Category: Mental Health

Our Next Generation

My kids have had to deal with some pretty painful and often frightening emotions over the past seven plus years because of my illness. They’ve watched with their own eyes as their mom went from being a happy, carefree, independent, hands-on social butterfly to a sad, depressed, anxious, emotionally charged, burdensome and withdrawn one; overnight.

They have been on this journey with me since the beginning whether they chose to or not. They’ve seen me at my worst which has become more and more difficult for me to not place all the blame on myself, feel a tremendous amount of guilt and take fault at, whether I am or not, for any emotional pain or mental health challenges they may have faced over the last many years or those which may grow to affect their well-being over time. This is sadly how a depressed mind thinks.

When I first made the choice about four and a half years ago to create a blog and start sharing my journey with the world, one that has included some of the most intimate and vulnerable moments of my life I really didn’t know what to expect or even how it would be received as it still felt so stigmatized. 

I’d already been sharing quite a bit of my journey with those in my inner circle and many others who were along the perimeter of it as well but my number one priority was to ensure that both Rich and I kept a very open and honest dialogue with our kids from day one (they may have also started to wonder where I’d disappeared to for any great length of time when I’d been admitted into hospital). 

Completely sheltering them from their new reality would have immediately sent a message to them that they were somehow responsible for my illness or that they had something to hide from the world or worse that they were not safe but at the same time I couldn’t help but continue to worry that I’d also bring a sense of shame to their lives as well by sharing my story. 

But I have been fortunate enough to learn that my willingness and openness to share my journey with my children meant that I am modeling to them that it’s okay to NOT be okay, that they are NOT alone, that asking for help is NOT a weakness and that creating healthy boundaries in their relationships is stupendously important. 

It’s what also kept me motivated to publish my children’s book “Where Did Mommy’s Smile Go?”.

I know that my kids are not alone and that sadly their home is not even close to being the only one on the block who could be dealing with a loved one’s mental health challenges. I also know from the incredible outpouring of love and support that they have all received most recently from their own close circles of friends and those along the perimeter as well that this next generation is making a change, a change for the better, in a big, BIG way. 

I also have the confidence that they are completely up for the challenge as they begin to deal with the aftermath of living through a Pandemic and whose mental and emotional pain could possibly carry many of them throughout the rest of their lives.

We as a society can certainly help to ensure their success by modeling to them that it’s okay to not be okay, that they are not alone, that asking for help is not a weakness and that creating healthy boundaries is stupendously important in their day to day life.

With our help this next generation and many more to come are not going to remain silent much longer. I truly believe that they are gonna be the ones who will finally kick the stigma to the fricken moon and I couldn’t be more proud knowing that my children are willing participants in becoming a part of that change.

#nextgeneration #letsendthestigmatogether #startaconversation #bepartofthechange #mentalhealth #mentalillness #youarenotalone #itsoktonotbeok #masksoff #endthesilence #healthyboundaries #blogger #author #advocate #wheredidmommyssmilego

REFLECTING ON YESTERDAY

So as most of you may have seen by now, yesterday I was administered my first treatment of Ketamine. 

I am very overwhelmed and emotional today and haven’t been able to respond to the outpouring of messages I’ve received (both privately and on social media) since yesterday afternoon wishing me good luck and cheering me on. But I am so grateful for each and every one. They definitely keep me going. 

I’ve needed this time instead to reflect on yesterday’s experience and the last few days that have led up to it.

I didn’t get home until after 9 pm last night by which time I was both mentally and physically exhausted, emotionally drained and still somewhat stoned!

I think overall the physical experience went pretty much how I imagined it would go, especially given my past trials and tribulations with psychedelics before.

My body went completely numb (including my lips) almost immediately after placing the tablet under my tongue (it was very bitter tasting). I was told to let it dissolve naturally and the nurse who was looking after me repeatedly told me not to swallow my saliva for at least 15 minutes. She made me very anxious. 

I lay in a big comfy recliner, the lights were dimmed. I closed my eyes, wrapped a blanket around me which they had suggested you bring with you and listened to music giving both my body and mind whatever they needed to go through the process freely. Rich sat in a chair across from me, playing Candy Crush and watching Tik Tok videos the entire evening. 

I had a complete out of body  experience. I felt a disconnect and like I was moving in slow motion. At one point I almost felt as though I was flying right out of my body. I had some muscle pain at times, felt brain zaps quite a bit and experienced some nausea as well. I heard noises that weren’t always there and saw images in my head too, both of which startled me many times during. I was completely conscious yet could not lift my head or move my body for 2 full hours.

As I stated above, I was prepared for what I would experience in a physical sense but mentally and emotionally I was not. Before I began the treatment I spoke with a Psychiatrist briefly. She had been well versed by my own Psychiatrist recently on how depressed and suicidal I’d been for the last while. 

She needed to know before we began where my current state of mind was at. I told her honestly, explaining what had transpired late last week not realizing that she would become hesitant about allowing me to start my treatment yesterday given how vulnerable I really was. It actually confused me since this treatment is supposed to help people who are feeling very depressed and suicidal. She also wanted to know about any specific plans I may have of suicide and details of my previous attempts too.

Anyways she did agree at the end of our conversation to begin the treatment as previously planned but made me promise to go to the hospital if I need to at any time between sessions.

I was able to let go of my emotional pain throughout the experience. It was what happened once I got home that terrifies me that this treatment won’t help me and that I will not only let myself down in the process but everyone else as well.

As I mentioned before, I didn’t get home until after 9 pm, still feeling some of the physical effects. I got into bed right away. I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep. I became very emotional very quickly. 

Once I did manage to fall asleep probably around midnight it was very disrupted because everytime I felt myself drifting off I also felt myself unable to catch my breath or swallow. Each time this happened I got so scared that I would immediately sit up in order to catch my breath and try and swallow. I went into fight or flight mode and kept hearing the nurse’s voice ruminating in my head, telling me not to swallow. By 5 AM I found myself inconsolable once again. Lucky Rich is such an early riser!

I am scheduled to have my second dose on Saturday afternoon. The nurse told me to expect a call from the doctor today or tomorrow to go over my first experience at which time they will also be deciding whether or not they feel it is safe to go ahead and raise the dose at my next session. 

In the meantime I had my weekly scheduled appointment today with my therapist where I was able to reflect even more on my experience, especially given my emotional state right now. It is highly recommended as part of the treatment plan that consistent therapy is also needed. 

Like with any individual taking Antidepressants or other such treatments to help their symptoms, therapy helps set the stage for its affects to be more successful and longer lasting. 

I can’t say it enough to people how important therapy is for treating mental health disorders alongside their other treatments, even if their current treatment may or may not seem to be helping. Oftentimes it may only be a bandaid without the upkeep of talk therapy/psychotherapy.

I am so blessed to have such an incredible and supportive therapist by my side.

Until next time…

#ketaminetreatment #psychedelics #treatmentresistantdepression #suicidalideations #talktherapy #mentalhealth #mentalillness #mentalwellness #youarenotalone #youareenough #itsoktonotbeok #reflections #thankyou 

Weekend

Here are some pics from our #summerofrich “Fall Edition” hikes we took yesterday and today plus a few pics from our delicious Thanksgiving dinner tonight courtesy of my Brother/Sister-in-Law to celebrate my Mother-in-Law’s birthday with all her grandchildren by her side (minus the Honeymoomers). 

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve also spent a good portion of my weekend ruminating, doubting myself, second guessing everything and filled with tears and anxiety but being able to spend some quality time with Rich in the great outdoors, in the warm summerlike temperatures and also being surrounded by good friends and family throughout the last few days has certainly helped me get through the tough moments a little bit easier. 

I am blessed and truly grateful.

#grateful #blessed #celebratethemoments #birthdaywishes #thankful #friendships #family #thanksgiving #familymatters #hiking







Overwhelmed With Gratitude

*Warning: Could be potentially triggering to some*

This Thanksgiving weekend I have so much to be THANKFUL for and I am overwhelmed with such GRATITUDE right now from the outpouring of kindness and love and support that has been shown to me and my ENTIRE family in SO many DIFFERENT ways.

I am slowly learning to embrace the help I so desperately need right now and accept that it’s okay. 

Sometimes it takes a village in order to do so. 

But that’s okay too.

And by learning how to let go of one’s pride and embrace the kindness and love and support of so many wonderful friends, family and truly an entire village has aroused so many super important conversations over the past few days and it has also afforded me the privilege of making many new and some really special connections as well; it’s truly been such a HUGE BLESSING. 

I am THANKFUL and overwhelmed with GRATITUDE.

As many of you probably know by now I have been doing all that I can to survive for weeks now and by Thursday evening I honestly felt like I was about to take my last breath.

The build up of everything I’d been feeling just became too much and I could no longer allow myself to be a burden anymore, to anyone.

I’d hit rock bottom. 

After dinner as I began to spiral further I told Rich that I was cancelling the Ketamine treatment. I just wanted to die rather than live with the guilt I felt. I became angry, mostly at myself and then eventually inconsolable. Rich suggested he take me to the hospital. I gave it some thought for a moment but instead I turned around, went into my bathroom, closed the door behind me and sat on the floor in the dark, crying. 

Rich came in and tried to console me. I asked him to please leave and let me be. He did as I asked, but not for long. When he returned again he found me still sitting on the floor, still crying, still in the dark but by now there was an open bottle of Tylenol on the counter and a pair of tweezers tightly clutched in my hand. I was desperate to find whatever means I could to end my pain once and for all.

As soon as Rich realized what was happening he grabbed the tweezers from my hand, picked me up off the floor and held me until I was calm enough to lay down and try and get some rest.

Thursday I’d hit rock bottom. Or so I thought. Then Friday morning arrived. 

I went to sit outside on the front porch. It was 8 am. Rich followed me outside. It was decision day. My treatment had to be paid for in full by end of day. We spoke about what had transpired the evening before. For the first time in a very long time I understood that I truly couldn’t keep living like this, that WE couldn’t keep living like this and that my kids DEFINITELY didn’t deserve to live like this. We both knew that we had to find whatever means we could in order for me to do this treatment. We both felt so desperate. But suddenly for a brief moment I felt a sense of calm come over me and then Rich blurted out, “I lost my job yesterday and I haven’t been able to find the words to tell you”.

Fuck. Poof. Goodbye calm. Hello tornado.

But Rich wasn’t giving up; not on me, not on us and certainly not on our family. Nothing had changed for him in that moment. In his mind this was not going to be the end. It had to be the start of a new beginning. So he swallowed his pride, left his ego on our front porch and went to work creating a “Go Fund Me Page” to help us pay for the 6 initial treatments and for whatever other expenses we have been told by my Psychiatrist we are likely to incur over the coming months for the maintenance of treatment.

Today happens to be “World Mental Health Day” and it’s theme this year is “Mental Health in an unequal world.” This couldn’t be a more fitting theme given the unfair treatment gap, discrimination and many other barriers that so many people like myself face every day by not being able to have the same advantage or accessibility to affordable mental health care. We all deserve the same fighting chance.

But today, thanks to the kindness and love and support of my village, I have been given a fighting chance. 

Today I am THANKFUL and overwhelmed with GRATITUDE. 

https://gofund.me/39f62d61

#Thanksgiving #worldmentalhealthday #ketaminetreatment #gofundme #mentalhealth #endthestigma #treatmentresistant #depression #anxiety #itsoktonotbeok #yourmentalhealthmatters #youareenough #youarenotalone #suicideprevention #suicideawareness  #grateful #thankful #blessed #ohcanada #happythanksgivingcanada

National Depression Screening Day

I’m in a pretty dark place today. The past few days have really done a number on me. 

I know I’m not alone. I know that. And neither are you.

#nationaldepressionscreeningday #mentalillnessawarenessweek #youarenotalone

Sleep Paralysis

My Psychiatrist prescribed me sleeping pills recently to try and help with my very disruptive sleep patterns. 

I don’t take them every night but the first couple of times I did take them I actually slept like 7 hours…in a row!!

But with any of my past experiences taking sleep meds, usually after about 3 days or so, I seem to become immune to them and history repeats itself and eventually they just stop working. 

So my Psychiatrist suggested that maybe I alternate between 2 different kinds to try and avoid building up an immunity to one particular brand.

The secondary pill he prescribed is pretty new on the market and came with a bit more risk to me when it comes to its long laundry list of potential side effects. Something I have to be very vigilant of given my history with most medications I take.

I tried taking them once or twice a couple of weeks ago and found that it made me extremely groggy and unfunctionable the next day. I decided to just save them for nights where I really feel I need one.

Last night felt like one of those nights that warranted me taking one. I was having a bad night and feeling super anxious and emotional. I also hadn’t slept the night before because I have been experiencing severe pain throughout my entire body the last few days which I believe to be a side effect from the recent increase in my anti-anxiety medication and I was almost too afraid to fall asleep. 

So Rich gave me the sleeping pill about 10pm. An hour or so later I could feel myself slowly drifting off to sleep, or so I thought.

My eyes were closed but then suddenly my arms and legs felt very tingly, I felt very weighted down under my weighted blanket, I kept trying to move but couldn’t and then my body went almost numb. 

I felt paralyzed and for the next hour and a half I began hallucinating and became extremely paranoid. 

I remember all of it. Every noise I heard and every image I saw including the one of a gun pointing directly in my face. 

My body may have felt very disconnected but my mind was still very much aware of my surroundings. I was completely conscious yet felt helpless against the danger I kept feeling I was in.

It was terrifying. 

Our brains can have a very cruel sense of humour sometimes. 
My body is so damn sensitive to drugs of any kind and that’s no joke. It’s really making me reconsider my decision to begin Ketamine treatment next week even more.

I could hear myself trying to speak aloud at times but the words weren’t always coming out of my mouth. I couldn’t catch my breath. I kept trying to take deep breaths but I was gasping for air each time I did. Those desperate and very loud gasps for air was what brought Hannah anxiously running down the hall from behind her closed bedroom door to see what was going on.

One minute I’d be hysterically crying and the next moment I was hysterically laughing. 

Maggie kept trying to lick my face. Her tongue felt like it was on speed. She could sense that there was something wrong.  

Rich held my hand the entire time trying desperately to calm me down while at the same time laughing hysterically alongside Hannah at some of the nonsensical and I gather from their outbursts of laughter, very comical things that I kept saying.

Laughter was all that was holding them together. I guess that’s why they say it truly is the best medicine.

**If you missed my blog yesterday about my upcoming Ketamine treatment please go to: https://youareenough712.wordpress.com/2021/10/05/ketamine-again/

Xoxo

#sleepparalysis #sleepingpills #suicidalmind #triggers #laughteristhebestmedicine #mentalhealth #hallucinations #paranoia #mentalexhaustion #ketamine #weightedblanket #treatmentresistantdepression #adogspurpose #mentalillnessawarenessweek

Ketamine…Again?

Before I sat down to write this today I was planning on doing another Vlog. (Note: I actually wrote this and intended to post it yesterday before I found out that Facebook and Instagram had both crashed!). I thought I needed to maybe hear my own voice again today but I’m just too vulnerable right now and so I wrote my words out instead. 

My Psychiatrist increased my new medication again late last week with the intent to get it to a therapeutic dose soon. It’s an anti-anxiety medication which I mentioned I would be starting a few weeks ago. As of yet I can’t say that it’s really been helping me. So for now I will just add it to the long list of failures.

Yesterday was a pretty bad day all around for me. My anxiety was very high which then turned to panic, crying, rumination and an increased amount of thoughts of death and dying.

As I also mentioned recently my Psychiatrist had put a plan together for me when we spoke a few weeks ago. It included this new anti-anxiety medication and it also included treatment for Ketamine…AGAIN which has been scheduled to start early next week. 

So for those of you who don’t know what Ketamine is I will give you a quick explanation here. For starters, it’s actually a very potent and sometimes deadly street drug known as “Special K”. It is also apparently used as a horse tranquilizer but most commonly it is found in anesthetic.

I’m not gonna bore you or put you through a science class today but people living with Depression are known to have “abnormal brain plasticity”. Continued studies and research have shown that using Ketamine can help to remove the “negative receptors” in our brain and then it like “plants a seed” in your brain which allows for new “neuropathways” and positive neuroactivity to grow and flourish.

Studies have shown that by using Ketamine to treat Depression there has been a 60% success rate so far and unlike anti-depressants it is supposed to work faster and more effectively.

Now let me go back for a second here and explain (for those who may not already know) what I meant before when I said I am scheduled to begin Ketamine treatment…AGAIN.

Several years ago during an inpatient stay at Sunnybrook Hospital I was asked to take part in a Clinical Trial for Ketamine. I had never heard of it before but I was the perfect candidate though because it is used mostly on patients who suffer with Treatment Resistant Depression like I do. I happily and very naively agreed to try it. I figured I had nothing else to do seeing as I was in the hospital anyways.

I filled out a ton of paperwork, spoke in depth and several times with the Psychiatrist in charge of the study. I filled out many questionnaires with his Associates. After I was given approval to begin the study I was scheduled to start the 1st of 6 treatments the very next day.

They told me during the initial consult that the Ketamine would be administered through an IV and that I would have to lay there in the OR attached to an IV drip for 45 minutes and then kept for observation for another 30 minutes following. Before we began the process I asked the Anesthesiologist if I would feel anything. He said you may feel a bit woozy. 

Well woozy was an understatement because for the next 45 minutes I lay on the cold table hallucinating, feeling disassociation and seeing psychedelic images flash before my eyes. It felt like a complete out of body experience with flashbacks as far back as my childhood. 

I hated every bloody second of it and couldn’t wait for it to be over. The next day I met with the Psychiatrist to discuss how it went and we both agreed it was probably best that I don’t continue with the study. Another epic fail.

Now let’s fast forward to March of 2020. My current Psychiatrist happens to be the Medical Director of 2 Ketamine clinics in the GTA and has studied it’s effectiveness on Treatment Resistant Depression for several years now.

Back in February or March of 2020 (everything is kinda a blur now) we began another discussion surrounding Ketamine and he asked me if I would be willing to try it again as with more scientific research and studies conducted it was now available in a nose spray form. And less invasive.

He told me he would administer the 1st dose in his downtown office at the hospital he works out of to ensure I tolerate it and that the following 5 doses could be picked up at a local compounding pharmacy and be administered under the supervision of my husband in the comfort of my own home.

I agreed to try it AGAIN cause well, I try almost everything at least once when it’s come to my treatment or in this case twice.

We were scheduled to begin the 1st treatment on March 15th 2020 at 6:00 p.m. It never happened. And if you have been following my journey very recently I kinda just let things slide from there once the pandemic hit.

As most of you know though I reconnected with my Psychiatrist a few weeks ago at which time he told me that patients were no longer allowed to administer the nose spray at home. The whole idea had been kiboshed over the past year as research had shown that it was a liability and quite dangerous to do so. But I guess it’s OK because since March of 2020 Ketamine is now available in an even less invasive form, a pill which is dissolvable under the tongue but still can only be administered under the watchful eye of a doctor/nurse. 

So I guess as they say, three times a charm as I have agreed to try it…AGAIN. The six sessions are to be completed at a clinic in Toronto (there is also a clinic in Mississauga too). Each session will take between 2 to 3 hours from start to finish to complete and I am not allowed to drive home afterwards. They actually recommend you don’t drive for 24 hours following. The sessions will take place twice a week for two weeks and once a week after that.

Although I’ve agreed to try it again given I feel like I’m running out of both viable options and steam, but I have been told by my doctor that I am very likely to still feel those same hallucinations and disassociative feelings that I don’t like. I’ve done many other treatments and have tried many hallucinogens over the last several years. I don’t like feeling as though I’m tripping out on LSD.

I’ve been consumed with very negative thoughts for several days now (surprise, surprise) since booking my treatment. I’m experiencing extreme anxiety and feelings of overwhelming guilt and lets not forget those feelings of being a burden that weigh me down too. I’m questioning my decision to do this again for many, like OH MY GOSH, too many reasons.

For one, it’s still very new and likely not to be a forever cure from what the current research shows. I will very likely need to continue on some type of maintenance program after the six sessions are done. But like how long term? And does anyone even know what the long term effects of it could be, especially cognitively. As it is, I did ECT (Electroconvulsive Treatment) several years back. Probably the most invasive and scariest treatment I’ve done. The eight treatments I did fucked me up royally. It fried my short term memory, my ability to recall many things and I find myself often forgetting what I was talking about mid…sentence.

But at the same time Psychedelics seem to be the wave of the future for treating mental illnesses and especially for people like myself who are treatment resistant. I’ve even tried “shrooms” in a pill form, but couldn’t tolerate the hallucinations it caused, although my Psychiatrist is also currently working on many new studies and its amazing effects on Treatment Resistant Depression as we speak.

I’ve tried so many different treatments over the past seven years and how I see it, I have failed them all, many of which have cost a shitload of money because they were not covered by either Ohip or insurance, Ketamine now included. I wish I could understand why if there is such a need for these treatments and Ketamine for one has one of the highest success rates among all treatments including anti-depressants then why has it not yet become part of the mainstream health care system so that more people can have access to it? I know, dumb question.

It’s an expensive treatment, especially if it becomes ongoing. It’s an expense we really can’t afford at the moment and just adds to the extraordinary guilt I already live with on a daily basis. The “what if” I’m not part of that 60% success rate, the “what if” yet another attempt fails and we throw away even more money that we don’t have. How can I live with that on my conscience?

The answer is, I can’t.

I’ve carried on and on AND on the last few days with all the other reasons as to why I also shouldn’t do it as well and feel like a burden yet again to my family by having to take me and sit with me for 2 to 3 hours (plus the 30 plus minute drive there and back) while I have my treatments.  

These are very real struggles for me which of course my Psychiatrist tried to remind me the other day as I rambled on about all my reservations that I’m having that it’s my Depression talking and that my Anxiety is happily cheering him on. I can’t let them win.

But it’s so fucking hard though and the noises in my head are loud as hell. It’s literally killing me.

They keep telling me I don’t deserve to live a life free of chronic Depression, debilitating Anxiety and daily thoughts of Suicide. They keep telling me I’m just gonna fail at this attempt too. They keep telling me to give it up already and that I’ve already used up my many chances at recovery over and over AGAIN. Like why would this time be any different?

Thanks for listening to me today. I so appreciate the extra set of ears. Somedays the best medicine is just knowing that someone is there listening to my very real and terrifying emotions with only the purest of intent.

#ketamine #empathy #education #treatmentresiatantdepression #mentalillness #mentalhealth #depression #anxiety #itsoktonotbeok #youareenough #maskoff #psychiatrist #psychiatry #acceptinghelp #threetimesacharm #selfcare #youmatter #youareenough #yourmentalhealthmatters #mentalillnessawarenessweek