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Depressed for no reason?

I don't really know why I'm so down in the dumps. I'm relatively lucky in that I haven't really had any (noticeable) flare ups since having surgery. Re: that, I worry that I'll have a flare up and be completely unaware of it. I wasn't diagnosed until after being in the hospital for basically a month, having two drains, and surgery. I started feeling crampy and bloated Feb. 2011, but just chalked it up to my being whiny and, at times, cramps due to feminine issues. I didn't even go to the doctor's office until three months later and, when I did, I thought I had maybe ruptured an ovarian cyst or something. So physically, I don't really feel that badly. Sometimes, though, I get in slumps where I seem to be really emotional/depressed, and all I want to do is lay in bed and cry. I don't like talking to my mom about it because she lives four hours away and worries so much already, but I feel like there's no one else really to talk to. Has anyone else ever had this sort of experience where they just feel inexplicably down? On a side note, this is something that not even working out has managed to fix.
 
I had a Dr who told me to go shopping when I was really down (depressed) I didnt go back. Going out with friends, yes. Loans to feel better, no way. In case you dont need to take out a loan for a shopping trip and or vacation then go for it!!
I would not suggest a payday laon- they are expensive.
Most Crohns patients have extra medical bills, meds, hosp stays, dr bills.

Having a chronic illness and the affects of the medications can take a toll emotionally. Crohns is a disease that very few people understand- so it can also be very isolating.

In my opinion you dont always have to know the cause before you work on it. Talk to your Dr- are the meds making it hard emotionally for you? I think sometimes you have to start feeling better before you can see through the tress and understand the cause! Its ok to ask for help and its ok to ask for medication that will help you through this.

I hope this helps.... I hope you find the help you need. Sometomes the longer it lasts the longer it can take to resolve.

I have found, like tonight, when I am struggling its at night, its great to plug in here, read and respond to posts, give encourgment to others or start a thread like you did with this one!

Good luck and let us know how you are doing!

I hope you feel better soon!!
 

sawdust

Moderator
Location
Pennsylvania
Hi elizamt. This is tough. Firstly, forum hugs :hug: and know that you're not alone. I'd recommend visiting your GI and letting him know how you feel and asking for bloodwork to analyze your levels for deficiencies, especially B12 and D. I don't know if iron can have depression effects or not, but if he's willing to check it, it's good to monitor anyway. I'd ask him if other deficiencies could cause you to feel this way and ask for those to be tested as well.

When I find myself in this cycle - it's a cycle with my flares - don't be afraid to keep a "how you feel upstairs" journal with your "how you feel downstairs" journal too. Since mine happen with flares, I've always wondered if it was a hard-to-discern side effect of some of the medications we take while flaring. I don't see the ones I suspect in your sig line, so please think about this in your own case. I don't have answers, only hypothesis and suspicion. :shifty:

Also, and I realize that everyone is different, but I find the best thing for me to do is to talk to people who can continually anchor me in reality - nothing is as bad as you can dream, right? - and to MAKE MYSELF BE PRODUCTIVE. This is no understated task! Just getting yourself out the door or putting together a meaningful paragraph is a monumental task and a big deal sometimes.

I try to choose small, attainable, goal-oriented tasks that take you in a positive direction. Constant work towards small goals, achieving the small goals, feeling good about your efforts, and working toward the big picture helps me. Make sure you have something positive in the end, like gardening, maybe a new certification at work, or an additional skill? It doesn't even have to be something you already do or already know how to do - learning how to do it is rewarding... to me anyway.

I would consider calling your mom - not so she worries - but so you both feel better about your progress. The ways that she can help you by reinforcing you and correcting your path, when needed, is important, in my opinion. I think it's important to talk regularly to people who love you. You don't have to tell them that you seek therapeutic counseling -- just let them reprove and correct you as only loved ones can. lol

I hope that helps, eliza. You can do it! :hug:
 
Hi elizamt!

You are not alone, I also get depressed when I`m flaring. Right now for example! I`m sitting home alone under my blankets, the curtains drawn and feeling so alone and sad. I don`t know if its the pain causing it, or if it`s because of the feeling of being a boring sick person with no energy and a lousy mood! I want to be with my boyfriend and friends, but at the same time I`m afraid of boring them when I feel ill.
I`m too tired to do anything useful, and in too much pain to go jogging, so that`s how things are! Maybe we just need to accept it, I don`t know.
This was probably of no use to you, but I just wanted you to know you are not alone!
 

Spooky1

Well-known member
Location
South Northants
I have many days like yours Jannicke, it is boring and lonely being in pain and totally fatigued, but no you're not alone in suffering like this.
 

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
I suffer from derpression it gets worse when I am not physically well.
My primary doctor told me that serotonin (the chemical in the brain that is associated with depression) is not reabsorbed correctly in the gut with Crohn's patients.
It is common for people with chronic illnesses to be sad or down at times. We go through periods of mourning.... (Mourning for our health???) If you are not feeling any better, you should speak to your doctor. There can be many reasons for feeling so down.

I hope you start to feel better, and, you are not alone!:rosette2:
 
I also have been suffering off and on with depression and anxiety since I was in the hospital a few weeks ago. It is hard to make it through some days while trying to go on with a daily routine. I think I make it worse on myself because I feel guilty when I feel this way and it may affect my kids and or husband. Hang in there. See if you can find someone to talk to or even posting and reading others stories on here has really helped me find some peace in knowing I am not alone! We are hear to listen if you need to talk!! Take care!
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Some great advice in this thread. :)

As Sawdust mentioned, getting your vitamin D and B12 tested is a good idea. People with Crohn's Disease are so commonly deficient which can lead to feelings of depression which is an easy fix! Elizamt, I notice you supplement it. What was your level last time you were tested, when were you tested, and how much do you supplement?
 
Thanks, everyone. I think it's just the rough combo of not feeling well physically and being super stressed out. Always seems like one causes the other and doesn't really stop. I take 1000mg of B12 every morning, which is like 16,667% of your daily intake. The last time I was feeling noticeably unwell and went to the GI, he ended up giving me a B12 shot, which helped, especially in conjunction with my daily intake.

Although I probably shouldn't admit this, I go to the tanning bed once a week or so, mostly because having a bit of color makes me feel slightly better about my life. Tanning beds give you vitamin D and I take a multivitamin that has it as well. Typically, I have something to eat throughout the course of the day that helps with that, too.

The last time I had blood work done was in February when I didn't feel well and my GI thought maybe I had some inflammation. They didn't tell me the exact results - the nurse just said there wasn't much inflammation reflected in the blood work or the CT scan. Before that... I probably haven't done blood work since September.

I feel like I should be having tests done on a more regular basis, but my GI doesn't seem to think so. Last summer, I had the Prometheus test done, and he basically told me point blank that my likelihood of recurrence and needing further surgery w/in 5 years was really high. But we've both agreed that we'd rather not go with aggressive medication that I'll have to be on forever until absolutely necessary, and I just don't see him but once every few months.

I truly think this is more anxiety than depression, as it seems to coincide with when schoolwork becomes more stressful. The most frustrating part is that every doctor says you need to see someone else for different aspects of treatment. I have a full law school course load, a job, and babysit once a week, so I don't really have that much free time to go traipsing all over town for appointments. I think my GI has realized this which is why he's somewhat hands off and sort of lets me initiate things. But I'm so headstrong that I don't like to initiate things. I'd rather suffer in relative silence and get through what needs to be done before admitting anything is wrong.
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Hi elizamt,

If you have issues absorbing B12 due to resection and/or active disease, then only (at most) 1% of that 1000mcg of B12 is going to be passively absorbed. If your enterohepatic circulation is also messed up (common in Crohn's Disease) then you're also likely using up your B12 that you do absorb quite quickly. Point being, while I realize that 16,667% of RDA seems like more than enough, for many with Crohn's Disease, it's nowhere near enough. That you felt improvement after your injection tells me this is likely the case with you. I'd strongly suggest getting your actual B12 levels tested. If they're below 500, start getting regular injections and figure out how often you have to do that to maintain a level above 500.

As for the multivitamin with vitamin D, the iu in that is probably 200, 400, or MAYBE 800. Most with severe vitamin D deficiency need at minimum 2000iu daily to start with progressively higher doses with many going well above 5000iu per day. Point being, get those vitamin D levels tested as well so you can find out what sort of dosage you need to be on there. Multivitamins are NOT the answer for people with Crohn's Disease.
 

JDTM

OMG LDN BBQ
Hi elizamt,

This all sounds fairly familiar to me. Like you, I'm in school (which stresses me out); I take classes at night, and my job (at a university) is quite stressful during the school year. Add an already anxious/tightly-wound personality to the mix, add a chronic illness like Crohn's, shake it all up and you've got a helluva cocktail for anxiety and depression!

David is on point as far as the vitamins are concerned. In my case, I've been told that my iron and B12 levels are good, but my vitamin D needs to come waaaaaaay up. I have heard that this can help with depression, but I realize that it takes time to bring that stuff up to a healthy level. Even though my diagnosis is mild so far (waiting on the Prometheus test results and getting an MRI on Friday, so that might change), and my symptoms are probably not that bad compared to some of the other posters on here, I still find myself struggling with this and falling into depression and crying jags, and it definitely coincides with my symptoms and if I perceive that things are getting worse. It can quickly spiral out of control.

Anyways, for me personally, I would love nothing more than to manage my anxiety and depression through lifestyle changes, supplements, and more natural means, but for the time being I am trying medication to see if it helps as an extra measure while I make adjustments to a relatively new diagnosis. It's hard to think clearly when you're down, I know, but you should definitely realize that a) you are not alone in feeling like this, and b) if you are depressed, it's not for "no reason."

One more thing... For me personally, I find that this forum can sometimes be a double-edged sword when I'm out of sorts. (Other members, please understand that I value this community and I mean no disrespect!) This messageboard and its members are all great resources; you're going to find a wealth of information here and lots of great people who will understand your situation and support you. That said, if you're like me and you're prone to worrying, keep in mind that if you start looking for answers while you're really upset, you can psych yourself out even more if you go looking for bad news. 90% of the time I come here, I'm feeling pretty OK and I find lots of useful information and contribute what I can. The other 10% of the time, when I'm feeling down, however... it's pretty easy for me to start searching the boards and really making myself upset. It ties in with my anxiety. Keep it in mind if you think it's happening to you as well.
 
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