Depression

[northernstarmn]

Hi All Iam not sure if anyone posted anything about depression if they did iam sorry

So a few weeks back i was really super crabby, i mean seriously nasty i chose not to speak anymore because it was likely not going to be anything very nice i had to say, ( I was always told if you cant say anything nice say nothing at all..lol) but anyway since then i noticed a gradual decline ive been more tired, uninterested in the things i use to really enjoy doing, snappy at my son and husband,achy, food doesnt taste good anymore, i feel sad, and gosh i can cry on a thought (unlike me), ofcourse it seems like things have gone from bad and worse in some respects- i mean wanting to rip someone a new butthole for something silly to crying on a thought is just not like me....

i understand that i have delt with a lot medically for 2 months and i am now starting to heal and become one with this "NEW" me. but i feel as though its not working very well and having a period from hello last week didnt help matters either...

but now i sit here and wonder has anyone else delt with depression after their surgery? when to see the doctor?
was this caused by the medical issues?

my husband feels it is normal to have some sort of depression after all ive been through, he feels i dont need to see a doctor just yet and wants me to wait another few weeks before seeing him. I do kind of agree because what if it is just all hormonal, and if it is hormonal it should go away on its own- although in the back of my head iam thinking its not so i will see the doc in the near future. Could this be caused by my medicine? (Iam taking lisinopril 20 mg 2 X@day and Flexeril 10 mg 3X@day, a one a day vitamin)

Oh and for those who may have missed an earlier post of mine Oct 5 I had decompression surgery 19 days later i was rushed for an emergency shunt surgery which took a month and 1/2 for them to get set right.


Oh and i want you to know i do NOT feel like iam going to kill myself.
but anyway i just thought if iam going through this maybe someone else is too.

~TC,
Lisa

[northernstarmn]

yeah i dont usually just add things to take without asking my PCP about them first.

[selmaS]

Lisa, b4 u add a vitamin get teh labs to see what u need....even natural supplements can be harmful if not the right ones and dosages....and u can over do it too......be safe!

BTW- I love Dr Oz.....he is really full of great info!!

[northernstarmn]

ya know that Dr Oz show on tv? here is a list of what he reccomends

http://health.discovery.com/fansites/dr-oz/aging/supplements.html

i thought it was rather interesting, think maybe i will add some vit D to my regiment.

[*Stormy*]

I take Vit D (1000mgs) and Iron too....if I remember to take it daily after awhile I do feel a little more energized..

[selmaS]

I just did a little research buz I thought I remembered something about vitamin levels and depression .....and found low levels of vitamin D and A can cause one to feel depressed as well as have low energy levels.

Many people today r being told that do not have enuff vit D.....I also read those with EDS and those on meds for GERD do not absorb the vitamins  like we need to...so see ur dr and get the levels checked.

Magnesium, Calcium, Vit D.....Potassium....B's like B12....are some u want to know  about.

[*Stormy*]

I'm 5 weeks post op and have the same things...head splitting headaches (especially when I lay down), the heart beat in the ears...I just wanted you to know that you are not alone!! I have the majority of my head symptoms too still...

Selma is right, patience is the key...I have made myself realize that I am not necessarily going to be the same as someone else...and I just have to make my own progress.

Having this forum is a great way to help depression (for me anyway) I found this place when I was in a mood and it really helped me to get out of it...your friend is right, talking it out really does help but even more so you need to talk to people who get it!

[northernstarmn]

608lion- being 19 days after my chiari surgery i was wisked away for a shunt placement  i had MANY MRI's and CT scans, I havent been back to see the chiari doc (out of state) yet I have sent him all my films and xrays from the shunt placement tho and we are in contact. He says the films look good and is a bit miffed i now have a shunt (he doesnt like shunts). and the NS here, cleared me from him (a month after having shunt installed- it took a month of me being in and out of the hospital before they got it set right) and told me i dont need to come back unless i have an MRI done- feel kind of left out in the cold actually- the only doc i see right now is my PCP

Selma They checks the TSH and T4, both came back normal- but higher then they were in April of 09


Rod44- the only meds i take are my BP med (Lisinopril) and Flexeril as well as a one a day vitamin. I have talked to my PCP and he says he wants to wait to see if i "snap out of it" on my own he says its likely due to BOTH surgeries,and this weather sure isn't helping.   double edged sword?

[rod44]

I feel that Chiari people who suffer on going depression should talk to their Doctor. It is Important because we are living with pain everyday and taking strong pain medications some of the medications we take can cause depression, talking is important as well.........be open with your Doctors

Ray

[selmaS]

Lisa...did u just have the TSH checked,cuz it can come back normal and u could still have Hashimoto's which needs diff tests to find it.

"selma"

[608lion]

Hey I hear what your saying! I had my post MRI last Thursday and DR apt yesterday I also have the dent like you. NS says it can be from leak I have from one of the lumbar punctures I had and might go back to normal when the leak heals itself. I also get that head cracking feeling! I know you were waiting for the weather to get better but have you seen your NS that did the surgery? Have you had your post MRI yet?
Also one thought, a saying I love " the sun will come up tomorrow"!!
Take care

[northernstarmn]

thank you for the input, I just dont know anymore I was talking to a friend of mine who went through heart surgery i know heart surgery is like night and day to the brain, but anyway he had some really good thoughts and said it just may take time to fall into place-but none the less he  says talking is key to keep you from a deeper depression.
i will try to follow his advice.

iam further then 2 weeks post op.. in 2 weeks (after chiari surgery) i was suffering- and needed to have a shunt installed.  but ok now here i sit a little more then 3 months post op and feeling kind of alone, yet my husband is behind me all the way....i hate this part of things. its really hard to walk out into the world and show a smile when inside you just fight to put one step in front of the other...ya know...
today i noticed these shock like spurts i guess in my head like my brian triggering things i dunno its such a weird feeling and i can also hear my heart beating like deep beating, the best way i can describe it is like lets say you put your head on someons chest and hearing their heart beat deep within them, thats what i can hear in my own ears,, its SO ANNOYING!

I can not say my chiari symptoms went away entirely from surgery (But I will say things are MUCH better now then they were) because i still have the rining ears, weird auras,slight confusion especially in written word, about the only thing i dont have is the god awful headaches so iam greatful for that,  however i still have the tight neck and since surgery i had some sinking at the base of the skull (which iam told some sinkage is normal) its hard with the shunt i am not sure which one is which sometimes i feel pains like my skull is cracking--its the damnedist thing never sure where things are coming from and its just i want my life back iam tired of dealing tired of coping and tired of all the NEW things this is bringin me....

Selma- I had my thyroid checked when i was in my super pissy state and it came back OK, and also had some other testing done which also came back normal.

[selmaS]

Looking back at 2 weeks post op it is easy to think all symptoms r gone...I think it is the meds.....and I was feeling much better early on as opposed to now......not that I am terrible, but not as good as I thought I would or could be....I think we (meaning me) r all a tad bit impatient and we just have to give it time : )

[*Stormy*]

That's exactly what I heard too about all these people that were so much better afterward...like 80-90% of their symptoms gone. So I had high hopes and was very disappointed afterwards....almost feels like I let down my family as we were all like "after the surgery" about everything..now I feel like it's like "oh no it's still here and we still have to deal with it". I worry sometimes everyone will just get tired of me! I know it's a crazy thought..but one I do have..

[608lion]

Yes!! and I hate it!! I think it's because I'm going stir-crazy!!! I went to the ASAP conference last year hearing stories of people that had surgery and 2 weeks later all their symptoms were gone and thinking that was going to me as well!! NOT!! I am not one to feel sorry for myself but sometimes I have my moments and I hate that!

[selmaS]

HI Lisa,

I have had the very easy to cry episodes but I had them b4 surgery too...and I knew that was not me...I avoid situations where I know I will just loose it...I don't just cry I go into hysterics...and yes I do have the ups and downs..... more downs.....I think a lot is normal post surgery...some has to do with the brain stem involvement...

I also think u should be checked for vit D levels and thyroid...deff Hashimoto's which is autoimmune and is deff testing than just TSH...

I have noticed since I am out of my thyroid meds I am sooooooooooo sooooooooooo tired.....much more then when I was on the meds......

Deff see ur PCP for labs to see if u need more than just a multi vitamin....it may help with ur out look as well.

"selma"

[*Stormy*]

Since the surgery I do go through periods like that, I tend to hole myself at home and not talk to anyone (except you guys!) I call it hibernating and that's how I feel. For me, it is usually when the symptoms are bad and I just get this feeling that my life is the vicious circle that is never going to stop. The good news is that I do come out of it and I have better days.

Did you have any trouble with this before surgery? I used to think of them as my "dark days" where I would snap on a dime and send my family running to the far end of the house. I would just feel horrible and I would just keep telling myself that I would snap out of it soon. I have had trouble with anxiety/depression since I was 15 though. The way you describe you feelings does run along with how I feel sometimes too.

I think you hubby is right, it is probably normal but you know yourself best and if you are feeling that it's not then I would get it checked out. I do find for me I always have to be careful what meds I take as I am VERY sensitve to their effects. I hope you feel better soon!