Posted by Noa on January 22, 2011, at 10:59:36
In reply to 2010 is a quiet year!, posted by Shar on December 18, 2010, at 18:54:43
Shar, Like Dr. B, I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, injuries and, as you said, pain, pain, pain. And ditto Dr. B about your sense of humor.
And to Shar, Dr. Bob, and all the others: I was just 'passing through' here because I decided to start responding to the babblemeter reminders again to track my mood.
Lots of time has passed and lots of life I guess. I'm doing pretty well mood wise, though kind of having a couple of rough years economically (who isn't?). Lost my job a couple of years ago, found a new one fairly quickly, then that grant ran out, so lost that job, but found another job right away, but lost this one in 2010. I'm actually enjoying my "forced sabbatical" (it's been about half a year so far), though I won't be able to afford it for too much longer. So far, I'm getting by on the very modest unemployment pmts combined with borrowing from equity (I was very lucky to have bought my condo just before the bubble took off).
2010 was challenging in some other ways as well. Lost my Dad last summer, and in the fall, my sister was dxed with ovarian cancer. My Dad's death was sudden, one month after a wonderful celebration of his 90th birthday--so it was a bit of a shock, as much as it can be a shock for a 90 y.o. man to pass away. But he died with little to no suffering, from what we think was a heart attack while he was doing something he enjoyed (swimming). Since I had long feared that there would be agonizing end-of-life dilemmas, etc., his sudden passing was a blessing. My sister's illness, otoh, is just devastating to me. Feels so unfair. She's had chemo and now is scheduled for surgery, at which time I'll go spend a few weeks with her to help her out (something I'm free to do without hesitation because I'm unemployed!). And when I get back I have to start paying some attention to getting myself screened for OVCA and related issues and pending my sister's genetic testing, I might have some hard choices to make. But, to paraphrase Scarlett O'Hara, I'll think about that next month.
During 2010, I've had a minor, but annoying, health issue that comes and goes--it is actually not so much of a problem while I'm not working, but was a bit harder to manage when I was working. It's all a cycle of symptoms, stress, symptoms, etc. so when I was working the symptoms interfered with work, which caused more stress, which increased symptoms, etc. etc. etc. Now, the symptoms recur now and then but the stress cycle doesn't, so the symptoms don't escalate.
In terms of the ongoing tx for chronic, recurrent, depression, I've been managing well on the same med cocktail for such a long time I can't even remember how long it's been. A very good development in 2010 was the introduction of generics for two of my expensive meds (Effexor XR and Adderall XR), and the bonus is that on my health plan (on COBRA, of course), generics are free! So now, all my meds except the two thyroid meds are generics. What a difference that makes to my expenses.
What else can I update y'all on? Oh yes, I've had a dog now for about 2 years and it's been wonderful. I wasn't looking for dog but he came my way via a friend who works with several rescue groups. He was very sick and needed a temporary home to recuperate after his treatment until he was ready to be out on the pet adoption circuit. Well, you probably know how that story goes--I ended up adopting him myself. He is so good for my spirits and has gotten me to be a lot less sloth-like (though he, too, is known to enjoy hours of slothful lifestyle). The best thing is that he taught me to enjoy the current moment--for him that's all there is, really--what is happening right now. And as a dog, he is full of eternal optimism---he is absolutey positive that everyone (at least all humans, if not all fellow canines) ADORES him, and that all pockets contain treats just for him! And it sure helps one feel good about oneself when one has an exuberant, full-body-wagging, adoring fan club greeting you every time you walk in the front door.
Well, this update is long enough. Hope to see some news from all of you.
~Noa
poster:Noa
thread:973933
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/2000/20090208/msgs/977676.html