depression

nasher

Drowning in depression
unfortunately for me Cancer is not my big concern

Throughout my treatment for thyroid cancer and some other surgeries to restore my hearing over the past almost 2 years.

I have developed Debilitating vertigo.

I got my clean scan (1 year out scan) in may 2011. So cancer is on the back burner.

Right now because of the vertigo I am unable to work… well I am military and being allowed to stay in till retirement (9 sep 2011) so I will receive a retirement paycheck but.

Because of this and many other reasons depression has become a way of life.

I used to do yoga and then cardio workouts to kill my stress and depression and it worked through the first part of my cancer battle, but since September of 2010 I have had slowly worsening vertigo.
Because of Vertigo I can no longer do yoga, both the doctors and my yoga instructors insist trying to do yoga would be BAD for me right now. Even Tai-chi is out.
Because of the depression and thyrod cancer my cardio workout is at most 40 min a day 5 days a week.
They have me on anti-depressants but I think I am going to have to have them changed or up-ed.
I average 15 medical appointments a month and I’m sure those are not helping with depression.

The doctors have no clue what’s causing the vertigo. So they are doing the medicate approach. So depending on if I need to drive or not depends if I take Valium or Meclizine.

My plans for each day change if I have a major vertigo attack or not. I have mild vertigo most days with bouts of major to debilitating vertigo. A debilitating vertigo attack can last up to 3 days but normally just runs for 4-5 hours.
I have fallen from the bread winner of the house to where I am now. I am used to doing everything but even unloading a dishwasher can send me into a moderate bout of vertigo.

Does anyone have any idea of stress relievers I can try to hopefully minimize this without causing vertigo?
Craig

amorriso

vertigo
You're really going through a rough time. I remember a coworker of mine who suffered from vertigo as well - he had to hold onto walls as he walked. And most people assumed he was drunk - not good for a teacher.I know he was able to eventually get it properly treated. I'm going to try to contact him and see what he had done.

Hang in there and I will see what info I can get.

Take care

Andrea

3boys_mom

Exercise
Craig,
I will ask a friend of mine who is a personal trainer--he is certified in all kinds of things. I'm really sorry you are having to deal with all of this.

Have you thought about talking to a counselor? IF you can find a good one, they can do wonders. I've been lucky to find two in my lifetime--one of which saved my life, literally. If not, we are all here...

Sarah

sunnyaz

Depression
Hi Craig,

I am sorry you are going through this, and I feel your pain. I wonder about Multiple Sclerosis(MS)or possibly Miniere's disease. Have you had an MRI recently? If so, did they see your spine and check for lesions for MS? Do you have ringing in your ears? Have you had any other physical symptoms like double vision, nausea or loss of peripheral vision? I would talk with your doctor, Neurologist, if you have one, if any of these symptoms are present.

I found that Valium exacerbates my problems. It helps for a while but then I crash. I have stopped using them for the most part and I feel much better. I do know that sometimes too much medication can be a bad thing. They can interact with each other in your system and cause havoc. Then there are those medications you might have been taking for a while that stop working for you and can have an opposite effect of the desired one. Never stop any medication without the guidance of you doctor first. Many of them require titrating down just as they required titrating up.

I am keeping you in my prayers. Remember, laughter is the best medicine and faith can move mountains. Watch a funny movie, spend time with people you love and lean of God. Count your blessings every day. There are more than you know. Focus on the good things in your life and the bad things won't seem as enlarged. Things are going to get better for you. I have faith.

Blessings,
Julie-SunnyAZ

nasher

sunnyaz said:

Depression
Hi Craig,

I am sorry you are going through this, and I feel your pain. I wonder about Multiple Sclerosis(MS)or possibly Miniere's disease. Have you had an MRI recently? If so, did they see your spine and check for lesions for MS? Do you have ringing in your ears? Have you had any other physical symptoms like double vision, nausea or loss of peripheral vision? I would talk with your doctor, Neurologist, if you have one, if any of these symptoms are present.

I found that Valium exacerbates my problems. It helps for a while but then I crash. I have stopped using them for the most part and I feel much better. I do know that sometimes too much medication can be a bad thing. They can interact with each other in your system and cause havoc. Then there are those medications you might have been taking for a while that stop working for you and can have an opposite effect of the desired one. Never stop any medication without the guidance of you doctor first. Many of them require titrating down just as they required titrating up.

I am keeping you in my prayers. Remember, laughter is the best medicine and faith can move mountains. Watch a funny movie, spend time with people you love and lean of God. Count your blessings every day. There are more than you know. Focus on the good things in your life and the bad things won't seem as enlarged. Things are going to get better for you. I have faith.

Blessings,
Julie-SunnyAZ

yes and yes
my primary ENT doctor has ruled everything out but Ménière's disease.

but he was also the one who did the stapendectomies and i am getting a second opinion because i think part of the problem is one of the ear implants or related to it.

they have ruled out MS. yes i have tinnitus (ringing in ear)

yes i am talking with a few ENT doctors and see my 2nd neurologist on the 10th i think..

Valium or meclizine make it so i can semi function but we are trying not to use them unless it gets bad we are hoping the body can figure out the bad signal and shut it off.

I have already gone through vestibular training so i know how to function with a mild to moderate vertigo attack and if its worse than that i know how to get myself to a safe place.

i have every classic symptom of Ménière's disease. with two exceptions loud noise to my left ear and gentile touch to the forehead also can set off vertigo and those are not related to Ménière's disease symptoms. hence the second opinion.

One reason why I am such an avid responder to messages and seem to really get into the research on other peoples problems is that for a few minutes i can help someone else and not dwell on my issues.

oh yes hopefully they will be able to add to the anti-depressants instead of swapping them. if you have ever been on anti depressants and had to go through a swap you know how bad that gets for depression.

yes i have talked to mental health personnel in the past and yes they help sometimes but unfortunately they are really booked up right now with people cumming back from the gulf with PTSD.

the fitness people where i work out just pretty much have gotten to the ok do what you can do attitude and watch me for signs of vertigo. 2 times in the past 30 days they have seen a bad case of vertigo strike me while doing my workouts. and both times they wanted to call an ambulance on me.

I have been to the ER once cause of debilitating vertigo and they admit there really is nothing they can do except make sure i have meds and monitor my blood pressure.

between my last post and this one we have found 1 more symptom that I haven't had time to research

with my high blood pressure meds my BP stays about 125/75 with this last vertigo attack at the gym we checked my blood pressure while the attack was going 147/85. this is the same BP machine i daily monitor my BP on. also when i was in the ER and bad vertigo i know at they put me on the machine the first reaing was 152/87 and once the vertigo had eased enough that they felt safe releasing me (and that it wasn't something else)my BP was back to 124/73.

is it a bad sign when you are hoping for a fogy gray day cause the sun and rain and snow can all aggravate the vertigo but gray days its normally not as bad.

amorriso

nasher said:

yes and yes
my primary ENT doctor has ruled everything out but Ménière's disease.

but he was also the one who did the stapendectomies and i am getting a second opinion because i think part of the problem is one of the ear implants or related to it.

they have ruled out MS. yes i have tinnitus (ringing in ear)

yes i am talking with a few ENT doctors and see my 2nd neurologist on the 10th i think..

Valium or meclizine make it so i can semi function but we are trying not to use them unless it gets bad we are hoping the body can figure out the bad signal and shut it off.

I have already gone through vestibular training so i know how to function with a mild to moderate vertigo attack and if its worse than that i know how to get myself to a safe place.

i have every classic symptom of Ménière's disease. with two exceptions loud noise to my left ear and gentile touch to the forehead also can set off vertigo and those are not related to Ménière's disease symptoms. hence the second opinion.

One reason why I am such an avid responder to messages and seem to really get into the research on other peoples problems is that for a few minutes i can help someone else and not dwell on my issues.

oh yes hopefully they will be able to add to the anti-depressants instead of swapping them. if you have ever been on anti depressants and had to go through a swap you know how bad that gets for depression.

yes i have talked to mental health personnel in the past and yes they help sometimes but unfortunately they are really booked up right now with people cumming back from the gulf with PTSD.

the fitness people where i work out just pretty much have gotten to the ok do what you can do attitude and watch me for signs of vertigo. 2 times in the past 30 days they have seen a bad case of vertigo strike me while doing my workouts. and both times they wanted to call an ambulance on me.

I have been to the ER once cause of debilitating vertigo and they admit there really is nothing they can do except make sure i have meds and monitor my blood pressure.

between my last post and this one we have found 1 more symptom that I haven't had time to research

with my high blood pressure meds my BP stays about 125/75 with this last vertigo attack at the gym we checked my blood pressure while the attack was going 147/85. this is the same BP machine i daily monitor my BP on. also when i was in the ER and bad vertigo i know at they put me on the machine the first reaing was 152/87 and once the vertigo had eased enough that they felt safe releasing me (and that it wasn't something else)my BP was back to 124/73.

is it a bad sign when you are hoping for a fogy gray day cause the sun and rain and snow can all aggravate the vertigo but gray days its normally not as bad.

still trying
Hi again. I believe my coworker did have Meniere's and I think he had a surgery to relieve the symptoms. I wish I could remember better... He's teaching somewhere now in Ghana so I cant get in touch with him.

I did have another thought - you are on quite a few medications - have you sat down and talked to a good pharmacist about everything? I've found some quite helpful in ways the doctors arent. And they know all the drug interactions and side effects.

Its just a thought, but it could give you some answers...and relief.

TAke care

Baldy

nasher said:

yes and yes
my primary ENT doctor has ruled everything out but Ménière's disease.

but he was also the one who did the stapendectomies and i am getting a second opinion because i think part of the problem is one of the ear implants or related to it.

they have ruled out MS. yes i have tinnitus (ringing in ear)

yes i am talking with a few ENT doctors and see my 2nd neurologist on the 10th i think..

Valium or meclizine make it so i can semi function but we are trying not to use them unless it gets bad we are hoping the body can figure out the bad signal and shut it off.

I have already gone through vestibular training so i know how to function with a mild to moderate vertigo attack and if its worse than that i know how to get myself to a safe place.

i have every classic symptom of Ménière's disease. with two exceptions loud noise to my left ear and gentile touch to the forehead also can set off vertigo and those are not related to Ménière's disease symptoms. hence the second opinion.

One reason why I am such an avid responder to messages and seem to really get into the research on other peoples problems is that for a few minutes i can help someone else and not dwell on my issues.

oh yes hopefully they will be able to add to the anti-depressants instead of swapping them. if you have ever been on anti depressants and had to go through a swap you know how bad that gets for depression.

yes i have talked to mental health personnel in the past and yes they help sometimes but unfortunately they are really booked up right now with people cumming back from the gulf with PTSD.

the fitness people where i work out just pretty much have gotten to the ok do what you can do attitude and watch me for signs of vertigo. 2 times in the past 30 days they have seen a bad case of vertigo strike me while doing my workouts. and both times they wanted to call an ambulance on me.

I have been to the ER once cause of debilitating vertigo and they admit there really is nothing they can do except make sure i have meds and monitor my blood pressure.

between my last post and this one we have found 1 more symptom that I haven't had time to research

with my high blood pressure meds my BP stays about 125/75 with this last vertigo attack at the gym we checked my blood pressure while the attack was going 147/85. this is the same BP machine i daily monitor my BP on. also when i was in the ER and bad vertigo i know at they put me on the machine the first reaing was 152/87 and once the vertigo had eased enough that they felt safe releasing me (and that it wasn't something else)my BP was back to 124/73.

is it a bad sign when you are hoping for a fogy gray day cause the sun and rain and snow can all aggravate the vertigo but gray days its normally not as bad.

Tinnitus
Craig,

How long have you had the tinnitus? Mines been with me for almost 20 years now.

When it started, I was depressed for quite a while. I had a lot of trouble sleeping, it interfered with every aspect of my life. Now, for the most part, it doesn't cause problems. It stil interferes with some simple pleasures, music etc.

I think it did and continues to color my outlook on life. I'm more of a glass half empty sort of person now than I was before.

In one way, I'm glad it happened. I think my experience with tinnitus helped me a great deal with my cancer and surgery and now I find I have a "ground glass" nodule in my left lung. I get to wait and see on that one, Oh Boy!

Anyway, to get back to my point, I wouldn't discount the tinnitus as a cause for depression.

Alan

palmyrafan

Vertigo and Hearing Loss
Wow.....

You sound like me from last September through now, although I have brain cancer with adrenal and thyroid issues.

Starting last September, all of a sudden, I had problems hearing. Then I developed positional vertigo. Positional vertigo for me was when I tried to lay down to go to sleep. I got so dizzy that I had to lay on 5 pillows, 2 hours before I really wanted to go to sleep.

Fast forward to January of this year. I thought I had the stomach flu, ended up in the hospital twice, each time for a week, so the doctors could figure out what was wrong with me. They finally figured out that I was severely dehydrated, my adrenals were underperforming slightly and my thyroid was lower than it should have been. I am now on Prednisone (8 mgs a day) and Synthroid (.025 mcgs) a day. My positional vertigo disappeared. My hearing is due to the fact that tumors are in my eustacian tubes and sinuses; however, we have also determined that the medication can contribute to that as well because it causes my facial and neck muscles to swell. I am now getting an external cochlear implant (titanium screw with hearing aid behind my ear) probably next month which will give me back my hearing. Until then, I wear "TV Ears" - the Professional version which allows me to hear the tv and it also comes with a microphone so I can carry on conversations with others. My husband and I are also learning sign language, just in case.

Please don't give up hope. Depression is one of the emotions we all face while fighting our cancers. I have found therapy, with someone who specializes in chronic and longterm illness, to be quite beneficial. She allows me to bounce ideas off of her and it really does help to get an outside opinion. She keeps me sane! I also try to stay very busy. I read, listen to music, help in our studio, visit with the grandkids, plus all the other busyness of daily life (running a household, paying the bills, etc.).

I would suggest you cultivate the friendships you already have and make new ones if possible. Take up a new hobby, visit the museums you've heard about, volunteer if you are able. Also, get outside for at least 20-30 minutes everyday. It will help lift your moods as well.

Good luck and God Bless!

Peace,
Teresa

palmyrafan

amorriso said:

vertigo
You're really going through a rough time. I remember a coworker of mine who suffered from vertigo as well - he had to hold onto walls as he walked. And most people assumed he was drunk - not good for a teacher.I know he was able to eventually get it properly treated. I'm going to try to contact him and see what he had done.

Hang in there and I will see what info I can get.

Take care

Andrea

Vertigo
I read an article a few months ago in our local newspaper about a man who had severe vertigo and no one could figure it out. He finally tried a new specialist who examined the "crystal" inside his ear and said it was out of whack. She fixed it, put it back in place, and voila, his vertigo stopped. The man is now back to coaching high school football.

Just a thought, but it was something I had never heard about before. Could be worth looking into.

Peace,
Teresa

nasher

palmyrafan said:

Vertigo and Hearing Loss
Wow.....

You sound like me from last September through now, although I have brain cancer with adrenal and thyroid issues.

Starting last September, all of a sudden, I had problems hearing. Then I developed positional vertigo. Positional vertigo for me was when I tried to lay down to go to sleep. I got so dizzy that I had to lay on 5 pillows, 2 hours before I really wanted to go to sleep.

Fast forward to January of this year. I thought I had the stomach flu, ended up in the hospital twice, each time for a week, so the doctors could figure out what was wrong with me. They finally figured out that I was severely dehydrated, my adrenals were underperforming slightly and my thyroid was lower than it should have been. I am now on Prednisone (8 mgs a day) and Synthroid (.025 mcgs) a day. My positional vertigo disappeared. My hearing is due to the fact that tumors are in my eustacian tubes and sinuses; however, we have also determined that the medication can contribute to that as well because it causes my facial and neck muscles to swell. I am now getting an external cochlear implant (titanium screw with hearing aid behind my ear) probably next month which will give me back my hearing. Until then, I wear "TV Ears" - the Professional version which allows me to hear the tv and it also comes with a microphone so I can carry on conversations with others. My husband and I are also learning sign language, just in case.

Please don't give up hope. Depression is one of the emotions we all face while fighting our cancers. I have found therapy, with someone who specializes in chronic and longterm illness, to be quite beneficial. She allows me to bounce ideas off of her and it really does help to get an outside opinion. She keeps me sane! I also try to stay very busy. I read, listen to music, help in our studio, visit with the grandkids, plus all the other busyness of daily life (running a household, paying the bills, etc.).

I would suggest you cultivate the friendships you already have and make new ones if possible. Take up a new hobby, visit the museums you've heard about, volunteer if you are able. Also, get outside for at least 20-30 minutes everyday. It will help lift your moods as well.

Good luck and God Bless!

Peace,
Teresa

to give a better picture vertigo
I have had tintinitius for over 15 years i have both types both the buzzing distortion and the wooshing pulse sound both come and go.

i have both a positional vertigo related with lying down or bending over but it is not Benign positional vertigo.

high pitched tones or a tuneing fork on my left ear will set me into a short form of vertigo (less than 3 hours)same with light touch to my forehead (like that of a forhead thermometer)

when driveing movement in my parfirial vision or light/dark changes (sun through trees or overpasses) can set off vertigo (sunglasses with sides seem to help there.

the big problem is when vertigo strikes my mind feels like swiss chease. and it dosent record right.

this morning i got vertigo while workin on the eliptical at work gym. i know i did 30-40 min on the eliptical and i know vertigo happened. i know i then stoped and whent and showered and changed and then did the walk from the gym to work (probably looking like a drunk) at work they noticed instantly that i was haveing a vertigo day. it has caulmed down again but still there and i have been at work for 20-40 min not sure when i got here.

palmyrafan

nasher said:

to give a better picture vertigo
I have had tintinitius for over 15 years i have both types both the buzzing distortion and the wooshing pulse sound both come and go.

i have both a positional vertigo related with lying down or bending over but it is not Benign positional vertigo.

high pitched tones or a tuneing fork on my left ear will set me into a short form of vertigo (less than 3 hours)same with light touch to my forehead (like that of a forhead thermometer)

when driveing movement in my parfirial vision or light/dark changes (sun through trees or overpasses) can set off vertigo (sunglasses with sides seem to help there.

the big problem is when vertigo strikes my mind feels like swiss chease. and it dosent record right.

this morning i got vertigo while workin on the eliptical at work gym. i know i did 30-40 min on the eliptical and i know vertigo happened. i know i then stoped and whent and showered and changed and then did the walk from the gym to work (probably looking like a drunk) at work they noticed instantly that i was haveing a vertigo day. it has caulmed down again but still there and i have been at work for 20-40 min not sure when i got here.

Vertigo and Spasms
My vertigo was also exacerbated whenever i had to touch the top or the sides of my head, like to wash or comb my hair, etc.

Like I said, I did notice that the positional vertigo stopped once I was on the Prednisone and Synthroid.

BTW, I have had tinnitus for years. Sounds like crickets in my ears and when it is real bad, it sounds like a complete jungle at nighttime.

Here's hoping we all find the relief we need.

Peace,
Teresa

nasher

palmyrafan said:

Vertigo and Spasms
My vertigo was also exacerbated whenever i had to touch the top or the sides of my head, like to wash or comb my hair, etc.

Like I said, I did notice that the positional vertigo stopped once I was on the Prednisone and Synthroid.

BTW, I have had tinnitus for years. Sounds like crickets in my ears and when it is real bad, it sounds like a complete jungle at nighttime.

Here's hoping we all find the relief we need.

Peace,
Teresa

not sure if i want to do a
not sure if i want to do a steroid like Prednisone but I will ask the doctors what they think cause right now I am about willing to do anything.

would post longer but I have a medical apointment with Nurology for the vertigo issue in about 1 hour.

girllon

hey craig
i just found out wat is a vertigo attack. and im sorry u have to go through it. i am not quiet sure as to how to help u out with wat ur sayin. i do get dizzyness once in a while when i am in shower or when i dont get enough sleep or rest. and the amount of sleep or rest im in need of varies from on day to another.

i just went through this online and i hope this might be helpful.

http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/p/profilemeditati.htm

http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm

have a look at these pages and see if they are of any help. i have a strong feeling that meditation can be quiet useful and make u feel refreshed and better. take care and god bless you.