Taking the first step

[mocha delight]

So I’ve taken the first step to be diagnosed with depression and anxiety as I’ve made an appointment with my gp a 40 minutes one but I can’t get in to see her until the 13th. Which I’ll be ok with that as I got all you excellent people for support 😊. So I should be diagnosed with depression as a few years ago she even mentioned I might be a little depressed at the time at one appointment which she can’t say she had not picked that up on back then. My anxiety should be diagnosed hopefully and yet even though I was diagnosed with sleep apnea (having a cpap machine as well) and coeliac disease (sleeping problems is a symptom of that) I’m still having problems sleeping. I’ve also have tried a few non prescription sleeping tablets to help me sleep at night or I was but I stopped trying that as they would all only work for a short amount of time. So despite having a cpap machine and having my coeliac diagnosis since the end of June last year when I can get sleep I have problems but it seesaws in between barely even sleeping to sleeping way to long. So with everything it’s leaving me more and more drained mentally and physically.

[white knight]

Hi

I tend to compare diagnosis and best treatment to repairing a motor vehicle.

Your engine is not running well so you book it into a mechanic in one week time, in the meantime you think it could be the fuel type so you put 98 in it. It doesn’t help. A friend thinks it is the spark plugs so you buy a set but the local auto place doesn’t have the correct ones but you install them anyway, still no improvement. And so on

When you get it to the mechanics he makes a correct diagnosis to find it has a fault computer. He replaces the computer then spends more time correcting the errors you made.

Not much different with the human body. Taking sleeping tablets or any other measure not prescribed by doctors can hinder the whole process of treatment. Whatever your problems and sleep issues, depression, anxiety etc there is specific medical treatment to receive, same with sleep.

For example- seeking a good nights sleep. Please put this in the search bar-

Seeking a good nights deep sleep

For 32 years I have been carrying out the ritual of muscle relaxation before sleeping, as told in that thread. I also got a cpap 8 years ago.

So I suggest you are on the right track, just stay clear of non prescribed remedies that can hinder treatment by professionals...that’s their job, I prefer to tackle anxiety and depression with direct self help ways like motivation and relaxation. That will help your professional medical person to repair you, not confuse him/her with why you are not improving.

Well done in seeking proper diagnosis. That first step is crucial in the process.

TonyWK

[smallwolf]

hi and welcome to beyond blue. Good luck with the GP visit. I cannot say that I know much about sleep apnea and coeliac disease so if you want to share this part of your story here I can listen. While I have had sleep related issues mine were only due to stress and anxiety. As Tony said, the first step in the most important, and the people here will support you on that journey.

Tim

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi mocha delight,

I just thought I would add to Tim and TonyWK's comments and acknowledge your persistence in getting support for you symptoms. It is a big step towards healing and recovery and despite having to wait for appointments, you are on the right track to getting the right support. Having people around you is also a really important and it is great to hear that you have excellent people around you.

As TonyWK mentioned, sleep is really important and it sounds like yours has been quite up and down with it. I would suggest recording your sleep in a diary or some fitness trackers can do this now a days. It can be quite helpful when talking to health professionals that you have a record over time of the sleep you are getting.

Another suggestion would be to look at practice called Mindfulness. Mindfulness teaches you to allow worry and circular thinking to just pass rather than becoming an emotional experience. There are many teachers and classes that offer mindfulness, a free app is called Smiling Mind that many people have had some success with. Sometimes when we allow our minds to rest, even for a short period, it can be really relieving (similar to the effect of a power nap they say - not that I have ever been much of a napper). This relaxation technique can support the treatments that you may be prescribed and is also a great life skill in any case.

I wish you the best at your appointment on the 13th and hope to hear how it went.

Nurse Jenn

[mocha delight]

Thanks for your reply smallwolf the funny thing is depression is a symptom of coeliac disease but I think both started around the same time so I’m certain having depression was not triggered by coeliac disease or vies versa if that makes sense. Thanks for your reply white knight I’ll definitely take your advice into serious consideration. Thanks nurse jenn for the reply I got a Fitbit (currently we dont see eye to eye 😂 ) , I’ll have to look into that app and I’ll definitely post an update about my appointment on the 13th.

[mocha delight]

So the practice were my gp is just sent a confirmation for my appointment for tomorrow to my mum instead of me (this is the family member who I tried talking to but ignored it) so now I’m feeling guilty about making it for no reason and not because mums made me feel guilty or anything like that. I hate this I hate the years I’ve spent hating myself, the long list of things I’ve not liked myself, hating every single photo of myself all except for one, the time when I was really young had to have a eye operation as I used to be cross eyed then having to wear glasses for a few years, when I started stacking on weight before I was even 13 then being bullied for it, going to a different school and still having some bullying because of my weight, having a learning disability and just being on the autistic spectrum, having no job before or after doing a certificate 3 in hospitality, having binge eating as my coping mechanism (sometimes even drinking a whole bottle of wine), the amount of stress while trying to get my coeliac disease diagnosis my ex gastroenterologist put me under (have really not been the same since) , finding out I have sleep apnea, having 3 cousins in between August-November last year roughly try to take their life’s but not succeeding and finally having a high possibility of having depression & anxiety to top it all of. Not to mention if I had waited until November/December like my ex gastroenterologist wanted me to wait until to be retested I probably would of done something stupid and in that time beforehand I was watching a home Reno show and I could not finish watching it as that set off a very low mood for me.

[mocha delight]

Just an update nurse jenn well I was given a prescription ssris tablet to treat my depression which I also typed up a list of the symptoms I was having and my gp said yes I was definitely suffering from depression and she definitely agrees it seems to run in one side of my family. So this tablet I was prescribed I know we can’t share what we are on so all I’ll say is she has me trialing only half a tablet of the lowest dose of the one she prescribed for a week to see how I go then after that week I have an appointment to see her again as she wants to know how I’m going with it then we’ll go from there. She also asked me if I wanted to see a phycologist as well or see how I go with this tablet first but I said I wanted to see how I go with it first but she does have a phycologist in mind already if I want to see one so at least that’s an option for me.

[Croix]

Dear Mocha delight~

I've been reading though your posts and think you have done exactly the right thing in seeing your GP in that 40 minute consultation and that it has worked out well, worth waiting for. The fact you typed out a list of symptoms would have made things easier for both of you. I find face-to-face I forget things or sometimes even leave them out because they are embarrassing and frightening. Handing over paper is so much easier.

It's also easier for the doctor, as there is a list to work from.

Starting on a low dose with a review in a week shows a really professional attitude by your doctor, new meds should be well supervised, as is happening here. If you suddenly find you are having a very bad reaction of any sort do not hesitate to make contact before the week is up.

It can be a comfort to know there are further steps that can be taken, both in relation to the level of medication, and also having a psychologist available if needed. Pretty good!

You have had many trials in your life to face, more than most, and the fact you have persevered and tried to help yourself wherever possible is a great example to others. Hopefully in time you will get a job, maybe hospitality -a certificate 3 is a sign of perseverance and determination , maybe something else. Not only does it help with money but if you are like me is a source of identity and satisfaction.

Incidentally I find the same app as Nurse Jenn mentioned - Smiling Mind - is excellent with practice, and takes my mind away and helps me relax.

To change the subject for a moment, may I ask about the picture of the cat, is it yours? I've one called Sumo Cat (because he is huge) and he spends most of his time in the exact same position as the one in the picture, flat out snoozing

We all hope to here from you again

Croix

[mocha delight]

Thank you Croix for your reply yes my gp only recommend a half a tablet every day for the week of the one she prescribed me even if its the lowest dosage of that one you can get as she just wants to see how I go with it. I have say and I don’t know if this is normal when starting any antidepressants but I was experiencing my mind going more a million miles an hour then normal while lying in bed until I fall asleep and going constantly in between extremely alert (have not ever experienced that before in my life ever) to being extremely drowsy since the first night but only when I’m lying there in bed hoping & waiting to get some sleep. And yes I actually did forget to mention some things like me barely sleeping at night, a list of anxiety symptoms I’m having and how after everything with my ex gastroenterologist I feel like I can’t trust anyone including family & friends ect ect ect (no offence to anyone here it’s just how I feel since then).

[Croix]

Dear Mocha deligh~

With any new medication I understand there is a bedding-in period until your body gets used to it. While that is happening there can be all sorts of unpredictable effects, which is why it needs to be done under supervision. So at the moment you are swinging between drowsy and alert, if it gets too bad ring the doctor and see what she says.

As forgetting things to write down, it happens and is no big thing. May I suggest you write them down while you think of them and add them to your list -or make a new one and simply explain you forgot. Your doctor will be quite used to that.

It's not a worry

Croix