meet you. We were lucky last Christmas, despite the ice storm, our power never went out. It sure did a lot of damage to trees. So many have died.

I don't get SAD but it was interesting to read about the lights and the parrot.

Loring

Osteoarthritis in multiple joints, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Chronic Daily Headaches, I.B., Hard of Hearing...
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